Canada is known for its historically immigrant-friendly policies and multicultural environment. About 23% of Canada’s population consists of immigrants, which is the highest among G7 countries: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom of Great Britain, and the US.
However, on October 24, Canada’s Immigration Levels Plan revealed unexpected changes in immigrant regulations to decrease the number of temporary residents, both students and foreign workers, shifting the historic immigration landscape and setting a smaller target for future immigrants. The government is now seeking to navigate the pressing issues of the multiculturalism with the transition which certainly has a great potential of resolving the public concerns.
Due to the declining birth rate and the demand for a larger workforce, Canada began tailoring the open immigrant policy post-World War II with changing social attitudes and economic growth. The Immigration Act was proposed in 1976 to increase diversity for recruiting laborers, and it became the first legislation to outline regulations. It became the basis for future policy adoptions and changes, making Canada the global leader in hospitable migration settings for newcomers and refugee resettlements. Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister, has continued this flow since he was elected, supporting the broader immigration programs and defining its value for cultural embrace as a key national identity.
However, a massive jump in immigration numbers has recently led to a reversal in Canadians’ public opinion. In 2022, Canada saw the highest growth in population of 1 million people in a year and in 2023, it had the fastest rate of population increase in 66 years, touching 40 million, which was driven by permanent and temporary migration.
According to the public attitude research by the Environment Institute, Canadians have been largely positive and accepting of immigrants consistently, expressing comfort with the direction of the government. Still, the opinion gap has begun narrowing as they continue to face economic challenges.
Currently, 58% of Canadians disagree with the immigration policy, considering it a heavy burden and doubting the ability of immigrants to integrate into their country. According to Keith Neuman for the Environment Institute, “For the first time, a growing number of Canadians are questioning how many immigrants are arriving, rather than who they are and where they are coming from”.
I am also one of the international students who benefitted from the immigration-friendly system in Canada, studying in the diverse, welcoming environment. While living in Vancouver, I witnessed countless immigrants in my community and the change in the tide of the immigration trend. When visiting restaurants in the downtown, I remember encountering with more new international students and foreign workers over time and the over supply is considered a major threat that immigrants impose on competition for the lower-skilled occupations with half of them not requiring a post-secondary education.
The increase in the population resulted in housing crisis and high inflation well due to highly dense population that 28% of Canadians are considering relocation because of housing affordability challenges according to Angus Reid Institute. The surge is straining social infrastructures and healthcare systems, pressuring local residents due to the mismatch of the volume.
Canada is currently looking to reduce the number of temporary residents, with a further decrease planned until 2027. The backlash was reflected in changes announced by Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, that by 2027, foreign workers will be only 5% of the whole population in response to a stagnant economy. Applications for study permits for international students will be reviewed with tightened measures requiring additional materials to submit and will be granted to a smaller pool of people.
The temporary Foreign Workers Program will be reformed both for high-wage and low-wage streams, limiting employers to only hiring 10% of workers through the program in their workforce in a shorter duration. Processing work permits will also slow down in areas with a 6% unemployment rate to prioritize native workers.
The immigration program is dragging their economy down and the approval rating is plummeting. Since country exists to protect their citizens fundamentally, this decision will ensure the overall long term growth of the country and through maintaining the crucial balance of diversity, the government is able to provide more opportunities to the newcomers in the future.
