Potentially Record-Breaking Immigration to Canada In 2022
The data indicate a strong start to 2022. Potentially record-breaking immigration to Canada this year.
Our nation showed strong numbers once again at the beginning of this year. Immigration to Canada in January and February of 2022 indicates that it’s likely going to be another record-breaking year. Possibly even greater than the government’s ambitious target for immigration for the year.
During the first two months of 2022, data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) showed that we welcomed a total of 72,510 immigrants – in January, 35,330 and 37,180 in February. If that rate continues through this year, that’s as many as 435,060 new permanent residents in 2022.
Immigration to Canada is significantly higher than before the pandemic
Early 2022 experienced a 50.8 per cent increase in immigration to Canada over the same time last year, which saw 48,095 new permanent residents to Canada. Immigration in January and February 2022 was almost 43.3 per cent higher than those months in 2020, which saw 50,610 new permanent residents.
To get a good perspective on the strong rate of increase this year is to look back at early 2019, essentially pre-pandemic. In both January and February three years ago, Canada welcomed 38,895 new permanent residents – 33,615, or 46.3 per cent, fewer immigrants than in winter 2022.
One of the main reasons for the higher levels of immigration to Canada this year over the last several is the one-time, temporary-to-permanent resident (TR-to-PR) program that began in May of 2021. Closed late last year, the program is still processing applications. And based on Ottawa’s latest immigration levels plan, we can expect 32,000 new permanent residents under that pathway this year.
In total, over the next two years, Canada’s immigration plan is to welcome more than 1.3 million new residents.
Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said earlier this year, “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.”
Immigrants’ Contributions To Canada ‘Immeasurable’
Under the levels plan presented by the immigration minister, Canada expects 447,055 new residents next year, and in 2024, 451,000. “We are focused on economic recovery, and immigration is the key to getting there. Setting bold new immigration targets, as outlined in the 2022-2024 Levels Plan, will further help bring the immeasurable contribution of immigrants to our communities and across all sectors of the economy.”
The 2022-2024 Levels Plan exceeds previous projections. For instance, the plan presented later in 2020 is expected to welcome 411,000 new permanent residents in 2022 and 421,000 in 2023. The government promotes the levels plans as a way to resolve the increasing labour shortages. It’s also a means of helping to build the economy in sectors ranging from agriculture and fisheries to the tech sector and business management.
The fact is, how strong Canada’s economy is, is measured, at least in part, by the size of the labour force – the number of people working. Workers pay taxes and fund our public services, such as health care, one of the vital pillars of Canadian society.
More and more, Canadians are living longer. They’re also having fewer children. Canada has more retirees with fewer students in schools. Consequently, we have a slowly diminishing, increasingly limited, Canadian-born pool of existing and potential workers. With consistent immigration, employers can fill available positions with qualified workers.
In a tweet from Fraser earlier this year, “Canada is among the world’s top destinations for talent, and immigration is a driving force behind the boom in our tech sector.”
“Bringing skilled workers to Canada helps businesses grow, and creates good jobs across the country.”
Experts in Canadian immigration law, Eastman Law Office specializes in immigration, citizenship, and refugee cases and applications.
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