CANADIAN IMMIGRATION NEWS

Canada urged to increase migration by 110,000 places

Monday, 3 November 2008

Each year, the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) allows around 250,000 migrants to enter the country permanently, with India and China being the biggest sources of immigrants.

A recent report released by the Conference Board of Canada, an independent research company, says Canada would need to increase their migration programme by 110,000 places annually by 2025 if it is to meet its labour shortage.

Furthermore, the Conference Board of Canada reported that this number would need to increase to 360,000 annually by 2025 for the Canadian economy to grow at a steady rate.

One-fifth of the Canadian economy relies upon immigrants already, and it seems the growing shortage in the labour market will grow even more dependent on foreign workers. The report indicates that 15.3 per cent of the Canadian workforce is almost ready to retire, being above 55 years of age, and that only 2.7 workers are entering the workforce to replace every five retirees.

As a result, the report suggested the CIC should allow more workers on temporary Canadian visas to become permanent residents. In 2007, around 250,000 migrants to Canada were temporary workers while 75,000 arrived on a Canadian student visa.

If you are interested in Visas to Canada, contact Migration Expert for information and advice on which visa is best suited to you. You can also try our visa eligibility assessment to see if you are eligible to apply for a visa to Canada.