By: Lucaiah Smith-Miodownik, News Writer

Canadian immigration policy has risen to the forefront of national discussion lately, in large part due to newly announced resident targets. On Thursday, October 24, immigration minister Marc Miller shared the country’s updated plan to shrink the number of people admitted into Canada for the next three years. In a world where politics can easily feel inaccessible and out of reach, information is empowering and valuable. This article is written to provide some clarity on the confusion and uncertainty people may feel about a policy that affects them and others. Hopefully this article helps you feel even a tiny bit more aware and connected.

There are two types of immigration into the country: temporary and permanent. Canada uses the Express Entry system to select applicants for permanent residency. Using a points system, candidates are selected on the basis of “language skills, education, work experience, a valid job offer, [and] a nomination from a province or territory.” Additionally, the government considers “gaps that exist in Canada’s labour market.” Outside of economic contribution, there is also a goal to “help people in vulnerable situations find safety in Canada,” as well as the reunification of families. Temporary residents generally fall into four categories: students, workers, visitors, and temporary resident permit holders. Applicants apply under the group in which they fit. 

Every year, Canada sets a target for the number of immigrants that will be admitted into the country. This is called the Immigration Levels Plan. According to a government press release, various stakeholders, including the general public, businesses, and government departments, “have an opportunity to tell us what they think about the targets before they are finalized.”

The updated Immigration Levels Plan for the next three years is as follows: Canada plans to admit 395,000 permanent residents in 2025, 380,000 in 2026, and 365,000 in 2027. These numbers represent not only a decrease from 2024’s target of 485,000, but also a decline in the original projections for the years to come. In a press release dated a year prior, the country planned to admit 500,000 in 2025 and 2026. 

“In response to the evolving needs of our country, this transitional levels plan alleviates pressures on housing, infrastructure, and social services.” — Canadian government

For the first time, the government will also include metrics for temporary residents. The plan accounts for 673,650 people in 2025, 516,600 in 2026, antd 543,600 in 2027. Overall, Canada will reduce “the share of its temporary residents from the current 6.2% of the total population to 5% by the end of 2026.” As part of this endeavor, the country has already limited international student permits as well as temporary foreign workers. In the case of students, Canada plans to issue 437,000 study permits in 2025 and 2026, down from the 485,000 figure of 2024.

So why are these numbers generally trending downward? In short, Canada “didn’t get the balance quite right,” according to Prime Minister Trudeau. While limiting immigration may seem out of character for the Liberal Party, there are several reasons why they may have chosen this approach. Trudeau and immigration minister Miller sought to provide context for this decision, saying that as the country reopened following pandemic restrictions, “the needs of businesses were greater than the supply of workers available to support their recovery.” Miller added that steps were taken to attract talent from around the world, which helped support Canada’s workforce while preventing a recession.

The news release states that “this transitional levels plan alleviates pressures on housing, infrastructure, and social services,” allowing to “grow our economic and social prosperity through immigration.” This plan projects a decrease in the housing supply gap “by approximately 670,000 units by the end of 2027.”

While the housing crisis is significant, there are other factors relevant to this decision worth mentioning. 2024 data from the Environics Institute shows that 58% of Canadians think the country “accepts too many immigrants.” This is the largest percentage on record since 1998. While this number seems to go up, public opinion on the Prime Minister appears to trend in the opposite direction, as Trudeau faces “calls within his party to step down,” as per The Guardian. 

But while some may be critical of “permissive” immigration policies of the past, others take greater issue with Trudeau’s new shift in policy. “We are witnessing one of the most egregious rollbacks of migrant rights in Canadian history,” said Syed Hussan, spokesperson for the Migrant Rights Network. “Cutting permanent resident numbers is a direct assault on migrants, who will be forced to remain temporary or become undocumented, pushed further into exploitative jobs,” he added. Migrant Rights Network asserts that migrants are a convenient scapegoat for the country’s housing crisis, among other challenges.