Canada plans to boost immigration to 500,000 immigrants per year!

November 2, 2022 Employment Market,Employment Trends,Foreign Job Seekers,Immigration

The Canadian economy has experienced one of the fastest recoveries from COVID-19 among advanced economies, but is now facing critical labour market shortages, causing uncertainty for Canadian businesses and workers.

The Announcement

The plan that Ottawa has announced, to welcome 500,000 immigrants per year by 2025, comes as the nation faces a massive shortage of labour.

The federal government is planning a huge increase in the number of immigrants entering Canada, with a goal of bringing in 500,000 people in 2025.

This plan helps cement Canada’s place among the world’s top destinations for talent, creating a strong foundation for continued economic growth, while also reuniting family members with their loved ones and fulfilling Canada’s humanitarian commitments.

Immigration Minister Sean Fraser revealed the new targets Tuesday, saying the move is necessary to ensure Canada’s economic prosperity.

The announcement signals a significant increase from the 405,000 immigrants that came to Canada last year and the 465,000 expected to arrive next year.

Canadian industries are facing a significant labour shortage. About one million jobs are vacant across the country.

The new plan puts an emphasis on increasing the number of immigrants who will be admitted based on their work skills or experience over the next three years.

Quick facts

  • The levels plan is a projection of how many permanent residents will be admitted to Canada in a given year and sets targets for overall admissions per immigration category. Under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the Minister must table the levels plan in Parliament each year.
  • Immigration accounts for almost 100% of Canada’s labour force growth, and, by 2032, it’s projected to account for 100% of Canada’s population growth.
  • Canada’s aging population means that the worker-to-retiree ratio is expected to shift from 7 to 1 50 years ago to 2 to 1 by 2035.
  • During the 2021 Census, nearly 1 in 4 people counted were or had been a landed immigrant or permanent resident in Canada, the highest proportion since Confederation and the largest proportion among G7 countries.
  • Just over 1.3 million new immigrants settled permanently in Canada from 2016 to 2021, the highest number of recent immigrants recorded in a Canadian census.
  • The levels plan takes into account extensive engagement with provincial and territorial representatives, as well as public opinion research and stakeholder consultations.
  • The Action Plan for Official Languages – 2018-2023: Investing in Our Future provided nearly $500 million over five years in support of official languages, including $40.8 million for Francophone immigration initiatives.
  • Canadians across the country can see how newcomers are benefiting local communities through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s Immigration Matters campaign.
  • Under the Canada-Quebec Accord, Quebec establishes its own immigration levels.

Sources and Resources

Get more details from this original CBC article and read the Government of Canada Press Release “An Immigration Plan to Grow the Economy”

Also see this article about Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIA) and delays for employers “Employers rush to fill jobs with Temporary Foreign Workers (TFP)“