Toronto 
Today, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Sean Fraser, released a plan to increase the number of immigrants to Canada.
The 2022‒2024 Immigration Levels Plan will see the federal government bring in a record number of permanent residents to the country – 431,645 in 2022, 447,055 in 2023 and 451,000 in 2024.
According to the news release, the government plans to continue welcoming immigrants at a rate of about 1% of Canada’s population to support the country’s economic resurgence and post-pandemic growth.
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.
2022-2024 Immigration Levels Plan
| Immigrant Category | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Target | Low Range | High Range | Target | Low Range | High Range | Target | Low Range | High Range | ||
| Overall Planned Permanent Resident Admissions | 431,645 | 360,000 | 445,000 | 447,055 | 380,000 | 465,000 | 451,000 | 390,000 | 475,000 | |
| Economic | Federal High Skilled | 55,900 | 52,000 | 64,000 | 75,750 | 63,000 | 84,000 | 111,500 | 91,000 | 118,000 |
| Federal Economic Public Policies | 40,000 | 30,000 | 48,000 | 32,000 | 25,000 | 42,000 | – | – | – | |
| Federal Business | 1,000 | 800 | 1,500 | 1,000 | 800 | 1,500 | 1,500 | 1,000 | 2,000 | |
| Economic Pilots: Caregivers; Agri-Food Pilot; Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot; Economic Mobility Pathways Project | 10,250 | 4,000 | 10,500 | 11,250 | 7,000 | 18,000 | 12,750 | 8,000 | 20,000 | |
| Atlantic Immigration Program | 6,250 | 4,000 | 8,000 | 6,500 | 4,000 | 10,000 | 6,500 | 4,000 | 12,000 | |
| Provincial Nominee Program | 83,500 | 80,000 | 95,000 | 86,000 | 82,000 | 95,000 | 93,000 | 88,000 | 98,000 | |
| Quebec Skilled Workers and Business | See the Quebec immigration plan | To be determined | To be determined | |||||||
| Total Economic | 241,850 | 210,000 | 248,000 | 253,000 | 222,000 | 259,000 | 267,750 | 235,000 | 273,000 | |
| Family | Spouses, Partners and Children | 80,000 | 68,000 | 81,000 | 81,000 | 70,000 | 84,000 | 81,000 | 70,000 | 84,000 |
| Parents and Grandparents | 25,000 | 19,000 | 31,000 | 28,500 | 22,000 | 38,000 | 32,000 | 27,000 | 43,000 | |
| Total Family | 105,000 | 90,000 | 109,000 | 109,500 | 94,000 | 113,000 | 113,000 | 99,000 | 117,000 | |
| Refugees and Protected Persons | Protected Persons in Canada and Dependents Abroad | 24,500 | 20,000 | 27,500 | 25,000 | 20,500 | 28,000 | 25,500 | 21,000 | 28,500 |
| Resettled Refugees – Government-Assisted | 19,790 | 15,500 | 24,000 | 17,260 | 13,500 | 26,000 | 13,000 | 10,000 | 19,500 | |
| Resettled Refugees – Privately Sponsored | 31,255 | 19,000 | 34,000 | 30,795 | 19,400 | 34,000 | 23,000 | 15,500 | 28,000 | |
| Resettled Refugees – Blended Visa Office-Referred | 1,000 | 100 | 1,100 | 1,000 | 100 | 1,100 | 1,000 | 100 | 1,100 | |
| Total Refugees and Protected Persons | 76,545 | 55,000 | 79,500 | 74,055 | 57,000 | 82,000 | 62,500 | 50,000 | 75,500 | |
| Humanitarian and Other | Total Humanitarian & Compassionate and Other | 8,250 | 5,000 | 8,500 | 10,500 | 7,000 | 11,000 | 7,750 | 6,000 | 9,500 |
| French‑speaking immigration admissions necessary to meet 2023 objective in Francophone Immigration Strategy | 14,014 | 17,886 | ||||||||
The federal government also plans to resettle at least 40,000 Afghan nationals over the next 2 years. To date, 7,550 Afghan refugees now call Canada home.
Canada approved 405,0000 new permanent resident applications in 2021 – the highest to date.
As of February 1st, there is a backlog of more than 1.3 million permanent and temporary residence applications largely due to the closures brought in by the pandemic measures.
Immigration to Canada:
How to Apply for Express Entry
