Canada has dropped out of the top five nations when it comes to integrating immigrants, due to policy changes by Ottawa that restrict family reunification and citizenship.

According to the latest world ranking by a Brussels-based think tank, Canada has slipped from third to sixth place among 38 developed countries in providing migrants access to equal rights, support and opportunity.

Although Canada is still considered a welcoming country for newcomers, amid a global tide of anti-immigrant and anti-terror actions, the Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX) says Canada’s shift to the right raises questions about its traditions of inclusion.

“It is a cause of concern, one that we need to watch,” said Thomas Huddleston of the Migration Policy Group, lead author of the European Union-funded, peer-reviewed index. Canada’s 2015 MIPEX profile will be released in Toronto on Wednesday.

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