Question Period Note: IMMIGRATION LEVELS PLAN FOR 2021-2023

Canada’s projected immigration levels for 2021 to 2023

• The Government of Canada is committed to an immigration system that contributes to economic growth, supports diversity and helps build vibrant, dynamic and inclusive communities, while respecting public health measures to preserve the health and safety of Canadians.

• The 2021-2023 Immigration Levels Plan, tabled in Parliament on October 30th, 2020, projects continued growth in permanent resident admissions with a target of 401,000 in 2021 and growth in subsequent years to make up the shortfall from 2020.

• The Levels Plan sets out a path for responsible increases to immigration targets to help the Canadian economy recover from COVID-19, with approximately 60 per cent of admissions to come from the economic class.

• It will help cement Canada’s place among the world’s top destinations for talent, while reuniting family members with their loved ones and fulfilling Canada’s humanitarian commitment.

2021-2023 Immigration Levels Plan

• The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act requires that the immigration minister table the Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration, including the Immigration Levels Plan for the following year, by November 1, or within 30 sitting days if Parliament is not in session on November 1.

• The 2021-2023 Immigration Levels Plan increases immigration levels to offset the impacts of an admissions shortfall in 2020 of about 150,000 newcomers, and to achieve economic, family, and refugee objectives over the next three years.

• The plan for 2021-2023 adjusts the overall admissions target in 2021 to 401,000; increases the admissions target to 411,000 in 2022; and to 421,000 permanent resident admissions in 2023. Unlike previous plans, this year’s plan features significantly lowered ranges in each year to provide flexibility for potential COVID related impacts, including travel restrictions and the possibility of interruptions to business resumption.

• No decreases are planned in any class and the class proportions of the plan are maintained:
o Admissions are increased in the Economic class to approximately 59% of overall admissions by 2023.
o Family class admissions remain stable over the three years with only a slight increase of 1,000 in 2023.
o Quebec's levels also increase in the economic category in 2021, following a reduction in that province's levels in 2019.
o Refugees and Protected Persons admissions increase to 61,000 by 2023.

• IRCC consulted provinces and territories between spring 2020 and fall 2020. There was strong support for maintaining the longer planning horizon that a multi-year plan affords, by adding a new third year. While there was some variation in views for immigration in the short term, jurisdictions supported long-term increases to immigration to support economic and population growth. Economic immigration was cited as a priority, notably regional immigration programs such as the Provincial Nominee Program and the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program.

• While Canadians remain concerned about public health and job security, overall public support for immigration in Canada has remained stable and relatively strong.

• As recently as polling in August and September 2020, support for immigration - including at the current levels - is holding, including views that immigration's effect on Canada is positive. However, some Canadians, in particular in Toronto and Vancouver, have expressed concerns about Canada's ability to absorb immigration at this time.

Mandate Commitment: Delivering the 2020-2022 Immigration Levels Plan is a part of Minister Mendicino’s mandate commitment to “Ensure the effective implementation of Canada’s increased annual Immigration Levels Plan for 2020-2022, attracting more than a million new permanent residents to Canada over that time. This continues our modest and responsible increases to immigration, with a focus on welcoming highly skilled people who can help build a stronger Canada.” The 2021-2023 levels plan supports this commitment and aligns with the recent Speech from the Throne, which focuses on leveraging our immigration advantage in order to become the world’s top destination for talent, capital, and jobs.

Levels planning:

By setting targets and planning ranges for each of the immigration categories, the Government of Canada establishes priorities among economic, social, and refugee objectives. Levels planning then enables the Department and its partners to allocate processing, security, and settlement resources accordingly.

Multi-year planning: In fall 2017, Canada introduced its first multi-year immigration levels plan in over a decade. The current plan adds an additional year (2023), maintaining the three-year planning horizon set out in last year’s plan. Prior to the 2018-2020 Immigration Levels Plan, the most recent multi-year plan was in 2001-2002. Three- and five-year plans were introduced in the 1980s and 1990s.

A multi-year approach provides the means to set out a longer-term vision for immigration. It supports better planning by securing approvals and investments earlier, providing time for the Department and partners to increase capacity and to prepare to manage higher volumes of applications.

The levels plan is a statement of public policy and is a key tool to communicate the Government’s immigration priorities to partners (including provinces and territories), stakeholders, and the public.

Canada is recognized internationally (e.g., Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) for its approach to managed migration, including specifically its use of immigration levels plans for setting transparent priorities and targets. Canada is among very few countries, like Australia and New Zealand, which have also adopted this approach.

Immigrant Category 2021 20229 20239
Target Low Range High Range Target Low Range High Range Target Low Range High Range
Overall Planned Permanent Resident Admissions 401,000 300,000 410,000 411,000 320,000 420,000 421,000 330,000 430,000
Economic Federal High Skilled1 108,500 81,000 110,250 110,500 96,250 112,900 113,750 100,000 114,500
Federal Business2 1,000 400 1,250 1,000 250 1,250 1,000 500 1,250
Economic Pilots: Caregivers3; Agri-Food Pilot; Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot 8,500 4,900 9,250 10,000 4,500 10,500 10,250 4,500 11,000
Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program4 6,000 3,300 6,250 6,250 3,000 6,750 6,500 3,500 6,750
Provincial Nominee Program 80,800 64,000 81,500 81,500 63,600 82,500 83,000 65,000 84,000
Quebec Skilled Workers and Business5 See Quebec’s immigration plan To be determined To be determined
Total Economic6 232,500 180,500 237,000 241,500 199,000 247,000 249,500 207,000 253,500
Family Spouses, Partners and Children 80,000 61,000 81,000 80,000 60,000 81,000 81,000 60,000 82,000
Parents and Grandparents 23,500 15,000 24,000 23,500 14,000 24,000 23,500 14,000 24,000
Total Family 103,500 76,000 105,000 103,500 74,000 105,000 104,500 74,000 106,000
Refugees and Protected Persons Protected Persons in Canada and Dependents Abroad 23,500 17,000 25,000 24,500 19,000 25,000 25,000 19,500 25,500
Resettled Refugees - Government-Assisted7 12,500 7,500 13,000 12,500 7,500 13,000 12,500 8,400 13,000
Resettled Refugees - Privately Sponsored 22,500 14,900 23,000 22,500 15,400 23,000 22,500 15,500 23,000
Resettled Refugees - Blended Visa Office-Referred 1,000 100 1,000 1,000 100 1,000 1,000 100 1,000
Total Refugees and Protected Persons 59,500 39,500 62,000 60,500 42,000 62,000 61,000 43,500 62,500
Humanitarian and Other Total Humanitarian & Compassionate and Other8 5,500 4,000 6,000 5,500 5,000 6,000 6,000 5,500 8,000
French-speaking immigration admissions necessary to meet objective in Francophone Immigration Strategy10
4.4% of total admissions outside Quebec 12,144 16,544

Footnotes

1: Includes the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program, and Canadian Experience Class.

2: Includes the Start-up Visa Program and the Self-employed Persons Program.

3: Includes admissions in the Home Child-Care Provider Pilot and the Home Support Worker Pilot, which replaced the Caring for Children Class and the Caring for People with High Medical Needs Class (which replaced the Live-in Caregiver Program). Applications received under the legacy pilots and through the interim pathway will be processed to completion. Some admissions in this category are destined for Quebec.

4: While the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program is still an economic pilot, IRCC intends to make it a permanent program. Admissions in 2017-2019 are counted under Economic Pilots.

5: Under the Canada–Québec Accord, Quebec has full responsibility for the selection of immigrants destined to Quebec, with the exception of the family class and protected persons. For more information, consult Quebec’s 2021 levels plan.

6: Includes admissions under the Economic Mobility Pathways Project, a new approach that helps qualified refugees apply for permanent residence through existing economic programs.

7: This includes the new stream for up to 250 human rights advocates, journalists, and humanitarian workers at risk, beginning in 2021.

8: Includes admissions of persons selected on humanitarian and compassionate grounds, for reasons of public policy, and in the permit holder class.

9: Notional targets and ranges for 2022 and 2023 will be confirmed or adjusted by November 1 of each year.

10: The Government of Canada set an objective to increase Francophone immigration to reach a target of 4.4% French-speaking immigrants outside Quebec by 2023. This range indicates how many admissions within the federal levels plan would be necessary to meet that target in 2023, based on the overall ranges for admissions outside of Quebec. Once Quebec tables its 2023 levels plan, this range may require updating.

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