Immigration Minister Marc Miller declared during a press conference in Ottawa that the Canadian government will limit the amount of temporary residents permitted entry into the nation.
Miller announced that, similar to what happens with new permanent residents, the government would for the first time set goals for the proportion of temporary residents to the overall population of Canada.
The number of temporary residents in Canada has increased dramatically in recent years.
In Miller’s words..
From the arrival of international students, to foreign workers filling job vacancies, to those fleeing wars and natural disasters.”
Miller said that for instance, “we will have close to 300,000 arrivals of Ukrainians in Canada by the end of the month.”
“These are important global commitments,” said the immigration minister, who added that there needs to be “an honest conversation about what the rise in international migration means for Canada as we plan ahead.”
According to Miller, 2.5 million persons, or 6.2% of Canada’s total population, were temporary residents as of 2023.
The Canadian government wants that percentage to drop to 5% in three years, he continued.
The minister announced that he will call a meeting of his equivalents in the ten provinces and three territories of Canada to talk about the lowered goals for temporary residents.
The Canadian government said in November 2023 that it intended to have 500,000 permanent residents by 2025.
Miller declared in January that Canada would impose a ceiling on the number of foreign students, who account for 42% of the nation’s temporary residents.
Employers in the healthcare and construction industries, however, will be permitted to bring on temporary foreign workers through at least August 31.
“There is a severe labor shortage in these locations, and given our government’s goal of constructing 2.5 million homes over the next ten years, we must employ every person possible in the construction industry.
“We want to also make sure that our healthcare sector has the workers it needs,” Boissonnault said.
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