Marc Miller’s Announcement on Immigration Plans

During his recent speech in Winnipeg, Minister Marc Miller spoke about trends of immigration in Canada. As per him, immigration accounts for 100% of Canada’s labour force growth. During the pandemic era, Canada needed more labor to address labor market needs, however, now is the right time to take action and make sure this growth happens in a progressive manner without hampering Canada’s growth.

He announced, we are making changes to policies. Let’s see what are these measures

Transition to Permanent Residence

There is much more focus on transitioning temporary residents – international students/work permit holders to permanent residents. Targets were announced for years 2025-2027. Logic behind transition is that, people belonging to this group are already a part of Canadian culture and Canadian work force. There is no problem in integrating them into Canadian Society. They will continue to support Canadian economy without being a burden on social services.

Another focus will be on healthcare and trades, which are currently considered to in-demand jobs in Canada. Growth of Francophone communities will also be in focus, their expansion outside Quebec is a target.

Agendas and Plans for Temporary Residents

Broadly, temporary residents category includes – students, workers, seasonal workers, asylum claimants. As a part of these new plans, goal would be to decrease temporary residents over next two years. Transition for temporary to permanent residents will take place gradually. There are set targets for each year. For 2025 – 3,95,000 to 3,65,000 in 2027, this is an estimate of how targets will look like.

Previously, IRCC aimed at welcoming 485,000 new permanent residents in 2024 and then stabilizing them at 500,000 annually in 2025 and 2026.