February 28, 2019 – Canada welcomed more than 300,000 new permanent residents for the first time in modern history in 2018, as the federal government hit full speed with its plan to boost the Canadian population.
New figures show 321,120 new immigrants arrived across the course of the year, the most on record since 1913, when the settlement of Western Canada was being populated.
The total eclipsed the target of 310,000 new immigrants outlined in the 2018 federal government immigration levels plan.
It follows a relatively low in take for 2017, when Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada missed its levels plan target of 300,000, accepting 286,490 newcomers.
This came after a 2016 during which figures were boosting by the intake of upwards of 50,000 Syrian refugees, with the year seeing 296,265 new immigrants arrive.
While the federal government has ambitious plans to boost immigration to 350,000 newcomers per year by 2021, Canada is unlikely to beat the 1913 record of more than 400,000 any time soon.
The continuation of the Liberal government plan to continue to increase immigration levels is also reliant on them winning the federal election coming later in 2019.
Any new government will have its own ideas on how many immigrants Canada should be welcoming.
Federal Government Immigration Levels Plan
2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
330,800 | 341,000 | 350,000 |
Provincially, seven out of 10 Canadian provinces saw immigration increases in 2018 when compared to 2017, spearheaded by Ontario.
Canada’s largest province saw the number of newcomers increase by more than 25,000, from 111,950 new immigrants to 137,395.
After Ontario, the next biggest increase was seen in British Columbia, where numbers grew by just over 6,500 newcomers, from 38,440 to 44,975.
The figures laid bare the struggle with attracting new immigrants to Canada’s smaller provinces, particularly in the Atlantic region.
While three out of four Atlantic provinces saw immigration increases from 2017 to 2018, the numbers of newcomers remain low given the push to try and bring more people to the region.
Read More
Canada To Welcome 350,000 Immigrants Annually By 2021
Ontario Eclipsed by Prince Edward Island on Important Canada Immigration Statistic
More Immigrants and Better Retention Raises Nova Scotia’s Population to Record Levels in 2018
Provincial and federal officials will be hoping to see bigger increases in 2019.
The major anomaly, meanwhile, is Quebec, which has seen immigration declines for the last two years.
While Alberta’s economic struggles go some way to explain why immigration to the oil rich province has stagnated, Quebec’s economy is booming, with business desperate to fill vacancies.
Still, the French-speaking province saw immigration drop from 53,245 in 2016, to 52,400 in 2017 and further in 2018 to 51,115.
Given the Coalition Avenir Quebec provincial government’s plan to reduce immigration further in 2019, respite for businesses struggling to hire staff appears not to be coming anytime soon.
Interested employers: Kindly contact us here to receive further information.
Interested candidates: Find out whether you qualify to Canada by completing our free on-line evaluation. We will provide you with our evaluation within 1-2 business days.
Read more news about Canada Immigration by clicking here.