The first six months of Canada immigration in 2022 show an unprecedented increase in the number of immigrants. A record number of new permanent residents, i.e., 231,625, reached Canada, 59.8 percent more than the corresponding period for the previous year.
This year’s record-breaking levels of immigration through the end of June are even more significant than before the onset of the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic. In the first six months of 2019 (the final full year before the pandemic), only 160,235 new permanent residents were in Canada.
That implies that immigration to Canada increased by 45.5% in the first half of this year compared to the corresponding period for the last year when COVID-19 struck, and border controls and public health restrictions were implemented. As per the most recent IRCC data, the trend that began in the first half of this year might result in 463,250 new permanent residents to Canada this year if it continues throughout 2022.
It would increase immigration to Canada by about 14.1% above the 406,025 new permanent residents added last year and more than 7.3% over Ottawa’s aggressive immigration target for this year. Ottawa intends to accept 431,645 permanent residents this year, 447,055 the following year, and 451,000 in 2024, according to its Immigration Levels Plan for 2022-2024. Based on present trends, the expected amount of immigration would easily exceed all of the projections for those three years.
Despite the present record-breaking rate of immigration to Canada, provincial politicians and industry leaders argue that more has to be done to allow foreign nationals to fill jobs that are desperate for competent people. Provincial leaders have recently urged Ottawa to increase funds under the Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) so that firms may recruit more immigrants.
Labour shortages plague businesses as the unemployment rate falls to a record low. The reported unemployment rate in Canada is 4.9 percent, for the second month in a row. It underscores the tightness of the Canadian labour market.
Due to labour shortages, corporate leaders have called for more significant immigration to fill open positions. However, the influx of permanent residents to Canada is only half of the issue. Also, the country has experienced an increase in the number of temporary visa applications, including temporary employees, international students, and Ukrainians fleeing their war-torn homeland under the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET), which was introduced on March 17.
In mid-July, IRCC officials announced that the backlog of temporary visa applications had risen to more than 1.72 million, including about 904,000 temporary resident permits. By then, IRCC employees were straining to manage a mounting backlog of 2.62 million applications.
Provincial leaders, on the other hand, argue that even the current record-breaking volume of immigration is insufficient to address the country’s labour shortages.
