Canada primarily relies on immigration to meet labour market vacancies. According to Statistics Canada’s most recent data, there are over a million open positions and a historically low rate of unemployment of 4.9%. As a result, various industries in the nation are experiencing a labor shortage.

This is made worse by the fact that by 2030, nearly nine million Canadians will be of the age of retirement and that the country has one of the lowest birthrates of the G7 at 1.4 children per woman.

The number of immigrants entering Canada will likely keep rising, setting new records every year. For instance, as part of the Immigration Levels Plan, Canada aims to welcome more than 450,000 new immigrants in 2024. In addition to pushing for more control over immigration, several provincial governments are urging Canada to do more to entice immigrants with in-demand skills.

Canada is also redoubling its efforts to simplify and speed up the online application for candidates. Recently, IRCC unveiled a number of initiatives to reduce the delay of applications and enhance the customer experience.

Beginning September 23, all immigration applications will be submitted electronically, and by the spring of 2023, the IRCC will roll out application status monitors for seven more programs for permanent and temporary residency.