Immigration Level Reduction by almost 90,000 : Significant shift in Canada's immigration policy under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government
Immigration Reduction Plan
The Trudeau government is set to announce a dramatic cut in immigration numbers, reversing years of consecutive increases.
The plan includes:
- Reducing permanent resident intake from 485,000 in 2023 to 395,000 in 2025
- Further decreases to 380,000 in 2026 and 365,000 in 2027
- A total reduction of over 120,000 permanent residents over three years
This marks a significant departure from the government's previous announcement to increase permanent resident intake to 500,000 by 2025.
Temporary Resident Intake
For the first time, the government is also setting levels for temporary resident intake:
- Planning to lower temporary resident applications by nearly 30,000 in 2025, to just over 300,000
- This aligns with Immigration Minister Marc Miller's earlier comments about reducing temporary residents' share of the population from 6.5% to 5.2% in three years
Impact on Immigration Programs
The new policy is expected to affect various permanent residence intake programs:
- Federal Economic Classes: Projected to be reduced by approximately 60% next year, with slight increases in 2026 and 2027
- Provincial Nominee Programs: To be cut by half next year to 55,000, remaining at that level until 2027
- Family Reunification Programs: Expected to be reduced by about 20,000
- Refugees and Protected Persons: Also facing a reduction of around 20,000
Political Implications
This policy change represents a significant U-turn for the Liberal government, which has consistently increased immigration levels since coming to power in 2015. It's worth noting that the final year of the Harper Conservative government saw permanent resident targets under 300,000.
The announcement is expected to be made by Prime Minister Trudeau on Thursday, following its tabling in the House of Commons.
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