The Canadian government has announced a new immigration plan for 2023-2025. More than 465,000 immigrants will come to Canada in 2023, 485,000 in 2024, and 500,000 by 2025.
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Over 432,000 immigrants are expected to come to Canada this year, breaking the record set by 405,000 immigrants in 2021. The Immigration Levels Plan gives you an idea of how many immigrants Canada wants to welcome.
As part of Canada’s immigration goals, refugees from hardship can get asylum and help grow the economy.
PNP and Express Entry targets will rise
Most new permanent residents come through economic class programs like Express Entry and Provincial Nomination Programs (PNPs).
The landing targets (principal applicants, spouses, and dependents) will go up like this:
- 82,880 in 2023
- 109,020 in 2024
- 114,000 in 2025
The PNP keeps Canada’s most popular immigration program for economic immigrants.
- 105,500 in 2023
- 110,000 in 2024
- 117,500 in 2025
PGP admissions go up
It also reunites families. The Immigration Levels Plan ranks family sponsorship second after economic class programs, and Family-based immigration programs require applicants to be sponsored by family members.
About 80,000 new immigrants join the Spouses, Partners, and Children program annually. The Parents and Grandparents Program will have 34,000 participants by 2024 and 36,000 by 2025.
Humanitarian and refugee targets decline
Refugees and humanitarian immigrants receive allocations under the Immigration Levels Plan, and asylum is granted to displaced people fleeing unsafe situations.
It is part of Canada’s ongoing effort to welcome 40,000 Afghan refugees. There will be almost 76,000 refugees landing in 2023 and 2024, then 72,750 in 2025.
Likewise, the humanitarian class target is decreasing from nearly 16,000 to 8,000.
Immigration policy in Canada
During the 1980s, the Canadian government did not look far ahead, so the economy determined immigration targets. In 1984, there were less than 90,000 immigrants, and increasing the number of permanent residents by 250,000 recognized an impending labor shortage.
The next government focused on economic immigration and reduced family and humanitarian immigration after the recession. Before the current Liberal government took over in 2015, the country welcomed about 260,000 immigrants a year. In 2020, COVID-19 increased the numbers to 340,000 and 300,000.
A number of travel restrictions and closed borders made it challenging for IRCC to process applications in 2020. Canada welcomed more permanent residents in 2021 than ever before, with 405,000. The Canadian Experience Class and Provincial Nomination Program have many spots available.
Canadians face a labor shortage and a lot of job openings, which is why immigration is on the rise. With 1.4 children per woman, Canada has the world’s lowest birth rate. Since natural birth rates still outweigh deaths, immigration will soon be the only way Canada can grow. Also, to provide essential services like healthcare and education, Canada needs a strong tax base.
The Canadian population is getting older, and nearly a quarter of nine million will be retired by 2030. This shortage of workers will affect all sectors.
IRPA, Canada’s main immigration law, requires you to announce levels by November 1. During the last federal election in September 2021, the announcement of immigration levels for 2021 was delayed. The immigration levels plan for 2022-2024 was announced in February.