Canada recently announced its Immigration Levels Plan 2023-2025, wherein Canada is planning to invite 465,000 new immigrants in 2023, 485,000 additional immigrants in 2024, and it is expected to increase to 500,000 additional immigrants by 2025.
Canada broke it’s all-time immigration record in 2021, accepting over 405,000 immigrants, and expects to welcome about 432,000 this year.
The Immigration Levels Plan serves as a guideline for the number of immigrants that Canada hopes to receive each year. With the help of these Immigration Levels Plan, Canada is prioritising its immigration targets towards the economy’s growth.
Most new permanent residents enter the country through economic class programs such as Express Entry or Provincial Nomination Programs (PNPs). The Express Entry landing objectives (primary applicants, spouses, and dependents) will be increased by 82,880 in 2023, 109,020 in 2024, and 114,000 in 2025. The PNP will continue to be Canada’s premier admissions program for low-income immigrants, and objectives will be increased to 105,500 in 2023, 110,000 in 2024, and 117,500 in 2025.
IRCC is also tasked with reuniting families. Following economic class programs, family class sponsorship is the Immigration Levels Plan’s second biggest permanent resident class program. Applicants for permanent residency are sponsored for permanent residence by a spouse, partner, children, or other family members under family-class immigration schemes. Under the Spouses, Partners, and Children program, Canada will continue accepting around 80,000 new immigrants yearly.
The Parents and Grandparents Program’s targets will climb to 28,500 in 2023, 34,000 in 2024, and 36,000 in 2025.
Until the current Liberal government entered office in 2015, Canada admitted around 260,000 immigrants yearly. The objectives were raised to 300,000, then to 340,000 just before the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
The 2020 border closures and other travel restrictions made it impossible for IRCC to process applications. Nonetheless, Canada exceeded its 2021 immigration target and set a new record for the number of permanent residents accepted in a single year, at 405,000. These goals were met by allocating a substantial number of slots through the Canadian Experience Class and Provincial Nomination Programs (PNPs).
Canada is now experiencing a unique labour crisis, with roughly one million employment openings. Both are driving forces in the country’s expanding immigration goals.
Labour shortages are exacerbated further by Canada’s low birth rate of 1.4 children per woman, one of the lowest in the world. Because of the slow natural increase in population (births still outnumber deaths each year), immigration will soon be the only way for Canada’s population and labour force to grow. Newcomers are also required to maintain a solid tax base, which is critical to Canada’s efforts to provide essential services like education and healthcare.
Canada has one of the oldest populations on the planet. By 2030, approximately nine million Canadians, or about a quarter of the population, will have reached retirement age. This will result in a severe labour shortage in all areas of the economy.
