Move aligns with Canada’s ambitious immigration targets of bringing 500,000 immigrants annually by 2025
Canada is planning to launch a “broad and comprehensive” programme aimed at allowing many undocumented individuals to apply for permanent residency, Canadian media reported on Friday.
In an interview with The Globe and Mail, Canadian Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced the move, which aligns with Canada’s ambitious immigration targets that aim to bring in 500,000 immigrants annually by 2025.
Immigration has been a key driver of economic growth in recent years, and Canada’s population has grown primarily due to this influx.
According to The Globe and Mail, Miller said that an estimated 300,000 to 600,000 people are living in Canada without valid documentation, putting them at risk of deportation due to their lack of formal status.
The programme is expected to cover individuals who entered the country legally as temporary workers or international students and then remained there after their visas expired.
Miller added that not all those without valid documents will be allowed to apply for permanent residency, including those who have arrived recently, Reuters reported
He plans to submit a proposal to the cabinet in the spring on allowing undocumented immigrants to “regularize their status,” the report added.
Amid the housing crunch and high inflation, the government last month kept immigration targets unchanged for the next two years and said it would stop ramping up immigration from 2026 onwards.
Canada is targeting 465,000 new residents this year, and 485,000 in 2024 before hitting 500,000 in 2025 — a level it aims to maintain in 2026.
