Canada to announce new immigration policy soon; major PR cut likely

Justin Trudeau's Liberal government is set to announce major changes to Canada’s immigration system on Friday, Global News reported.

It comes amid a push from  30 backbench Liberal MPs to have Prime Minister Justin Trudeau quit. 

Sources said there will be a reduction in the number of permanent residents (PR) admitted to Canada on an annual basis in future years and changes to temporary immigration streams.

Trudeau plans cut in temporary foreign workers

Meanwhile, Mr Trudeau said he plans to lower the number of low-wage, temporary foreign workers and permanent residents being let into Canada. “We’re going to have fewer temporary foreign workers in Canada. We’re bringing in stricter rules for companies to prove why they can’t hire Canadian workers first,” he said in a post on social media platform X.

Mr Trudeau's post comes amid Canada's grappling with a rapidly growing population that economists say has put a strain on housing and public services like healthcare. 

Earlier, addressing a press conference, Mr Trudeau said he was looking to overhaul the temporary foreign workers' programme because of changes to the labour market.

“It’s not fair to Canadians struggling to find a good job, and it’s not fair to those temporary foreign workers, some of whom are being mistreated and exploited,” BBC reported quoting Mr Trudeau.

The Temporary Foreign Worker Programme allows employers in Canada to hire foreign nationals to fill temporary jobs when qualified Canadians are not available. The programme’s use by employers has surged in recent years in industries ranging from agriculture to construction. For instance, in 2023, nearly 1.83 lakh temporary foreign worker permits were granted.

While Canada may have welcomed immigrants in the past to boost its economy, lately, Mr Trudeau's Liberal Party has witnessed a drop in public opinion polls as the Canadian leader is under immense pressure over unchecked immigration.

A Canadian government source told Reuters that the country will see a dip of about one lakh permanent residents as compared to the current figure of 4,85,000. Canada will have 3,95,000 new permanent residents in 2025, 380,000 in 2026 and 365,000 in 2027 said the source.

The number of temporary residents, meanwhile, will decrease by about 30,000 to around 3,00,000 in 2025, the source said.

25 lakh temporary residents in Canada

On August 28 Mr Trudeau said: “We’re looking at the various streams to make sure that as we move forward, Canada remains a place that is positive in its support for immigration.” 

In 2023, there were more than 25 lakh temporary residents in Canada, accounting for 6.2 percent of the population. Mr Miller said earlier this year the government was looking to reduce that number to five percent.

“We are witnessing one of the most egregious rollbacks of migrant rights in Canadian history,” Syed Hussan, spokesperson for the Migrant Rights Network Secretariat, said in a statement.

“Cutting permanent resident numbers is a direct assault on migrants who will be forced to remain temporary or become undocumented, pushed further into exploitative jobs.”