The federal government is planning a massive increase in the number of immigrants entering Canada, with a goal of 500,000 per year by 2025.
Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said Tuesday that these new thresholds are necessary to ensure Canada’s economic prosperity.
Canadian industries are facing a major labor shortage, with approximately one million job vacancies across the country.
The new federal plan also emphasizes increasing, over the next three years, the number of “economic immigrants” who will be admitted on the basis of their professional skills or work experience.
On the other hand, Ottawa foresees a decrease in the number of refugees welcomed into the country, and a more moderate increase in the number of family reunifications.
The new thresholds are announced days after Statistics Canada reported that a record 23% of the country’s people were landed immigrants or permanent residents.
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