Canada to welcome 500,000 new immigrants in 2025
The federal government is planning a massive increase in the number of immigrants entering Canada, with a goal of seeing 500,000 people arrive each year by 2025.
Canada broke its all-time immigration record by welcoming over 405,000 immigrants in 2021 and is looking to welcome nearly 432,000 immigrants this year, and will aim to welcome 465,000 new immigrants in 2023. The target will rise to 485,000 new immigrants in 2024. It will further rise to in 500,000 new immigrants 2025.
Immigration Minister Sean Fraser revealed the new targets today, saying the move is necessary to ensure Canada's economic prosperity.
The targets for Express Entry landings (principal applicants, spouses, and dependents) will rise as follows:
- 82,880 in 2023
- 109,020 in 2024
- 114,000 in 2025
The PNP will remain Canada’s leading admissions program for economic class immigrants and targets will also increase to:
- 105,500 in 2023
- 110,000 in 2024
- 117,500 in 2025
Targets for the Parents and Grandparents Program will rise to 28,500 in 2023, followed by 34,000 in 2024, and 36,000 in 2025.
The overall refugee class target will be just over 76,000 new landings in each of 2023 and 2024, before dipping to 72,750 in 2025.
The same goes for the humanitarian class target which is declining from nearly 16,000 in 2023 to 8,000 in 2025.
Canadian industries are facing a significant labour shortage, with about 1 million job vacancies across the country.
The new plan puts an emphasis on increasing the number immigrants who will be admitted based on their work skills or experience over the next three years.
Ottawa is planning a more moderate increase in the number of family members who will be admitted into the country, and a decrease in the number of refugees.
The new plan comes days after Statistics Canada reported a record 23 per cent of people in the country are landed immigrants or permanent residents.