IRCC’s immigration matters campaign has been running since 2018 to improve public understanding of how Canadian immigration improves Canada.
#WelcomingWeek2022, organized by the IRCC, is an initiative to educate Canadians and prospective immigrants about the benefits of immigration. Among the features of the program are neighborhood gatherings and a website with information on immigration, immigration success stories, and ways Canadians can get involved in neighborhood immigration campaigns.
Over 432,000 new permanent residents are expected to arrive in Canada by the end of 2022. For the economy to flourish, the Canadian labor force to remain strong, and for communities to remain diverse and resilient, immigration is vital.
Immigrants are attracted to Canada
Canadian immigration tends to be stable due to its employment prospects and its stable economy. Consequently, 85% of Canadians remain permanent residents. Twelve years after arriving in Canada, most immigrants achieve the same income as Canadians. Skills workers who apply through the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) or another Express Entry program, such as those with some prior Canadian work experience, frequently have a shorter wait time.
Refugees have been welcomed by Canada in times of need. Over 700,000 refugees have been welcomed by Canada since 1959, according to the UNHCR. Refugees from Afghanistan and Ukraine are still being accepted in Canada today. The Canada Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) has allowed more than 80,000 Ukrainian refugees into Canada since the crisis began. The Ukrainian government now allows temporary residence visas for Ukrainians. The number of Afghan immigrants to Canada has also reached a record high. Afghan immigrants made up the fourth largest group of immigrants for the first half of 2022 with 11,415 arrivals.
Do Canadians need immigrants for what reasons?
A large part of Canada’s aging population contributes to its efforts to attract foreign talent. More than nine million baby boomers are expected to retire in Canada by 2030. The country has only 1.4 children per woman, not enough to offset these figures. In light of this, one of the main sources of filling labor shortages in Canada is immigration.
The unemployment rate in Canada is 4.9%, which is extremely low, and there are over a million open positions. Numerous significant areas of the country have been affected by this shortage. Statista Canada’s most recent data shows that there were over 147,500 vacancies in the health care and social support industry.
The health sector relies heavily on immigration to fill open positions. Approximately one in four healthcare professionals are immigrants, according to census data from 2016. In Canada, immigrants make up 36% of doctors and 23% of registered nurses. They also represent a sizeable portion of other healthcare professions:
- Nursing assistants and related occupations make up 35% of the workforce
- Pharmacists make up 37 percent
- Dentists make up 39%
- About 54% of dental technologists work in related fields
The number of immigrants owning businesses with paid staff in the construction, professional services, medical, and retail sectors also stands at 33%. Across the country, over 600,000 immigrants are self-employed and more than 260,000 have paid employees.
Immigrants with skills make up the majority of newcomers
To maintain a sustainable rate of population growth in Canada that supports the labor force and economy, the Canadian government develops an Immigration Levels Plan every year. A new immigration rate of 1.14% is projected for 2024, according to the current plan. According to the plan, roughly 60% of all immigrants will come from the economically disadvantaged.
Immigration to Canada is overwhelmingly dominated by immigrants from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Canadian workers and the economy benefit from recent immigrants with in-demand skills.
Almost 138,000 new immigrants have come from the economic class so far in 2022. Since more Canadians retire, less money will be available to support infrastructure, pensions, and healthcare systems at the federal and provincial levels due to fewer Canadians paying income taxes. Often, economic immigrants are younger than their Canadian counterparts and have many more years of work ahead of them before they retire.
