Tag Archive: immigration refugees and citizenship canada
Government Of Canada Announces 2024-2026 Immigration Levels Plan
November 1, 2023
Today, Wednesday, November 1, 2023, the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (“IRCC”), tabled the 2024-2026 Immigration Levels Plan. According to the government, the plan is “tailored to support economic growth while balancing with the pressures in areas like housing, healthcare and infrastructure. It charts a responsible course for sustainable and stable population growth”.
Canada will maintain its target of 485,000 permanent residents for 2024 and 500,000 in 2025. Starting in 2026, the government will stabilize permanent resident levels at 500,000, allowing time for successful integration, while continuing to augment Canada’s labour market.
Highlights of the 2024-2026 Immigration Levels Plan include:
- A continued long-term focus on economic growth, with over 60% of permanent resident admissions dedicated to the economic class by 2025.
- New Francophone immigration targets to support and strengthen Francophone communities outside of Quebec.
- Integrating housing, health care and infrastructure planning, along with other important services, into Canada’s immigration levels planning, in close collaboration with provinces, territories and municipalities.
- Creating a Chief International Talent Officer position to more effectively align immigration programs and pathways with the labour market, including industry and sector strategies.
- Making the IRCC website more user-friendly, so that applicants can easily find the information they need.
First Category Based Express Entry Draws on June 28 and July 5, 2023 – Health Care/Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Occupations
June 28, 2023
Today, the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship announced that category-based selection for Express Entry will begin, today, with 500 Express Entry candidates with backgrounds in Health Care occupations to be invited to apply for Permanent Residence and 1,500 on July 5, 2023. Also, on July 5, 2023, the Government of Canada will be inviting candidates with STEM expertise – including data scientists, software developers and programmers, mathematicians, statisticians and actuaries, and electrical and electronics engineers – with a view to help Canada’s science and technology sector, by bringing in the skilled talent that businesses need to drive innovation and achieve their growth potential.
To be eligible for Category-Based Selection, an applicant must
- have accumulated, within the past 3 years, at least 6 months of continuous work experience (in Canada or abroad) in a single occupation listed in the table below
- meet all of the requirements in the instructions for that round
Full eligibility details will be available in the instructions for each round.
The full list of Health Care occupations appears below:
Audiologists and speech language pathologists |
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Chiropractors |
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Dentists |
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Dieticians and nutritionists |
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Education counsellors |
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General practitioners and family physicians |
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Instructors of persons with disabilities |
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Kinesiologists and other professional occupation in therapy and assessment |
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Licensed practical nurses |
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Massage therapists |
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Medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations |
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Medical laboratory technologists |
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Medical radiation technologists |
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Medical sonographers |
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Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates |
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Nurse practitioners |
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Nursing co-ordinators and supervisors |
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Occupational therapists |
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Optometrists |
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Other assisting occupations in support of health services |
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Other practitioners of natural healing |
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Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating |
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Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment |
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Paramedical occupations |
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Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants |
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Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals |
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Physiotherapists |
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Psychologists |
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Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses |
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Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists |
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Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine |
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Specialists in surgery |
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Therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies |
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Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists |
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Veterinarians |
The full list of STEM occupations appears below:
Architects |
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Architecture and science managers |
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Business systems specialists |
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Civil Engineers |
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Computer and information systems managers |
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Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers) |
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Computer systems developers and programmers |
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Cybersecurity specialists |
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Data scientists |
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Database analysts and data administrators |
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Electrical and electronics engineers |
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Engineering managers |
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Industrial and manufacturing engineers |
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Information systems specialists |
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Land surveyors |
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Landscape Architects |
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Mathematicians, statisticians and actuaries |
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Metallurgical and materials engineers |
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Natural and applied science policy researchers, consultants and program officers |
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Software developers and programmers |
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Software engineers and designers |
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Urban and land use planners |
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Web designers |
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Web developers and programmers |
Express Entry Rounds of Invitations: Category-Based Selection
May 31, 2023
Today, Wednesday, May 31, 2023, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced that Canada is introducing category-based rounds of invitations for Express Entry. The Government will invite candidates who are eligible for a specific category established by the Minister to meet an identified economic goal. Candidates will be invited to apply for permanent residence based on criteria such as
- ability to communicate in a specific official language
- work experience in a specific Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities (TEER) category of the National Occupational Classification (NOC)
- education
Category-based selection will allow Canada to issue invitations to apply to prospective permanent residents with specific skills, training or language ability and will add to general and program-specific rounds by inviting top-ranking candidates who can help Canada meet specific economic goals. Further details on the timing of invitations for individual categories and how to apply will be announced in the coming weeks and the chosen categories will be announced in advance.
Categories chosen for 2023
For 2023, the Government of Canada chose these categories:
- French-language proficiency
- Healthcare occupations
- Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) occupations
- Trade occupations
- Transport occupations
- Agriculture and agri-food occupations
Who is eligible
To be eligible for an invitation through a category-based round, the applicant must meet all of the requirements in the instructions for that round.
When the Government holds a category-based round of invitations, they will
- rank candidates in the pool who meet the category requirements and
- invite top-ranking candidates to apply for permanent residence
A. Eligibility for the French-language proficiency category
To be eligible, you must
- have French-language test results that show a minimum score of 7 in all 4 language abilities on the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens
- meet all of the requirements in the instructions for that round
B. Eligibility for the healthcare occupations category
To be eligible, you must
- have accumulated, within the past 3 years, at least 6 months of continuous work experience (in Canada or abroad) in a single occupation listed in the table below
- meet all of the requirements in the instructions for that round
Full eligibility details will be available in the instructions for each round.
Audiologists and speech language pathologists |
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|
Chiropractors |
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Dentists |
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Dieticians and nutritionists |
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Education counsellors |
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General practitioners and family physicians |
|
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Instructors of persons with disabilities |
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Kinesiologists and other professional occupation in therapy and assessment |
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Licensed practical nurses |
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Massage therapists |
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Medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations |
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Medical laboratory technologists |
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Medical radiation technologists |
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Medical sonographers |
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Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates |
|
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Nurse practitioners |
|
|
Nursing co-ordinators and supervisors |
|
|
Occupational therapists |
|
|
Optometrists |
|
|
Other assisting occupations in support of health services |
|
|
Other practitioners of natural healing |
|
|
Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating |
|
|
Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment |
|
|
Paramedical occupations |
|
|
Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants |
|
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Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals |
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Physiotherapists |
|
|
Psychologists |
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Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses |
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Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists |
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Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine |
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Specialists in surgery |
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Therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies |
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Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists |
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Veterinarians |
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C. Eligibility for the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) occupations category
To be eligible, you must
- have accumulated, within the past 3 years, at least 6 months of continuous work experience (in Canada or abroad) in a single occupation listed in the table below
- meet all of the requirements in the instructions for that round
Full eligibility details will be available in the instructions for each round.
Architects |
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Architecture and science managers |
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Business systems specialists |
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Civil Engineers |
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Computer and information systems managers |
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Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers) |
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Computer systems developers and programmers |
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Cybersecurity specialists |
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Data scientists |
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Database analysts and data administrators |
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Electrical and electronics engineers |
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Engineering managers |
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Industrial and manufacturing engineers |
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Information systems specialists |
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Land surveyors |
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Landscape Architects |
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Mathematicians, statisticians and actuaries |
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Metallurgical and materials engineers |
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Natural and applied science policy researchers, consultants and program officers |
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Software developers and programmers |
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Software engineers and designers |
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Urban and land use planners |
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Web designers |
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Web developers and programmers |
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D. Eligibility for the trade occupations category
To be eligible, you must
- have accumulated, within the past 3 years, at least 6 months of continuous work experience (in Canada or abroad) in a single occupation listed in the table below
- meet all of the requirements in the instructions for that round
Full eligibility details will be available in the instructions for each round.
Residential and commercial installers and servicers |
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Elevator constructors and mechanics |
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Machine fitters |
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Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics |
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Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics |
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Carpenters |
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Plumbers |
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Electricians (except industrial and power system) |
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Welders and related machine operators |
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Contractors and supervisors, other construction trades, installers, repairers and servicers |
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E. Eligibility for the transport occupations category
To be eligible, you must
- have accumulated, within the past 3 years, at least 6 months of continuous work experience (in Canada or abroad) in a single occupation listed in the table below
- meet all of the requirements in the instructions for that round
Full eligibility details will be available in the instructions for each round.
Aircraft assemblers and aircraft assembly inspectors |
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Transport truck drivers |
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Railway traffic controllers and marine traffic regulators |
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Engineer officers, water transport |
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Deck officers, water transport |
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Air traffic controllers and related occupations |
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Air pilots, flight engineers and flying instructors |
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Aircraft mechanics and aircraft inspectors |
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Railway carmen/women |
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Managers in transportation |
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F. Eligibility for the agriculture and agri-food occupations category
To be eligible, you must
- have accumulated, within the past 3 years, at least 6 months of continuous work experience (in Canada or abroad) in a single occupation listed in the table below
- meet all of the requirements in the instructions for that round
Full eligibility details will be available in the instructions for each round.
Contractors and supervisors, landscaping, grounds maintenance and horticulture services |
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Agricultural service contractors and farm supervisors |
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Butchers- retail and wholesale |
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Faster Spousal Temporary Resident (Visitor) Visa Processing Times; New Open Work Permit for Spousal and Family Class Applicants
May 26, 2023
Today, Friday, May 26, 2023, the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship announced new measures to strengthen family reunification, which include:
- faster temporary resident visa (TRV) processing times for spousal applicants
- new and dedicated processing tools for spousal TRV applicants
- a new open work permit for spousal and family class applicants
- open work permit extensions for open work permit holders expiring between August 1 and the end of 2023
Minister Fraser announced that, going forward, most TRV applications will be processed within 30 days, and applicants will benefit from processing measures specific to their circumstances as spouses and dependants.
Once in Canada, spouses, partners and dependants are now able to apply for and receive an open work permit as soon as they submit a complete permanent residence application under the spouse or common-law partner in Canada class (SPCLC) or other family class programs.
Finally, Minister Fraser announced that spousal applicants, along with other open work permit holders, whose open work permits expire between August 1 and the end of 2023, will be able to extend their work permits for an additional 18 months.
Ontario Removes Canadian Work Experience Requirement for Licensing of Foreign-Trained Engineers
May 24, 2023
There is good news for foreign-trained engineers who wish to immigrate to Canada with Ontario as their province of intended destination. They will no longer be required to have Canadian work experience to become licensed in Ontario. The province is adopting a new law to remove the barriers keeping skilled immigrants from working in their former professions.
On Tuesday, May 23, 2023, Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) became the first professional regulatory body to remove the requirement from their application criteria. By doing so, PEO has made it easier for foreign-trained engineers to earn professional designations in Ontario and enter the workforce as licensed engineers quicker. There are roughly 7,000 vacant engineering positions in Ontario that need to be filled.
Despite the removal of the Canadian experience requirement, licensing applicants to the engineering profession are still required to have 48-months of professional experience in engineering and pass a national professional practice exam that includes ethics, professional practice, engineering, law and professional liability.
Canada Sets Immigration Record in 2022 and Seeks More Immigrants
January 4, 2023
In 2022, Canada welcomed more than 431,000 new permanent residents. This marked the largest annual increase in Canadian Immigration history, as the Government of Canada seeks to ease the country’s labour shortages.
Canada has set a target of 465,000 new permanent residents in 2023 and plans to raise that target to 500,000 in 2025.
Immigration accounts for nearly all of Canada’s labour-force growth and about 75% of the nation’s population growth. During the 2021 Census, nearly one in four people counted were a landed immigrant or permanent resident of Canada (or had been at one time). Among the Group of Seven economies, Canada has the largest proportion of immigrants.
By 2036, immigrants will represent almost a third of Canada’s population.