Canada's immigration goals for the near future
The country has chosen a new Minister of Immigration and is determining its future plans.
On 26 October, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau presented a new Cabinet of Ministers. In the country has changed, including the Minister of Immigration — previously the post was held by Marco Mendicino. Sean Fraser, a 37-year-old politician from the province of Nova Scotia, was selected as the new minister. He first became a member of the House of Commons in 2015, then was re-elected in 2019 and 2021.
In the near future, Immigration Canada will continue to move towards its main goals. On October 21, at a meeting with Canadian immigration lawyers and consultants, the Ministry announced its priorities:
- reach the immigrant admission goal of 401,000 people in 2021;
- invite candidates for family reunification programs;
- resettle refugees from Afghanistan in Canada.
Canada will also continue to invite candidates in the Express Entry system and through provincial immigration programs. In September, the country met its annual target for invitations through Express Entry, but selections continue for participants in provincial programs.
Justin Trudeau will soon issue letters of mandate to all ministers that will determine each department's policies and actions. Before the election in September 2021, the party made several promises related to immigration:
- Eliminate the state fee for applying for Canadian citizenship;
- reduce the processing time for permanent residence applications;
- modify the Express Entry system.
Canada is expected to publish a new immigration plan for 2022-2024 tentatively by March 2022. It is likely that the country will continue to set ambitious targets for the number of immigrants admitted.
