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Pursuing
Canada's The Immigration Plan for 2002
MESSAGE
FROM THE The world is a different place since the proclamation of the current Immigration Act in 1978. The global movement of people is as significant now as the movement of goods and services was 23 years ago. Canada benefits enormously from this movement: immigrants bring the skills and innovative ideas that help to fuel economic growth and productivity, and that facilitate opportunities for international trade. Immigrants now account for more than 70 percent of all labour force growth, a proportion that will grow to 100 percent in the next 10 years as their role in the social, cultural and economic development of our country becomes even more important than it is today.
Aswe look to the future, our planning will need to strike the proper balance between protecting the health, safety and security of Canadians, and bringing to Canada the immigrants we will need to grow and prosper in the years ahead, while reuniting families as quickly as possible and honouring our commitment to provide safe haven to those in genuine need of protection. We have the tools to do so. The proposed new Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, an updated information technology platform, and new approaches to client service and program delivery will enable us to crack down on those who would abuse our rules, while reaching out to those immigrants and refugees who will help us to continue building our country. Another important dimension of our work is our partnerships. Almost all aspects of the immigration program involve partnerships with other government departments and agencies, provinces and territories, non-governmental organizations and other countries. These partnerships are essential for the successful settlement and integration of newcomers and, in most provinces, for the selection of provincial nominees and other skilled workers. Partnerships with the private sector are also critical, ensuring that immigration provides the talent and skills Canadian businesses need, when they need them. And we count on, and support, a strong voluntary sector to deliver settlement and integration programs that help newcomers to quickly become an active and vital part of the Canadian community. Last year, in recognition of the need to improve planning partnerships, I introduced the Multi-year Planning Process (MYPP). I continue to consult my provincial and territorial colleagues to ensure that the MYPP is further developed over the coming year in anticipation of announcing immigration levels for 2003 and working toward our longer term goal of immigration equivalent to one percent of the Canadian population. The events of September 11 have had a great impact on us all. As the Prime Minister has noted repeatedly in recent weeks, however, immigration must and will remain a defining feature of Canada. I am pleased to present the 2002 report on immigration levels LEGISLATIVE
REQUIREMENT FOR THE Section 7(2) of the Act sets out the information that an immigration plan must provide. It must include an estimate of the total number of immigrants, Convention refugees and others who will be admitted to Canada on humanitarian grounds during the next year. As well, where any province has sole responsibility for the selection of immigrants, Convention refugees or humanitarian applicants, the plan must also set out, for each class, the number to be admitted for all of Canada, the number to be admitted for provinces with sole selection powers, and the number for the rest of the provinces. Quebec is the only province with sole selection powers. PROJECTED
RESULTS As a result, immigrant arrivals began to increase in 1999, when 95 percent of the low end of the planning range was achieved. In 2000, over 227,000 people were landed, representing 101 percent of the high end of the planning range. For 2001, it is projected that immigrant arrivals will increase to between 255,000 and 265,000, representing 113 to 117 percent of the high end of the range (see appendix B). The effect of the temporary measures on the levels will likely extend to 2002, with enough cases in process to meet the planning range.
THE IMMIGRATION PLAN The government remains committed to investing in Canada's economic and social development through immigration. A planning range of 210,000 to 235,000 is confirmed for 2002. Refugees will account for more than 10 percent of newcomers to Canada in that year. Skilled workers, business people and provincial or territorial nominees, together with their families, will again make up about 60 percent of the movement in 2002, and family members of Canadian citizens and permanent residents, slightly more than one-quarter (see appendices C and D). This is consistent with the planning range announced earlier for 2002 and reaffirms the long-term objective of moving gradually to immigration levels of approximately one percent of Canada's population, while bearing in mind Canada's absorptive capacity. The skilled workers, business immigrants, family members and refugees who enter Canada through our immigration program are increasingly important to maintaining a strong and skilled labour force. These same people also strengthen Canada's social fabric and cultural diversity.
Temporary residents are also a key element of Canada's growth. The immigration program provides for the temporary entry of skilled foreign workers and business people essential to economic development, foreign students drawn by the reputation of Canada's universities and colleges for excellence in education, research and training, and tourists eager to experience the many attractions of this country. The commitment to immigration is inseparable from Canada's determination to deny access to those who pose criminal or security threats to Canada and other countries, and who might abuse immigrant, refugee or temporary entry programs for illicit and fraudulent ends. Investigation and interdiction abroad, screening at border and airport entry points, and removal activities in Canada are necessary adjuncts to an open immigration policy and the levels planning process. Pursuant to immigration legislation, the Social Union Framework Agreement and federal/provincial/territorial immigration agreements, consultation is essential to immigration planning, and various federal/provincial/territorial forums exist to that end. In addition, as part of the Multi-year Planning Process, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) and the provinces and territories are working to establish a joint planning table to address common concerns and challenges related to immigration planning. Consultations with other parties who are increasingly interested in participating in immigration planning will continue. The scope of the policies and procedures required to enhance public safety and security, and concomitant pressures on the fiscal framework, will have an important effect on future planning, as will the nature of migration flows in the coming years, and other program pressures. Given the current level of uncertainty, it would be premature to announce a planning range for 2003 at this time without further consideration and consultation to ensure that supports are in place to move to higher immigration levels. INTERNATIONAL
AND The international environment has changed significantly in the wake of the terrorist attacks in the United States. There is a heightened awareness of the sophistication and geographic reach of terrorist activities, and the need to ensure that Canada's immigration and refugee protection programs are not seen as gateways to these activities in North America. It is difficult to predict how the current campaign against terrorism will affect the global movement of people. Other factors that influence Canada's ability to attract and process immigrants and non-immigrants in an efficient and timely manner include the following:
Canada draws its immigrant population from a great number of countries, but over time, we have seen significant shifts in primary source countries. In 1990, the top two source countries were Hong Kong and Poland, which together accounted for some 20 percent of the movement in that year. In 2000, China and India were the two primary source countries, making up close to 30 percent of the movement. Behind the interest in Canada as a migrant destination is the increasing worldwide mobility of people. It has been estimated that about 150 million people are on the move at any given time. Some flee persecution, civil strife, or severe political or economic upheaval; others are forced to leave as a result of natural disasters or environmental degradation; still others move primarily to seek a better way of life for themselves and their families. In short, migration as an aspect of globalization is accelerating. If it wishes to maximize the benefits of this movement, Canada cannot afford to stand still. We must proactively plan for the future. The key to sustaining a robust immigration program hinges on striking the right balance between maximizing the benefits of immigration, such as economic growth and social development, and sustaining public confidence in the system by ensuring, through effective enforcement, that its generosity is not abused. Canada is not alone in facing increased pressures from irregular migration, including human trafficking and smuggling. Currently, Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand are the only countries that encourage and plan for immigration. However, greater international economic integration and competition, ageing work forces and declining birth rates are leading countries of the European Union and Japan to reconsider their approach to the planned admission of foreign workers. It is anticipated that in the future, Canada will face serious competition in recruiting the highly skilled as most developed countries struggle with skill shortages and the effects of an ageing population. The following factors will continue to influence the composition of the immigrant movement and federal, provincial and territorial integration initiatives, as well as overall immigration targets:
Like other industrialized countries, Canada faces demographic challenges. Birth rates are at a historic low, and Canada's largest age cohort--the baby boomers--is ageing. While immigration cannot significantly change the resulting age structure of the population, it is an important tool to mitigate its effects. Immigration will likely account for all net labour force growth by 2011, and projections indicate it will account for total population growth by 2031. For these reasons, ensuring that immigrants and refugees have the skills to succeed in the labour market is key to Canada's future prosperity. Equally, policies designed to attract significant numbers of highly skilled workers will give Canada economic and sociocultural advantages in the new global economy. Programs have been in place since the mid-1990s to increase the number of economic immigrants and their families within the overall immigrant movement and to put more emphasis on education, skills and language ability in the economic selection process. Education levels are rising. In 1995, 41 percent of working-age immigrants and refugees had a post-secondary degree on landing, while 57 percent had one in 1999. By comparison, 42 percent of the total working-age Canadian population had a post-secondary degree in 1999. Nonetheless, available data point to gaps in labour market performance between immigrants, refugees and the Canadian-born. Given the growing importance of immigration to the labour force, it is especially important to help immigrants and refugees manage the transition into the labour market so that they can realize their potential as quickly as possible. Canada benefits from the different perspectives, networks, skills and traditions that immigrants bring, as well as from their economic contributions. In addition, newcomers and Canadians share common values. As reported in the World Values Survey, most Canadian and foreign-born residents agree that children should understand other cultures, learn to respect others and take responsibility for their actions. Both groups also show strong support for the merit principle in business. It is generally recognized that while immigration is critical to building our economy and society, it is not without challenges, specifically with regard to ensuring that adequate supports are in place to facilitate social and economic integration. Challenges include the recognition of foreign credentials, combating discrimination and finding ways to more evenly distribute the benefits of immigration across the country. In 2000, 90 percent of immigrants chose to live in Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec; nearly 75 percent settled in Toronto, Vancouver and Montréal, an increase of five percentage points in the past decade. To date, efforts to encourage immigrants to settle in smaller urban centres have met with limited success. It will be important to further explore how to attract immigrants to smaller centres and persuade them to stay there in order to reduce the pressures on Canada's largest cities. Canada's immigration program provides a significant level of support for settlement and integration services. Its citizenship program offers newcomers the opportunity to obtain Canadian citizenship following a three-year residency period. Settlement programs and services assist immigrants in becoming participating and contributing members of Canadian society and promote an acceptance of immigrants by Canadians. While helping newcomers adapt and learn about their rights, freedoms and responsibilities and the laws that protect them from racial discrimination, settlement programs also sensitize Canadians to different cultures and how diversity strengthens the economy and community life. OTHER
MANAGEMENT AND The proposed Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Bill C-11) will give CIC the tools it needs to further enhance public safety and security by introducing new inadmissibility grounds, strengthening authority to arrest criminals and people who pose security threats, and restricting access to the refugee determination system for certain categories of people, such as people who have been determined to be inadmissible on security or other serious grounds.
In addition to this legislative initiative, a number of other initiatives are under way to improve program management and delivery. Pilot projects have been undertaken and options are being considered to allow CIC to continue to maintain an appropriate balance between achieving immigration levels targets, responding to non-immigrant demand, providing timely service to all, and ensuring program integrity. Pilot projects are testing the feasibility of centralizing some aspects of immigrant-related decision making in Canada, evaluating measures to reliably identify and process uncomplicated applications, and examining the benefits of using available standardized language tests. Looking ahead, a number of significant challenges remain. We must continue our responsible management of the immigration program and work to ensure that appropriate supports are in place to fully realize all the potential social and economic benefits. To that end, consultations with the provinces and territories and other interested stakeholders will be essential as we move to develop our immigration plan for 2003 and beyond.
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APPENDIX
A:
1. Calculated against
the high end of the range. Source: Facts and Figures 2000, Immigration Overview, CIC.
APPENDIX B:
1. Low end of projection
calculated against high end of plan.
APPENDIX C:
APPENDIX D:
1. As announced October 24, 2001. 2. Includes live-in caregivers and special categories. Note: The Immigration Act requires that the annual immigration plan include separate numbers for provinces with selection powers. At this time, Quebec is the only province with this responsibility.
APPENDIX E:
Source: Facts and Figures 2000, Immigration Overview, CIC
Source: Facts and Figures 2000, Immigration Overview, CIC
Source: Facts and Figures 2000, Immigration Overview, CIC |
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For additional copies, contact
© Minister
of Public Works and Government Services Canada, 2001 October 2001
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| Date Published: 2001-10-31 |  |
Important Notices | |
