The immigration system of Canada broke the all-time immigration record, inviting 401,000 immigrants into the broader of the country in the year 2021. This was achieved by the IRCC by focusing on the temporary resident status of people within the borders of Canada during the Covid-19 pandemic and granting them permanent resident status. 401,000 permanent resident status was given to immigrants, the highest yet since the foundation of the immigration system of Canada in 1867. This has also been confirmed by the IRCC through a news release.
The Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada confirmed that Canada broke this record of the number of permanent residents in the country this year. The other time the country crossed the 400k thresholds of the number of PR candidates in the country was in 1913. After that, immigration saw a dip due to the First World War.
Before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the country had set a goal for inviting 341,000 immigrants in 2020. But they were only able to welcome 184,000 newcomers due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The country then put extra efforts into immigration in order to support post-pandemic Canada, and help the recovery of the economy. The government announced that they would be targeting to welcome around 401k new PR candidates into the country in the year 2021.
The IRCC managed to meet the target set in the Immigration Level Plan by a technicality. The permanent resident status can be achieved by a temporary resident of Canada as well, they can achieve the goal by changing their status, or they can gain it as a newcomer while arriving in the country. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, new immigrants and PR candidates were always welcomed from abroad. This year, the IRCC decided to shift its focus on the transition of the status of the residents already present in the country from temporary to permanent in order to achieve the goal set in the Plan. The rationality of this decision was that those within the borders of the country would be less reluctant for the change due to the restrictions on travel put in place as well as have a lower impact on the general public health.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, 30% of the immigrants from the economic class had already arrived in the country and gained permanent resident status. 70% had moved in from abroad. In 2021, the goal was achieved and the categories were reversed, with 70% of the immigrants landing PR status from within Canada and 30% moving in and arriving from abroad. The IRCC made a shift in its operation by focusing on transitioning more residents with temporary status to permanent resident status.
This shift was done in many ways, one of which was by holding Express Entry draws that targeted the candidates who had submitted their application under the Canadian Experience Class pathway under the Express Entry Program. Apart from this, 6 new pathways were also introduced in May that focused on granting permanent resident status to as many as 90,000 foreign workers and international students who are already living in Canada.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, every month, around 25,000 to 35,000 immigrants would enter the country, with the number being higher in the warm around and summer. The count of immigrants moving into the country this year was low before the number increased rapidly in June. After June, the number of immigrants entering Canada was over 35,000 per month, and in recent months, the number even exceeded 45,000 immigrants per month.
Achieving the target of 401k newcomers was a top priority of the IRCTC in 2021. Now that the goal has been achieved, the IRCC will be focusing on broadening its priorities after the release of the mandate letter.
Sean Fraser, the Immigration Minister of Canada said that in the previous year, the goal set in the immigration plan was indeed ambitious, but they have achieved it. The moment is historic for the country, welcoming the highest number of newcomers into Canada in the century. Gratitude as expressed towards the employees in the immigration department, especially the Operation Sector who were all involved in achieving the goal. The country relies heavily on immigration. The Immigration Minister said that they would continue to welcome immigrants into the country safely in order to see the country succeed. The country is now waiting to see the incredible contributions of the new 401,000 residents who have been welcomed into the country and their impact across the various communities in Canada.
According to the Immigration Plan for 2021-2023, Canada plans to achieve a target of 411,000 immigrants in 2022 and increase the number to 421,000 in 2023. The Immigration Minister also plans to release the revised Immigration Levels Plan in February 2022.
