The number of applications for permanent residence received by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) dropped in 2022 due to a freeze on Express Entry draws for federal programs that lasted for almost 10 months.
The latest data reveals the number of permanent residence applications received by the IRCC plummeted by 60.3 per cent, falling to 264,778 from 667,261 in 2021.
That is a 27.7 per cent lower level of applications received than during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2020, when the IRCC received only 366,408 applications for permanent residence.
In its bid to cut through a growing backlog of applications for immigration to Canada, the IRCC hit pause on Express Entry federal program draws in late 2021.
By the spring of last year, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser was able to announce that the federal high-skilled backlog had been cut by more than half, from nearly 112,000 in September 2021 to 48,000 in March 2022.
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Ottawa also pumped an extra $85 million into the IRCC last year to reduce application processing times, announcing that in its 2021 Economic and Fiscal Update.
That extra money went to hire new processing staff, digitize applications, and implement technology-based solutions such as digital intake and advanced analytics.
Then, in late January this year, the immigration minister announced further measures to speed things up.
“These measures build on the work we’ve already done to reduce wait times, including hiring 500 new processing staff and digitizing applications,” he tweeted.
IRCC Now Has Enough Staff To Meet Its Application Processing Goals, Says PBO
It seems to be working.
The backlog of applications at the IRCC is coming down. Canadian parliamentary budget officer Yves Giroux has also reported that the IRCC now has more than enough staff to meet its application processing goals for the next three years.
“Current staffing levels at the IRCC are expected to be more than sufficient to meet the processing time goal for all years of this costing,” noted Giroux in a report.
“In fact, for 2022-23, IRCC is estimated to have 65 per cent more staff than would be required to meet the goal. This percentage will decline each year as the number of applications increases, ultimately reaching four per cent in 2026-27.”
With the backlog of applications at the IRCC already starting to come under control in July last year, the IRCC began issuing Invitations to Apply (ITAs) to skilled worker candidates both already in the country and from overseas. Since the fall 2021, ITAs had been issued only to Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates.
As the immigration department resumed draws for federal Express Entry programs last year, the immigration minister expressed a strong desire to boost immigration levels to Canada.
“With the economy growing faster than employers can hire new workers, Canada needs to look at every option so that we have the skills and labour needed to fuel our growth,” said Fraser.
“Immigration will be crucial to easing our labour shortage, and these measures aim to address pressing needs in all sectors across the country while providing more opportunities for recent graduates and other applicants to build their lives in Canada and continue contributing to our short-term recovery and long-term prosperity.”
The March 14 draws mainly featured invitations through the Employer Job Offer: International Student stream.
In a draw targeting technology and health occupations, 606 invites were issued to candidates scoring 70 and above. The following occupations were targeted:
NOC 20012 – Computer and information systems managers
NOC 21211 – Data Scientists
NOC 21223 – Database analysts and data administrators
NOC 21230 – Computer systems developers and programmers
NOC 21231 – Software engineers and designers
NOC 21232 – Software developers and programmers
NOC 21233 – Web designers
NOC 21234 – Web developers and programmers
NOC 21311 – Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers
NOC 22221 – User support technicians
NOC 22222 – Information systems testing technicians
NOC 30010 – Managers in healthcare
NOC 31100 – Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine
NOC 31101 – Specialists in surgery
NOC 31102 – General practitioners and family physicians
NOC 31103 – Veterinarians
NOC 31110 – Dentists
NOC 31111 – Optometrists
NOC 31112 – Audiologists and speech-language pathologists
NOC 31120 – Pharmacists
NOC 31121 – Dietitians and nutritionists
NOC 31201 – Chiropractors
NOC 31202 – Physiotherapists
NOC 31203 – Occupational therapists
NOC 31204 – Kinesiologists and other professional occupations in therapy and assessment
NOC 31209 – Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating
NOC 31300 – Nursing coordinators and supervisors
NOC 31301 – Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
NOC 31302 – Nurse practitioners
NOC 31303 – Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals
NOC 32100 – Opticians
NOC 32101 – Licensed practical nurses
NOC 32102 – Paramedical occupations
NOC 32103 – Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists
NOC 32104 – Animal health technologists and veterinary technicians
NOC 32109 – Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment
NOC 32110 – Denturists
NOC 32111 – Dental hygienists and dental therapists
NOC 32112 – Dental technologists and technicians
NOC 32120 – Medical laboratory technologists
NOC 32121 – Medical radiation technologists
NOC 32122 – Medical sonographers
NOC 32123 – Cardiology technologists and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists
NOC 32124 – Pharmacy technicians
NOC 32129 – Other medical technologists and technicians
NOC 32200 – Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists
NOC 32201 – Massage therapists
NOC 32209 – Other practitioners of natural healing
NOC 33100 – Dental assistants and dental laboratory assistants
NOC 33101 – Medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations
NOC 33102 – Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates
NOC 33103 – Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants
NOC 33109 – Other assisting occupations in support of health services
In a further draw targeting skilled trades occupations, 300 invitations were issued to candidates scoring at least 74. It targeted these occupations:
NOC 22212 – Drafting technologists and technicians
NOC 22221 – User support technicians
NOC 22222 – Information systems testing technicians
NOC 22301 – Mechanical engineering technologists and technicians
NOC 22302 – Industrial engineering and manufacturing technologists and technicians
NOC 22311 – Electronic service technicians (household and business equipment)
NOC 22312 – Industrial instrument technicians and mechanics
NOC 72010 – Contractors and supervisors, machining, metal forming, shaping and erecting trades and related occupations
NOC 72011 – Contractors and supervisors, electrical trades and telecommunications occupations
NOC 72012 – Contractors and supervisors, pipefitting trades
NOC 72013 – Contractors and supervisors, carpentry trades
NOC 72014 – Contractors and supervisors, other construction trades, installers, repairers and servicers
NOC 72020 – Contractors and supervisors, mechanic trades
NOC 72021 – Contractors and supervisors, heavy equipment operator crews
NOC 72022 – Supervisors, printing and related occupations
NOC 72024 – Supervisors, motor transport and other ground transit operators
NOC 72101 – Tool and die makers
NOC 72102 – Sheet metal workers
NOC 72103 – Boilermakers
NOC 72104 – Structural metal and platework fabricators and fitters
NOC 72105 – Ironworkers
NOC 72106 – Welders and related machine operators
NOC 72200 – Electricians (except industrial and power system)
NOC 72201 – Industrial electricians
NOC 72203 – Electrical power line and cable workers
NOC 72204 – Telecommunications line and cable installers and repairers
NOC 72300 – Plumbers
NOC 72301 – Steamfitters, pipefitters and sprinkler system installers
NOC 72310 – Carpenters
NOC 72320 – Bricklayers
NOC 72321 – Insulators
NOC 72400 – Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics
NOC 72401 – Heavy-duty equipment mechanics
NOC 72402 – Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics
NOC 72403 – Railway carmen/women
NOC 72404 – Aircraft mechanics and aircraft inspectors
NOC 72406 – Elevator constructors and mechanics
NOC 72410 – Automotive service technicians, truck and bus mechanics and mechanical repairers
NOC 72422 – Electrical mechanics
NOC 72423 – Motorcycle, all-terrain vehicle and other related mechanics
NOC 72500 – Crane operators
NOC 73100 – Concrete finishers
NOC 73101 – Tilesetters
NOC 73102 – Plasterers, drywall installers and finishers and lathers
NOC 73110 – Roofers and shinglers
NOC 73111 – Glaziers
NOC 73112 – Painters and decorators (except interior decorators)
NOC 73200 – Residential and commercial installers and servicers
NOC 73201 – General building maintenance workers and building superintendents
NOC 73202 – Pest controllers and fumigators
NOC 73209 – Other repairers and servicers
NOC 73400 – Heavy equipment operators
NOC 82031 – Contractors and supervisors, landscaping, grounds maintenance and horticulture services
NOC 92100 – Power engineers and power systems operators
The final two invitations were issued under the Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker stream, to candidates of the Economic Mobility Pathways Project (EMPP).
This is a federal economic immigration pathway for refugees.
Ontario Employer Job Offer: International Student Stream Expression of Interest Draw
Ontario once again punched above its demographic weight class to snag the lion’s share of new permanent residents to Canada last year.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) data reveals Ontario welcomed 184,725 new permanent residents in 2022, or almost 42.3 per cent of the total and record-breaking 437,120 new permanent residents to Canada that year.
Admittedly, that’s 7.3 per cent less than the 199,295 new permanent residents who came to Canada’s most populous province in 2021.
But Ontario is still attracting a far greater percentage of immigrants than its demographic weight in Canada. The province’s population comprises a tad more than 38.8 per cent of Canada’s almost 39.3 million people.
Those programs helped 93,795 new permanent residents arrive in Ontario last year. Another 46,610 new permanent residents arrived in Ontario through family sponsorships and 39,765 came through Canada’s refugee programs.
Next door, the francophone province of Quebec welcomed the second-highest number of immigrants last year with 68,685 new permanent residents arriving in La Belle Province in 2022.
Quebec Premier François Legault repeatedly stated last year his government wants to hold the line on immigration and not greatly increase the number of new arrivals to Quebec. His immigration minister, Christine Fréchette, has echoed those sentiments.
“It is up to Quebec to set its own targets for permanent immigration,” she tweeted in French last year.
“The upper limit for Quebec is now 50,000 (new permanent residents) due to our capacity to welcome, provide French-language services and integrate them.”
Quebec Welcomed A Relatively Small Number Of Immigrants Last Year Based On Its Population
The provincial immigration minister has maintained Quebec is already welcoming proportionately more immigrants than either the United States or France.
Maybe. But Quebec, which is home to almost 22.3 per cent of Canadians, only welcomed 15.7 per cent of all new permanent residents to Canada last year.
Number of New Permanent Residents by Canadian Province and Territory In 2022
Province
Number of New Permanent Residents
Prince Edward Island
2,665
Newfoundland and Labrador
3,490
Nova Scotia
12,650
New Brunswick
10,205
Quebec
68,685
Ontario
184,725
Manitoba
21,645
Saskatchewan
21,635
Alberta
49,460
British Columbia
61,215
Yukon
455
Northwest Territories
235
Nunavut
45
Immigration to Quebec – despite its premier’s insistence – is on the rise with the province welcoming a record-breaking 68,685 new permanent residents in 2022, up 36.6 per cent over the 50,275 newcomers to Quebec the previous year.
British Columbia, Atlantic Canada and Saskatchewan and Manitoba all bullish on immigration
Among the provinces which welcomed a bigger percentage of Canada’s immigrants last year than their share of the population would suggest are British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia.
In 2022, British Columbia welcomed 61,215 new permanent residents, or 14 per cent of the total number of immigrants to Canada while comprising slightly less than 13.7 per cent of the country’s population.
Immigration to that province on Canada’s west coast dropped by 12 per cent last year from the 69,470 new permanent residents it welcomed in 2021.
Saskatchewan, though, saw a remarkable, 97.6-per cent growth in immigration last year with the number of new permanent residents rising to a record-breaking 21,635.
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With that boom in immigration, Saskatchewan’s share of total immigration to Canada rose to 4.95 per cent last year even though the Prairie province only accounts for a smidgeon more than three per cent of the national population.
Next door, Manitoba also saw impressive growth in immigration last year with the number of new permanent residents rising almost 30.6 per cent to hit 21,645. In 2022, immigration to Manitoba comprised more than 4.9 per cent of the national total even though the province is home to only 3.6 per cent of the country’s residents.
In Atlantic Canada, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, aided by the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP), all punched above their demographic weight last year.
Immigration To New Brunswick Almost Doubled To 10,205 New Permanent Residents
New Brunswick almost doubled its level of immigration, jumping from 5,310 new permanent residents in 2021 to 10,205 last year. Immigration to the only officially-bilingual province in Canada was 2.3 per cent of the national total despite only having under 2.1 per cent of the population.
Bluenosers, as the residents of Nova Scotia are affectionately called, also welcomed a much greater number of immigrants in 2022.
The Atlantic Canadian province saw an almost 38.2 per cent jump in immigration with 12,650 new permanent residents last year, roughly 2.9 per cent of the total number of immigrants who came to Canada.
Nova Scotia’s population is only 2.6 per cent that of Canada.
On Prince Edward Island, there was a new, provincial immigration record set in 2022 as the number of new permanent residents nudged up to 2,665. The Island, home to slightly more than 0.4 per cent of the Canadian population, welcomed 0.6 per cent of all immigrants to the country last year.
In the territories in Canada’s far north, immigration levels remained low last year.
The relatively-young territory of Nunavut only received 45 new permanent residents. In the Northwest Territories, immigration slumped 20.3 per cent to 235 new permanent residents. And the Yukon showed a similar trend. In that westernmost territory, immigration was off by 23.5 per cent last year, down to 455, but that after coming off the Yukon’s record-breaking performance of 595 new permanent residents set in 2021.
Alberta Premier Is Eager To Grow That Province’s Immigration Levels
Immigration to Alberta, the westernmost Prairie province, boomed last year, rising by 25.5 per cent to hit a record-breaking 49,460 new permanent residents. Despite that higher immigration level in 2022, Alberta is still welcoming slightly fewer immigrants than its share of the Canadian population.
Alberta’s population comprises 11.7 per cent of total number of residents in Canada but it only welcomed 11.3 per cent of all immigrants to the country.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is hoping to change that.
Smith is eyeing a massive spike in her province’s Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) over the next three years, with nominations expected to soar by almost 67 per cent by the end of 2025.
“Alberta is still calling,” the premier wrote on her LinkedIn page.
“Right now there are over 100,000 job vacancies to fill in Alberta. We need more skilled workers to keep our economy firing on all cylinders!”
The Prairie province has been lobbying Ottawa to up the number of immigrants it can welcome through its Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), which it calls the AAIP, to meet its labour shortage.
Now, it’s been given the green light to increase immigration under the AAIP to 9,750 nominations in 2023 and it expects to receive 10,140 nominations in 2024 and 10,849 nominations in 2025.
Those are substantial increases from the 6,500 allowed last year.
On the East Coast, in Atlantic Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador saw a 69.8 per cent surge in immigration as the province welcomed a record-breaking 3,490 new permanent residents last year.
That, though, is still only 0.8 per cent of the total immigration to Canada and the province comprises more than 1.3 per cent of the country’s population.
