Immigration Levels Plan 2024-2026 is Announced by Canada

By admin (May 21, 2024)

Immigration Levels Plan 2024-2026 is Announced by Canada

Immigration levels plan 2024-2026 is announced by Canada. There will be no change in the immigration levels of Canada from its current targets.

The admission of 485,000 new immigrants will be targeted by the country in 2024. Canada will be looking forward to welcoming 500,000 new immigrants each year (2025 and 2026). Targets will remain the same as they were under the immigration levels plan 2023-2025. The new information released is regarding the 2026 target, as well as updates to the levels of immigrants that will be admitted under every class and program between 2024 and 2026.  

Breakdown of Immigration Targets

About 281,135 immigrants under the economic class, or 58% of the annual target will be welcomed by Canada in 2024. This will rise to 301,250 immigrants, or 60% of the annual target by 2026. The family class target will be 114,000 immigrants or 24% of all admissions in 2024. This will increase up to 118,000 immigrants by the year 2026, which will also be 24% of all admissions.

In 2024, humanitarian targets will be 89,865 immigrants, or about 19% of all admissions. These totals include protected persons, refugees, and those admitted for humanitarian, compassionate, or other reasons. The target will be 80,832 immigrants by 2026 or 16% of admissions. These figures may not add up to 100% due to rounding off.

Express Entry and PNP Targets to Rise

The Express Entry and Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) are about to raise their targets as shown in the table below:

Immigration ProgramImmigration Target in 2024Immigration Target in 2025Immigration Target in 2026
Express Entry110,700117,500117,500
Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)110,000120,000120,000
Spousal, Partner and Children Sponsorship82,00084,00084,000
Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP)32,00034,00034,000

Efforts to Stabilize Immigration Levels by the Canadian Government

The Canadian government has explained the cause of keeping the target unchanged. According to the government, the plan is tailored to support economic growth while balancing the pressures in areas like housing, healthcare, and infrastructure. A responsible course is charted for sustainable and stable population growth. The government will stabilize permanent resident levels at 550,000, starting in 2026, permitting time for successful integration while continuing to augment the labour market of Canada.

To recalibrate the number of temporary resident admissions, the government is planning to take action to ensure that this aspect of our immigration system remains stable.

The federal government must release its annual immigration plan by November 1 in non-election years under the Immigration and Refugees Protection Act (IRPA) which is Canada’s main immigration law. Immigration Levels Plan can be considered as the guideline for the number of new permanent residents who are going to be admitted into Canada over the next 3 years under each one of the three immigration classes – family, economic, and humanitarian.

The mission of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is to strengthen the economy of Canada, reunite families, and make Canada a safe haven for people fleeing oppression. It is one of the Top Reasons for Immigrants to Move to Canada. Immigration Levels Plan advances this mission. Canada broke the record for new immigrants at 437,000 in 2022. In 2023, the target for permanent resident admissions is 465,000.

New Strategy to Improve Immigration System by Canada

After Canada unveiled a new strategy to improve its immigration system, the Immigration Levels Plan 2024-2026 was introduced. The shortcomings in the immigration system of the country were acknowledged by Mark Miller on October 31, as he outlined the pillars of a new approach to modernize the system.

There are three major goals of the new strategy titled “An Immigration System for Canada’s Future” – to create a more welcoming environment for the newcomers, develop a comprehensive and coordinated growth plan, and align immigration with the labour market needs.

A more pleasant and user-friendly experience for its clients is about to be delivered by IRCC to its clients. IRCC would also like to better align the immigration policies of Canada with its skills and labour strategy. In addition, it is likely for an integrated plan to be developed by IRCC among all three of Canada’s levels of government to ensure the country can offer healthcare, adequate housing, and infrastructure to its growing newcomer population. Immigration is About to Change the Demographic of Canada and people better be prepared for it.

Increase in the Immigration Levels in the Late 1980s

In the late 1980s, the immigration strategy of Canada began to shift toward its current form. The government did not place as much emphasis on planning for future immigration before this and generally set immigration levels on the basis of the economy of the day.

Fewer than 90,000 immigrants were welcomed by Canada in 1984. The federal government was run by the Conservative party at the time when the 1990s approached. The government realized that it would soon be a shortage of labour and immigration targets to 250,000 new permanent residents over 8 years.

In 1993, the Liberal government was elected and continued to increase immigration targets. To help aid the economy in a recession, more focus was put on admitting economic-class immigrants and reducing Canada’s family and humanitarian class shares. Until the current Liberal government was elected in 2015, some 260,000 immigrants were then admitted annually.

Targets were raised to 300,000 under the current federal government led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, then to 340,000 shortly before the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Canada broke its record for permanent resident admissions by landing 405,000 immigrants despite pandemic restrictions in 2021. In recent times, Canada is coping with an affordability crisis and housing shortage leading to several polls that indicate that Canadians are less enthusiastic about immigration in previous years.