Immigration Still On Track To Set New Annual Record Despite July Dip

Colin Singer
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Immigration Still On Track To Set New Annual Record Despite July Dip

Canada saw its second consecutive drop in monthly immigration in July but remains poised to close the year with record-breaking numbers of new arrivals, the latest Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) data reveals.

After starting off the year strong with 50,925 new permanent residents in Canada in January, monthly immigration tapered off, falling by 42 per cent over the next three months to only 29,555 new permanent residents in April.

Canada on track to welcome 521,066 new permanent residents this year

Then, immigration rebounded almost completely to the higher levels seen earlier in the year with 45,995 new permanent residents in May, a spike of 55.6 per cent in the monthly immigration level.

Since then, though, monthly immigration to Canada has again softened.

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In June, Canada welcomed only 42,325 new permanent residents, or eight per cent fewer than during the previous month.

And, in July, only 40,630 new permanent residents came to the country, a drop of four per cent over the previous month.

Despite that slowdown on a monthly basis, Canadian immigration is still up 10.3 per cent for the first seven months of this year compared to the same period in 2022. By the end of July this year, Canada had welcomed 303,955 new permanent residents, 28,480 or 10.3 per cent more than the 275,475 for the comparable period last year.

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In its 2023-2025 Immigration Levels Plan, Ottawa has set its immigration target for 2023 at 465,000 new permanent residents. The country is also to welcome 485,000 new permanent residents in 2024 and another 500,000 in 2025.

That’s a total of 1.45 million immigrants to Canada over those three years.

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The latest figures from the IRCC show the country is on track to greatly exceed not only this year’s targeted level of immigration but also the levels for each of the next two years.

Projecting out from the first seven months of this year, Canada could expect to welcome 521,066 new permanent residents this year if the current trend continues.

Ontario, the country’s most populous province, remained the most popular destination for newcomers with 133,715 of them choosing to immigrate there during the first seven months of this year.

That’s 12.3 per cent, or 14,650 new permanent residents, more than the 11,065 who immigrated to Ontario during the comparable period last year.

Ontario is a magnet for immigration, attracting more than half of all immigrants in Canada

The central Canadian province was the destination of choice for almost 44 per cent of all immigrants to Canada in the first seven months of this year.

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Economic programs, including the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP), Agri-Food Immigration Pilot (AFIP), Canadian Experience Class (CEC), Caregiver programs, Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP), Federal Skilled Trades (FST) and Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) programs, the Start-Up Visa (SUV) and Self-Employed Persons (SEP) programs, and the Temporary Resident to Permanent Resident Pathway accounted for slightly more than half, 50.4 per cent, of all new permanent residents coming to Ontario in the first seven months of this year.

Those programs helped 67,465 new permanent residents arrive in Ontario in the first seven months of this year.

Another 37,005 new permanent residents arrived in Ontario through family sponsorships and 23,300 came to that province through Canada’s refugee and protected persons programs in the first seven months of the year.

The other provinces and territories attracted the following number of new permanent residents each during that period:

  • Newfoundland and Labrador – 3,540
  • Prince Edward Island – 2,285
  • Nova Scotia – 7,345
  • New Brunswick – 6,525
  • Quebec – 33,550
  • Manitoba – 16,760
  • Saskatchewan – 16,505
  • Alberta – 35,955
  • British Columbia – 46,910
  • Yukon – 605
  • Northwest Territories – 215
  • Nunavut – 35

Despite the Quebec government’s repeated insistence that it will cap immigration at 50,000 new permanent residents this year, the francophone province is currently on track to welcome 57,514 new permanent residents based on the trend set in the first seven months of this year.

The Atlantic Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador was by far the province with the fastest rate of immigration growth in the first seven months of this year compared to the same period in 2022.

In the first seven months of this year, the Rock, as the province is affectionately called, saw an immigration boom of 109.5 per cent compared to the same period last year, with 3,540 new permanent residents for that period.

But the biggest difference on the Rock has been its Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) which saw growth of 351.6 per cent in its number of new permanent residents in the first seven months of this year, or 1,850 more newcomers to the province during that period than for the comparable one last year.

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Canada To Open Parents and Grandparents Program For 15,000 Applicants In October

Colin Singer
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Canada To Open Parents and Grandparents Program For 15,000 Applicants In October

Immigration to Canada under the Parents and Grandparents (PGP) will re-open in October, but will continue to be limited to the families of those sponsors who have already submitted interest to sponsor forms.

“Due to the number of forms remaining in the pool of submissions from 2020, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will send invitations to apply to randomly-selected potential sponsors from that pool instead of opening a new interest to sponsor form,” notes Canadian immigration on its website.

“This is the same approach taken for the 2021 and 2022 intakes. Anyone who submitted an interest to sponsor form in 2020, but did not receive Invitation to Apply (ITA) in 2021 or 2022, is encouraged to check the email account they provided in 2020 when they submitted their interest to sponsor form.”

The IRCC will begin sending invitations to apply to 24,200 interested potential sponsors over a two-week period starting Oct. 10 with the goal of receiving up to 15,000 complete applications.

“Those invited to apply as part of the 2023 intake will continue to use the Permanent Residence Portal or the Representative Permanent Residence Portal, which allow applications to be submitted electronically,” notes the IRCC.

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“This is part of our commitment to modernize Canada’s immigration system and to speed up and simplify the application process.”

The PGP operates on a lottery system, with citizens and permanent residents submitting an Interest to Sponsor form and being placed in a pool. IRCC then makes random draws from the pool and issues ITAs.

Sponsors and their parents and grandparents then have 60 days to submit a full application.

The sponsors have to:

  • be at least 18 years old;
  • live in Canada;
  • be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act, and;
  • have enough money to support those they want to sponsor by meeting minimum income requirements for the previous three years. Candidates can include a co-signer in their application, allowing the combined income to be considered.

Those sponsors agree to financially support the parent or grandparent for 20 years from the date they are approved for permanent residence and to reimburse the government for any social assistance paid out to the parent or grandparent during that time.

Sponsors who live in Quebec must meet the Quebec immigration sponsorship requirements after being approved as a sponsor by IRCC. The Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration (MIFI) also assesses the sponsor’s income and requires an undertaking to be signed.

Super Visa Is A Valuable Option For Those Not Sent ITAs

Citizens and permanent residents can sponsor their own parents and grandparents, related by blood or adoption. And, in cases of divorce or separation, the spouses or common-law partners of parents and grandparents are also eligible.

A sponsor’s brothers and sisters, or half brothers and sisters, are only eligible if they qualify as dependent children.

More than one person or couple can be sponsors if the financial requirements are met.

“Those who wish to reunite with their parents and grandparents in Canada, but who are not invited this year, may consider having their parents or grandparents apply for a Parents and Grandparents Super Visa, which is a multiple-entry visa that is valid for up to 10 years,” notes the IRCC.

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“Enhancements to the super visa allow super visa holders to stay in Canada for five years at a time, with the option to extend their visit by up to two years at a time without leaving the country. These changes make it easier for Canadian citizens and permanent residents to reunite with their parents and grandparents in Canada for longer periods.”

Ottawa is now also allowing international medical insurance companies to provide coverage to Super Visa candidates. Under the previous rules, only Canadian companies could provide the coverage required so that Super Visa holders could receive emergency health care without any cost to Canadian taxpayers.

International Insurance Companies Can Provide Coverage For Super Visa Holders

“The enhancements to the Super Visa program allow family members to reunite for longer in Canada, which helps everyday Canadian citizens and permanent residents succeed and contribute to society while affording their parents and grandparents invaluable opportunities to spend time with their family,” said then Immigration Minister Sean Fraser last year.

Canada’s multiple-entry Super Visa, first made available in 2011, is valid for 10 years and previously allowed candidates to stay for up to two years per visit. Under a regular multiple-entry visit visa, that period is usually six months or less.

The child or grandchild of the candidate in Canada must meet minimum income requirements to support the visa holder. The visa is an important alternative to the PGP which is regularly massively oversubscribed, leaving many wondering if they will ever have the option of bringing their family members to Canada.

Applications for the Super Visa must be made to a visa office outside of Canada.

The applicant must meet the following criteria:

  • the applicant must me eligible for a regular visitor visa. This means that besides being in good health and having a valid travel document, the applicant must satisfy a Canadian immigration official that they will willingly leave the country at the end of their authorized stay, that they have sufficient ties to their home country such as a job, family or property, and that they have sufficient funds available to support themselves for the length of their stay.
  • show that they are the parent or grandparent of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident;
  • obtain medical insurance from a Canadian insurance company (or designated international companies from July 4, 2022) that is valid for at least one year, providing a minimum coverage of $100,000 for health care, hospitalization and repatriation, and;
  • undergo a medical examination.

The applicant’s family member in Canada must:

  • demonstrate that they are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident;
  • provide the applicant with a letter of invitation which provides information about the applicant’s planned visit, about the child or grandchild’s occupation and economic situation in Canada. Most importantly, this letter must include a written and signed promise of financial support for the applicant for the duration of their visit, and;
  • demonstrate their income is above a predetermined minimum level.

The Parents and Grandparents Super Visa allows those family members to join their children or grandchildren in Canada and live in the country while awaiting to be selected for permanent residence under the PGP.

Canada Added 40,000 Jobs In August, But Its Population Rose By More

Colin Singer
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0
Canada Added 40,000 Jobs In August, But Its Population Rose By More

Canada’s employment rate fell despite the number of people with jobs rising by 40,000 in August, as the country’s population grew even faster.

More than one in 20 Canadian residents is now working more than one job.

“With a higher cost of living, taking on additional work may be a necessity for some workers to meet essential financial needs such as mortgage or rental payments and groceries,” reports Statistics Canada, the statistical and demographic services agency of the federal government.

“In August 2023, about one million people – or 5.4 per cent of the employed – held multiple jobs, virtually unchanged from a year earlier.”

Women are more likely to hold down more than one job than are men, with 6.2 per cent of female workers in Canada having multiple jobs compared to only 4.7 per cent of men.

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Immigrants admitted to Canada less than 10 years ago held down more than one job in 6.9 per cent of cases with the multiple jobholder rate above average among Blacks at 7.4 per cent and Filipino at eight per cent of workers.

In its Labour Force Survey for August, Statistics Canada notes that while employment rose by 0.3 per cent that month, Canada’ population grew by 103,000 people, or 0.3 per cent.

That pushed the employment rate, defined as the proportion of the population aged 15 and older who are employed, down 0.1 percentage points to 61.9 per cent.

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“Employment increased among core-aged men, up 33,000 jobs or 0.5 per cent and women, up 21,000 positions or 0.3 per cent aged 25 to 54 years, while employment declined among women aged 55 and older, down 27,000 jobs or 1.3 per cent,” reports Statistics Canada.

The biggest winners in August were young women and teenaged girls while their male counterparts suffered the greatest job losses.

“Employment for female youth increased, rising by 32,000 positions or 2.4 per cent, while it declined among male youth, dropping by 29,000 jobs or 2.1 per cent,” notes Statistics Canada.

Alberta, British Columbia And Prince Edward Island Added Jobs In August

Across the country, Alberta added 18,000 jobs, British Columbia, 12,000 and Prince Edward Island another 1,800. Nova Scotia, though, shed 3,600 positions.

The construction sector and professional, scientific and technical services were good areas of the economy for job growth in August.

“Employment in professional, scientific and technical services increased by 52,000, up 2.8 per cent, in August, offsetting a cumulative decrease of 36,000 from March to July,” notes Statistics Canada.

Are you an employer looking to hire foreign workers in Canada? Immigration.ca can help through its sister company, skilledworker.com. We provide a comprehensive recruitment package to help you identify and hire the best individuals from abroad. Contact us now.

“The gain in August was the first significant increase in the industry since December 2022. On a year-over-year basis, employment in the industry was up by 67,000 in August 2023, and this included an increase of 20,000 in computer systems and design and related services.”

The construction sector added 34,000 jobs, up 2.2 per cent, in August and so partially offset the shedding of 45,000 jobs in July.

“Compared with 12 months earlier, employment in this industry was little changed in August. While there were fewer people working in construction in British Columbia, down 33,000 jobs or 13.5 per cent, in August 2023 than in August 2022, there were more people working in construction in Quebec, up 19,000 positions or 6.3 per cent,” reports Statistics Canada.

After seeing employment growth of 19,000 jobs in July, the educational services sector lost 44,000 jobs in August but was still up by 37,000 jobs compared to the same time last year.

Manufacturers also shed 30,000 jobs in August with employment in that sector falling by 1.6 per cent.

Four Sectors Of The Economy Shed Jobs In August

“This decrease partially offset the cumulative increase of 40,000 from May and June, making the number of people employed in manufacturing little changed from August 2022,” notes Statistics Canada.

In other sectors of the economy, employment fell in the finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing industries by 16,000 jobs, or 1.1 per cent, and in agriculture by 11,000 jobs or four per cent during the same month.

The work-from-home trend that exploded during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic now seems to be on the wane.

“The proportion of workers who usually work exclusively from home was 13.6 per cent in August 2023, down 3.2 percentage points compared with August 2022,” notes Statistics Canada.

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“Over the last 12 months, the largest declines in the share of workers working exclusively from home were recorded in public administration, down 11.9 percentage points to 20.8 per cent, finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing, down 7.9 percentage points to 30.2 per cent, and professional, scientific and technical services, down 6.5 percentage points to 40.8 per cent,” reports Statistics Canada.

In August, 10.3 per cent of workers, or 2.1 million Canadians, had a hybrid work arrangement, working partly from home and partly from a location other than their homes. This was similar to the proportion recorded in May 2023 (10.0%) but was up 1.7 percentage points compared with August 2022 (8.6%).

Wages Up 4.9% And Hours Worked 0.5% In August

On a year-over-year basis, the average hourly wage rose 4.9 per cent in August and the total hours worked increased 0.5 per cent that month, bringing the year-over-year increase up to 2.6 per cent.

Canadian employers hoping to attract workers through economic immigration can recruit them through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) and the International Mobility Program (IMP).

The Global Talent Stream (GTS), a part of the TFWP, can under normal processing situations lead to the granting of Canadian work permits and processing of visa applications within two weeks.

Employers can also bring in foreign nationals to fill available positions through the Express Entry system, which receives immigration applications online.

It powers the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSW), Federal Skilled Trades Program (FST), and Canada Experience Class Program (CEC) which all draw from the Express Entry pool of candidates. Those with the required Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores are then sent Invitations to Apply (ITAs) in regular draws.

Are you ready to live and work in Canada? Fill out our free evaluation form to find out if you are eligible.

Become the right candidate with the job you always wanted with our online IELTS and EECP packages at skilledworker.com.

We are accepting international entrepreneurs to join our Start-Up Visa projects in Canada. Read more here.

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