Canada was always a land of immigrants, and last year we proved this. In 2021, the Canadian Government registered a record-breaking number of new permanent residents since 1913.
As part of the 2021–2023 Immigration Levels Plan, the Government welcomed 401,000 new permanent residents in 2021 to help the country recover from the epidemic and chart a more prosperous future. This number is a great rise from 2019 and 2020, when 341,000 and 184,500 became permanent residents, respectively.
Back in 2020, we predicted the government would fall short of that year’s immigration goals, but that would soon recover.
A post-pandemic strategy
The Government encouraged temporary residents to make Canada their permanent home to meet their goals. Many of these newcomers were already studying or working here, with the skills and experience the country needed to help us through the pandemic and our ongoing economic recovery.
This remarkable feat is especially important in light of the pandemic’s many hurdles. COVID-19 has upended global movement, from restricted borders to internal lockdowns. However, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) personnel rose to the occasion, processing a record half-million applications in 2021.
To do this, IRCC increased its resources, embraced new technology, and moved more procedures online. All of these adjustments are long-term enhancements to Canada’s immigration system.
Tackling labour shortage
Canada requires immigration to fuel its economy, enhance its society, and maintain its aging population. An immigrant owns one in every three Canadian enterprises, and one in every four healthcare professionals is a newcomer.
Immigrants account for 37% of pharmacists, 36% of doctors, 39% of dentists, 23% of registered nurses, and 35% of nurse aides and similar jobs.
Immigration generates employment, stimulates innovation, and helps alleviate labour shortages. Every day, new Canadians contribute to communities across our nation, and we will continue to welcome more of them as we create the Canada of the future.
