In 2022, IRCC processed 5.2 million applications for permanent residence, temporary residence and citizenship, which is a twofold increase from the number of applications processed in 2021. From these acanada-welcomed-437-000-new-immigrants-in-2022-breaking-all-time-highpplications, Canada welcomed 437,000 new foreign nationals, surpassing their previous record of 405,000 new immigrant approvals in 2021.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) believes that this increase is due to the variety of newly implemented measures introduced by IRCC over the last year, such as additional resources, new technology and digitizing processes, which have resulted in IRCC's ability to increase the volume of applications being processed; thereby, resulting in an overall increase in admissions as well.
This influx in immigration applications will provide a much-needed boost to the Canadian labour market seeing as foreign nationals can help to fill gaps in the job market that domestic workers just cannot fill.
Why the need for Immigrants
Primarily Canada’s aging population and low birth rate are two main factors that have driven the need for an increase in immigration. As of 2019, the average age of a Canadian was about 41 years old. This number is expected to rise over time, which means the size of Canada’s working age population will shrink.
In order to support economic growth and increase Canada's labour force, it is essential that Canada continues to increase its immigration levels.
Canada's Immigration Levels Plan 2023-2025
Each year, the federal department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) releases a new Immigration Levels Plan which it uses to guide its operations. Said plan outlines the funding that will be allocated to IRCC's goals, as well as how many new foreign nationals they hope to admit each year.
Under Canada's Immigration Levels Plan for 2023, for example, IRCC has aimed to approve at least 465,000 permanent residency applications, compared to their 437,000 invites from 2022.
This number is also set to increase in 2024 and 2025, with plans of 485,000 and 500,000 new permanent residents respectively.
In response to these goals, the Canadian government has pledged $50 million to the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, to not only help IRCC achieve this high volume of admission, but to also reduce the existing backlog of 1.09 million applications currently still noted by IRCC on November 30, 2022.
For a full breakdown of the Immigrations levels plan can be found here.
In closing
Immigration is essential to Canada’s social and economic growth. From skilled workers to professional occupations, there is no argument that foreign nationals are a valuable asset to Canada. Thus, as 2023 is now upon us, here is hoping that IRCC continues to break records under their Immigration Levels Plan for 2023.
This update has been compiled with the latest available information for the general information of Border Law clients and other interested parties. This Update is not comprehensive and should not be relied upon without appropriate legal advice.