The latest data from Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) reveals that immigration to Canada witnessed a third consecutive monthly decrease in August, but the country remains on course to achieve record-breaking levels of new permanent residents by the end of the year.
Get Free Assessment Now!
In August, Canada welcomed 34,925 new permanent residents, which represents a 14.1 percent decline from July’s figure of 40,675.
Over the first eight months of this year, Canada saw 338,905 new permanent residents arrive, indicating that the country is heading towards welcoming 508,357 new permanent residents by the end of the year if the current immigration rate continues.
In its 2023-2025 Immigration Levels Plan, the Canadian government has set a target of 465,000 new permanent residents for 2023, with plans to admit 485,000 in 2024 and another 500,000 in 2025, totaling 1.45 million new immigrants to Canada over the three-year period.
Although the latest figures indicate that Canada is likely to exceed this year’s targeted immigration levels and those for the next two years, the trend over the past three months shows a declining monthly immigration rate.
Since reaching a peak of 45,990 new permanent residents in May following a lackluster performance in April with only 29,540 new arrivals, monthly immigration has been steadily decreasing. It went down to 42,330 new permanent residents in June, followed by 40,675 in July, and finally, 34,925 in August, marking a more than 24 percent drop since May.
After a strong start in January this year, when monthly immigration was 43.7 percent higher compared to the same month the previous year, the monthly immigration rate in August was nearly identical to that of August last year, when Canada welcomed 34,145 new permanent residents.
Immigration Trends in Canada
Despite the recent monthly declines, Canada is set to reach record-breaking immigration numbers by the end of the year, thanks to its ambitious immigration targets outlined in the 2023-2025 Immigration Levels Plan.
Provincial Preferences in Canadian Immigration
Ontario, the most populous province in Canada, continues to be the favored destination for newcomers, attracting 43.9 percent of all immigrants to the country during the first eight months of this year.
Various immigration programs have contributed significantly to this trend, including the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP), Agri-Food Immigration Pilot (AFIP), Canadian Experience Class (CEC), Caregiver programs, Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP), Federal Skilled Trades (FST) and Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) programs, the Start-Up Visa (SUV), Self-Employed Persons (SEP) programs, and the Temporary Resident to Permanent Resident Pathway, collectively accounting for over half (50.8 percent) of all new permanent residents arriving in Ontario in the first seven months of this year.