The Canadian government is expected to announce the latest immigration leveling plan by November 1, 2022.
Each year Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issues an Immigration Level Plan that serves as a guideline for how many immigrants will be allowed into Canada each year. This includes the breakdown of immigrants by economic class, family class and humanitarian class programs over the next three years. This year it will show projections for 2023, 2024 and 2025.
The government must make this announcement by November 1 of each year in accordance with the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), Canada’s main immigration law. It is the second immigration leveling plan announced in 2022, the first in February after the most recent federal election on September 20, 2021.
Why are there two announcements this year?
The 2022-2024 plan was not announced until February 2022, instead of the plan normally due by November 1, 2021.
After the election, Parliament did not resume until 22 November 2021, after which it sat for only 19 days until the start of the holiday. In these situations, according to the IRPA, the plan must be announced within 30 days of the reconstitution of Parliament. In this case, parliament resumed in mid-January 2022.
Now that Parliament is in full swing, the government will go ahead with releasing the latest Immigration Level Plan on its regular schedule.
Current Immigration Level Plan
Under the Immigration Levels Plan for 2022-2024, Canada aims to bring in a total of 431,645 new permanent residents through all immigration classes in 2022. This target steadily increases in 2024 for a total of 451,000 new permanent residents.
So far in 2022, Canada has already welcomed more than 300,000 new permanent residents. Most of them are from the programs of the economic class. The target for economic class immigrants in 2022 is 241,850, or about 60% of the total number of immigrants. The 2022 plan also targets 105,000 family immigrants and 8,250 refugee and humanitarian groups.
Once the new Immigration Level Plan for 2023-2025 is announced, these targets may all change and are no longer used as reference points for the IRCC immigration targets.
what to expect?
In general, there is a new increase in the immigration level plan, and it is currently at its highest. For example, less than 10 years ago the total target for 2016 was 250,000 immigrants. In 2021, the IRCC broke the record for the most permanent residents ever, totaling more than 405,000 even during the uncertainty brought on by the pandemic.
The current overall target for 2023 is 447,055, before a very modest increase to 451,000 in 2024.
IRCC works with various other government departments and stakeholders to create an immigration level plan that is balanced in how permanent resident spots are allocated in each category and subsequent program.
In June, in an interview with CIC News, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said that he would consult with the provinces to better understand their labor market needs as some provincial immigration ministers took up provincial nominations. The current plan for not allocating enough space for programs has been criticized. (PNP) has criticized the existing plan. , which they believe are better suited to target skilled immigrants needed to increase the workforce and meet the shortfall in Canada’s labor force.
The minister also said that he can anticipate a target of 500,000 new permanent residents a year in the coming years. However, he did not say when.
“Look, I won’t put it on the clock,” he said. “I think we’ll get there. We’re growing more than 1% of our population through the current track. That trajectory is going to continue. I don’t know what year we’re going to cross that threshold.” [500,000 immigrants per year]. It will be based on the needs of the communities.”
Based on IRCC data, as of August 31, 513,923 applications for permanent residence are waiting to be processed. IRCC recently announced that it is looking to improve customer services and hire over 1,000 new employees, move towards 100% digital application process and modernize the aging technology relied on by the department as a whole. Working to invest.
Why is Canada welcoming more immigrants?
The Immigration Level Plan is created by the IRCC, in consultation with several government departments, to support the IRCC mandate to welcome and support immigrants to grow the economy, reunite families, and provide humanitarian assistance.
New immigrants are particularly important to the Canadian economy as they contribute through their labor and by paying income tax. For example, these taxes are to support infrastructure, healthcare, education, pensions and more. Canada’s population continues to grow and baby boomers, who were born between 1946 and the 1960s, are reaching the age of 65. The increased number of immigrants will help Canada maintain its high standard of living.