Temporary and permanent economic immigration programs play a complementary role in helping to address Canada’s labour market needs in trades and construction.
Between 2016 and September 30, 2023, Canada admitted 42,495 permanent residents (including 520 spouses or dependents), who intended to work in the construction industry across all economic programs (Canadian Experience Class [CEC], Federal Skilled Trades Program [FST], Provincial Nominee Program [PNP], Atlantic Immigration Program [AIP], Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot [RNIP], Federal Skilled Worker Program [FSW] and the 2021 Temporary Resident to Permanent Resident Pathway).Footnote 1
The Department previously indicated that “almost 38,000 tradespersons obtained permanent residence" between 2018 and 2022. This figure is smaller because it included fewer years and admissions under only three immigration programs (CEC, FST and PNP) and in fewer trades occupations (NOC 632, 633, 72, 73, 82 and 92).
In 2023 (as of September 30), IRCC has issued 29,000 work permits to foreign workers destined to work in construction sector occupations, with the majority coming under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.
Key Messages
IRCC is prioritizing the selection of newcomers with in-demand skills, including those in the construction industry, through temporary and permanent pathways, to help Canada build the infrastructure needs for today and into the future.
Through category-based selection in Express Entry, a trades round of 1,500 invitations was completed on August 3, 2023.
Prioritized occupations were chosen based on Employment and Social Development Canada data on occupations expected to be in shortage between 2022 and 2031.
The top three NOC codes invited in this round were welders and related machine operators (30%); carpenters (19%); and contractors and supervisors, other construction trades, installers, repairers and servicers (17%).
The Department is currently exploring additional options to further facilitate the recruitment and selection of in-demand construction trades workers, including to support residential construction.
Supplementary Information
IRCC has a number of permanent resident programs that are available to candidates filling a permanent labour market need and who meet minimum program and human capital requirements.
The Express Entry system manages applications to the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program, and the Canadian Experience Class, as well as a portion of the Provincial Nominee Program.
Invitations to apply are issued to candidates in TEER 0, 1, 2, and 3 occupations – the majority of Construction Trade occupations are TEER 3.
The PNP is jointly administered with IRCC, which provides provinces and territories an opportunity to address their economic development needs through immigration. While all provinces and territories participating in the PNP have streams that can be used to fill labour needs at any skill level, some have recently added innovative streams to specifically target the construction sector:
Nova Scotia and IRCC worked together to develop a Critical Construction Worker Pilot that addresses the critical labour market need in Nova Scotia’s construction sector, which has been exacerbated by wildfires this past summer.
The AIP allows Atlantic provinces to prioritize sectors with immediate labour market needs. The program was designed with the needs of the key sectors in mind and has flexibilities to respond to critical labour market needs, such as the construction sector.
The RNIP is another regional economic immigration program that takes a community economic development approach to attracting and retaining immigrants, matching newcomers with meaningful economic opportunities and integration support at the local level. The pilot covers all occupations and skill levels (TEER 0-5) and the 11 RNIP communities are responsible for selecting skilled workers and international graduates that best suit their labour market needs (including in the construction sector).
