Sharp turn for Canada on immigrants

Reuters and Sophie Hui

Canada will sharply lower the number of immigrants it allows into the country for the first time in years, marking a notable shift in policy for the government as it tries to remain in power.

The country will welcome 395,000 new permanent residents next year, 380,000 in 2026 and 365,000 in 2027, down from 485,000 this, a source said.

The number of new temporary residents will decrease by about 30,000 to around 300,000 next year, the source said.

The new targets also mark a shift from the pandemic era when the government loosened rules on temporary residents to help fill labor shortages.

Last year, Canada had planned to bring in 500,000 new permanent residents in 2025 and the same amount in 2026. As of the second quarter of 2024, there were 2.8 million temporary residents in the country - including workers and students - according to Statistics Canada.

Goldmax Immigration director Benny Cheung Ka-hei said the shift was expected, and that countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia also plan to cut their immigration intake.

"It's reasonable for Canada to cut migration as taking too many immigrants will add pressure to the country," he told The Standard. "Many Hongkongers have already migrated to Canada through 'lifeboat' immigration schemes so the impact on them is not that big."

Although it is still unclear how many applicants from Hong Kong or the mainland would be affected, Cheung believes the impact on mainland residents would be bigger as they consider Canada as one of the more popular destinations.

"For people who are planning to migrate to Canada, they may not wait any longer and may move there immediately," Cheung said.

He added that it might be more difficult for people to apply for permanent residency under the new policy.

In 2021, Canada launched two new streams for eligible Hong Kong residents to migrate to the country.

Stream A, also known as the "in-Canada graduates" route, is open to those from Hong Kong who are studying at accredited institutes.

Hongkongers can also apply for permanent residency under Stream B, the Canadian work experience route, which has a one-year work requirement.

Canada last year received 455 applications for the two streams, far lower than the 16,195 in 2022 and 10,403 in 2021, according to figures by Immigration Refugee and Citizenship Canada.

The country has long prided itself on welcoming newcomers, but in recent years, the national debate around immigrants has shifted in part due to rising housing prices.

Many Canadians have been priced out of the housing market since interest rates started rising two years ago. At the same time, a huge influx of immigrants has pushed the population to record levels, further boosting housing demand and prices.

The issue has become one of the most contentious in Canadian politics. Polls show a growing share of the population thinks Canada has too many immigrants.

There has been a backlash against newcomers as well as more reported hate crimes against visible minorities, advocates and community members said. But migrant advocates slammed the change.

"Cutting permanent resident numbers is a direct assault on migrants who will be forced to remain temporary or become undocumented, pushed further into exploitative jobs," said Syed Hussan, spokesperson for the Migrant Rights Network Secretariat.

The government has pledged to reduce temporary residents' share of the population to 5 percent over three years. The share was at 6.8 percent in April.

It also capped the number of international students that can be admitted into the country.

In addition, it tightened the rules on temporary foreign workers under a program that brings over non-Canadians to work on a temporary basis.

sophie.hui@singtaonewscorp.com