The Honourable Marco Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, tabled the 2021‒2023 Immigration Levels Plan today, which sets out a path for responsible increases to immigration targets to help the Canadian economy recover from COVID-19, drive future growth and create jobs for middle-class Canadians.
Highlights of the plan include:
- an increase in admissions over the 3 years of the plan to make up the shortfall in 2020
- a focus on economic growth, with about 60% of admissions to come from the Economic Class
- a continued focus on innovative and community-driven approaches to address diverse labour and demographic needs across the country
- a renewed commitment to capacity-building and digital transformation in Canada’s immigration system, to support operations and mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 on the processing of applications
- additional points for French-speaking candidates under Express Entry, to promote the growth of Francophone communities outside of Quebec
- a commitment to admit up to 500 refugees over the next 2 years through the Economic Mobility Pathways Project, an innovative approach that helps qualified refugees apply for permanent residence through existing economic immigration pathways
- a pathway to permanent residency for eligible asylum claimants who were working on the front lines of the pandemic between March 13 and August 14, 2020, providing direct care to patients in health-care institutions
Canada aims to welcome 401,000 new permanent residents in 2021, 411,000 in 2022, and 421,000 in 2023.
Immigrant Category | Target for 2021 | Target for 2022 | Target for 2023 |
Provincial Nominee Program | 80,800 | 81,500 | 83,000 |
Federal High Skilled | 108,500 | 110,500 | 113,750 |
Federal Business | 1,000 | 1,000 | 1,000 |
Economic Pilots: Caregivers; Agri-Food Pilot; Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot | 8,500 | 10,000 | 10,250 |
Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program | 6,000 | 6,250 | 6,500 |
Family: Spouses, Partners and Children, Parents/Grandparents |
103,500
|
103,500
|
104,500 |
Chart derived from Supplementary Information for the 2021-2023 Immigration Levels Plan