New Immigration Plan to Boost Canada’s Economy and Labor Market

On October 30, 2020, Canadian Immigration minister, Marco Mendicino announced that the Liberal government has a three year plan to bring 1.2 million immigrants into Canada. 

When he addressed the nation, he stressed how vital immigrants are to our farming industry, technology sectors, and healthcare system. The plan is to immigrate skilled workers, their family members, and refugees to drive economic growth and create jobs by expanding businesses that Canadians have already established.  

The ambitious plan is set to begin in 2021 and entails immigrating approximately 1% of the population of Canada: This includes 401,000 permanent residents in 2021, 411,000 in 2022 and 421,000 in 2023. The plan is focusing on fulfilling Canada’s promise to protect those most at-risk through refugee settlement and the reunification of families. 

The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) continued to accept and process immigration applications throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the global travel restrictions due to the pandemic hindered the admissions of immigrants to Canada over the past year. To compensate for this gap in admissions, this ambitious immigration plan was created. 

“Put simply, we need more workers, and immigration is the way to get there,” Mendicino​​​​​​​ said during the press conference on Friday. “With nearly 60 percent of all new admissions in the economic class, our plan will continue to focus on Canada’s economic growth.”

This is the breakdown of the plan for 2021 from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). To sustain Canada’s economy and stay true to their global commitment, the IRCC plans to immigrate:

• 232,000 immigrants in the economic class.
• 103,500 in the family class.
• 5,500 on humanitarian and compassionate grounds.
• 59,500 refugees and protected persons.

Previously, the federal government planned to bring in 341,000 immigrants this year, 351,000 next year and 361,000 in 2022.

Although the target goal for immigration in 2020 was to bring in 341,000 immigrants, the Liberal government says we have welcomed only half of that number of people into Canada this year. 

The news release announcing the plan states, “The health, safety, and security of Canadians remain our top priorities. Canada has strengthened health screening at the border as well as monitoring and enforcement, and will continue to closely follow the advice of public health officials as we welcome newcomers.”

Leah Nord, who is the senior director of Workforce Strategies and Inclusive Growth for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, stated that the Liberal government must focus on matching Canadian immigrants to the worker shortages in various industries where they are needed the most. 

Even though the unemployment rate increased during the pandemic, there are gaps in many job markets and Canada needs people to fill them. This new immigration plan will play a major role in compensating for Canada’s lack of workers in specific sectors. 

The government’s Advisory Council on Economic Growth has recommended that Canada increase its annual immigration levels to 450,000 by next year. This suggestion is projected to bolster the economic class and compensate for the upcoming roles needed to be filled due to people retiring from their jobs. 

An ambitious plan to welcome new Canadian Immigrants and boost our economy

Following the unveiling of the new immigration plan, the Immigration Minister tweeted that the key to Canada’s short-term economic recovery from the pandemic and long term success is immigration. 

If all goes as planned, this ambitious plan will help Canada to become more inclusive and prosperous. 

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