Canada has set an even greater target of welcoming 451,000 new immigrants by 2024. In a statement to CIC News, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser explained the rationale for the new levels plan. The Canadian government has officially unveiled its Immigration Levels Plan 2022-2024.
Canada is boosting its immigration targets even again. It plans to accept more than 432,000 new immigrants this year, up from a previous target of 411,000.
The news was made today about 3:35 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
Over the next three years, Canada will target the following number of new immigration arrivals:
431,645 permanent residents in 2022
447,055 permanent inhabitants in 2023
451,000 permanent residents by 2024
Immigration Minister Sean Fraser noted in a statement to CIC News, “This levels plan is a balancing of requirements for our country and our international duties.”. It focuses on attracting competent individuals who will contribute to the Canadian economy and alleviate the labour shortage, while simultaneously recognizing the importance of family reunification and supporting the world’s most vulnerable populations through refugee resettlement. Our priority is supporting our economic recovery by enhancing the retention of arrivals in regions suffering major economic, labour, and demographic challenges. I’m proud of what Canada has done so far, and I’m excited to see how immigration will continue to make Canada a top choice.”
In 2022, around 56% of new immigrants would enter through economic class channels such as Express Entry, the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), and the Temporary to Permanent Residence (TR2PR) stream that was available in 2021.
The PNP will be the primary admissions programme for economic immigrants, with Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) aiming to enroll 83,500 entrants under the PNP in 2022. IRCC has decreased Express Entry admissions in half for this year, but hopes to revert to normal Express Entry admissions levels by 2024, when it expects 111,500 Express Entry immigrants to arrive.
IRCC is temporarily reducing Express Entry admissions in order to facilitate TR2PR admissions, according to the stated strategy. IRCC plans to accept 40,000 immigrants through the TR2PR programme in 2022, with the remaining 32,000 arriving in 2023.
Meanwhile, biweekly Express Entry draws are still taking place, and IRCC is processing Express Entry applications.
Furthermore, the majority of Canada’s provinces and territories use the PNP, and PNP invites have been distributed since the epidemic began.
In 2022, the family class will account for 24% of admissions targets, with 80,000 joining through the Spouses, Partners, and Children Program and 25,000 joining through the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP). When compared to its previous target, IRCC has increased its PGP admissions target by 1,500 places.
The remaining 20% will arrive via refugee and humanitarian programmes. This is a 5 percentage point increase above Canada’s prior immigration levels plan, and it is most likely the outcome of Canada’s plans to resettle 40,000 Afghan refugees over the next several years. The increased refugee and humanitarian intake will result in a smaller share of economic and family class immigration than usual, but both classes will account for a larger share of Canada’s newcomers in 2023 and 2024, as Canada plans to reduce its refugee and humanitarian intake once its Afghan resettlement operation is completed.
| Immigration Class | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
| Economic | 241,850 | 253,000 | 267,750 |
| Family | 105,000 | 109,500 | 113,000 |
| Refugee | 76,545 | 74,055 | 62,500 |
| Humanitarian | 8,250 | 10,500 | 7,750 |
| Total | 431,645 | 447,055 | 451,000 |
Today’s presentation represented the first Immigration Levels Plan presentation since October 2020.
The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), Canada’s main immigration legislation, requires the Canadian government to declare its immigration policy by November 1st of each year, while Parliament is in session. However, owing to the Canadian government holding an election in September, no levels plan was released last year.
The levels plan is the foundation of Canada’s immigration system. It specifies the amount of immigrants that Canada intends to accept through its various federal, provincial, and territorial programmes. The IRCC and the provinces and territories then alter their activities in accordance with the plan to guarantee that they are able to recruit, settle, integrate, and retain the intended numbers of newcomers.
Until 2015, Canada welcomed around 250,000 immigrants every year. In 2016, it set a new baseline goal of 300,000 arrivals per year. Prior to the outbreak, the goal had been set at roughly 340,000 immigrants per year, but due to the pandemic, immigration has dropped to fewer than 200,000 in 2020.
The Canadian government then made an unexpected announcement in October 2020, stating that it will welcome over 400,000 immigrants per year in the future to help support the country’s post-COVID economic recovery. This is one of Canada’s most aggressive targets in its history.
Canada established a new record for arrivals last year, receiving 405,000 new permanent citizens, the vast majority of whom arrived from within the country. Prior to the outbreak, the majority of new Canadian immigrants were from foreign nations.
By 2021, 62 percent of new immigrants will have entered via economic class channels like as Express Entry, the PNP, and Quebec’s streams.
Last year, almost 20% were accepted under the family category through the Spouses, Partners, and Children Program and the Parents and Grandparents Program.
A total of 15% were accepted under refugee and humanitarian programmes in 2021.
The remainder of the monies were designated as “All Other Immigration.”
Canada is looking for a big number of newcomers to boost its economic and fiscal situation. Because of its old population and low birth rate, Canada requires more immigration to sustain its population, labour force, and economic development, as well as to have enough workers to pay the taxes needed to provide critical social services such as health care and education. In addition, Canada supports social immigration goals such as family reunification, humanitarian assistance, and showcasing its Francophone heritage.
During the pandemic, immigration has surely grown in economic importance. Governments across Canada are facing fiscal shortfalls as a result of increased spending during the outbreak and decreased economic activity. Furthermore, as a result of Canada’s ageing population, considerable changes in the economy during COVID and fewer immigrants arriving from outside, businesses across the country are facing labour shortages.
The Immigration Levels Plan 2023-2025 will be published on November 1st, 2022.
Unless Canada has an election for the second year in a row, the Canadian government is constitutionally required to submit its second Immigration Levels Plan of the year by Tuesday, November 1st, 2022. This plan will be implemented in place of the one published today.
As previously announced, the announcement for 2021 was delayed due to the federal election in September. The Immigration Levels Plan 2023-2025 is usually the most anticipated announcement.
(Source CIC News)
