According to the Minister, Canada would implement new regulations to restrict temporary immigration, with an emphasis on stabilizing resident numbers and addressing labor shortages following the pandemic.

According to the country’s immigration minister, the Canadian government is planning to enact a number of policies targeted at reducing temporary immigration. However, there are currently no intentions to carry out a comprehensive program that would grant status to unauthorized people.

“The days of unrestricted immigration schemes into this nation are rapidly drawing to an end. This is a major change. “You can’t just jam on the brakes and hope for an instant stop,” Marc Miller said in a Reuters interview.

Canada has a reputation for being a country that welcomes immigrants, and in order to meet the post-pandemic labor crisis, the current Liberal government has dramatically boosted the number of new residents, especially temporary ones. But over the last 12 months, there has been an increasing amount of worry that immigrants are making the housing and affordability situation worse. According to a recent Leger poll, 60% of participants think there are too many immigrants coming to Canada.

“I’m not naive enough to think Canada is immune to the waves of anti-immigrant sentiment. Canadians want a system that is not out of control,” Miller said, acknowledging the shifting views. He projected that when the next election came around in late 2025, immigration will be a big topic.

First Steps and Upcoming Initiatives

In January, the government imposed a two-year limit for foreign students, citing that this segment of the immigration system had grown “overheated” and that the goal was not to create “a backdoor entry into Canada,” according to Miller.

Canada unveiled its first-ever temporary immigration cap in March, with the goal of bringing down the proportion of temporary residents to 5% of the overall population over the following three years, from 6.2% in 2023. Compared to the 2.5 million temporary residents in 2023, this would represent a 20% decrease.

The Bank of Canada, however, expressed doubts about reaching this objective, pointing out that, as of April, 6.8% of the population was non-permanent residents, a percentage that is predicted to increase in the near future. Miller called the goal “reasonable” in spite of this, considering the impending actions Canada intends to declare.

Miller did not give specifics, only a suggestion that these steps would involve modifications to post-graduate employment permits and enforcement. He said, “Every government makes mistakes,” in response to a question concerning possible errors in permitting a sharp increase in the number of temporary residents. Though she underlined the necessity of addressing labor shortages following COVID, she said, “I think we are all human.”

Resolving Claims for Refugees

In June, over 18,000 refugee applications were made in Canada, breaking previous records. This is happening in spite of measures taken to discourage asylum seekers, such as a bilateral agreement with the US and stricter visa regulations for those from Mexico. Although Miller acknowledged that Canada had little control over the volume of refugee claims, he suggested tightening the requirements for temporary resident visas in order to deter asylum seekers from applying.

Prior to the election, the government had thought about implementing a regularization program for undocumented people, but it is not doing so at the moment. Miller did, however, hint that industry-specific initiatives would be possible.

With the goal of striking a balance between embracing immigration and preserving authority over the immigration system, the impending reforms represent a substantial change in Canada’s immigration policy.