Quebec

Under the current Immigration Levels Plan 2021-2023, IRCC  is looking to welcome 411,000 new permanent residents to Canada this year.

Canada is set to lower its immigration targets over the next three years, starting in 2025. The country’s new Immigration Levels Plan, announced on October 24, outlines a reduction in permanent resident admissions, with a focus on rebalancing the system to prioritize economic immigrants already residing in Canada. Here’s a summary of the key changes:

When it comes to deciding how to immigrate to Canada, knowing which category to apply to is a great place to start.

New system applies to some Canadian permanent applications received starting July 31, 2018 Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada will now provide some Canadian permanent residence applicants with processing times that are forward-looking, rather than estimations based on historical data.

Canada's international student population is booming. Immigration Minister Marc Miller anticipates hosting around 900,000 international students in 2023, but internal documents suggest it might be even higher. Forecasts predict 1.4 million international student applications by 2027, with a rapid rise in study permit applications from 2019 to 2022.

Between October 10 and October 23, 24,200 potential sponsors will be invited to apply. If you signed up in 2020 but didn't get an invitation in 2021 or 2022, keep an eye on your email, including your spam folder.

A look back at last month's Provincial Nominee Program updates and draw results from across the country.

Canada’s Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) issued over 1,400 invitations to apply for provincial nomination in May.

While many developed countries are expected to see some population decrease over the next 50 years, Canada’s population is projected to flourish as a result of immigration.

Immigration continued to drive population increases in Canada’s provinces between April and July of this year — a three month period that saw one of Canada’s largest quarterly population gains ever recorded.
Overall, Canada’s population grew by 181,057 during those three months and was estimated to be at 37,589,262 on July 1, 2019.
Statistics Canada said this number represents the second-highest quarterly increase, in absolute numbers, in 48 years.
International migration (immigrants, temporary residents and returning emigrants) “remained the main driver of Canada’s population growth, accounting for 85 per cent of the quarterly growth,” Statistics Canada reported.
A record 94,281 new immigrants to Canada arrived during the second quarter of 2019.
Prince Edward Island led provinces in growth
Net international migration was positive in all provinces and in the Yukon Territory between April and July.
Statistics Canada called it the “main growth driver, reaching levels rarely, if ever, seen during a second quarter” and attributed the growth mainly to “the high number of new immigrants.”
The province of Prince Edward Island (PEI) posted what Statistics Canada called the “most rapid population growth in Canada” in those three months.
PEI’s nation-leading population increase of 0.8 per cent during the quarter was driven primarily by net international migration, which accounted for 78.4 per cent of total population growth in the province.
Net international migration was also the main contributor to the Yukon Territory’s second-place finish in terms of population growth in that same period. The Yukon’s population grew by 0.6 per cent over the quarter, with net international migration accounting for 62 per cent of the increase.
Factors of population growth in Canada’s provinces and territories, April to July 2019

Net international migration was an even greater contributor to total growth in Quebec (87.1 per cent) and Ontario (85.5 per cent) between April and July.
It also played a leading role in population growth in British Columbia (78.2 per cent) and Alberta (61.1 per cent).
Statistics Canada said net international migration helped offset interprovincial migratory losses in Manitoba and Saskatchewan of -2,802 and -2,719 people, respectively, helping both provinces finish the quarter with positive growth rates.
International migration also helped offset negative natural increases (more deaths than births) in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, allowing both provinces to finish the quarter with population growth rates of 0.5 per cent and 0.4 per cent, respectively.
International migration was also up in Newfoundland and Labrador, though the province finished the quarter with negative population growth due to a high number of deaths compared to births and outmigration to other provinces.

The percentage of French-speaking immigrants to Canada rose to 7.21% last year, surpassing the 6% target. This marks the second consecutive year of growth. The Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada (FCFA) sees this as a positive step but argues that the number needs to reach 12% to restore the French-speaking population outside Quebec to its 1971 level.

IRCC data show where foreign workers got jobs in Canada under the International Mobility Program last year.
Most of Canada’s foreign workers fall under the International Mobility Program (IMP). In 2021, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued more than 315,000 work permits under the IMP alone. The Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) accounted for about 104,000 work permits issued.

After a five-week break, Canada has resumed mandatory random testing for fully vaccinated travellers arriving by air.

As of May 30th, 2024, Canadian and U.S. authorities have limited flagpoling to only 12 Canada-U.S. border crossings.

Toronto (Ontario), Vancouver (British Columbia), Calgary (Alberta), and Montreal (Quebec) have all made it into the top 50 global cities with the highest number of millionaires, according to the 2025 World’s Wealthiest Cities Report by Henley & Partners and New World Wealth.

You may be self-employed and still be eligible for Canadian immigration streams. Most economic immigration streams require proof of at least a year’s worth of work. 

Millions of new Canadians will arrive through Canada’s various immigration programs during the new decade and several expected policy updates will help to pave the way in 2020.

Immigration ministers from across Canada met in New Brunswick to identify how to best achieve the country's immigration goals.

The Forum of Ministers Responsible (FMRI) for Immigration met in Saint John, New Brunswick on July 28 to discuss a host of major immigration policy issues.

Quebec, British Columbia and Ontario had the highest job vacancy rates among Canada's provinces

The Canadian regions that could potentially see a reduction of temporary foreign workers due to Employment and Social Development Canada's (ESDC) recent policy include Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) with an unemployment rate equal to or higher than 6%. Based on the latest data, the following CMAs are likely to be affected: