2002-37

MINISTER TABLES ANNUAL REPORT TO PARLIAMENT ON IMMIGRATION

OTTAWA, October 30, 2002 -- The Honourable Denis Coderre, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration (CIC), today tabled the 2002 Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration. The report highlights the activities and initiatives CIC undertook in 2001 to select the people Canada needs.

"This report illustrates that Canada truly is a destination of choice," said Minister Coderre. "I am delighted to tell you that 250,346 permanent residents were welcomed to Canada last year." Although projected levels for 2001 had been set at 200,000 to 225,000, CIC exceeded its target by approximately 11 percent -- an achievement the Department attributes to a special investment from the 2000 federal budget to reduce inventories of applications at missions overseas.

For the first time, the information contained in this report was presented in the format required under the new Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA). To be tabled by November 1 each year, the Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration is a requirement under IRPA, which came into effect June 28, 2002. As this report covers 2001 -- before IRPA was implemented -- it does not reflect selection decisions made under the new legislation. In addition to looking back at the previous calendar year, the report also includes projections for next year. For 2003, CIC expects to select between 220,000 and 245,000 permanent residents.

"This range reflects the government's ongoing commitment to meeting the challenges of the 21st century," said the Minister. "These levels are key to Canada's demographic, economic and social future."

Also outlined in the report are provincial and territorial considerations, including the complete list of federal-provincial-territorial agreements. Minister Coderre said he is "particularly proud of how this report illustrates the government's commitment to partnerships with the provinces and territories. It demonstrates the importance of working together so that we can all share the benefits of immigration."

Other information in the report includes the linguistic profiles of last year's permanent residents, a gender-based analysis of the impact of the Act, and the number of temporary resident permits issued.

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For more information (media only):

Mark Dunn
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister
(613) 954-1064

Sarah Bain, Press Secretary
Office of the Minister
(613) 954-1064

Susan Scarlett
Media Relations
(613) 941-7035

Internet:
Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration, 2002
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pub/immigration2002.html

Backgrounder

2002 Annual Report to
Parliament on Immigration

 
The 2002 Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration provides information on Citizenship and Immigration operations under the new Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) for the calendar year 2001. This is a requirement of the new Act, which came into effect June 28, 2002. Each year, CIC will table the report on or before November 1.

 
Highlights of the Report

As required under section 94 of IRPA, the report provides information on the following immigration initiatives:

• The 250,346 immigrants who became permanent residents in 2001. This includes a breakdown by province of destination as well as the number of permanent residents accepted under each class.
  
  
• Initiatives related to the selection of permanent residents in 2001. This includes a look at foreign nationals who were granted permanent resident status, the work that went into developing new legislation and a pilot project developed to attract skilled workers.
  
  
• The linguistic profiles of the permanent residents welcomed to Canada in 2001. The report indicates that almost half spoke English, 4.52 percent spoke French, and 5.20 percent spoke both. A total of 44.23 percent were reported to speak neither.
  
  
• The 37,427 permanent residents admitted to Canada under the Canada-Quebec Accord in 2001. Projections for this group of permanent residents have been set at between 40,000 and 45,000 for 2003. More detailed information by class is also provided.
  
  
• The 3,994 temporary resident permits issued in 2001. Formerly known as Minister's permits, these are issued to foreign nationals who wish to remain in Canada and who would otherwise be inadmissible for technical, medical or criminal reasons.
  
  
• The projections for 2003: 220,000 to 245,000 new permanent residents are expected next year. This number is further broken down into the number of people expected to be accepted in Canada as protected people, or under the economic class or the family class. The number also includes people expected under the Canada-Quebec Accord.
  
  
• A gender-based analysis of the impact of IRPA. This public policy tool will ensure that the important social and economic differences between men and women are taken into account at all stages of the policy process.
  
  
• The report also includes the list of federal-provincial-territorial agreements currently in effect, as required under section 8 of IRPA.

 
Period of Transition

Because IRPA came into effect only on June 28, 2002, the new selection criteria under the Act were not applied to selection decisions in 2001, the period covered in this report.

The 2003 Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration will include decisions made under the former Immigration Act, as well as decisions made under IRPA as of June 28, 2002. In the 2004 Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration, CIC will report for the first time on a full year of operations under IRPA.

 
New Style Report

The information in this report is presented in conformity with the new requirements of IRPA. The main difference between previous reports (prepared according to section 7 of the former Immigration Act) and this new report is the broader scope required under section 94 of IRPA. The new report provides information on immigration initiatives undertaken in the previous calendar year, as well as projections for the number of permanent residents Canada will welcome in the calendar year following the tabling of the report.

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