Canada met 2022 immigration target

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced that Canada exceeded its 2022 immigration plan by landing 437,000 newcomers in the country targeted in Immigration Levels Plan 2022-2024. The target for the year was 431,000.

In 2022, Canada hit a historic record as the country welcomed 437,000 new permanent residents in the year. This is the largest number in a single year in Canadian history. The only other years that Canada surpassed 400,000 newcomers were in 1913 and 2021.

In 2019, Canada welcomed more than 341,000 permanent residents. Despite the challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada also admitted over 184,500 new permanent residents over the course of 2020.

See also Canada surpassed 2021 immigration levels plan target of 401,000 new PRs.

Canada relies on immigration to drive its economy, enrich its communities and support its aging population. One in 3 Canadian businesses is owned by an immigrant, and 1 in 4 health care workers is a newcomer. Immigration creates jobs, spurs innovation and helps address labour shortages. New Canadians contribute to communities across the country every day.

“Today marks an important milestone for Canada, setting a new record for newcomers welcomed in a single year,” said Immigration Minister Sean Fraser.

“Newcomers play an essential role in filling labour shortages, bringing new perspectives and talents to our communities, and enriching our society as a whole. I am excited to see what the future holds and look forward to another historic year in 2023 as we continue to welcome newcomers.”

Immigration accounts for almost 100% of Canada’s labour force growth. Roughly 75% of Canada’s population growth comes from immigration, mostly in the economic category. By 2036, immigrants will represent up to 30% of Canada’s population, compared with 20.7% in 2011.

IRCC has focused on using immigration to address labour shortages in key sectors such as health care. Immigrants make up 37% of pharmacists, 36% of physicians, 39% of dentists, 23% of registered nurses, and 35% of nurse aides and related occupations.

Canada Immigration Levels Plan 2022-2024

Each year, IRCC releases a new multi-year Immigration Levels Plan which it uses to guide its operations. Canada’s Immigration Levels 2022-2024 plan aimed to land 1.3 million new permanent residents.

Canada sets its immigration levels plan to strengthen the economy, reunite families, and help refugees.

The immigration levels plan guides Canada’s immigration system. It outlines the number of immigrants Canada will look to welcome under its various federal, provincial, and territorial programs. IRCC then regularly adjusts operations to attract, settle, integrate, and retain the targeted levels of newcomers.

Immigration Levels Plan 2022-2024 targeted the following number of new immigrant landings:

• 2022: 431,645 permanent residents
• 2023: 447,055 permanent residents
• 2024: 451,000 permanent residents

These targets are the highest in Canada’s immigration levels planning history. Canada cites these among other highlights of the plan:

• 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
• balancing Canada’s needs and its international obligations
• focusing on attracting skilled workers who will contribute to Canada’s economy and labour shortage
• recognizing the importance of family reunification, and also
• helping the world’s most vulnerable populations through refugee resettlement

Canada met 2022 immigration target

See also Government of Canada’s NR at New immigration plan to fill labour market shortages and grow Canada’s economy.

Immigration Levels Plan 2022-2024

Immigration Class	2022	2023	2024
Economic	241,850	253,000	267,750
Family	105,000	109,500	113,000
Refugee	76,545	74,055	62,500
Humanitarian	8,250	10,500	7,750
Total	431,645	447,055	451,000

Why Canada needs new immigrants

Key factors in developing Canada’s immigration levels plan include:

• Canada has one of the world’s oldest populations and also one of the world’s lowest birth rates
• Canada also has a low rate of natural population growth which results in low rates of labour force and economic growth, and
• Low economic growth also makes it difficult for Canada to raise the taxes it needs to support social spending

And also, 9 million Canadians will reach the retirement age of 65 by the year 2030. This means that Canada will have that much fewer workers at a time when its social spending on them will rise.

See also Canada Immigration Levels Plan 2023-2025 to land 1.45 Million immigrants.

Canada Immigration Levels Plan 2023-2025

Canada’s Immigration Minister Sean Fraser announced Immigration Levels Plan 2023-2025 on November 1, 2022. The plan aims to welcome an unprecedented 1.45 million immigrants over the next three years. It is a direct strategy to help curb chronic labour shortages all over tyhe country.

The Plan targets 465,000 newcomers in 2023, 485,000 in 2024 and 500,000 in 2025.

Immigration Levels Plan 2023-2025 details

		2023	2024	2025
	Overall Planned Permanent Resident Admissions	465,000	485,000	500,000
Economic	Federal High Skilled	82,880	109,020	114,000
	Federal Economic Public Policies	25,000	–	–
	Federal Business	3,500	5,000	6,000
	Economic Pilots: Caregivers; Agri-Food Pilot; Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot; Economic Mobility Pathways Project	8,500	12,125	14,750
	Atlantic Immigration Program	8,500	11,500	14,500
	Provincial Nominee Program	105,500	110,000	117,500
	Quebec Skilled Workers and BusinessFootnote6	See the Quebec immigration plan	To be determined	To be determined
	Total Economic	266,210	281,135	301,250
Family	Spouses, Partners and Children	78,000	80,000	82,000
	Parents and Grandparents	28,500	34,000	36,000
	Total Family	106,500	114,000	118,000
Refugees and Protected Persons	Protected Persons in Canada and Dependents Abroad	25,000	27,000	29,000
	Resettled Refugees – Government-AssistedFootnote7	23,550	21,115	15,250
	Resettled Refugees – Privately Sponsored	27,505	27,750	28,250
	Resettled Refugees – Blended Visa Office-Referred	250	250	250
	Total Refugees and Protected Persons	76,305	76,115	72,750
Humanitarian and Other	Total Humanitarian & Compassionate and Other	15,985	13,750	8,000