The Government of Canada recently released their 2022 budget, which outlines immigration objectives for this year. The federal government has proposed investments to enhance Canada’s capacity to meet the immigration needs of our growing economy. The federal government also proposes to create new opportunities for newcomers.
Canada welcomed more than 405,000 new permanent residents in 2021. To meet the demands of Canada’s growing economy, the government has set a target of 451,000 permanent residents by 2024. The majority of these new permanent residents will come to Canada as skilled workers, which will address labour shortages.
The government is also enacting the Immigration Levels Plan to facilitate family reunification in Canada and promote the retention of foreign talent. Further, the Immigration Levels Plan includes the plan to settle 40,000 Afghan Refugees in the coming years. To support the Immigration Levels Plan, the federal government has committed $2.1 billion over five years and $317.6 million ongoing in new funding.
Canada also anticipates welcoming millions of tourists, international students and temporary foreign workers in the coming years. Budget 2022 proposes to allocate $385.7 million over five years, and $86.5 million ongoing for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Canada Border Services Agency, and Canadian Security Intelligence Service to accommodate the growing number of visitors, workers and students entering Canada.
Another goal of Budget 2022 is to further support Canada’s Asylum System. Budget 2022 seeks to grant $1.3 billion over the next five years, and $331.2 million ongoing to support Canada’s asylum system. As a furtherance to justice, Budget 2022 also proposes to provide $43.5 million in 2022-2023 to maintain federal support for immigration and refugee legal aid services.
The Federal Government has also budgeted for measures to support, retain, and process the global demand to visit, study and work in Canada. Budget 2022 proposes $187.3 million over five years and $37.2 million ongoing to improve its capacity to respond to the growing number of enquiries and to invest in the technology needed to support their services. Further, Budget 2022 allocates $85 million to reduce processing times and improve pandemic-related backlogs.
Lastly, Canada continues to attract skilled workers. Budget 2022 proposes to provide $115 million over five years, with $30 million ongoing to expand the Foreign Credential Recognition Program and facilitate up to 11,000 internationally trained healthcare professionals. The new federal budget will also support the temporary foreign worker program by proposing several measures to increase protection for workers, reduce administrative burdens for trusted repeat employers, and ensure the timely filling of short-term labour gaps. Budget 2022 proposes $29.3 million over three years to introduce a Trusted Employer Model, $48.2 million over three years with $2.8 million in remaining amortization to implement new foreign labour programs for agriculture and fish processing, $64.6 million over three years to increase capacity to process applications, and $14.6 million, with $3 million in amortization to make improvements to the quality of employer inspections. If you would like to discuss your Canadian immigration options, please contact our office to schedule a consultation.
