For the purpose of clarification, the category “temporary residents” in Canada includes visitors, temporary foreign workers, international students and asylum seekers.
Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), Hon. Marc Miller unveiled on March 21, 2024, the government’s strategy to curtail the influx of temporary residents within the next three years. The federal government aims to reduce the proportion of temporary residents in Canada from the existing level of 6.2 per cent of Canada’s population to 5 per cent by 2027. This would equate to a 19 per cent reduction in the number of temporary residents over the three-year timeframe. According to IRCC there are currently about 2.5 million temporary residents in the country.
The federal government will convene with provincial and territorial representatives to discuss immigration strategies and levels planning for temporary residents. The final targets are to be determined by the fall of 2024.
TO BUSINESS OWNERS/ EMPLOYERS – How this may impact your business?
This announcement makes it clear that Canada will introduce more restrictive temporary resident policies, including policies relating to temporary foreign workers. It is predicted that there will be more restrictions to be imposed on work permit programs. This will affect the ability of Canadian employers to hire or access foreign national workers.
One recent example of this restrictive program is the March 21 announcement that effective May 1, 2024, LMIA’s will be valid for six (6) months (down from 12 months). In addition, employers identified in the 2022 Workforce Solutions Road Map will see a reduction from 30 per cent to 20 per cent of their workforce that can be hired through the low wage stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (with the exception of the construction and health care sectors). Employers will be required to explore every option before applying for an LMIA – including recruiting asylum seekers with valid work permits here in Canada.
This trend is also in keeping with Canada’s study permit announcements and visa changes earlier this year, which placed more restrictions on those temporary residents’ programs.
IRCC released allocation of study permits for all provinces based on their population. Those provinces that were poised to receive more international students in 2024 than in 2023 had their allocations capped at 10% of their population.
IRCC also topped up the allocations for provinces with an approval rate lower than 60%. It says this will help these provinces reach their expected number of approved study permits.
Ontario received the largest allocation of study permits at 235,000. It is Canada’s most populous province with 530 designated learning institutions or DLI. However, the province recently revealed that 96% of its allocated study permits will go to the public universities and colleges. This means that very few private institutions in the province will be able to accept international students.
Alberta, had its allocation capped at 10% resulting in an overall study permit allocation of 40,894.
BC received an allocation of 83,000 study permits in March with almost equal distribution between public and private institutions.
The final allocation for each province and territory is as follows:
Source: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
A word of caution: You should not act or rely on the information provided in this column. It is not a legal advice. To ensure your interests are protected, retain, or formally seek advice from a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) in good standing of CICC. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of RCIC’s.
Contact Marjorie at [email protected]
