Volunteer Research Entries

By Lauren Filletti

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Canada to welcome more refugees in 2022 promises economic growth

Economic growth is important to Canada, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic and the loss of major revenue to the Canadian economy. The Canadian immigration system is especially important in structuring the Canadian economy. By welcoming diversity through immigration, newcomers into Canada help to diversify Canadian communities and they bring important skills and driven, hardworking mindsets to the Canadian job market. Throughout the pandemic, immigrants have played a crucial role in helping Canada overcome unprecedented struggles through their representation on the front lines in health care, transportation, and manufacturing.

In light of people getting back to work and rebuilding economic losses following the pandemic, Canada has introduced a three-year plan to introduce more immigrants in Canada to encourage economic prosperity. In February 2022, Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship introduced the 2022-2024 Immigration Levels Plan which will allow for more immigration placements in Canada which will allow for economic recovery and strengthening communities across the country that rely on the various skills' immigrants have to offer from their community engagement to economic prosperity (Government of Canada, 2022). In 2021, Canada welcomed over 405,000 permanent residents, which came out to be the most immigrants in a single year in Canadian history.

The Canadian economy highly depends on immigrants, and immigrants coming to Canada highly depend on the Canadian job market to comfortably transition themselves into Canadian society, and to be able to provide for their children, spouses, and loved ones. In Canada, immigration accounts for almost 100% of labor force growth (Government of Canada, 2022). With a prevalent need for the Canadian economy to grow and prosper following the economic damages caused by the pandemic, the Immigration Levels Plan strives to welcome immigrants at a rate of 1% of the Canadian population, which includes about 432,000 immigrants in 2022, 447,055 immigrants in 2023, and 451,000 immigrants in 2024 (Government of Canada, 2022). The 2022-2024 Immigration Levels Plan will encourage Canada’s place amongst the world’s top destinations for immigration and will allow for a strong economic foundation to be built following the pandemic, allowing for economic growth whilst reuniting family members and fulfilling Canada’s commitments to humanitarian aid and support (Government of Canada, 2022).

However, despite Canada’s plans to welcome an abundance of immigrants over the next three years, protests in Ottawa in March of 2022 consider the federal government’s efforts insufficient as the wait time for refugees to obtain permanent immigration status is significantly prolonged. The demonstrators of the protest marched from the Human Rights Monument in downtown Ottawa to the central office of Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada to protest wait times for permanent immigration status of migrants, refugees, and undocumented people (Kester, 2022). Protestors argue for immediate pathways to permanent residency for all immigrants as statistics show that 1.6 million immigrants in Canada are living with precarious status (Kester, 2022). Such efforts of Ottawa’s community to stand up to the federal government and promote more fairness for immigrants in Canada suggests that although the federal government’s efforts to introduce more immigrants into Canada from 2022-2024 are substantive, communities in Canada such as Ottawa are committed to fight for the rights of immigrants in their communities until full fairness is provided.

It is evident that immigrants provide a strong backbone to the Canadian economy, and such evidence is a significant factor in driving the federal government to prioritize the increase of more immigrants per year. However, as depicted in light of the Ottawa protest, once immigrants enter the country, they experience long wait times to achieve their permanent residency and status, which directly impacts their ability to work and contribute to the Canadian economy. Such notion suggests that although federal efforts are strong in promoting increased immigration to Canada, further efforts are required to the policies and processes that are contributing to a backlog of immigrants’ ability to achieve permanent status in a timely manner.

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References:

CBC/Radio Canada. (2022, March 20). Demonstrators march in downtown Ottawa for migrants, refugees | CBC news. CBCnews. Retrieved April 15, 2022, from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/migrant-rally-immigration-ottawa-1.6391552

El-Assal, K. (2022, February 15). Canada increases target to 432,000 immigrants in 2022 under Immigration Levels Plan 2022-2024: Canada Immigration News. CIC News. Retrieved April 15, 2022, from https://www.cicnews.com/2022/02/canada-immigration-levels-plan-2022-2024-0221165.html#gs.wy7nkw

Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada. (2022, February 14). New immigration plan to fill labor market shortages and grow Canada's economy. Canada.ca. Retrieved April 15, 2022, from https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/2022/02/new-immigration-plan-to-fill-labour-market-shortages-and-grow-canadas-economy.html

Singer, C. R. (2022, February 15). Ottawa boosts immigration beyond record-breaking level with latest plan. Canada Immigration and Visa Information. Canadian Immigration Services and Free Online Evaluation. Retrieved April 15, 2022, from https://www.immigration.ca/ottawa-boosts-immigration-beyond-record-breaking-level-with-latest-plan