Canada shared the number of Newcampaigners adopted in 2020
The immigration rate has fallen to 1998 levels, the lowest in 20 years.
The government has released new figures that show the country took in only 184,370 new permanent residents in 2020 as the flow of new arrivals declined due to the coronavirus pandemic.
This is the lowest level of immigration to Canada since 1998, a year in which the country welcomed just over 174,000 immigrants.
In March 2020, Canada's Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino announced Canada's aspiration to welcome 341,000 Newcampers. This number is in line with the 2019 level. However, just days later, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Canada was forced to close its borders to contain the spread of COVID-19.
Data released by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) show that immigration to the country declined around the same time that travel restrictions went into effect. Nevertheless, throughout 2020, Canada has maintained, and continues to maintain, a strong commitment to a high level of immigration to support economic recovery from the pandemic.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the IRCC and provinces and territories across the country have continued to process new and existing immigration applications. This is necessary to complete processing as many applications as possible so that those who are eligible for permanent or temporary status can receive it during the current travel restrictions. The second reason why the Government of Canada continues to process applications is because of the rapid recovery of the immigration system, and because of the country's recovery from the pandemic.
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