In the 1980s, Canada’s present immigration policy started to take shape. The administration at the time did not plan as far ahead and frequently based immigration objectives on the stability of the economy.

Canada received less than 90,000 immigrants in 1984. The Canadian government, led by the Conservatives, anticipated a labor shortage in the early 1990s and upped immigration objectives to 250,000 new permanent residents in just eight years.

The succeeding Liberal administration expanded on these goals but, as a result of a financial crisis, started to emphasize welcoming more immigrants from the economic class and lowering Canada’s proportion of immigrants from the family and humanitarian classes.

Up to the current Liberal administration entering office in 2015, Canada admitted about 260,000 immigrants yearly. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic starting in 2020, the targets were raised to 300,000 and then 340,000.

In 2020, it was challenging for the IRCC to process applications due to border closures and other travel restrictions. Nevertheless, Canada exceeded its goal for immigration in 2021 and admitted 405,000 more permanent residents than ever before. These goals were met thanks to the Canadian Experience Class and Provincial Nomination Programs’ generous slot allocations (PNPs).

In addition to a labor deficit, Canada is currently experiencing a rare time of roughly one million open positions. Both serve as catalysts for the nation’s expanding immigration goals.

Canada has one of the world’s lowest rates in the world, at 1.4 children for every woman. This has an additional negative influence on labor shortages. Immigration will eventually become the only option for Canada’s population and working population to expand owing to the slow spontaneous increase in population (the birth rate still surpasses the number of deaths each year). In addition, Canada needs immigrants to keep its tax base robust, which is important for funding necessities like healthcare and education.

The population of Canada is among the oldest in the world. By 2030, nine million individuals, or over one-fourth of Canada’s population, will be of retirement age. Because of this, there will be a severe labor shortage in all spheres of the economy.

According to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), which is Canada’s primary immigration statute, the government is required to announce the Immigration Levels Plan each year by November 1. The 2022–2024 immigration levels plan was the second to be released in 2022, the first having been in February following the post–most recent federal election announcement being postponed until September 20, 2021.