Canada’s Immigration Levels Plan for 2021-2023 was announced on October 30, 2020. According to this plan, Canada aims to welcome 401,000 immigrants in 2021, 411,000 immigrants in 2022, and 421,000 immigrants in 2023 to support and maintain the country’s high living standards.
Here’s all you need to know about the plan, why Canada accepts such a high number of immigrants, and the impact of COVID-19 on Canadian immigration.
Need for Immigrants in Canada
Canada welcomes a large number of immigrants to keep its economy strong.
Canada is home to one of the world’s oldest populations but has the world’s lowest birth rates. As a result, it faces fiscal and economic pressures. Without immigration, the country faces low labor forces and slow economic growth. Slow economic growth has also made it hard for Canada to increase the taxes vitally needed to support spending on social services like health care, education, and other essential areas that ensure high living standards.
Therefore, Canada has been increasing the number of immigrants since the late 1980s to accelerate its economic growth and increase its labor force and population rate. Today, most of Canada’s population, labor force, and economic growth depend on immigration.
By the year 2030, the 9 million baby boomers in Canada will reach 65, the age of retirement. This means that at a time when social spending on health care will be high, Canada will have a low number of workers. To overcome this challenge, Canada has diligently increased its immigration targets for more than 30 years now.
According to the data available, since 1988, Canada has welcomed more than 200,000 immigrants per year. However, it has decided to increase this number to more than 300,000 per year in recent years. Thus, the immigration rate in Canada is about 0.9 percent. Consequently, Canada welcomes three times more immigrants on a per capita basis as compared to the United States of America.
The immigration trends and demographic realities also indicate that Canada will most likely be increasing its immigration levels in the coming years. Immigration is a crucial factor that contributes significantly to a healthy fiscal situation and economy in the country.
Moreover, the current situation created by the coronavirus pandemic has increased the importance of immigration. COVID-19 has had an adverse effect on the Canadian economy in the short run and increased government spending on social services. Furthermore, Canada’s birth rate fell to its lowest ever level of 1.47 children per woman in 2019. This decreased birth rate before the pandemic, together with the possibility that the pandemic’s economic uncertainty will further reduce the birth rate, indicates that Canada will be even more dependent on immigration for growth in its population in the coming years. In case the birth rate in Canada does not increase in the future, then immigration will form an even greater share of its labor force growth. Also, Canada will need immigrants to strengthen its tax base in order to provide the government with funds needed to support spending following COVID-19.
Effects of COVID-19 on Canada Immigration
The immigration system in Canada has continued to operate throughout the pandemic. The Canadian government has strived to minimize disruptions to the immigration system, thus ensuring an uninterrupted welcome to refugees, skilled workers, temporary foreign workers, family class immigrants, visitors, and international students. Even when Canada imposed travel restrictions due to COVID-19, some new permanent residents were allowed to enter the country.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a decrease in the number of new residents arriving in Canada. Also, the ongoing processing of immigration applications means that people who are unable to immigrate to Canada in 2020 will be able to do so as soon as the pandemic situation improves. In the meantime, new immigration invitations are still being issued to skilled workers under the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), Express Entry, and through Quebec’s immigration programs. In addition, spousal sponsorship applications are also being processed.
An Outline of Canada’s Immigration Programs
Canada’s economic growth much depends on economic immigration, which is the subject of more than half of planned admissions targeted in the multi-year levels plan. Almost half of the projected economic admissions will be under the federal Express Entry system programs.
These include the:
- Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) Program
- Federal Skilled Trades Class (FSTC) and
- Canadian Express Class
The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) also plays a vital role in economic immigration. Under this program participating Canadian provinces and territories are given the freedom to nominate eligible immigration candidates corresponding with the local workforce needs for permanent residence.
Canada’s Multi-Year Immigration Levels Plan includes the following immigration programs:
Economic Programs
- Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) Program:
This Express Entry-managed program targets immigrants with the requisite work experience, education, fluency in English and/or French, and other skills required to economically establish themselves in Canada. - Federal Skilled Trades Class (FSTC):
This Express Entry-managed program is suitable for foreign workers that are qualified in a skilled trade. - Canadian Experience Class (CEC):
This program, managed by the Express Entry system, welcomes expression of interest from recent graduates of Canadian educational institutions or foreign workers with Canadian work experience. - Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program (AIPP):
This program allows selected Atlantic employers to recruit and hire international graduates in the Atlantic Canada region or skilled foreign workers. - Caregivers Program:
Under this program, foreigners caring for people or children with special medical needs are eligible to apply for permanent Canadian residence. - Federal Business (Start-up Visa Program & Self-Employed Person):
This program provides foreigners who are eligible a chance to run a pre-existing or a new business in Canada. - Provincial Nominee Program (PNP):
Under this program, eligible economic immigration candidates are nominated by participating provinces and territories for permanent Canadian residence. - Quebec Skilled Worker Program & Quebec Business
The immigration system in the province of Quebec is independent and does not fall under the federal system. The Government of Quebec has yet to determine the planned levels for 2019 to 2021.
Family Class Programs
- Spousal/Common-law Partner Sponsorship and Dependent Child
- Parents and Grandparents Program
Refugees and Protected Persons, Humanitarian & other:
- Protected Persons in Canada and Dependents Abroad
- Privately-Sponsored Refugees
- Blended Visa Office Referred
- Government-Assisted Refugees