Canada plans to welcome more than 1.2 million additional immigrants over the next three years, Federal Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino announced on Friday, October 30.
401,000 new permanent residents would be welcomed in 2021, while 411,000 and 421,000 other residents would be welcomed in 2022 and 2023 respectively, said the minister, explaining that the decision was taken because Canada needs more workers and that immigration is the way to cover this need.
“ Before the pandemic, our government’s intention to stimulate the economy in the future through immigration was pretentious. It is now essential, ”said Mendicino. If these quotas were to be reached, they would be the most significant migratory flows that Canada has recorded since 1911.
Canada welcomed 128,425 new residents in August 2020, more than half of the quota of 341,000 new immigrants set by the government in 2020. The coronavirus pandemic has played a major role in slowing the flow of migrants, Canada has decided to close its borders last March in order to contain the Covid-19 disease.
