Canada is planning to increase intake of immigrants, announces target numbers as high as 475,000 in 2024.
Canada’s proposed intake of immigrants into the country could benefit Indians in a big way as they comprise the single largest source country for immigrants to Canada. The targets announced by Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Sean Fraser indicates that Canada is aiming to take in 475,000 immigrants in 2024.
The 2022-24 Immigration Levels Plan wants to continue taking in immigrants at a rate of about one per cent of Canada’s population, including 431,645 permanent residents in 2022, 447,055 in 2023, and 451,000 in 2024. The high end of the range forecast for 2024 could reach as much as 475,000.
Highlights of the plan include:
- overall admissions amounting to 1.14% of the Canadian population by 2024.
- a long-term focus on economic growth, with nearly 60% of admissions in the Economic Class.
- help for vulnerable populations, like the special measures for granting permanent residence to refugee claimants working in health care during the pandemic.
- support for global crises by providing a safe haven through humanitarian immigration to those facing persecution.
- talent retention of those already in Canada by granting permanent status to temporary residents accepted through the time limited pathways for essential workers launched in spring 2021.
Most of the immigration into Canada is in the economic class, with Indians comprising almost 60% of those numbers.
According to the 2021 Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration, tabled this week, Indians form the largest immigrant group coming into Canada. Immigration intake was severely affected after the COVID-19 pandemic struck the world in 2020. However, numbers show that of the 184,606 permanent residents admitted that year, Indians accounted for 42,876, or 23% of the total, which is almost two-and-a-half times that of the next highest, China at 16,535.
India has bagged the spot of biggest source country since 2017, pushing China to the second spot. Data shows that in 2019, 85,593 new Indian-origin permanent residents (PRs) were welcomed in Canada.
In a statement released to the Press on February 14, Sean Fraser said, “Immigration has helped shape Canada into the country it is today. From farming and fishing to manufacturing, healthcare and the transportation sector, Canada relies on immigrants.”
“We are focused on economic recovery, and immigration is the key to getting there,” he emphasised.
Low immigration numbers in 2020 have compelled the government to hike predicted target numbers in its 2021-23 Immigration Levels Plan which set them at 401,000 in 2021, 411,000 in 2022 and 421,00 in 2023.
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