Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada has been slowly closing the gap with the United States in regards to attracting new permanent residents.
The U.S. annual number of permanent residents was below pre-pandemic levels in 2021. Canada, on the other hand, welcomed the most newcomers ever in a single year, according to the Association for Canadian Studies.
Canada welcomed 405,000 permanent residents, which is more than double the number who arrived in 2020, and 20 per cent more than in 2019.
It’s a record that will likely be broken more than once in the years ahead, as the new federal immigration plan for Canada released earlier this month set a target to admit 465,000 newcomers in 2023 and 500,000 a year by 2025.
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The Canadian federal immigration plan intends to focus on bringing in people with needed skills and experience to boost the Canadian economy.
Business leaders say the government should concentrate even more on attracting skilled migrants than it already is, and do more to make sure their qualifications are recognized.
Association for Canadian Studies President Jack Jedwab says Toronto beat New York last year as the most popular destination for newcomers.
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