The immigrant levels, which are unveiled each year before the Parliament are a three-year projection of the number of permanent residents that will be admitted annually, giving a year-on-year breakup, for the various categories. However, under the Canada-Quebec Accord, Quebec establishes its own immigration levels.
In addition to the economic category, the total immigration levels include family immigration, refugees, humanitarian and other categories. The target under the Express Entry system – which falls in the economic category, has been set for 1.10 lakh for 2024. The Express Entry system is the point-based mechanism for admitting permanent residents and is a popular route of entry for skilled Indians.
Permanent residents admitted in 2022: Top 5 source countries
| Country | Total number | % to aggregate total (Rounded off) |
| India | 118,224 | 27% |
| China | 31,841 | 7% |
| Afghanistan | 23,748 | 5% |
| Nigeria | 22,118 | 5% |
| Philippines | 22,095 | 5% |
While Indians top the charts for acquiring permanent residency under the Express Entry system, lately the cut-off scores for general draws have been above 500. This has made it more challenging for aspirants, unless they are included in occupation-specific draws like for those in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) field or health care, which has seen lower cut-off scores.
With reference to Immigration Levels Plan for 2024-2026 that was unveiled recently, Marc Miller, Immigration Minister said, “By stabilizing the number of newcomers, we recognize that housing, infrastructure planning, and sustainable population growth need to be properly taken into account. Through this plan, we are striking the appropriate balance to grow Canada’s economy, while maintaining our humanitarian tradition, supporting Francophone immigration, and developing a more collaborative approach to level planning with our partners.” While Quebec has always prioritised the French language, the Immigration Levels Plan includes new annual and progressively increasing French-speaking permanent resident targets outside Quebec of 6% in 2024, 7% in 2025 and 8% in 2026.
The Express Entry system includes the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program, and Canadian Experience Class. Apart from the housing challenges, immigration experts point out some other issues faced by new migrants owing to lack of a robust integration plan.
Ontario-based Talha Mohani, immigration law expert and MD at Migration Bureau Corp said, “For example, a vast number of Federal Skilled Workers cannot obtain suitable work opportunities as they lack Canadian work experience. Thus, they have to accept low-level jobs even though they may have higher qualifications and experience. It is devastating for a newcomer to learn that their communication skills, qualifications, and experience are no longer of value and relevance with respect to the Canadian market.”
However, Mohani points out that Canada has also unveiled a new strategy to improve its immigration system. The new strategy: An Immigration System for Canada’s Future has three objectives, viz: creating a more welcome experience for newcomers; align immigration with labour market needs and develop a comprehensive and coordinated growth plan.