Canada's federal immigration department, which has just granted amnesty to "illegal immigrants", has shot again!
On December 21, the Minister of Immigration suddenly announced: in 2024, the number of "work visas" issued will be limited, thereby limiting the number of temporary workers coming to Canada!
Picture from/Global Mail
Canada's immigration minister, Marc Miller, said he plans to control the number of temporary foreign workers coming to Canada in the new year.
Mr. Miller believes there is a correlation between the influx of international students and temporary workers and the country's housing shortage.
Over the past few years, he said, the number of people here has temporarily "skyrocketed."
Temporary foreign residents enter Canada through a variety of routes, including as an international student, and then obtain a work permit to stay in Canada.
Statistics Canada estimates that Canada has a population of more than 40.5 million, with third-quarter growth largely driven by immigration, including about 313,000 non-permanent residents.
Most of these non-permanent residents come to Canada on a work or study Xi permit.
Source: Statistics Canada
Miller said housing issues and the influx of temporary residents are increasingly linked, and there is a clear "correlation".
He said he plans to announce reforms in early 2024 to deal with the influx.
"I'm not trying to target individuals," he said.
"I'm trying to target a systemic impact that the temporary worker system is running for too long and is having an impact that can't be ignored. ”
He acknowledged that the number of temporary foreign residents was related to the supply of housing. "It's clear that this is really putting pressure on society, especially our housing needs. ”
Earlier this month, Miller announced reforms to the international student program to control headcount, including doubling the amount applicants need to prove they have to pay for living expenses.
图自/Global News
Miller said on Dec. 21, "As I said, starting with the federal government is a rather brutal tactic, and if the provinces can't get their homes back in order, we're prepared to do so." ”
He said he was planning to take "further steps" to limit the number of foreign students in the new year.
He said there would be a possibility of reforming the post-graduation work permit system for international students and the temporary foreign worker program. "Both of these have led to the astronomical amount of population growth that we've seen over the past few years," he said. ”
"This has had some unintended effects that we need to control. I'm ready to do that. The Government is ready to do so, but must engage in serious dialogue with the affected areas to ensure that they too do their job. ”
Canada's population grew by more than 430,000 in the third quarter of this year, the fastest growth since 1957.
Statistics Canada released its third-quarter population estimates on Dec. 19, totaling more than 40.5 million people. Population growth in the first nine months of 2023 exceeded the total growth of any other year, including the record set in 2022.
This was largely due to immigration, including more than 313,000 non-permanent residents who entered Canada between July and September this year.
Experts warn that Canada's strong population growth rate is deepening the problem of housing affordability, and Canada is currently working to build more housing.
Earlier this month, Bank of Canada Deputy Governor Toni Gravelle spoke about the impact of immigration on the economy, particularly inflation.
Gravel acknowledges that there are many benefits to increased immigration: it contributes to economic growth, increases the labor force, and offsets the aging of the population. But he also warned that it is also adding pressure to an already challenging housing market, including restrictions on residential areas and a shortage of construction workers.
The jump in demand from the population, combined with existing structural supply issues, could explain why rent inflation in Canada continues to climb and, to some extent, why house prices have not fallen as we expected, Gravel said in his speech.
Polls show that Canadians are concerned about the impact of immigration on their country's infrastructure and services.
Last month's Leger poll showed that about three-quarters of respondents believed that increased immigration was putting more pressure on the housing market and health care system.