(Ottawa) At least 431,645 new permanent residents settled in Canada in 2022, more than any other year in the country’s history.
In a press release on Tuesday, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) confirmed that its target of 431,645 new permanent residents for 2022 has been reached, without specifying the exact number.
The most recent data available on the federal government’s website show that between January and October, inclusive, 387,560 newcomers had settled in the country, including 57,450 in Quebec.
According to Ottawa, reaching the 2022 target represents “the highest number of people admitted in a single year in Canadian history.” The previous record was from 2021, with 406,040.
Before the 2021 record, the last time Canada admitted such a large number of newcomers was in 1913, IRCC said.
The department has also stated that it wants to continue to surpass its own record, while the target for 2023 is to receive 465,000 new permanent immigrants. This is followed by 485,000 in 2024 and 500,000 in 2025.
“Newcomers play an important role in addressing labor shortages, bringing new perspectives and talent to our communities, and enriching our society as a whole,” said the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Sean Fraser.
The minister also wanted to thank the staff of his ministry, who processed 5.2 million applications for permanent residence, temporary residence and citizenship in 2022, almost double what was done in 2021.
The department has also added resources, adopted new technologies and simplified processes to improve its efficiency in processing applications. In its fall economic statement, the federal government also promised to grant an additional $50 million in 2022-23 to IRCC to deal with application backlogs and speed up the processing of files.
“These changes are important improvements to Canada’s immigration system that will position us well for the future. As the Government of Canada focuses on addressing today’s severe labor shortages and building a strong economy for the future, one thing is certain: immigration is a critical part of the solution,” IRCC said in his statement.
Immigration accounts for nearly 100% of Canada’s labor force growth and about 75% of Canada’s population growth is attributable to immigration, the ministry said. By 2036, immigrants will represent up to 30% of the Canadian population, up from 20.7% in 2011.
Immigrants also make up 36% of doctors, 33% of business owners with paid staff and 41% of engineers, according to data provided by the ministry.