IRCC Minister Transition Binder 2023: Landscape

Introduction

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) selects and welcomes, as permanent and temporary residents, foreign nationals whose skills contribute to Canadian prosperity. It reunites family members and maintains Canada’s humanitarian tradition by welcoming refugees and other people in need of protection, and facilitates the travel, work study and stay of visitors, international students and foreign workers. In collaboration with its partners (notably Public Safety and the Canada Border Services Agency), it conducts the screening of potential permanent and temporary residents to protect the health, safety and security of Canadians, including through the issuance of Temporary and Permanent Resident Visas and Electronic Travel Authorizations. IRCC is also responsible for granting and providing proof of citizenship as well as the issuance and control of Canadian passports and other travel documents that facilitate the travel of Canadian citizens, permanent residents and protected persons. The Department builds a stronger Canada by helping all newcomers settle and integrate into Canadian society and the economy, and by encouraging and promoting the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. Finally, IRCC internationally works to advance global and refugee migration policies in a way that supports Canada’s immigration and humanitarian objectives.

The impact of the Department’s work is far-reaching, with important implications for various Cabinet portfolios, other levels of government, domestic and international stakeholders, communities, and for Canadians as a whole. For example, in 2019, 22.1 million tourists (including single day trips) visited Canada, contributing $23B to the tourism sector and generating thousands of jobs in communities across the country. Tourism levels are strong and increasing steadily since 2022 but have not yet reached pre-pandemic levels.

Canada works with provinces, territories, and other international and domestic partners to adapt and respond to complex and changing global migration trends that create both pressures and opportunities. Changes that have had a large impact on our immigration landscape include growing numbers of temporary residents, permanent residents and people seeking asylum; more frequent and complex humanitarian crises; a constantly evolving geopolitical and security environment; and effects from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Changes in Canada that impact immigration include our aging population (and workforce); economic pressures and changing labour market needs; differences in local and regional needs; innovations in technology; and growing pressures on Canada’s social infrastructure, including housing and healthcare.

While we continue to respond to immigration pressures, Canada has also made some extraordinary achievements. In 2022, Canada welcomed the largest number of people in Canadian history in a year, reaching its target of 431,645 new permanent residents. Canada is on track to meet its 2023 target of 465,000, as set out in the Department’s Multi-Year Levels Plan (2023-2025). Many of these individuals are nominated by a province or territory for their ability to help meet regional economic needs or because they possess general characteristics expected to help them achieve economic success in Canada; many others are sponsored by Canadians or permanent residents through the family reunification programs. Further, in 2022, about 739,000 study permits and 756,000 work permits were processed. Largely as a result of immigration volumes, Canada’s population grew by over 1 million in 2022 and is believed to have reached 40 million people in June 2023.

Once in Canada, all permanent residents and protected persons are eligible for IRCC-funded settlement and integration services that help newcomers prepare for the Canadian labour market, improve their language skills and build ties to their new communities. Partly a reflection of Canada’s success in settling and integrating permanent residents, more than 364,000 people took the oath of citizenship and became citizens in 2022. In 2022-2023, IRCC issued almost 4 million passports to Canadians. Over two thirds of the population hold a valid Canadian passport, which is internationally recognized for its integrity and provides Canadians with safe, secure, visa-free access to over 180 countries.

Overall, the Department’s work is integral to achieving a stronger Canada—a safe and secure country with a shared bond of citizenship and values; a country that continues to support our humanitarian tradition and draws the best from the world to help build a nation that is economically, socially and culturally prosperous.

The Importance of Immigration

In the face of an aging population and a low birth rate, Canada increasingly looks to immigration as a means to grow the labour force and sustain economic growth. Immigration is essential for increasing Canada’s working age population (aged 15 to 64 years old). In the 2021 Census, nearly one in four people reported being, or having been, immigrants, the highest proportion of the population in more than 150 years. Statistics Canada projects that immigrants could represent from 29.1% to 34% of the total population by 2041. The proportion of the population represented by immigrants is expected to continue to vary widely by region.

Immigrants contribute to the strength of communities across the country, as well as to Canada as a whole. On the economic side, these individuals help meet temporary and longer‑term labour market and skills demands that could otherwise stall economic growth in a sector or region. Immigrants also contribute to the economy through taxes, entrepreneurial endeavours, and established trade connections, helping to sustain the social safety net for Canadians and revitalize communities across the country. At the same time, immigration also creates demand for infrastructure and services. With significant and sustained growth in planned immigration levels, success for newcomers and Canadians requires working collaboratively with other federal departments, provinces and territories, Indigenous communities and the private sector to ensure communities have the capacity to welcome and integrate newcomers.

At the individual level, the economic outcomes of immigrants are relatively strong. The wages of economic principal applicants, who are selected primarily for the skills and experience they can bring to Canada’s labour market, surpass their Canadian-born counterparts soon after arrival. And while refugees, family class immigrants and economic class spouses and dependents report lower participation and employment rates, their economic contribution increases over time. In addition, sponsored family relatives can provide many indirect economic supports to their households, including child care, which in turn supports labour force participation. Importantly, the children of immigrants consistently achieve high levels of education and employment, benefiting Canada through future generations.

Supporting Francophone minority communities is part of IRCC’s mandate and represents an important element of the Government’s commitment to enhance the vitality of official language minorities in Canada. The recently modernized Official Languages Act recognizes the need to address the demographic decline faced by Francophone minority communities and includes new obligations for IRCC, notably the requirement for the Department to adopt a Francophone Immigration Policy. In 2022, Canada achieved its target of welcoming 4.4% French-speaking immigrants outside of Quebec, the highest since 2006. These French-speaking and bilingual newcomers bring economic, social and cultural benefits to communities across Canada and contribute to upholding bilingualism.

Whereas immigrants to Canada once hailed primarily from Europe, today’s top three immigration source countries—India, the Philippines and China—are all in Asia. And in 2016, the number of immigrants to Canada from Africa exceeded those from Europe for the first time. Each wave of immigrants contributes to the growing ethnic, linguistic, and religious diversity of Canada’s population, providing social benefits to Canada and Canadian communities. IRCC recognizes the importance of ongoing public education to support social cohesion and promote the benefits of immigration to local communities. An example of one such initiative is IRCC’s “#ImmigrationMatters” campaign.

Underpinning much of Canada’s success in this area is the managed migration model and investment in settlement and integration services. Together, these approaches enable selection and control over the volume of foreign nationals who enter Canada on a permanent basis, and help ensure strong supports are in place to assist newcomers in adapting to life in Canada and to set them on a path to integration and full citizenship.

IRCC invests significant resources in funding settlement and integration services. In 2022-2023, about $1B in settlement funding was invested in settlement service provider organizations (SPOs) in provinces and territories (except Quebec, which receives a grant as per the provisions of the Canada-Québec Accord – see below under Federal-Provincial/Territorial Context). These services are delivered to immigrants by service provider organizations in communities across the country. They include language training, information and orientation, and other programming to help immigrants find employment, learn about life in Canada, and connect with their communities. IRCC works closely with provinces and territories (which contribute some settlement funding), municipalities, employers, civil society and other partners to ensure newcomers are well supported throughout their immigration journey. Recent immigration levels growth and the changing immigration landscape have led to cohorts of new settlement clients, some of whom have increasingly complex, and sometimes higher, settlement needs, particularly given immigration responses to large-scale humanitarian movements (e.g., Afghanistan, Ukraine).

As a complement to settlement services, through the Resettlement Assistance Program, IRCC helps ensure the successful settlement and integration of Government-assisted refugees and other eligible clients. This Program operates in all provinces outside of Quebec, provides clients with direct financial support and also funds SPOs to deliver immediate and essential services, such as reception at the airport, provision of temporary accommodation and assistance finding permanent housing, orientation to life in Canada, and registration and referrals to other government and community services.

To further complement settlement services, the Interim Federal Health Program  provides temporary healthcare coverage to refugees, asylum claimants and other vulnerable populations in Canada until they are eligible for provincial/territorial health insurance or they leave Canada. In conjunction with IRCC’s health screening activities, the program supports better integration of beneficiaries into the healthcare system, the economy, and society, while protecting public health in Canada.

Owing in part to the strengths of this system, and in contrast to shifting attitudes observed in other immigrant-receiving countries, Canadians continue to express relatively strong support for immigration. At the same time, it is important to remain alert to potential shifts in public sentiment. For example, public opinion research from March 2023 shows a majority of Canadians are supportive of the number of immigrants coming to Canada, reporting that the number is “just right” or in some cases “too few,” including at the provincial level. That said, more than two thirds of respondents agreed that “it is important that Canada encourages new immigrants to settle in areas outside of Canada's largest municipalities, including Montréal, Toronto and Vancouver.” In fact, half of respondents from Montréal, Toronto, and Vancouver felt that, over the next few years, new immigrants coming to Canada will have a negative impact on the Canadian housing market. Despite this, a majority of respondents agreed that “immigration is necessary to fill skill and labour shortages in my local economy,” and were generally more likely to want to increase immigration to their city or town than to decrease it.

In light of the impact immigration has on Canada’s economy, businesses, and communities, Canada’s demographic realities and unprecedented levels of forced migration, IRCC is conducting a Strategic Immigration Review to ensure that our immigration policies and programs support Canada’s current and future needs. Through cross-country dialogues and a public online survey, IRCC heard from over 17,500 voices. In collaboration with other government departments, and in additional consultation with provinces and territories, stakeholders and the general public, research and policy analysis has been undertaken to ensure that Canada can continue to deliver an effective, client-centered and resilient immigration system, capable of attracting and retaining talent, all while maintaining the integrity of Canada’s borders and immigration programs.

The Federal-Provincial/Territorial Context

Because immigration is a shared responsibility between federal and provincial/territorial governments, engagement with provincial and territorial partners is critical to the effective delivery of the Department’s mandate. IRCC engages with provinces and territories multilaterally through the Forum of Ministers Responsible for Immigration, while bilateral engagement is guided by legally‑binding bilateral agreements. Working collaboratively, federal, provincial, and territorial governments aim to leverage immigration as a means to grow the economy and address regional labour market demands. The federal government is responsible for federal economic immigration, family class immigration, refugees, protected persons, and assessing the admissibility of all cases.

As set out in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, s. 3(1)(c), a key objective of immigration in Canada is “the development of a strong and prosperous Canadian economy, in which the benefits of immigration are shared across all regions of Canada” (italics added). In this respect, provinces and territories share the federal government’s interest in increasing immigration outside of Canada’s major urban centres (i.e. Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver). Since 1998, the Provincial Nominee Program has complemented federal immigration programs by allowing provinces and territories to nominate for permanent residence those foreign nationals who demonstrate their intention to reside in the jurisdiction and the potential to help meet local labour market demands and economic needs. This has been further enhanced by the implementation of the Atlantic Immigration Program in the Atlantic provinces and the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot in 11 small to medium-sized communities. In the case of Quebec, immigration-related matters are governed by the Canada-Quebec Accord, which specifies that Quebec is responsible for establishing economic immigration programs, as well as for the selection of immigrants under its programs and of resettled refugees.

In addition to the distribution of the benefits of immigration, provinces and territories are focused on a broad range of issues, including economic immigration and processing times, asylum volumes and the growing pressure placed on social services such as health and housing, and funding for settlement services.

The Global Context

The Department’s work is set against a broader global context where the number of international migrants and forcibly displaced populations is substantial. The drivers of displacement include shifting economic opportunities and advances in communication and transportation technologies, as well as political instability, humanitarian crises, and climate change. In 2022, the number of people forcibly displaced by persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations and events seriously disturbing public order grew by 21% to an estimated 108.4 million at the end of the year – an increase of 19 million from 2021. Both international and domestic stakeholders have high expectations for Canada’s role in helping to address the global displacement crisis. In addition to the humanitarian landscape, the international competition for talent and high human capital is increasing, and Canada now faces competition from other nations vying for “destination of choice” status.

Asylum

Although Canada’s geographic location buffers against migratory shocks that present outside the managed migration model, the country is not immune to the impact of changing global mixed population flows. In 2022, nearly 92,000 people made asylum claims in Canada. This is a 43% increase from 2019, which saw 64,000 asylum claims. Current forecasts predict continued growth in the number of asylum claims in Canada over the coming years.

The Safe Third Country Agreement between Canada and the United States is a collaboration between Canada and the U.S. to manage our shared border and promote the compassionate, fair and orderly handling of asylum claims in our two countries. It requires asylum claimants to seek protection in whichever of the two countries they enter first, unless they meet an exception. In March 2023, the STCA was amended to remove a loophole that allowed migrants crossing from the U.S. to make asylum claims at unofficial ports of entry. A Supreme Court decision in June 2023 declared the STCA constitutional under s. 7 (life, liberty and security) – but sent a related challenge under s.15 (discrimination), back to the Federal Court.

It is the responsibility of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada to review asylum claims and determine whether protected person status should be granted. While Canada has a strong humanitarian tradition and has international and domestic legal obligations to provide protection for those with a well‑founded fear of persecution, increased volumes in this area are associated with considerable operational and resource pressures. There are also downstream cost implications for the provinces and municipalities where asylum claimants settle.

In addition to asylum claimants, Canada is one of the top refugee resettlement countries in the world. Refugee resettlement involves working with international organizations as well as civil society partners and private sponsors to identify refugees abroad and resettle them in Canada, including by way of providing them appropriate integration support and services. IRCC is working to further diversify overseas referral partners while continuing to support in-Canada resettlement and settlement service providers, which will enable us to be more inclusive in our humanitarian responses.

International Engagement

Because effectively-managed global migration ultimately contributes to a safer and more prosperous Canada, and because Canada upholds the fulfilment of its international obligations to refugee protection, international engagement is an important component of the Department’s mandate. IRCC conducts multilateral, bilateral and regional international engagement through various fora to identify collective solutions to global challenges and crises; to address country-specific issues related to migration and refugee protection, such as labour mobility and travel facilitation; to exchange best practices and promote a balanced, evidence-based narrative on migration and refugees; to enhance global protection efforts; to maintain the integrity of migration and refugee protection systems, and to protect the safety and security of Canadians.

IRCC also provides support for international capacity building to help other countries develop tools and policies to manage migration, support newcomer integration and strengthen refugee protection systems. IRCC has two key programs for building capacity: the International Migration Capacity Building Program and the Global Refugee Sponsorship Initiative.

The Minister of IRCC plays a critical role on multiple fronts in the international context. This includes leading Canada’s engagement with the IOM and, together with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, co-leading Canada’s engagement at the United Nations on issues relating to international migration governance and refugee protection. The Minister of IRCC and the Minister of Public Safety also represent Canada in the Five Country Ministerial group, which includes counterparts from the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. This group traditionally meets annually to discuss public safety and migration issues. Finally, given Canada’s leadership role in migration, the Minister of IRCC is often invited to key United Nations events, OECD meetings, and numerous bilateral engagements.