Canada brought in over 400,000 permanent residents in 2021 for the first time since the country was established in 1867.
It was established in a press release from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
The department also announced that the nation has beat its record for permanent residence landings in one year.
The only occasion that Canada surpassed the 400,000 total was in 1913; however, the outbreak of the First World War saw immigration to the country decrease in the years following.
Before the outbreak, Canada set a goal of welcoming 341,000 immigrants in 2020. The country only received 184,000 in the year before because of the pandemic. However, it increased its focus on immigration to boost the post-pandemic recovery of its economy by announcing that it will target an arrival rate of around 401,000 permanent residents in 2021.
IRCC has achieved its immigration levels Plan goal this year due to the use of a technicality. A landing could occur when a temporary resident in Canada has the legal status change into permanent residency or is coming to Canada from overseas and getting permanent resident status.
Before the outbreak, the majority of new immigrants came from abroad. However, this year, IRCC has focused on making the transition easier for those in Canada to meet its goal of welcoming newcomers. This is because people living in Canada are more likely to be affected by COVID-related disruptions, which could hinder their chances of obtaining permanent residents.
Before the outbreak, approximately 30 per cent of new immigrants of the economic class were living in Canada when they obtained permanent residency, and the remaining 70 per cent relocated from overseas. In 2021, this trend was reversed, with around 70 per cent of the immigrants arriving in Canada and about 30% coming from outside the country.
IRCC has shifted its operations to help transition temporary residents to permanent residents.
The changes include having Express Entry draws targeting Canadian Experience Class (CEC) applicants and launching six streams in May to provide pathways towards permanent residence for up to 90,000 international students and temporary foreign workers in Canada.
Before COVID, Canada landed between 25,000 and 35,000 people every month, with numbers increasing during the warm summer and spring months. Canada started slowly this year before accelerating the number of immigrants it landed in June. In the months since June, Canada consistently landed more than 35,000 permanent residents per month. In recent months, it has reached 45,000 landings per month.
Attaining the 401,000 target for newcomers was one of the top priorities for 2021 by the IRCC. Since the department has reached this target, IRCC will broaden its prioritizations following the publication of the new mandate letter.
In today’s news, religion minister Sean Fraser said, “Las,t year we set a lofty target. Today, we have achieved it. It’s a momentous occasion for our nation, as we welcome the biggest number of newcomers in the century. I want to acknowledge everyone within my department, particularly those in our Operations Sector, who made this happen. Canada was built upon immigration, and we’ll continue to welcome those who are immigrants. Canada must be successful. I’m excited to see the amazing contributions our 401,000 new friends bring to communities nationwide.”
According to the Immigration Levels Plan 2021-2023, Canada expects to accept 411,000 new immigrants in 2022 and 421,000 in 2023. Fraser will unveil his proposed Immigration Levels Plan by February 10th, 2022. Fraser suggests the new plan could have higher targets for 2022 and 2023.
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