Canada to Reduce Immigration Targets by 20% for Next Year, Marking the First Cut in a Decade
– The immigration target for next year will be reduced by 20%, expected to decrease for three consecutive years.
– Anti-immigration sentiment in Canada hits a 25-year high.
– Concerns arise over a potential setback in immigrant rights.
Reports have emerged that Canada may reduce its immigration target for new immigrants by approximately 20% for the upcoming year. This marks the first time in a decade that the Canadian government has reduced its targets. Facing criticism for implementing indiscriminate immigration policies aimed at workforce acquisition, the government is now announcing stringent immigration regulations.
According to Reuters, referencing sources from the Canadian government and the local newspaper National Post, Canada plans to admit new permanent residents numbers consisting of 395,000 in 2025, 380,000 in 2026, and 365,000 in 2027. This will be a reduction of about 20% from this year’s target of 485,000 immigrants, with a continued downward trend for over three years. The number of temporary residents for the next year is projected to be about 300,000, a decrease of approximately 30,000 from this year.
Recently, Canada’s aggressive immigration policies have been blamed for rising housing prices and unemployment rates. Reuters explained that with rising interest rates post-COVID-19, Canadians have faced increased mortgage burdens, and the influx of immigrants has driven up housing demand, exacerbating housing shortages. The report also noted that the large influx of relatively cheap labor has increased youth unemployment and heightened pressure on public services.
According to Bloomberg, Canada’s cut in immigration numbers suggests an end to the pandemic era when residents’ requirements were relaxed to fill labor shortages. Last year, the Canadian government announced plans to bring in 500,000 immigrants each for the years 2025 and 2026, but these plans have been significantly reduced within just one year.
In addition to reducing the number of new permanent residents, Canada also plans to reduce temporary residents. In March, the Canadian government promised to reduce the share of temporary residents to 5% of the population within three years. According to Statistics Canada, as of the second quarter of this year, temporary residents, including workers and students, stood at 2.8 million, comprising 6.8% of the total population.
National Post analyzed that Canada’s Liberal Party is introducing successive immigration regulation policies ahead of next year’s federal election as opposition to new immigrants has surged for two consecutive years. According to a report released last week by the Environics Institute, 58% of survey participants agreed with the statement, “There are too many immigrants in Canada,” a significant increase from 27% in 2022 and 41% in 2023. Bloomberg reported that this is the first time opposition to the number of new immigrants has exceeded half in 25 years.
However, concerns are also rising that government-led regulatory policies could fuel anti-immigration sentiment within Canada and undermine the rights of immigrants. Syed Hussan, a spokesperson for the Migrant Rights Network, stated in a press release, “We are witnessing one of the most severe rollbacks of immigrant rights in Canadian history,” adding that reducing the number of permanent residents constitutes a direct attack on migrants. He warned that if migrants do not receive permanent residency, they could become temporary or undocumented workers, vulnerable to exploitative jobs. According to Statistics Canada, hate crimes against immigrants more than doubled compared to 2019, with 44.5% involving discrimination based on race or ethnicity.