Permanent Residents
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) data shows that Canada welcomed over 437,000 new permanent residents from more than 190 countries in 2022.
The number of permanent residents immigrating into Canada surpassed the target figure of 431,000+ laid out in the Immigration Levels Plan for 2022-2024.
It also represented an eight percent increase from 2021.
The IRCC data also shows that fifty-eight percent of all permanent residents immigrated into the country through economic immigration programs in 2022. Moreover, 22.2% of permanent residents were family-class immigrants while 17.2% immigrated as refugees or protected persons.
International Students
Canada immigrated a total of 551,405 new international students from 184 countries. The ten countries that produced the highest number of new international students immigrating into Canada in 2022 were
- India,
- People’s Republic of China,
- Philippines,
- France,
- Nigeria,
- Iran,
- The Democratic Republic of South Korea,
- Japan,
- Mexico, and
- Brazil respectively.
Ontario was the preferred province for study by international students in 2022 with a total of 411,000 students. British Columbia with 164,000 students, and Quebec with 93,000 students, were distant second and third respectively.
Foreign Skilled Workers
A record and astoundingly high 608,420 work permits were issued in Canada in 2022. Considering that in 2021 the number of issued work permits was only 414,000, it was an increase of more than 200,000, which is substantial, to say the least.
When you evaluate the number of skilled workers who immigrated to Canada in 2022, you will find that about three-quarters of them did so through the International Mobility Program (IMP). The remaining ones were distributed via the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP).
Of the IMP work permits that were issued in 2022, the largest portion of them (about a third) were to medical residents & fellows, and post-graduate employment applicants. On the other hand, about half of TFWP work permits issued in 2022 were to agricultural workers.
Population Growth In Canada in Q4, 2022
Statistics Canada data shows that the fourth quarter of 2022 represented the highest population growth rate in 66 years (since 1956).
In the last three months of 2022, Canada added 83,152 immigrants to their population. In the same period, Canada added the most permanent residents of any fourth quarter in recorded history.
The dramatic population growth of Q4, 2022 was almost fully due to international immigration.
