Canada May Allow 100% More Foreign Workers As Local Businesses Facing Losses Due To Labor Shortage

In an effort to bridge the gap in Canada’s labor shortage, the country intends to boost its immigration targets and hopes to allow a record number of fresh immigrants into the country.

The situation in Canada

As Immigration Minister Sean Fraser put it, “Canada needs more people.”

A huge portion of the population is nearing retirement.

Also, one in seven persons in Canada is between the ages of 55 and 64.

Job vacancies have reached a peak of one million and businesses are facing financial losses due to labor shortage.

Increased dependence on immigrants

Fraser said that the citizens understand the need to continue to grow its population in order to meet the needs of the labor force.

The government is hoping to double the intake of immigrants from 2014 levels to 4,31,000.

Last year the country took in the highest number of immigrants in a single year with visas to over 4,05,000 people.

It has now revised its future targets to attract 4,65,000 immigrants in 2023, 4,85,000 in 2024 and reach 5,00,000 by 2025.

If these targets are achieved, it will be a massive increase from 1.3 million new immigrants settled in Canada from 2016 to 2021.

Future goals

Canada wishes to achieve more than 60% of total admission to be of economic migrants by 2025.

It also plans to reunite more families with members abroad but will allow slightly fewer refugees.

The total population has reached 39 million, according to the 2021 census and almost one in every four people is born abroad.