Canada welcomed about 40,000 immigrants in July 2021

This year, Canada has welcomed almost 184,000 new permanent residents

According to Canadian Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino, Canada is on track to welcome 401,000 new permanent residents in 2021. The federal government disclosed in a recent interview with Reuters that Canada accepted around 39,500 new immigrants in July, above the 35,700 admitted in June. Canada intends to accept 401,000 new immigrants each year beginning in 2021, according to the Immigration Levels Plan 2021-2023. This yearly objective was established at 341,000 immigrants prior to the coronavirus epidemic.

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is pursuing the most ambitious immigration strategy in Canadian history, with the goal of welcoming more people to help Canada's post-COVID economic recovery. So far this year, Canada has accepted around 184,000 newcomers.

The numbers of visitors received in July and June were greater than the normal, ranking among the greatest monthly totals in Canadian history. They reflect Canada's need to play catch-up if it is to meet its objective this year. To meet the objective, IRCC will need to bring in an extra 217,000 immigrants in the last five months of 2021, which works out to 43,400 newcomers each month on average. Admitting this amount on a monthly basis to close 2021 will be challenging, but it is possible. Prior to the epidemic, Canada received between 25,000 and 35,000 new immigrants each month.

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IRCC has numerous factors working in its favour, allowing it to meet or come close to meeting its objective by the end of the year. First, about 23,000 more Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) holders can now migrate to Canada as a result of the relaxation of travel restrictions on June 21st. Furthermore, anyone who has just been granted permanent residency can now relocate to Canada.

In May, six new permanent residence pathways for 90,000 international student graduates and critical employees living in Canada were announced. By the end of the year, IRCC aims to have processed 40,000 of these applications.

Third, IRCC has been running big Express Entry draws throughout 2020 and this year, prioritizing Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates as 90% of them live in Canada. By the end of 2021, IRCC should have completed the permanent residency landing procedure for a large proportion of such candidates. However, the unpredictable nature of the pandemic may derail IRCC's preparations.

Nonetheless, the increasing number of permanent residents in Canada will help positively to meet its 401,000 immigrant target. Even if IRCC accomplished 40,000 monthly landings to end the year, it would fall just short of its objective of 385,000 immigrants, which would still be the second greatest total in Canadian history. Last time, it was in 1913, that nearly 401,000 immigrants were admitted, setting a new high.