Canada on Track to Achieve 2023 Immigration Target: Nearly 405,000 Granted Maple Leaf Cards by October

The latest data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) indicates a slight rebound in Canada's monthly immigration figures in October, following four consecutive months of decline. The increase of 4.3% brought the number of new permanent residents to 33,570.

In comparison, there were only 32,180 new permanent residents in September, the lowest monthly level since April this year.

Following the low in April of 29,550 new permanent residents, the numbers rebounded in May, reaching 46,000 new permanent residents.

However, Canada's monthly immigration then began a steady decline, dropping to 42,345 new permanent residents in June, followed by 40,690 in July, 35,075 in August, and further decreasing in September. Within just five months, the monthly immigration rate had fallen by 30.3%.

In the first ten months of this year, Canada welcomed 404,870 new permanent residents. If this level of immigration continues, the country is on track to welcome 485,844 new permanent residents by the end of 2023.

This would mean Canada achieves its 2024 immigration target of 485,000 new permanent residents one year early.

As per its 2023-2025 Immigration Levels Plan, Ottawa had set the 2023 target at 465,000 new permanent residents. The current pace suggests that the number of new immigrants welcomed by Canada by the end of this year could exceed the original plan by nearly 4.5%.

According to the 2024-2026 Immigration Levels Plan, Canada also aims to welcome 500,000 new permanent residents in 2025 and another 500,000 in 2026.

Over these three years, a total of 1.485 million people are expected to immigrate to Canada. Considering the projected population growth, the 2026 immigration target actually signifies a slight decrease in the country's immigration rate, the first decline in many years.

Ontario, the most populous province in Canada, remained the top destination for new immigrants in October, with 177,550 people choosing to move there in the first ten months of the year.

Central Canadian provinces were the preferred destination for 43.8% of all immigrants to Canada in the first ten months.

Economic programs, including the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP), Agri-Food Immigration Pilot (AFIP), Canadian Experience Class (CEC), Caregiver programs, Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP), Federal Skilled Trades (FST) and Federal Skilled Workers (FSW) programs, Start-Up Visa (SUV) and Self-Employed Persons (SEP) programs, as well as the Temporary Resident to Permanent Resident pathway, accounted for over half of all new permanent residents moving to Ontario in the first ten months, at 50.2%.

Ontario continued to attract the most immigrants, with these programs helping 89,135 new permanent residents arrive in the province in the first ten months.

Additionally, 48,705 new permanent residents arrived in Ontario through family sponsorship, and 32,160 through the Canadian Refugee and Protected Persons program in the same period.

During this time, other provinces and territories attracted the following numbers of new permanent residents:

Newfoundland and Labrador – 4,650

Prince Edward Island – 3,050

Nova Scotia – 9,815

New Brunswick – 9,200

Quebec – 47,960

Manitoba – 21,470

Saskatchewan – 21,920

Alberta – 48,055

British Columbia – 60,105

Yukon – 740

Northwest Territories – 275

Nunavut – 45

Despite the Quebec government's insistence that the number of new permanent residents should not exceed 50,000 this year, the province is expected to welcome 57,552 new permanent residents based on the trend of the first ten months.

Canada Immigration In November, the Canadian Immigration Department announced a three-year immigration quota totaling 1.485 million, setting a new record. This includes provincial nominee immigration and various entrepreneurial immigration projects as the main application routes, indicating significant opportunities for skilled professionals in various fields to make their mark in Canada over the next three years.