The federal government will limit the number of temporary residents after its numbers “increased significantly”, now reaching 2.5 million people in Canada.
“Starting this fall, for the first time, we will expand the Immigration Levels Plan to include both temporary residents and permanent residents,” federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced in Ottawa on Thursday.
The minister did not reveal a numerical target, but aims to reduce temporary immigrants to 5% over the next three years. They alone currently represent 6.2% of the Canadian population.
At the last count, nearly 530,000 temporary immigrants resided in Quebec. These are foreign students, temporary workers and even asylum seekers.
To set these new levels, the minister will convene a meeting with the provinces and other ministers in May. “Provinces and territories have unique labor needs and capabilities,” he said.
More details will follow.
To watch on video