Immigration grew six times faster over past decade: Study

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OTTAWA — Canada’s immigration levels grew six times faster over the past decade than it did from the turn of the century, says a new Fraser Institute study.

The numbers, which include temporary foreign workers and international students, are contained in a new report entitled Canada’s Changing Immigration Patterns, 2000–2024.

“Immigration, after 2000 and especially after 2015, is characterized by substantial increases in the absolute number of immigrants admitted, as well the share admitted as temporary foreign workers and international students,” authors Jock Finlayson and Steven Globerman wrote in the study.

Between 2000 and 2014, annual immigration in Canada was around 618,000 people, but between 2016 and 2024 — excluding the pandemic-impacted 2020 — immigration more than doubled to around 1.4 million annually.

These increasing numbers can be directly attributed to changes in government policy, the study points out — specifically mentioning 2014’s International Mobility Program (IMP), which allowed employers to fill gaps in lower-paying jobs with temporary foreign workers.

“A key development shaping immigration policy under the Liberal government of former prime minister Justin Trudeau was the work done by the Advisory Council on Economic Growth, appointed in early 2016, ” the study states, adding the Trudeau government welcomed their recommendations enthusiastically.

The council called for stark increases in permanent immigration to Canada, increasing from 300,000 per year in 2016 to 450,000 in 2021 — as well as increasing the share of economic migrants admitted into Canada.

“At the same time, Ottawa stepped away from providing meaningful policy and administrative oversight of the burgeoning international education ‘industry,'” the study continued.

“Thanks to this hands-off approach, Canadian universities, colleges, and technical and language schools ramped up enrollment of international students, essentially without limit.”

Unchecked immigration and international student enrollments greatly contributed to Canada’s cost-of-living and housing crisis, with foreign students snapping up the limited number of housing rentals and part-time jobs in many cities.

Foreign students not fortunate enough to find housing ended up in shelters and even living rough on the streets, relying on social services and food banks to support their studies.

As the pandemic response began ramping down in 2021, demand for workers prompted employers and lobbyists to push for even easier measures to hire foreign workers, particularly those in hard-hit industries like hospitality, retail and leisure.

Rules limiting employment hours for international students were also loosened, allowing them to work up to 40 hours per weeks.

At the same time, the federal government used international students with Canadian credentials and so-called “temporary” foreign workers with Canadian experience to meet its aggressive permanent immigration targets.

“In fact, more than half a million holders of a temporary visa transitioned to permanent residency status between 2021 and the end of 2023, representing one third of total admissions over that period,” the study stated.

bpassifiume@postmedia.com
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