Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (“IRCC”) just released its “multi-year immigration plan” target levels for the next three years. The most exciting news is its plans for 2022, which were not previously available. With mid-level targets, Canada plans to offer permanent residency to 341,000 in 2020, and 351,000 in 2021. In 2022, the plan is to welcome 361,000 new immigrants, with the possibility of this reaching 390,000 if the high target level is reached.

IRCC also confirmed plans to make the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program (“AIPP”) a permanent economic immigration program. The AIPP welcomes immigrants with a job offer in the Provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and the Northwest Territories. The AIPP has been a huge success since its onset, so the allocation remaining at 5000 slots for the next three years is surprising. Provincial Nominee Programs (“PNP”) are also increasing in 2022, with a target of 73,000, compared to 67,800 for 2020. This is expected with Ontario’s continuous demand for an increase in their PNP allocation. What remains uncertain are Quebec’s targets as these were not released.

From the targets, it appears Canada will continue to welcome new immigrants to fill labour shortages faced by the Country. As new immigrants come in, Canada’s economy will continue to grow and foster with new talent and an emerging workforce. Immigration Targets for overall planned permanent resident admissions are adjusted each year and pilot programs continuously emerge and change. With the current immigration plans for 2020-2022, Canada will welcome over 1 million new immigrants, remaining steadfast on its plans to make immigration a priority.