SEAN Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, on Tuesday announced that Canada has reached its target to welcome 431,645 new permanent residents in 2022, surpassing its previous record from 2021.
This represents the largest number of people ever welcomed in a year, in Canadian history. Prior to setting a new record for admissions in 2021, the last time Canada welcomed such a large number of newcomers was in 1913.
Fraser said: “Today marks an important milestone for Canada, setting a new record for newcomers welcomed in a single year. It is a testament to the strength and resilience of our country and its people.”
He added: “Newcomers play an essential role in filling labour shortages, bringing new perspectives and talents to our communities, and enriching our society as a whole. I am excited to see what the future holds and look forward to another historic year in 2023 as we continue to welcome newcomers.”
The government said that this incredible achievement would not have been possible without the employees of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), who continue to set the bar higher for processing. In 2022, IRCC processed approximately 5.2 million applications for permanent residence, temporary residence and citizenship. That’s double the number of applications processed in 2021.
As Canada plans to continue to welcome historic numbers of newcomers, the government said that IRCC has added resources, embraced new technology, streamlined processing, and brought more processes online. These changes are all important improvements to Canada’s immigration system, which will position it well for the future.
As the government focuses on addressing the acute labour market shortages the country is facing today and building a strong economy into the future, one thing remains certain: immigration is a key part of the solution, the government noted.
Quick Facts:
* The number of permanent residents Canada welcomes each year is based on the annual Immigration Levels Plan that is tabled in Parliament.
* The 2022-2024 Immigration Levels Plan was tabled on February 14, 2022 and the 2023-2025 Immigration Levels Plan was tabled on November 1, 2022.
* Immigration accounts for almost 100% of Canada’s labour force growth. Roughly 75% of Canada’s population growth comes from immigration, mostly in the economic category. By 2036, immigrants will represent up to 30% of Canada’s population, compared with 20.7% in 2011.
* Canada’s aging population means that the worker-to-retiree ratio is expected to shift from 7 to 1 50 years ago to 2 to 1 by 2035.
* 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.
* 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.
* Immigrants account for 36% of physicians, 33% business owners with paid staff, and 41% of engineers.
* In the Fall Economic Statement, the government committed an additional $50 million in 2022-23 for IRCC, to address ongoing application backlogs, speed up processing, and allow skilled newcomers to fill critical labour gaps faster.