An Immigration System for Canada’s Future
- What we heard
Recognizing the historic pressures exerted on Canada’s aging immigration system and the opportunities afforded by more modern and agile approaches, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada launched a wide-ranging consultation and review of Canada’s immigration system. “An Immigration System for Canada’s Future” was launched on February 23, 2023, to hear directly about how Canada’s immigration policies and programs can best support Canada’s present and future needs.
The review included broad engagement that covered all components of Canada’s immigration system. It was focused on finding solutions to long-standing problems with the system that partners and applicants know all too well. Consultations were in person across Canada, hybrid and virtual. These methods ensured a wide variety and diversity of perspectives.
The invaluable expertise gained through the cross-Canada dialogues subsequently informed a series of more focused discussions with experts and practitioners. Topics ranged from housing, rural immigration, skills and service excellence, to Francophone immigration, refugees and the integrity of the immigration system.
Stakeholders and businesses showed not only their interest in the topics, but their desire to be part of the solution, with some convening their own engagement sessions. Bilateral meetings were held with businesses, thought leaders, Indigenous representatives, youth councils and many others. This exercise also benefitted from feedback shared formally and informally at conferences and events like the Metropolis Canada Conference and the Public Policy Forum Growth Summit. These external engagements were complemented by input from IRCC employees and subject matter experts.
In order to hear directly from Canadians and those who have used the immigration system, we launched a public online survey and received more than 16,000 responses.
I’ve been working in settlement services for over 18 years, and I’ve never been part of a consultation like this.
Infused in all of these engagement activities was a sincere offer to bring curiosity, knowledge, experience and bold ideas. Participants took us up on this offer and shared their important perspectives directly with senior government officials, including Cabinet ministers, deputy ministers and others.
We heard from more than 17,500 voices, including over 2,000 organizations and over 2,100 current or former clients, such as foreign workers in Canada on a temporary basis, international students and permanent residents. Moreover, in order to ensure that we heard from stakeholders and communities who will help us support and grow Francophone immigration outside of Quebec, we held dedicated sessions for Francophone stakeholders.
Immigration is intrinsically linked to many other important pillars of our society, and as a result linked to several other policies and programs. To ensure a holistic approach, we worked with more than 20 federal government departments and agencies, and had several ministers, deputy ministers and parliamentarians participate in the sessions.
Collaboration between the federal government, provinces and territories and municipalities is crucial to strengthening Canada’s immigration system and contributing to Canada’s long-term economic growth. For this reason, provinces and territories were engaged directly and were invited to provide feedback on the future immigration system and participate in dialogue sessions. Their input has been an important part of this engagement, as has the input from municipalities and groups representing municipalities.
Engagement events timeline
Text version: Engagement events timeline
Key engagements
- February 23:
- Launch of “An Immigration System for Canada’s Future”
- Dialogue session – Atlantic Canada
- February 27: Roundtable on Francophone immigration – Dieppe, New
- March 15: Dialogue session – British Columbia
- March 16: Dialogue session – The Prairies
- March 17:
- Metropolis Conference – Ottawa
- Meeting with Alberta business representatives – Calgary
- March 27:
- Dialogue session – Ontario
- Public survey opens
- April 5: Dialogue session – Quebec
- April 11: IRCC employee survey opens
- April 19: Housing thematic session
- April 20: Northern Ontario and rural stakeholder meeting
- April 24: Skills and talent thematic session
- April 25: Refugees and displaced persons thematic session
- April 26:
- Social cohesion thematic session
- Public Policy Forum – Toronto
- May 1: Client experience thematic session
- May 2: Integrity of immigration system thematic session
- May 4: Francophone immigration thematic session
- May 8: Regional dialogue session – The North
- May 15: Southern Ontario stakeholder meeting
- May 16: Rural immigration thematic session
- May 17: Meeting focused on municipalities
- May 25: Youth Council meeting
- May 30: Group and bilateral discussions
Group and bilateral discussions
- February 14, 15, 23 and 24
- March 15, 16, 17, 23, 27 and 28
- April 14, 17, 20, 21 and 27
- May 5, 8, 10, 11, 12, 15, 17, 18, 23, 24, 30 and 31
- June 1, 2, 5, 6 and 8
Key takeaways from engagement
The discussions and ideas advanced by stakeholders were rich, thoughtful, informed and reflective of a diversity of perspectives and experiences. While every conversation led to unique discoveries and conclusions, particular themes began to emerge:
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Canada has a world-class and well-managed immigration system. There are orderly pathways for individuals who want to come to the country. The selection of immigrants is rigorous and evidence-based.
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The system is overly complex and should be simplified with target audiences in mind. Make it easier to apply to come to Canada, provide clear information on government websites, provide more access to information about the status of applications and provide additional information for employers.
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Immigration places pressure on housing, health care and infrastructure. There is a need to ensure that communities can absorb and support newcomers. Immigration can also be part of the solution to addressing these pressures by adding workers in critical sectors.
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Fast and predictable processing times are key to Canada remaining competitive in attracting skills and talent, as well as for tourism and bringing families together.
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Client service excellence must be at the core of what we do. Reduce duplication in the system, and ensure fairness, accountability and transparency in decision making, with a focus on diversity, equity and anti-racism. Provide support for navigating the system.
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It’s important to have effective tools, mechanisms and partnerships in place to attract and retain the skills and talent we need to grow our economy (particularly in small, rural and Francophone communities), and take steps to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship to remain globally competitive.
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Newcomers are needed to fill critical labour gaps in key sectors under pressure. Their access to the job market, through integrated job matching and improved foreign credential recognition process, is key to positive outcomes for immigrants and for the country.
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Bring top students to Canada, particularly in areas of study linked to labour market gaps, and work to improve retention of international students to better position us for the future. Provide additional supports to international students and address equity concerns raised about approval rates from different regions of the world.
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Ensure comprehensive planning for and information sharing on the arrival, settlement and integration of newcomers, including planning for pressures on areas such as affordable housing, infrastructure and health care. All levels of government need to work together. Employers, post-secondary institutions and communities can play key roles in supporting newcomers.
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Pathways for temporary residents to become permanent residents are important so that workers and students know there are opportunities to settle in Canada and one day become Canadian citizens. Focus on bringing family units to encourage greater retention.
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Be responsive to regional needs: promote settlement outside of major urban centres to extend the benefits of immigration across Canada. Learn from targeted regional programs like the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot or the Atlantic Immigration Program. Continue to grow ambitious levels of Francophone immigration and focus on building partnerships and connection, including with Indigenous Peoples.
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Maintain Canada’s positive international reputation in responding to humanitarian crises. Be prepared to respond quickly and equitably to the crises of the future, given increasing levels of global migration and displaced people, including those due to climate change.
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Make changes, as needed, to ensure the right tools are in place to support a decision-making process that is focused first and foremost on people. The views and lived experience of newcomers should help guide program and policy development.
Vision of Canada's future
immigration system
More on what we heard through engagement on “An Immigration System for Canada’s Future”
While key takeaways provide a snapshot of input received through the engagement period, it’s important to reflect on some of the more extensive perspectives we heard. These are grouped under four central themes, informed by participants in discussion groups and survey respondents:
- expectations for client service
- greater facilitation for people wanting to come to Canada
- how immigration can contribute to our economy and fill jobs
- what should go into the planning process for immigration and for responding to humanitarian crises
On client service excellence
Stakeholders consistently highlighted Canada’s positive reputation as a welcoming destination that offers many opportunities for immigrants to settle and thrive. Processing delays and backlogs were key areas of concern, as was the need to promote transparency, neutralize bias and improve communication with applicants to ensure Canada’s reputation is maintained. The department was encouraged to be more user-friendly with rapid, transparent and responsive application processing and selection.
The Canadian immigration system services should work on simplifying the application process and providing clear guidelines and support for immigrants to enable them to easily navigate the process.
Other ideas that were raised with client service at the forefront:
- Be timely and clear in communication with clients, including on the website, and in information on the various program streams, which is sometimes hard to navigate for those looking to come to Canada.
- Offer a more seamless, modern and digitized application experience for clients, with a way to easily get in touch with the department.
- Make it easier for applicants to receive updates on the status of their file. Provide more detailed explanations to clients about the outcomes of their applications, particularly in cases of refusals.
- Process applications faster, without compromising transparency and equity. Know that timely communication empowers newcomers, businesses and educational institutions to plan effectively.
- Meet local labour market needs more effectively by helping smaller businesses and other stakeholders navigate the system.
- Review programs and services regularly to be agile and continually improve, especially as new technology and innovations become available.
Real time updates/status checks on processing should be available.
On a more facilitative system for those applying to come to Canada
Stakeholders want Canada’s immigration system to focus on how to welcome people in, while maintaining safety, security and the integrity of the system, which includes considering any unintended barriers faced by people who legitimately want to come to Canada—either as temporary or permanent residents.
Other ideas for a more facilitative system:
- Safeguard the immigration system by promoting trustworthy and reputable sources of information and trusted individuals or organizations that are able to provide assistance in navigating immigration pathways and provide protection from exploitation.
- Look at options to regularize (offer permanent residence to) undocumented workers. They are already working in Canada but need certainty in order to fully contribute.
- Recognize that applicants who want to come to Canada temporarily may want to legitimately transition to permanent residence in the future, and consider the impact of “dual intent” on these individuals.
Make it fair, just and welcoming.
Modernize the approach to laws in Canada about immigrants and refugees.
- Continue to identify opportunities for temporary workers and students to become permanent residents and further contribute to Canada’s economic growth.
- Address concerns of low approval rate for French-speaking students from Africa.
- Value immigrants for the many benefits they bring to Canada and to communities, beyond supporting economic growth.
- Re-examine rules, regulations and laws that guide programs, policies and decisions to ensure they support a facilitative approach to immigration.
On skills, talent and labour
Highlighting the economic contribution of newcomers and immigration that encourages qualified candidates to meet labour market needs is a strength of Canada’s current system. However, we must close gaps between newcomer skills and labour market needs, including the recognition of foreign credentials and the under-utilization of the skills of immigrants already in Canada.
The department was encouraged to ensure that the immigration system meets current and future labour market demands, makes it easier for newcomers to live and work in Canada and explores innovative strategies to deal with acute regional, sectoral and seasonal labour shortages and upskilling.
Hope Canada can invite more skilled trades and healthcare immigrants to solve labour shortages issues.
Other insights on this topic include:
- Better match the skills of newcomers with the needs of employers.
- Create the role of a chief international talent officer to ensure we are targeting immigration to the skills needed for the labour market of the future.
- Offer pathways for workers of various skills to meet specific labour needs, such as for entrepreneurs.
- Pursue more programs based on partnerships that have high retention rates: the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP), the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) and the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP) are good examples of this.
- Help the International Student Program better align with Canada’s labour market needs and make it easier for international students to enter the labour force.
- Work with recognized institutions on a partnership model that would ease the administrative burden in bringing in international students, while ensuring students are treated fairly and have the supports they need to succeed.
- Collaborate with other levels of government and businesses to recruit talent (for example, skills missions).
- Work with provinces and territories and regulatory bodies to make it easier for immigrants to have credentials recognized.
Think about students who graduated from Canadian universities, and are working in Canada.
We say we want to attract talent, but we don’t recognize qualifications. We aren’t making use of talent.
On comprehensive planning to welcome newcomers
Public support for immigration was identified as a strength of the current system; however, in order to maintain this support, we must meet the needs of those already in Canada. This was said frequently in the context of housing, infrastructure, health services and available jobs. Immigration planning is about more than the number of immigrants coming to Canada; it is about what is needed to ensure our communities are set up for success.
The network of settlement agencies, employers, libraries, learning institutions and other supports was cited as a strength. Together, these services help newcomers integrate and build connections in their new communities.
While federal, provincial and territorial and municipal governments work together on immigration, evolving labour market needs and pressures on infrastructure will require even closer collaboration between all levels of government.
Actively and deliberately consult with those who have directly experienced the current immigration system. More bridge building between newcomer and Indigenous communities must be prioritized.
Other ideas that participants raised:
- Seek input on newcomer-focused programs and policies from those with lived experience.
- Integrate access to affordable housing and health care, including mental health services, when planning the welcoming of newcomers.
- Coordinate delivery of services among settlement agencies so it is easier for newcomers to find and access the services they need, including services provided before arrival to Canada. Recognize an increased need for services in rural and Francophone communities.
- Consider targeted supports for international students and other temporary residents, many of whom are likely to make Canada their permanent home.
- Increase preparedness to respond to humanitarian crises with a framework that allows for consistent and equitable responses to different crises.
- Collaborate with partners who are experts in the populations we are looking to serve to help identify those in need of protection and respond to the needs of refugees and displaced people.
- Given the growing volumes of displaced people globally, have a comprehensive strategy that addresses the increased number of people and families seeking asylum in Canada.
- Look to collaborate more closely with other levels of government, including municipalities and local organizations, to better plan for and welcome immigrants.
- Comprehensive planning for the arrival of newcomers must include dialogue with representatives of Indigenous communities.
Affordable housing needs a whole-of-government approach. All levels of government need to speak (and listen) to each other, as well as to the society at large.
Try to find ways to divert new immigrants to live in provinces other than Toronto and Vancouver.
Thank you for the rich discussion and your thoughtful comments
A sincere thank you to all of the individuals, businesses, organizations, experts, practitioners and newcomers who shared their views and ideas on the future of Canada’s immigration system. You have taken part in an incredibly valuable exercise, and have helped to inform recommendations for the future of Canada’s immigration system.
Ultimately, immigration is sustaining and growing the country that we call home. As we all have a vested interest in what that looks like, we commit to continuing the conversation as we dig deeper into the feedback we’ve been privileged to hear from you.
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