More than 437000 foreigners were granted Canadian permanent residency last year, creating an immigration record, confirmed the government.
The rate of immigration has increased by the Canadian government in order to deal with a stringent labor market.
Canada Sets Immigration Record; Gives Permanent Residency To 437000 Foreigners
Canada set an immigration record last year, granting permanent residency to more than 437,000 foreigners, the government said on Tuesday, as it ramps up immigration to combat a tight labor market.
The government had set a target of welcoming 431,645 new permanent residents in 2022, and the immigration ministry announced that Canada had met that goal, making it the largest annual intake of people in Canadian history.
The figure for last year is about 9% higher than in 2021, when Canada broke the previous record set in 1913 and comes as the country aims to bring in 1.45 million new permanent residents by the end of 2025.
According to the ministry, immigration is a critical component of the solution as Canada focuses on addressing acute labour market shortages. After five years, people with permanent residency permits can usually apply for citizenship.
According to the statement, immigration accounts for nearly 100% of Canada’s labour force growth, and by 2036, immigrants will account for up to 30% of the Canadian population, up from 20.7% in 2011.
Canadian Government Depends On Immigration For Supporting An Aging Population
Since taking office in 2015, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has relied on immigration to boost the Canadian economy and support an aging population.
The shortage of skilled workers in industries such as healthcare is acute, with the most recent official data showing 871,300 job openings in October, down from a record high of over a million open roles in Canada in May.
To address this, Ottawa plans to hold targeted draws for skilled immigrants for the first time in 2023, allowing it to select applicants with the most in-demand skills for the regions of the country that are in the greatest need of workers.
However, many immigrants continue to struggle to find work in their desired field, and some advocates argue that services have not grown in tandem with the number of new permanent residents.
Canada has also struggled to keep up with a surge in applications following the relaxation of COVID-19 pandemic-related restrictions, with the number of processed applications more than doubling to about 5.2 million in 2022 from the previous year, according to the ministry.
