According to Canada’s next permanent resident immigration levels plan – 2021-2023 Immigration Levels Plan announced on October 30, 2020 – Canada plans on welcoming 401,000 newcomers in 2021. While another 411,000 will be granted permanent residence in 2022, the target for 2023 is set at 421,000 immigrants.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada [IRCC] has been presenting a rolling 3-year immigration levels plan each year since 2017.
Developed in consultation with the territorial and provincial governments, stakeholder organizations as well as the public, the annual Immigration Levels Plan of Canada by IRCC provides a projection for the total permanent resident admissions into the country.
The specific number of newcomers to be inducted through each of the immigration categories is also mentioned.
In 2019, a total of 341,180 were granted permanent residence by Canada. With 25% of immigrants, India was the top source country.
| Top 10 source countries for permanent residents admitted in 2019 | |||
| Rank | Country | Total number | Percentage of total |
| 1 | India | 85,593 | 25% |
| 2 | China [People’s Republic of] | 30,246 | 9% |
| 3 | Philippines | 27,818 | 8% |
| 4 | Nigeria | 12,602 | 4% |
| 5 | Pakistan | 10,793 | 3% |
| 6 | US | 10,780 | 3% |
| 7 | Syria | 10,121 | 3% |
| 9 | Eritrea | 7,030 | 2% |
| 10 | Iran | 6,056 | 2% |
| Total Top 10 | 207,142 | 61% | |
| All other source countries | 134,038 | 39% | |
| TOTAL | 341,180 | 100% | |
Source – IRCC
As per Statistics Canada 2016 Census, immigrants represented around 24% of the national workforce in Canada.
As per estimates, around 500,000 immigrants working in Canada are trained in STEM fields.
Immigrants account for 33% of all business owners in Canada.
20% of Sports Coaches in Canada are immigrants. There is a high demand for immigrants in the Canadian healthcare sector as well. Moreover, 1 in 4 people working as a craftsperson or an artisan in Canada is an immigrant.
The food services sector in Canada is also among the top employers for immigrants. While there are approximately 1.16 million employees in the sector, there is ample scope for many more.
As per IRCC, “As of September 2019, more than 67,000 jobs were unfilled, more than any other main sector of the Canadian economy. In 2019, more than half of Restaurants Canada’s members had trouble finding workers for ‘back-of-house’ jobs. Immigrants will remain an important source of workers for this industry in the years ahead.”
| Percentage of business owners in the food and beverage sector who are immigrants* | |
| Canada | 53% |
| Northwest Territories | 80% |
| British Columbia | 61% |
| Alberta | 59% |
| Ontario | 59% |
| Manitoba | 53% |
| Saskatchewan | 49% |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 40% |
| Nova Scotia | 39% |
| Quebec | 37% |
| New Brunswick | 33% |
| Yukon | 29% |
| Prince Edward Island | 22% |
| Nunavut | N/A |
*As per Statistics Canada, 2016 Census.
Featuring prominently among the famous Canadian immigrants with Indian origins is Vikram Vij. An Indian-Canadian celebrity chef, Vikram Vij is the owner of well-known restaurants in Canada like My Shanti, Rangoli, and Vij.
Among the various awards given to Vikram Vij in recognition of his culinary skills is Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
Key figures: Immigration matters in food services*
| More than 1 out of every 4 workers in the food and beverage sector are immigrants |
| 11% of all working immigrants arriving in Canada between 2011 and 2016 were in the food and beverage sector, making it the top employer of recent immigrants |
| 53% of business owners with paid staff in the food and beverage sector were immigrants |
| 3,200 recent immigrants across Canada owned a food or beverage business |
* Statistics Canada 2016 Census.
With a standard processing time of 6 months, the Express Entry system of Canada remains among the most popular immigration programs worldwide.
In the 33 Express Entry draws held so far in 2020, a total of 87,350 have received invitations to apply [ITA] from IRCC to apply for Canada PR.
The latest Express Entry Draw #166 was held on November 5, 2020.
If you are looking to Migrate, Study, Invest, Visit, or Work Overseas, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No. 1 Immigration & Visa Company.
If you found this blog engaging, you may also like …
103,420 newcomers welcomed by Canada in the first half of 2020