TORONTO – The government of Canada made another record as it registered the highest number of Permanent Residents last year.
According to the statistics, the country registered 471,550 new Permanent Residents (PRs), up from the previous year’s 437,600.
Interestingly, the influx even surpassed the target set in the Immigration Levels Plan 2023-2025, solidifying the country’s image as a pro-immigration destination for foreigners.
The new numbers related to immigration are 1.4 percent greater than the goal of 465,000 new permanent residents outlined in Ottawa’s Immigration Levels Plan for 2023 – 2025 and bodes well for all the foreign workers who wish to settle in the country.
“Following the trajectory of the 2023 – 2025 plan, Canada aims to welcome 485,000 new permanent residents in 2024, 500,000 in 2025 and plateau at 500,000 in 2026,” highlighted the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada on its website.
“This plan prioritizes economic growth, and supports family reunification while responding to humanitarian crises and recognizing the rapid growth in immigration in recent years,” it said.
Although the whole of the country is popular with aspiring immigrants, Ontario was the most popular destination for newcomers in 2023 with 206,720 of them choosing to immigrate there.
It bears mentioning that Canada has always been seen as a pro-immigration country for multiple reasons including economic growth, demographic imperatives and talent search strategy.
In a piece of earlier news, it was also revealed that the country welcomed a record number of immigrants in 2022.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) had disclosed in 2022 that it hit target of 431,645 new permanent residents and surpassed 2021 numbers. Before setting a new record for entrants in 2021, the last time Canada allowed such a large number of newcomers was in 1913.
Canada had set a new goal to bring in 465,000 new permanent residents in 2023, 485,000 in 2024 and 500,000 in 2025. At present, Immigrants account for 36% of physicians, 33% business owners with paid staff, and 41% of engineers.
The population of Canada hovers around 38 million and each year, it receives citizenship requests from people from across the world due to social safety net, and better healthcare amongst other factors.
The only ‘anti-immigration’ measure in this regard is a cap on the arrival of international students as the country has announced to limit their arrival by 35 percent due to multiple issues including housing, health care, and other services.
