Trudeau Liberals to break immigration records, project 401,000 new residents in 2021

The Trudeau Liberals will convert eligible international students, asylum seekers, and temporary foreign workers in Canada now into permanent residents. “Against all odds, Canada continues to lead the world in immigration, said Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino in an interview with the Globe and Mail, adding his office processed 45,100 permanent residency applications and welcomed 35,600 permanent residents in June.

Largely owing to the pandemic, Canada fell short of its 341,000 target at 184,000 permanent residents in 2020. The government’s closed border policy in place since March 2020 granted 90,000 graduated residencies to international students and temporary foreign workers employed in essential sectors. Health care, agriculture, construction and delivery services faced the greatest need. Most granted status lived in Canada on temporary visas, and those pending are considered if they are fully vaccinated and follow public health and quarantine measures.

The federal government is well on its way to bringing in 401,000 new permanent residents this year, surpassing the previous high of 400,810 immigrants in 1913. This came at a time when Canada pursued an aggressive immigration policy encouraging newcomers to settle predominantly in the Prairies.

In addition, the Trudeau Liberals committed to subsequent 10,000 quota increases in 2022 and 2023 at 411,000 and 421,000 permanent residents to tackle the unprecedented shortfalls created last year. “Things are very much trending in the right direction,” said Mendicino.

While the vast majority of new permanent residents this year are “economic-class immigrants,” the government will permit approximately 30,000 Canadian citizens and eligible permanent residents to brings parents and grandparents to the country.