Canada’s Immigration Levels Plan 2024-2026, Housing, Infrastructure and Healthcare in focus
Canada's Immigration Levels Plan for 2024-2026 was announced on November 1st.
Canada will admit 485,000 new Permanent Residents in 2024 and 500,000 in both 2025 and 2026.
The new immigration strategy prioritises Economic class immigration, with over 60% of immigrants expected to arrive through programs like Express Entry, the Provincial Nominee Programs and Regional Economic initiatives. Canada will welcome:
281,135 Economic immigrants in 2024
301,250 in both 2025 and 2026.
The Levels Plan indicates that Canada will admit:
110,770 Express Entry candidates in 2024
117,500 in both 2025 and 2026
110,00 Provincial Nominees in 2024
120,000 in both 2025 and 2026.
This is part of a broader effort to meet labour force demands.
IRCC’s new strategy also includes a “whole of government” approach to immigration in which IRCC consults with stakeholders, government departments and partners such as provincial governments to better understand the skills that are needed and how many newcomers are necessary to close the gaps. IRCC plans to work with partners to improve foreign credential recognition in order to attract this high number of skilled immigrants and enable more newcomers to apply their skills in Canada. It also plans to promote awareness of programs that provide financial assistance, including loans, to help with the costs associated with their credential recognition process. This approach will also help IRCC assess if there is enough support for newcomers when they arrive in Canada.
Canada's National Housing Strategy includes a $82 billion investment over ten years to increase Housing and lower costs. Immigration is seen as key to advancing the Housing Strategy and will require more skilled workers in Construction and Trades. “We recognize that housing, infrastructure planning, and sustainable population growth need to be properly taken into account.” Marc Miller immigration minister said in an official statement.
This plan also addresses the Healthcare worker shortages. During the COVID-19 pandemic many healthcare workers were required to work overtime without a break. This led to burnout and many healthcare professionals decided to switch occupations. Census 2021 data shows that approximately half a million immigrants work in health-related occupations, but it is still not enough to fill all the job vacancies. Additionally, with many Canadian healthcare workers retiring by 2030, there is a huge emphasis on filling Healthcare vacancies.
This summer IRCC introduced six category-based invitations through Express Entry.
These new categories are targeting Express Entry candidates who have the specific skills and experience that will help IRCC fulfill its mandates. These categories are:
Healthcare
STEM professions
Trades
Transport
Agriculture and agri-food
French language proficiency
It's important to remember that Canada has over 80 immigration programs. Even if you don’t possess the above mentioned in-demand skills, it’s highly recommended to explore all available options to find the one that aligns best with your unique circumstances, skills, experience and goals.
Take a few minutes to fill out our FREE ASSESSMENT FORM so we can learn more about your professional background and help you navigate your immigration roadmap.