“The online consultation provides an important opportunity to gather input from stakeholders and the public on key questions facing CIC,” said Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Kenney. “This is also a chance to highlight some of the considerations and difficult choices involved in managing a global immigration system.”

CIC is considering several factors when determining how many immigrants to accept as permanent residents: broader government commitments, input from the provinces and territories, and current and future economic conditions. CIC also considers its ability to process applications in a timely manner and the ability of various Canadian communities to welcome and integrate newcomers. So far, a majority of stakeholders that were present at the consultations have expressed a positive view of the current immigration system.

The online questionnaire is part of the cross-country consultations CIC are holding regarding immigration. Some questions included in the questionnaire are regarding the most important objectives of immigration and what percentage of economic, family class, and protected persons should be accepted into Canada. The questionnaire will be available on the CIC website until the fall of 2011 or winter 2012 and can be found at the CIC website