Last Updated On 27 December 2023, 7:42 AM EST (Toronto Time)
The number of temporary foreign workers entering Canada may be limited in the new year or beyond, according to Immigration Minister Marc Miller, who also notes that the system has “run a bit rampant for far too long.”
According to Mr. Miller, there is a link between this nation’s housing crisis and the flood of foreign students and temporary foreign workers.
Over the past few years, the number of people who entered Canada temporarily has “skyrocketed,” Mr. Miller told reporters on Thursday.
His comments followed the announcement this week by Statistics Canada, which revealed that the nation’s population increased by more than 430,000 in the third quarter of 2023—the greatest rate of growth in any quarter since 1957.
Canada is now home to more than 40.5 million people, according to a new StatsCan report, with immigration accounting for about 313,000 of the country’s third-quarter growth.
| Geography | Population as per data released by Statistics Canada on December 19, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Canada | 40,528,396 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 540,418 |
| Prince Edward Island | 175,853 |
| Nova Scotia | 1,066,416 |
| New Brunswick | 842,725 |
| Quebec | 8,948,540 |
| Ontario | 15,801,768 |
| Manitoba | 1,465,440 |
| Saskatchewan | 1,218,976 |
| Alberta | 4,756,408 |
| British Columbia | 5,581,127 |
| Yukon | 45,148 |
The majority of temporary residents entered Canada with the intention of working or studying.
Housing concerns and the rise in temporary residents, according to Mr. Miller, are “increasingly tied together and there is obviously a correlation.”
He indicated that at the beginning of 2024, he intends to unveil reforms to address the influx.
He declared, “I’m not trying to target specific people.” “I’m attempting to focus on the consequences of a system that has been operating somewhat erratically for far too long and is having a noticeable effect.”
His acknowledgement that the quantity of housing availability influences the number of temporary foreign residents signifies a change in focus for the federal government.
He stated, “It’s evident that puts pressure on the system, especially our housing needs.”
Temporary foreign residents come to Canada in a variety of ways, such as as temporary agricultural workers or international students who obtain postgraduate work permits to remain in the country.
In order to reduce the number of applications, Mr. Miller announced changes to the foreign student program earlier this month.
One of the changes is that applicants must now demonstrate their ability to pay for living expenses with twice as much money.
He stated that if provinces like Ontario do not take action against colleges that are producing foreign graduates like “puppy mills,” he may think about revoking study permits.
He also stated that he intends to insist that provinces stop licensing subpar colleges that provide a bad experience to international students.
Marc said on Thursday that “as I’ve said, turning off the tap from the federal government is a pretty rough instrument and we’re prepared to do it if provinces can’t get their houses in order.”
He stated that in the upcoming year, he will be taking “further steps” to reduce the number of international students if provinces are unable to work on it.
He hinted that he would change the temporary foreign worker program and the postgraduate work permit system for international students.
“Even after you net out the period during COVID, both represent increased volume that we’ve seen jump astronomically in the last few years,” he stated.
It’s something we need to control since it’s had some unexpected consequences. I’m ready to carry it out.
The government is ready to act, but in order to make sure the impacted jurisdictions are carrying out their share of the work, some serious talks must first take place.
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