In the aftermath of the introduction of last year’s immigration plan in November 2024, the government made clear that there were going to be tougher times for prospective immigrants to Canada. The proposed targets of 500,000 immigrants per year for 2025/26 set just a couple of years earlier in 2023, were being slashed to 395,000 for 2025 and 380,000 for 2026.
2024 was an unprecedented year, to state it mildly, for immigration changes in Canada. In the span of a single calendar year, numerous foundational immigration programs were cut or capped, with the explicit objective of reducing the number of newcomers to Canada. These efforts were branded as a course correction in response to growing sentiments that Canada did not have sufficient infrastructure to accommodate so many newcomers after years of unsustainable immigration-fueled growth. This ultimately led to another first for the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) when it boisterously announced in the Fall of 2024 that it would begin setting specific targets for the number of temporary residents living in Canada in any given year. However, let’s see what the numbers show! Recently released data shows that IRCC’s plans are going awry.
On March 22, 2025, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced the launch of two new immigration pilots aimed at strengthening rural and Francophone minority communities across the country. These initiatives—the Rural Community Immigration Pilot and the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot—are designed to attract and retain skilled newcomers who can help local economies thrive.
Every year Canada’s immigration minister has until November 1st to set the annual immigration targets for the following year. Last week Canada unveiled its new levels plan significantly reducing the targets for both permanent and temporary immigration. This is a dramatic change from the Trudeau government’s steady increase in immigration levels over the past decade. Let’s review some of the more significant features of last week’s announcement and see how they compare.
On June 3, 2024 the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, the Honourable Marc Miller, announced that his department will soon be overhauling Canada’s caregiver immigration programs. The news was timely since it came two weeks before Canada’s most recent five-year caregiver pilot programs expired on June 17, but it can also be viewed as disappointing because few details were shared about how the new programs will operate.
The delivery of Canada’s immigration program is a shared responsibility between Canada’s Minister of Immigration Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC), the Honourable Marc Miller and the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, the Honorable Dominic Le Blanc as is set out in Section 4 of the Immigration, Refugees and Protection Act (IRPA).
Adam Smith is often considered the father of modern economics and a significant proponent of the law of supply and demand. This economic theory postulates that when supply of a good is in abundance prices will fall and when the supply is diminished that prices will rise. Applying the principles of supply and demand to Canada’s immigration program, the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is in the enviable position of being able to “set their price” by being choosy as to who, how and when they will select which applicants to be able to come to Canada. A quick review of a few of our current immigration programs demonstrates this reality.
Congratulations Catherine Sas, Q. C., for being listed in Canada’s Best Lawyers for the 12th consecutive year!
On January 1, 2015 Canada's immigration program was transformed with the introduction of the Express Entry program which restricts applicants to only those selected by the government and offered an "Invitation to Apply" (ITA). The selection process is based upon an applicant's Comprehensive Ranking Score (CRS) which allocates points for education, English or French language proficiency, Canadian and foreign work experience as well as that of their spouse.
Ironically, the above quote is featured on the Statue of Liberty at Liberty Island in the New York City harbour where America welcomed hundreds of thousands of new immigrants to the United States. It might just as well be featured at Canadian ports of entry, as thousands of US alien residents and asylum seekers are considering alternative immigration strategies in their futures. President Trump's Executive Order restricting visas to nationals from seven specified nations, has only intensified concern for many currently in the US and has focused attention on alternative immigration options to Canada.
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