Canada announced its revised immigration levels plan for 2022 -2024

Under the Immigration Levels Plan 2022-2024, Canada raises its aim to welcome 432,000 immigrants in 2022. Canada has raised the goal even higher, aiming to welcome 451,000 new immigrants by 2024. Immigration Minister Sean Fraser detailed the reasons for the new levels plan in a recently issued statement. The news was made today about 3:35 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Canada will aim for the following number of new immigrant arrivals over the next three years:

2022: 431,645 permanent residents

2023: 447,055 permanent residents

2024: 451,000 permanent residents

Immigration Minister Sean Fraser recently made a remark that, "This levels plan is a mix of requirements for our country and our international duties." It focuses on recruiting qualified people who will contribute to the Canadian economy and address the labour deficit, while also acknowledging the value of family reunion and assisting the world's most vulnerable populations through refugee resettlement. Our focus remains on bolstering our economic comeback by increasing the retention of newcomers in areas facing serious economic, labour, and demographic issues. I'm pleased of what Canada has accomplished so far, and I can't wait to see how immigrants will continue to make Canada a top option."

In 2022, around 56% of new immigrants would enter through economic class channels such as Express Entry, the Provincial Nominee Program, and the Temporary to Permanent Residence (TR2PR) stream, which was accessible in 2021.

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The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) will be the primary admissions programme for economic immigrants, with Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) aiming to enrol 83,500 entrants under the PNP in 2022. IRCC has decreased Express Entry admissions in half for this year, but hopes to revert to regular Express Entry admissions levels by 2024, when it expects 111,5000 Express Entry immigrants to arrive.

According to the established plan, IRCC is temporarily decreasing Express Entry admissions in order to facilitate TR2PR admissions. Under the TR2PR programme, IRCC hopes to receive 40,000 immigrants in 2022, with the remaining 32,000 arriving in 2023. Meanwhile, biweekly Express Entry drawings continue, and IRCC is processing Express Entry applications. Furthermore, the PNP is used by the majority of Canada's provinces and territories, and PNP invitations have been sent since the outbreak began.

In 2022, the family class will account for 24% of admissions objectives, with 80,000 expected to join through the Spouses, Partners, and Children Program and 25,000 expected to arrive through the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP). When compared to its earlier goal, IRCC has upped its PGP admissions objective by 1,500 slots.

The remaining 20% of immigrants will enter through refugee and humanitarian programmes. This is an increase of around 5 percentage points over Canada's previous immigration levels plan, and it is most likely a result of Canada's intention to relocate 40,000 Afghan refugees over the next several years. The higher refugee and humanitarian intake will result in a smaller share of economic and family class immigration than usual, but both classes will account for a larger share of Canada's newcomers in 2023 and 2024, as Canada looks to reduce its refugee and humanitarian intake once its Afghan resettlement operation is completed.

The presentation today marked the first Immigration Levels Plan since October 2020. The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), Canada's principal immigration statute, specifies that the Canadian government must disclose its immigration strategy by November 1 of each year when Parliament is in session. However, due to the Canadian government conducting an election in September, there was no release of a levels plan last year.

The levels plan serves as the framework for Canada's immigration system. It specifies the number of immigrants that Canada intends to accept through its various federal, provincial, and territorial programmes. Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), as well as the provinces and territories, then alter their operations in accordance with the plan to guarantee that they can attract, settle, integrate, and retain the intended numbers of immigrants.

Until 2015, Canada accepted around 250,000 immigrants every year. It declared a new baseline objective of 300,000 arrivals each year in 2016. Prior to the epidemic, the objective was set at around 340,000 immigrants per year, but owing to the pandemic, immigration decreased to less than 200,000 in 2020.

The Canadian government then made the unexpected statement in October 2020 that it will aim to accept over 400,000 immigrants yearly in the future to assist support the country's post-COVID economic recovery. This is one of the most aggressive targets in Canadian history.

Last year, Canada set a new record for newcomers by welcoming 405,000 new permanent residents, the majority of whom came from within the nation. Prior to the epidemic, the majority of new immigrants to Canada came from other countries.

In 2021, 62% of new immigrants will have entered through economic class paths such as Express Entry, the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), and Quebec's streams. Last year, around 20% were admitted under the family class via the Spouses, Partners, and Children Program and the Parents and Grandparents Program. In 2021, a total of 15% were admitted through refugee and humanitarian programmes. The remaining were classified as "All Other Immigration."

Canada seeks a large number of newcomers to help its economic and budgetary position. Because of its elderly population and low birth rate, Canada requires more immigration to sustain its population, labour force, and economic growth, as well as to have enough workers to pay the taxes required to support key social services such as health care and education. Canada also promotes social immigration goals such as reuniting families, offering humanitarian aid, and boosting its Francophone community.

During the epidemic, immigration has undoubtedly assumed on increasing economic relevance. Governments across Canada are experiencing budgetary deficits as a result of higher expenditure in the midst of the epidemic and reduced economic activity. Furthermore, firms across Canada are confronting labour shortages as a result of Canada's ageing population, significant changes in the economy during COVID, and fewer immigrants entering from outside.

By November 1st, 2022, the Immigration Levels Plan 2023-2025 will be released. Unless Canada has an election for the second year in a row, the Canadian government is constitutionally compelled to submit its second Immigration Levels Plan of the year by Tuesday, November 1st, 2022. This proposal will be implemented in place of the one revealed today.

As previously stated, the 2021 announcement was postponed owing to the federal election in September. The typically anticipated announcement will be the Immigration Levels Plan 2023-2025.