Canada's immigration minister said that a key way to limit the number of temporary residents is to provide them with permanent resident status, but it does not mean that everyone who wants to stay will be able to stay in Canada.
Canada's immigration minister, Marc Miller, met with his provincial and territorial counterparts yesterday for the first time since announcing an unprecedented plan to limit the number of new temporary residents.
The country's plan to limit the number of new temporary residents is aimed at curbing runaway population growth and putting less pressure on Canada's real estate market and other service industries. Over the next three years, the number of temporary residents is expected to fall to 5% of Canada's total population, down from 6.2% in 2023.
Some provincial ministers have proposed expanding their own immigration programs as a way to convert temporary visa holders into permanent residents.
"The fact that these temporary residents are already in Canada and their impact on affordability is already being felt, so it's a smart move," Miller said. "
He said the federal government could also look for more people who are already in Canada when it comes to permanent resident programs.
"But that doesn't mean that everyone who wants to stay has the right to stay in Canada."
New targets for temporary residents will be set in the summer and announced in the fall. The Canadian government has not yet determined the limits that need to be set for new visas in order to reduce the temporary resident population.
Provinces and territories will have an opportunity to have their say, but Mikal Skuterud, a labour economist and professor of economics at the University of Waterloo, said the goals should not be considered in isolation.
"You can't do that, it's part of the whole system."
He was one of the first to warn the government to rein in the massive increase in the number of temporary immigrants to Canada to work or study.
Miller asked provinces to share all the data they have about the temporary resident population within their borders, including how many people end up staying through the Provincial Nominee Program. He also asked for a better understanding of the ability of provinces to accommodate new immigrants and the pressure on their jurisdictions caused by population growth.
There are three broad categories of temporary residents in Canada: international students, refugees, and temporary work visa holders.
Miller announced plans to cut the number of international students, setting a two-year cap on the number of new international students enrolled in January.
In the case of refugees, the Federal Government is trying to speed up the processing of asylum applications and has recently included legislative measures in the federal budget aimed at speeding up the deportation process when an asylum application is denied.
The last and largest category that has not yet been resolved is temporary work permit holders. Miller said the labor market has become addicted to this labor force in recent years.
In 2018, there were 337,460 temporary work visa holders. By 2022, that number had surged to 605851.
Skuterud attributed the increase to changes in the criteria for permanent residents, which are designed to fill specific labor gaps. These changes have stimulated low-skilled workers to come to Canada in hopes of obtaining permanent resident status.
"That's what attracts a lot of people, but it also creates a problem for the [non-permanent resident] population," he said. ”
This could leave students and workers vulnerable to the predatory practices of some recruiters, consultants and employers who can take advantage of their precarious status in Canada, he said.
He suggested reversing the problem by creating a more predictable pathway to permanent residency for newcomers.
Saskatchewan Immigration Minister Jeremy Harrison said the province's temporary residents have not seen a surge as in some other provinces, but the goal remains to convert them to permanent residents as much as possible.
But in Manitoba, the federal government's announcement to shrink temporary residents has triggered a surge in the number of applications for the Provincial Nominee Program.
Earlier this week, Miller agreed to Manitoba's request to extend work permits for about 6,700 foreign workers whose visas are due to expire at the end of the year to give them time to apply for the opportunity to stay in Canada permanently through the Provincial Nominee Program.
Manitoba's immigration director hopes that the province's immigration program will expand as a result.
A major focus for officials will be on how to negotiate fewer temporary visas that employers rely on.
In any case, adjusting the route comes with some complications.
The new temporary visa target will also significantly slow the rate of population growth. Andrew Grantham, executive director of CIBC Economics, said in a report published last month that while this could ease some of the pressures on housing costs and supply, it could also lead to worker shortages.
"Limiting population growth could cause companies to have to raise wages to encourage people to stay in or rejoin the workforce," Grantham said. Some companies are unprofitable if they are unable to hire low-paid foreign workers. ”
Most provinces are demanding more control over their immigration programs and want to work out ways to reduce temporary residents in a way that fits their own labor markets.
It is not difficult to guess that as soon as this news came out, there was another scolding on the Internet:
"He's referring to permanent Liberal voters."
"The next step is to allow permanent residents to vote."
"They will do anything to get votes."
"Mass illegal immigration. This is the only way for the Liberal Party and the NDP to win the election. "
"It's the most illogical thing I've ever heard. We want to reduce the number of temporary residents because they (and other categories of immigrants) are putting pressure on housing and services. Therefore, we should change the name before the word "resident" from temporary to permanent. Then, the demand for housing and services will decrease. I don't know if the whole government has a cognitive impairment, or if they think Canadians have cognitive impairment. ”
"Is this true? Reducing temporality by making it permanent? It's bullshit math at its best. ”
"The typical liberal pretends that there is no problem, and it goes away."
"Of course, the Liberals must understand why their polls are at their lowest point in 50 years. It was useless rhetoric like this that brought them here. ”
"Typical Liberals, bringing in a lot of immigrants and then throwing them into the provinces to take care of. Welfare, health care, crime costs are all dumped into provinces that were bankrupt before the influx. It will take a long time to clean up the mess of the Liberal Party's incompetence. ”
"Genius-level thinking! If we don't take police reports, the crime rate drops. "
"The best way to lower your grocery bill is to stop eating. Thank you Minister for your suggestion. "
"One of the ways to reduce crime is to legalize it."
"One way to reduce the number of people serving sentences in prison is to cancel their convictions."
"I hope this minister is only temporary."
"What a ridiculous country."
There are also people who support it, saying that they can stay and contribute to the country:
"Those who are willing to make a positive contribution to Canada are welcome to stay, and the rest should be repatriated to their home countries and taxpayers will no longer be held to pay for their mistakes and crimes."
"Why not? If people work here, let them stay. "
"Not all immigrants are bad people. Most of them are hardworking people who contribute to society and the economy. The rest, well......"