The government announced new immigration targets for the next three years to help the Canadian economy recover from COVID-19 and drive future growth with health, safety and security of Canadians remaining top priorities.
The multi-year levels plan recognizes the importance of family reunification and Canada’s global commitment to protecting those most at risk through refugee resettlement. It strongly focusses on an overall increase in admission and a 60% admission from the Economic Class.
The levels plan aims to continue welcoming immigrants at a rate of about 1% of the population of Canada, including 401,000 permanent residents in 2021, 411,000 in 2022 and 421,000 in 2023. The previous plan set targets of 351,000 in 2021 and 361,000 in 2022.
Highlights of the plan include
- an increase in admissions over the 3 years of the plan to make up the shortfall in 2020
- a focus on economic growth, with about 60% of admissions to come from the Economic Class
- a continued focus on innovative and community-driven approaches to address diverse labour and demographic needs across the country
- a renewed commitment to capacity-building and digital transformation in Canada’s immigration system, to support operations and mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 on the processing of applications
- additional points for French-speaking candidates under Express Entry, to promote the growth of Francophone communities outside of Quebec
- a commitment to admit up to 500 refugees over the next 2 years through the Economic Mobility Pathways Project, an innovative approach that helps qualified refugees apply for permanent residence through existing economic immigration pathways
- a pathway to permanent residency for eligible asylum claimants who were working on the front lines of the pandemic between March 13 and August 14, 2020, providing direct care to patients in health-care institutions
