Question Period Note: IMMIGRATION LEVELS PLAN FOR 2022-2024

Canada’s projected immigration levels for 2022 to 2024

PROPOSED RESPONSE:
• 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.
• The 2022-2024 Immigration Levels Plan, tabled in Parliament on February 14th, 2022 projects continued growth in permanent resident admissions with targets of 431,645 in 2022; 447,055 in 2023; and 451,000 in 2024.
• The Levels Plan sets out a path for responsible increases to immigration targets to help the Canadian economy recover and to fuel post-pandemic growth. Over half of all planned admissions are dedicated to the economic class.
• Despite the ongoing pandemic, in 2021, Canada welcomed a record number of permanent residents – over 405,000 – and the 2022-2024 plan builds on this momentum.
• Increasing immigration 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 commitments, including on Afghanistan resettlement.

BACKGROUND:
2022-2024 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 2022-2024 Immigration Levels Plan increases immigration levels to help achieve economic, family, and refugee objectives over the next three years.
• The plan for 2022-2024 increases the overall permanent resident admissions target to 431,645 in 2022; 447,055 in 2023; and 451,000 in 2024. This year’s plan features broad ranges to provide flexibility for potential persisting COVID related impacts and uncertainties like client behavior (i.e. willingness/ability to travel).
• 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 60% of overall admissions by 2024.
o Family class admissions reaches 113,000 admissions by 2024, with increases focused on the Parents and Grandparents program.
o Quebec has also increased levels in the economic category in 2022,as per their published Plan d’immigration du Québec 2022.
o Refugees and Protected Persons admissions increase significantly to 74,055 by 2023, before decreasing to 62,500 by 2024.
o The Humanitarian, Compassionate and Other category also increases to 10,500 by 2023, before decreasing to 7,750 by 2024.
o Refugee and humanitarian admissions include Government commitments to welcoming refugees from Afghanistan.
• [REDACTED]
• While Canadians remain concerned about public health and job security, overall public support for immigration in Canada has remained stable and relatively strong, confirmed by polling completed for IRCC in February and October 2021.In particular, Environics polling, released in October 2021, found that 65% of those surveyed disagreed with the statement that immigration levels are too high. The same survey shows that 80% agree with the statement that immigration has a positive economic impact.
• Mandate Commitment: Delivering the 2022-2024 Immigration Levels Plan is a part of the December 2021 mandate commitment to “continue to bring newcomers to Canada to drive economic growth and recovery, as set out in the 2021-2023 Immigration Levels Plan.”
• 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 (2024), 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.
• Quebec: Under the Canada-Quebec Accord, Quebec has full responsibility for the selection of immigrants destined to the province (except Family Class and in-Canada refugee claimants). The Accord commits the federal government to take into consideration Quebec’s desired levels in all categories. Quebec’s immigration levels plan is established annually and incorporated in the federal levels plan.
• Processing times: Processing times for applications for permanent residence can be affected by a number of factors including available levels space as well as processing capacity within IRCC and its partners. Currently, processing times have been affected by a focus on in-Canada clients as well as more straight-forward applications which leaves more complex inventory in some lines of business.
2022-2024 Immigration Levels Plan
Immigrant Category 2022 202310 202410
Target Low Range11 High Range11 Target Low Range11 High Range11 Target Low Range11 High Range11
Overall Planned Permanent Resident Admissions 431,645 360,000 445,000 447,055 380,000 465,000 451,000 390,000 475,00
Economic
Federal High Skilled1 55,900 52,000 64,000 75,750 63,000 84,000 111,500 91,000 118,000
Federal Economic Public Policies2 40,000 30,000 48,000 32,000 25,000 42,000 - - -
Federal Business3 1,000 800 1,500 1,000 800 1,500 1,500 1,000 2,000
Economic Pilots:4
Caregivers5; Agri-Food Pilot; Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot; Economic Mobility Pathways Project 10,250 4,000 10,500 11,250 7,000 18,000 12,750 8,000 20,000
Atlantic Immigration Program 6,250 4,000 8,000 6,500 4,000 10,000 6,500 4,000 12,000
Provincial Nominee Program 83,500 80,000 95,000 86,000 82,000 95,000 93,000 88,000 98,000
Quebec Skilled Workers and Business6 See the Quebec
immigration plan To be determined To be determined
Total Economic 241,850 210,000 248,000 253,000 222,000 259,000 267,750 235,000 273,000
Family Spouses, Partners and Children 80,000 68,000 81,000 81,000 70,000 84,000 81,000 70,000 84,000
Parents and Grandparents 25,000 19,000 31,000 28,500 22,000 38,000 32,000 27,000 43,000
Total Family 105,000 90,000 109,000 109,500 94,000 113,000 113,000 99,000 117,000
Refugees and Protected Persons Protected Persons in Canada and Dependents Abroad 24,500 20,000 27,500 25,000 20,500 28,000 25,500 21,000 28,500
Resettled Refugees – Government Assisted7 19,790 15,500 24,000 17,260 13,500 26,000 13,000 10,000 19,500
Resettled Refugees – Privately Sponsored 31,255 19,000 34,000 30,795 19,400 34,000 23,000 15,500 28,000
Resettled Refugees – Blended Visa Office-Referred 1,000 100 1,100 1,000 100 1,100 1,000 100 1,100
Total Refugees8 and Protected Persons 76,545 55,000 79,500 74,055 57,000 82,000 62,50 50,000 75,500
Humanitarian & Compassionate and Other Total Humanitarian & Compassionate and Other9 8,250 5,000 8,500 10,500 7,000 11,000 7,750 6,000 9,500
French-speaking immigration admissions necessary to meet 2023 objective in Francophone Immigration Strategy12
14,014 17,886
Footnotes
1: Includes the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program, and Canadian Experience Class.
2: Includes the time-limited temporary public policies for temporary resident to permanent resident pathways, with all admissions anticipated by the end of 2023.
3: Includes the Start-up Visa Program and the Self-employed Persons Program.
4: Admissions under the Municipal Nominee Program will be included within this category, following program launch.
5: Includes admissions in the Home Child-Care Provider Pilot and the Home Support Worker Pilot. Applications received under the legacy caregiver pilots and through the interim pathway will be processed to completion. Some admissions in this category are destined for Quebec.
6: Under the Canada-Quebec 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 2022 levels plan (available in French only).
7:Includes the stream for human rights defenders in need of protection, including women, journalists, and LGBTQ2 people.
8: Includes admissions from Canada’s response to the situation in Afghanistan.
9: Includes admissions of persons selected on humanitarian and compassionate grounds, for reasons of public policy, and in the permit holder class. This also includes some admissions from Canada’s response to the situation in Afghanistan.
10: Notional targets and ranges for 2023 and 2024 will be confirmed or adjusted by November 1 of each year.
11: Program and category specific ranges do not total to the overall ranges.
12: 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.

None