Government announces Canadian Immigration plan for 2011
The Government of Canada has announced its immigration plan for 2011 with policies to continue high immigration levels to help sustain the economic recovery.
Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney made the announcement while tabling the annual Canadian immigration plan in Parliament.
It is expected that Canada will welcome between 240,000 and 265,000 new permanent residents in 2011 – with the vast majority (sixty per cent) of skilled migrants coming through economic streams.
“Canada’s post-recession economy demands a high level of legal immigration to keep our work force strong,” he said.
“At the same time, we are maintaining our commitment to family reunification and refugees.”
Canada faces an ageing population and low birth rates, so without immigration, the size of the Canadian work force will shrink. Within the next five years, all of Canada’s labour force growth will come from immigration.
The 2011 immigration plan also includes a higher range of admissions for spouses and children in the family category. In keeping with recent reforms to Canada’s refugee system, the 2011 plan also includes an additional 1,125 refugees resettled in Canada as part of the commitment to increase total refugee resettlement by 2,500 over three years.
Within the economic Canadian Visa category, the 2011 plan balances projected admissions between federally and provincially selected workers to meet Canada’s national and regional labour market needs.
The Federal Skilled Worker Program, which admits a range of migrants including technicians, skilled tradespersons, managers and professionals to supplement the Canadian-born work force, remains a significant portion of the economic category.
The annual immigration plan is part of Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s annual report tabled in Parliament by November 1 each year.
