TRIEC Statement: Announcement of Federal Government’s 2024-2026 Immigration Levels Plan Highlights Importance of Immigration to Canada’s Economic Growth

Toronto, ON (November 8, 2023) – On Wednesday, November 1, 2023, Immigration Minister Marc Miller released the federal government’s 2024-2026 immigration levels plan, revealing its intention to stick to the earlier proposed targets of 485,000 permanent residents in 2024 and 500,000 permanent residents in 2025, with no planned increase in intake levels in 2026. TRIEC welcomes this announcement, along with the government’s recognition of the positive impact that immigrants bring to the Canadian labour market and economic prosperity.

We applaud the government recognizing the key role that immigrants play in filling labour market needs and drive economic growth. As Minister Marc Miller stated, “[immigration] allows us to bring in the skills and talent we need to fill the labour gaps and ensure Canada’s economic prosperity, help families reunite and remain a leader in refugee resettlement, keeping us with our long-term focus on economic growth.”

While it’s commendable that the government acknowledges the economic advantages of immigration in Canada, it’s important to highlight that more needs to be accomplished to support newcomers in their settlement and successful integration in their new homes. On October 31, the Institute for Canadian Citizenship and Conference Board of Canada released The Leaky Bucket, a Study on Immigrant Retention Trends in Canada. As per the report, onward migration – immigrants leaving Canada for another country – is increasing among more recent cohorts of immigrants, which suggests immigrants themselves may not be seeing the benefits of moving to Canada. Onward migration surged in both 2017 and 2019, reaching levels 31 per cent higher than the historical average. The report concludes that “ambitious immigration levels alone cannot meet Canada’s policy goals. Retention is ultimately what drives population and economic growth.”

On the same day, October 31, 2023, Minister Miller also released a strategic plan to tackle to address some of the challenges faced by immigrants. The plan focuses on improving the experience for newcomers, better aligning immigration programs with Canada’s labour market needs and developing “a comprehensive and co-ordinated growth plan” with provinces and municipalities. We believe it is a great step forward by the government to recognise the need to increase support for immigrants in labour market integration and applaud the plan to increase collaboration with provincial and municipal levels to ensure strategic alignment at all levels of government. A comprehensive plan to address the many barriers faced by immigrant professionals in entering the labour market and advancing in their careers will be critical in making immigration to Canada rewarding, thus increasing retention levels and reducing onward migration.

At TRIEC, we have always believed that “when immigrants prosper, we all prosper.” The recent announcements from the federal government show us the value of that statement. We will continue to work with both employers and immigrants to help newcomer professionals find meaningful employment commensurate with their skills and experience gained prior to arrival in Canada, and advancing in their careers to roles that will help them achieve their full potential. We are steadfast in our commitment to collaborate with employers and the federal government to ensure that newcomers have the opportunity to join and excel in the Canadian job market.

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MEDIA CONTACT

For additional information, please contact:
Rohit Singh, Manager, Content and Public Relations
rsingh@triec.ca
647-782-6256

About TRIEC

The Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC) is a non-profit organization addressing the persistent problem of underemployment, by supporting organizations to become more inclusive, and helping newcomers expand their professional networks and understand the local labour market. We do this by partnering with organizations from across all sectors in the GTA, because we believe that a collaborative approach achieves the greatest impact.