Canada has decided to include temporary residents in annual immigration-level plans. This means the country wants to decrease the number of new temporary residents in the country. As a result, fewer temporary visas may be issued in the next three years. More Domestic draws are also planned to give temporary residents to become permanent residents in upcoming years.
Who are temporary residents in Canada?
Temporary residents come most of the time through the following visa streams:
- Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP),
- The International Mobility Program(IMP),
- Intra-company Transfers (ICT) or
- trade agreements, such as the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).
The temporary residence permit holders (visitor’s visa) can also be counted as an increase to the temporary resident’s numbers – as many opt to apply for a work permit when they reach Canada.
Immigration Minister’s Announcement
The Canadian Immigration Minister Marc Miller has announced several changes about this topic several changes. He delivered a speech in Ottawa on 21 March and confirmed these changes. According to him, the number of temporary residents has increased significantly in the country and has reached 2.5 Million (this is 6.2 of the total population of Canada in 2023). This is why, over the next three years, the population of temporary residents will be decreased to 5%.
Our programs that welcome temporary residents must reflect the needs and changing demands of the labour market. To that end, I have directed my department to conduct a review of existing programs that bring in temporary workers, and we’re undertaking work to better align streams with labour market needs and weed out abuses in the system.
Said Immigration Minister Marc Miller
Temporary Residents will be a part of the Annual Immigration Plan
Canada generally does not include temporary residents in the annual immigration plan that it sets every year. These plans are set based on permanent residents’ numbers only. But from now on, the temporary residents will also be counted as a part of the annual immigration plans.
Canada has set the target of accepting 485,000 permanent residents in 2024 and 500,000 of each in 2025 and 2026. According to IRCC, the new changes will help stabilize the boom in the Canadian population due to immigration. This will also help balance labor market needs and the unemployment rates. It will also better the issues of housing and the health care sector.
At the same time, we must ensure robust pathways to permanent residence for those who wish to make Canada their home in the long term and avoid the pitfalls of an economy built solely on temporary workers. This means not only setting targets for the number of permanent residents we welcome, but also setting targets for temporary residents. Starting this fall, for the first time, we will expand the Immigration Levels Plan, to include both temporary resident arrivals and permanent resident arrivals. The latter category is something we’re doing already.
Said Mr Marc Miller
Decrease in Study Permits Quota
Canadian Immigration Minister Marc Miller has already announced that 292,000 permits will be approved for college and undergraduate students in 2024.
According to IRCC, these numbers (292,000) are excluded from cap-exempt study permits. The cap-exempt study permits are that:
- a student applying to extend his/her study permit;
- a student in a master’s, PhD, or other post-graduate program;
- a minor child in a primary or secondary school (kindergarten to grade 12).
Changes to Other Temporary Resident Streams
The students who want to study in Canada will also have to present an authorization letter from the province where their DLI is situated.
Canada is also abolishing many relaxations announced back in 2021 and 2022 for the temporary foreign worker programs. Priority to other permanent visa holders, and Canadian citizens (even asylum seekers with valid visas), review of salary levels annually (for TFW), and LMIA duration of validity deduction are the major changes announced.
Canada has also issued new updates regarding spousal open work permits (SOWP). IRCC announced on 20 January 2024 that undergraduate students at colleges cannot now sponsor their partners and spouses for open work permits. As of 19 March 2024, partners and spouses of students can only apply for open work permits if he/she is enrolled in a master’s or doctoral degree program at a university.