Immigration is critical to Canada’s economic growth, and is key to supporting economic recovery. The multi-year Immigration Levels Plan projects how many permanent residents Canada aims to admit over the course of a calendar year. Every year, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) sets targets and ranges for the total number of permanent residents admitted into the country, as well as the number for each immigration category
Federal economic immigration programs
Canada’s federal high-skilled programs — Canadian Experience Classiv, Federal Skilled Worker Programv, and Federal Skilled Trades Programvi— traditionally represent the largest economic immigration category in the Immigration Levels Plan. In 2021, 139,459 new permanent residents were admitted through these programs. Express Entryvii is the application management system, used since 2015, to select candidates in the federal high-skilled programs on the basis of their ability to succeed in the Canadian economy and society over the long-term (based on factors such as work experience, education, and official language proficiency). This selection approach allows Canada to benefit from a regular and predictable flow of skilled immigrants that employers can hire to meet their labour needs and to grow and scale up their businesses.
