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Canada Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino has said in his Vision speech that the future of the country depends on immigration. The minister has also informed in his speech that the country would be welcoming over one million immigrants over the next three years. Canada’s 2020-2022 Immigration Levels Plan will be formally released in March, the minister added.
This is the first major policy speech by Marco Mendicino after he took charge as Canada’s immigration minister in November 2019. The Vision speeches are a tradition among the immigration ministers of Canada where they lay out the vision for the country’s immigration system, explaining the aspirational goals set by the government and policies and programs which the government is planning to implement with regard to immigration.
In the speech, Mendicino said a dialogue on how many people Canada needs to secure its economic prosperity was necessary in the context of the demographic realities of the country. Canada is an aging country with a low birth rate and longer lifespan of people and not enough children to maintain the size of the population. This situation is putting pressure on Canada’s economy as there are only fewer workers to rely on for raising funds for government expenses such as healthcare. The healthcare requirements of the Canadian population are only going to rise further as the population is aging fast.
The minister has put forward immigration as a solution for all these problems. Today, immigration contributes 80% of Canada’s population growth and it is expected that Canada will have to depend 100% on immigration for population growth by 2030s.
Canada’s immigration programs
The Vision speech by Canada’s immigration minister indicates that the Express Entry program would remain the flagship program for welcoming immigrants to Canada. He informed that 95 per cent of immigrants who came to Canada through Express Entry are employed and 85 per cent of them are working in their respective fields of specialization. Besides, immigration programs such as the Global Talent Stream and Atlantic Immigration Pilot also play a key role in supporting the economy of the country.
However, there is a need to promote economic immigration to smaller communities, said the minister. The introduction of Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot in 2019 was a move in this direction, according to the minister.
Further, the government will be launching Municipal Nominee Program (MNP) for promoting economic growth across the country. The Minister informed in his speech that the government is conducting pre-consultations regarding the program and stakeholders are welcome to provide feedback on how to shape the MNP.
The Minister further noted that the immigration system of Canada had been lauded by the OECD as the international standard on how to effectively manage an immigration system. Concluding the speech, he said Canada is built on the strength of immigration. Welcoming the immigrants will help Canada to grow the labour market, support businesses and remain the best country in the world, he added.
The Vision speech by Canada’s immigration minister indicates that Canada’s immigration scenario would continue to remain upbeat in the coming years too. If you plan to migrate to Canada, the right time to start the procedures in now! Get in touch with the expert Canada immigration consultants of CanApprove to know more.
