Canada reached 431,645 new immigrants last year, setting a new record. The country is on track to have immigrants make up 30 percent of the population by 2036. In contrast, immigrants made up 20.7 percent of the population in 2011.
According to the federal government, immigration accounts for almost 100 percent of labour force growth and 75 percent of the country’s immigration growth. India and China were the top countries from which immigration originated, as per the 2021 Census and
Statistics Canada.
The government said a rapidly aging population means “the worker-to-retiree ratio is expected to shift from 7 to 1 from 50 years ago to 2 to 1 by 2035.”
According to the Fraser Institute, a non-profit think tank, Canada’s population aged 65 or older
increased from 14.1 percent in 2010 to 19.0 percent in 2022. Statistics Canada data projects this number will increase to 25 percent by the middle of the century.
The share of Canada’s population that is of working age is shrinking, while the number of people aged 65 or over is growing. Statistics Canada projects this trend will continue in the decades ahead. It is predicted that there will be 3.0 working-age people for each senior by 2027, after which the ratio will slowly fall further to reach 2.3 by 2068.
Immigration minister Sean Fraser
said in a statement on Nov. 1 that Canada plans to embrace
immigration “as a strategy to help businesses find workers and to attract the skills required in key sectors—including health care, skilled trades, manufacturing and technology.”
In 2021, the census counted 33.1 million Canadian citizens, and of the total population living in Canada, almost 3.2 million were not citizens—they were permanent residents, landed immigrants, or non-permanent residents. Another 3.7 million Canadians held multiple citizenships and reported being naturalized Canadian citizens, meaning they went through the legal process to apply for citizenship.
New Record
Last year’s record immigration beat the 2021 record, where the government allowed 405,000 new immigrants to enter the country. The last time Canada opened its doors to this level of immigrants was in 1913.In 2016, new Canadians and established immigrants represented about 7 percent and 15 percent of the Canadian population, respectively, according to
Statistics Canada.
“During the 2021 Census, nearly 1 in 4 people counted were or had been a landed immigrant or permanent resident in Canada, the highest proportion since Confederation and the largest proportion among G7 countries,”
said a government news release.
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) plans to let in more than 1.45 million immigrants in the next three years, based on the annual Immigration Levels Plan tabled in Parliament.
The most recent plan for the period of
2023–2025 was tabled on Nov. 1, 2022. A
2022–2024 plan was tabled on Feb. 14, 2022. The plan sets targets for immigration to 465,000 people per year in 2023, 485,000 in 2024, and 500,000 by 2025.
“Canada has experienced one of the fastest recoveries from the pandemic, thanks in large part to our approach to immigration,” said the government statement.
In 2022, IRCC processed approximately 5.2 million applications for permanent residence, temporary residence, and citizenship, double the amount processed in 2021.
The federal government has also set a target to increase Francophone immigration to 4.4 percent of French-speaking immigrants outside Quebec by 2023.
Targets
Just over 1.3 million new immigrants settled permanently in Canada from 2016 to 2021, the highest number of recent immigrants recorded in a Canadian census, according to the federal government.The government said immigrants now make up 36 percent of physicians, 33 percent of business owners with paid employees, and 41 percent of engineers.
According to the government, immigration fills labour market shortages and grows the economy by admitting skilled newcomers.
Saskatchewan, meanwhile, issued 486
immigration invitations in December through an immigrant nominee program. The invitations target certain desired occupations, and the individuals must have completed one year of post-secondary education, earning a diploma, certificate, or degree, and have at least one year of work experience in the last decade in the field of education or training.
Alberta has a similar
program, the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program, and is prioritizing applications for permanent residency from Ukrainian nationals. Nominees must have skills to fill job shortages or be planning to buy or start a business in Alberta. They must also be able to provide for their families. The program is run by the governments of Alberta and Canada.
Every province in Canada, apart from Nunavut and Quebec, offers various provincial immigration programs similar to Alberta and Saskatchewan in cooperation with the federal government.
