Canada to set target for number of temporary residents for the first time ever
Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced today that the federal government will set targets for the number of new temporary residents arriving in Canada.
The immigration minister highlighted that Canada’s temporary resident volume has “increased significantly,” reaching up to 2.5 million or 6.2% of the population in 2023.
Miller said the federal government plans to decrease the temporary resident population by 5% over the next three years.
The first targets will be set in the fall.
“We will expand the Immigration Levels Plan to include both the temporary resident arrivals and permanent resident arrivals,” he stated.
To establish these targets, provincial and territorial governments will meet with Miller and his federal counterparts in early May.
Miller has also directed his department to conduct a review of existing programs that bring in temporary workers.
This is the first time the government of Canada has set limits on the number of new temporary resident arrivals.
“Canada has seen a sharp increase in the volume of temporary residents in recent years from a rise of international students to more foreign workers filling vacancies to those fleeing wars and natural disasters,” he said.
Miller noted that 42% of Canada’s temporary residents are international students, 9% are temporary foreign workers who are part of the Temporary Foreign Workers Program, and 44% are temporary foreign workers under the International Mobility Program.
He added that there needs to be an “honest conversation about what the rise in international migration means for Canada as we plan ahead.”
In January, the federal government announced it would cap international student visas for two years.
The temporary application cap is expected to result in approximately 364,000 approved international student study permits, which is a decrease of 35% from 2023.
With files from Isabelle Docto
Follow Channels and Categories