The Canadian government has just announced its Immigration Levels Plan 2022-2024 with the outcome being Canada is increasing its immigration targets yet again. Canada will look to welcome almost 432,000 new immigrants this year instead of its initial plan to welcome 411,000 newcomers.
Over the coming three years, Canada will target the following number of new immigrant landings:
- 2022: 431,645 permanent residents
- 2023: 447,055 permanent residents
- 2024: 451,000 permanent residents
In a statement to CIC News, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser explained “This levels plan is a balance of needs for our country and our international obligations. It focuses on attracting skilled workers who will contribute to Canada’s economy and tackle the labor shortage while recognizing the importance of family reunification and helping the world’s most vulnerable populations through refugee resettlement. Our focus remains on supporting our economic resurgence through increased retention of newcomers in regions with real economic, labor, and demographic challenges. I’m proud of what Canada has achieved thus far, and I want to wait to see how newcomers will continue to make Canada a top destination of choice.”
The Levels Plan and What It Entails
The levels plan guides the immigration system in Canada. Not only does it outline the number of immigrants that Canada intends to welcome under various federal, provincial, and territorial programs, it also plans for retention of the newcomers after arrival. The IRCC and provinces and territories adjust operations based on the levels plan and it is the guideline for attracting, settling, and integrating new immigrants.
In 2022, it’s anticipated that around 56% of new immigrants will arrive through economic class channels such as Express Entry, the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), and the Temporary to Permanent Residence (TR2PR) stream, which was opened in 2021. In 2021, 62% of new immigrants arrived under economic class pathways like Express Entry, the PNP, and Quebec’s streams.
Low Income Admissions Programs
This year, the PNP will be the primary admissions program for low-income immigrants, with Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) expecting 83,500 arrivals under the program in 2022. IRCC has cut Express Entry admissions in half for this year, but it hopes to recover to normal levels by 2024 when it expects 111,500 Express Entry immigrants to arrive.
According to the levels plan, IRCC is temporarily reducing Express Entry admissions to make place for TR2PR admissions. The IRCC is looking for 40,000 immigrants to arrive in 2022, with the remaining 32,000 arriving in 2023 via the TR2PR program. The IRCC is currently processing Express Entry applications and holding biweekly Express Entry lotteries.
