farazkapadia
Star Member
Key Highlights 2017 Immigration Levels Plan
The Government of Canada is maintaining its commitment to a strong immigration program and will welcome 300,000 immigrants in 2017.
Immigration plays an important role in keeping Canada competitive in a global economy. It helps offset the impacts of an aging population and the fact that the number of people in Canada’s labour force will soon be in decline. In fact, immigration will soon account for all net labour force growth as the number of retirements outpaces the number of Canadian youth joining the labour market. For these reasons, the Government has established 300,000 as a new baseline for permanent resident admissions with the majority of these selected as economic immigrants.
Within this plan, the number of permanent residents selected in economic programs will increase. Though planned admissions of resettled refugees will decrease when compared to the extraordinary target in 2016, they will continue to remain among the highest in Canada’s history and will be more than double the target in 2015. Maintaining the Government’s commitment to family reunification, the 2017 plan also sees an increase to family class levels, which will help to reduce processing times and reunite more families.
Overall, the plan balances high immigration levels with improvements to the immigration system, including reducing backlogs.
The approach to the 2017 levels plan was guided by feedback from Canadians gathered over the summer months and from provinces and territories.
Immigration class 2016 target 2017 target
Economic
Includes applicants and accompanying family members in federal programs in the Express Entry system; the Provincial Nominee Program; business immigrants; caregivers; and skilled workers and business immigrants selected by Quebec 160,600 172,500
Family
Includes sponsored spouses, partners and children and parents and grandparents 80,000 84,000
Refugees and Protected Persons
Includes both resettled refugees (government assisted and privately sponsored) as well as protected persons who become permanent residents 55,800 40,000
Humanitarian and Compassionate and Other
Includes persons selected on humanitarian and compassionate grounds, for reasons of public policy and in the Permit Holder Class. 3,600 3,500
TOTAL 300,000 300,000
The Government of Canada is maintaining its commitment to a strong immigration program and will welcome 300,000 immigrants in 2017.
Immigration plays an important role in keeping Canada competitive in a global economy. It helps offset the impacts of an aging population and the fact that the number of people in Canada’s labour force will soon be in decline. In fact, immigration will soon account for all net labour force growth as the number of retirements outpaces the number of Canadian youth joining the labour market. For these reasons, the Government has established 300,000 as a new baseline for permanent resident admissions with the majority of these selected as economic immigrants.
Within this plan, the number of permanent residents selected in economic programs will increase. Though planned admissions of resettled refugees will decrease when compared to the extraordinary target in 2016, they will continue to remain among the highest in Canada’s history and will be more than double the target in 2015. Maintaining the Government’s commitment to family reunification, the 2017 plan also sees an increase to family class levels, which will help to reduce processing times and reunite more families.
Overall, the plan balances high immigration levels with improvements to the immigration system, including reducing backlogs.
The approach to the 2017 levels plan was guided by feedback from Canadians gathered over the summer months and from provinces and territories.
Immigration class 2016 target 2017 target
Economic
Includes applicants and accompanying family members in federal programs in the Express Entry system; the Provincial Nominee Program; business immigrants; caregivers; and skilled workers and business immigrants selected by Quebec 160,600 172,500
Family
Includes sponsored spouses, partners and children and parents and grandparents 80,000 84,000
Refugees and Protected Persons
Includes both resettled refugees (government assisted and privately sponsored) as well as protected persons who become permanent residents 55,800 40,000
Humanitarian and Compassionate and Other
Includes persons selected on humanitarian and compassionate grounds, for reasons of public policy and in the Permit Holder Class. 3,600 3,500
TOTAL 300,000 300,000
