In 2022, Canada had its fair share of milestone moments in the immigration space. We recap three of the biggest moments in Canadian immigration this year.
1. Immigrants make up a record-high share of the Canadian population
8.3 million people (23.0% of Canada’s total population) are immigrants, defined by Statistics Canada as people who “were, or had ever been, a landed immigrant or permanent resident in Canada.”
This number bests a Canadian record that stood for 100 years, dating back to when the percentage of Canada’s population made up of immigrants was 22.3% in 1921.
Note: Based on recent population projections and current demographic trends, the immigrant share of Canada’s population could reach between 29.1% and 34% by 2041
2. Provincial Nominee Programs set to overtake Express Entry as top Canadian immigration pathway
For many years, Express Entry has been the top immigration pathway in Canada.
In 2023, Canada is aiming to welcome 105,500 PNP immigrants versus 82,880 immigrants across all three programs managed by the Express Entry system.
In 2024, Canada is targeting 980 more PNP immigrants (110,000) than Express Entry immigrants (109,020).
Finally, Canada is aiming to welcome 117,500 PNP applicants in 2025 while setting its sights on 114,000 Express Entry immigrants that year.
3. Canada sets immigration target at half a million newcomers in 2025
Another milestone to come from Canada’s latest Immigration Levels Plan (2023-2025) is a milestone target of 500,000 total permanent resident admissions in 2025.
Immigration targets for 2024 and 2025 are malleable and may change when the next Immigration Levels Plan is released around Q4 2023
