This week, the federal government published its annual immigration report to Parliament, including the updated permanent resident projections/targets for the next three years. These milestones are intended to reflect Canada’s economic needs and response to global humanitarian needs.
For organizations like ISSofBC and others in the settlement sector, the Levels Plan provides valuable insights into expected immigration levels, as well as a greater understanding of the current national political context of immigration to Canada.
The key conclusion is that there are no significant changes expected in immigration targets for the three main Permanent Resident categories (Economic, Family, and Humanitarian) and with this recent levels update, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) appears to be stabilizing permanent residents’ immigration targets at 500,000 annually. At the same time, IRCC has also signaled the need to take stock, establishing enhanced planning tools, and a whole government approach on immigration, with the provinces and territories. There is also continued commitment to humanitarian immigration and the importance of Canada’s leadership role in addressing global refugee crises.
Additionally, this week, the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship, also released the “An Immigration System for Canada’s Future” report. This stated that the IRCC will work more closely with provinces and territories to better incorporate housing, healthcare and other similar infrastructure, among other improvements to the immigration system. We wholeheartedly support this direction.
We also agree with the need to ensure that overall immigration planning incorporates the pathways and needs of temporary foreign workers (TFWs) and other temporary residents. We believe Canadians continue to understand the potential benefits of all classes and types of immigrants and newcomers – they just want to be assured we’re making sure our planning is thoughtful and comprehensive.
At ISSofBC, we’re taking the time to review all this critical new information, recognizing that we’re at an important juncture for immigration in Canada. We’re very aware of the debates about what is the right immigration strategy and level for Canada.
We continue to believe that the evidence demonstrates that immigration is a net benefit for Canada’s future economic, political and social prosperity. We see the benefits of immigration every day in the potential of our clients, and we’ll continue supporting newcomers in British Columbia so that they can thrive in their local communities, and those communities can also continue to prosper with new skills, energy, and diversity.
At ISSofBC, our mission is to support newcomers to build their futures in Canada. We want to continue to achieve this, one individual and family at a time. That’s our definition of success, and we look forward to working with Minister Miller and IRCC to deliver on this promise.
Written with the assistance of information provided by AMSSA (www.amssa.org)
