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Reuters

Canada will sharply lower the number of immigrants it allows into the country for the first time in years, marking a notable shift in policy for the government as it tries to remain in power.
Canada is expected to axe its annual permanent-resident target to about 395,000 for next year, down by 21 per cent from the earlier goal of half a million set last year, according to a government official who asked not to be identified to discuss matters not yet public.
The annual target will also be further decreased to roughly 380,000 for 2026 and 365,000 in 2027.
The new targets were first reported by The National Post.

Canada has long prided itself on welcoming newcomers, but in recent years, the national debate around immigrants has shifted in part due to rising housing prices.
Many Canadians have been priced out of the housing market since interest rates started rising two years ago. At the same time, a huge influx of immigrants has pushed Canada’s population to record levels, further boosting housing demand and prices.
The issue has become one of the most contentious in Canadian politics, with a federal election due no later than October 2025. Polls show a growing share of the population thinks Canada has too many immigrants.
There has been a backlash against newcomers and more reported hate crimes against visible minorities, advocates and community members say.
Migrant advocates criticised the change. “We are witnessing one of the most egregious rollbacks of migrant rights in Canadian history,” Syed Hussan, spokesperson for the Migrant Rights Network Secretariat, said in a statement. “Cutting permanent resident numbers is a direct assault on migrants who will be forced to remain temporary or become undocumented, pushed further into exploitative jobs.”
The office of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was not immediately available to comment.

The new immigration targets also mark a shift from the pandemic era when the government loosened rules on temporary residents to help fill labour shortages.
Last year, Canada had planned to bring in 500,000 new permanent residents in 2025 and the same amount in 2026. As of the second quarter of 2024, there were 2.8 million temporary residents, including workers and students, in Canada, according to Statistics Canada.
In an August interview, Immigration Minister Marc Miller told Reuters “Canadians want (an immigration) system that is not out of control”.
Canada’s Liberal government, trailing in the polls as some legislators seek to oust their leader, has been trying to regulate immigration. Under Trudeau, Canadian immigration officials have approved fewer visas this year and border officials turned growing numbers of visa-holders away, data obtained by Reuters showed.
The government promises to reduce temporary residents’ share of the population to 5 per cent over three years; it was 6.8 per cent in April.
It also capped the number of international students Canada will bring in and tightened the rules on temporary foreign workers under a programme that brings non-Canadians to the country to work on a temporary basis.
The programme has come under fire for suppressing wages and leaving workers vulnerable to abuse.
Additional reporting by Bloomberg


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Canada to slash immigration numbers as Trudeau government faces pressure

The changes mark a new era for a country that once embraced high levels of immigration. Photo: Shutterstock

Vancouver, British Columbia. Many Canadians have been priced out of the housing market. Photo: Shutterstock

Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Photo: The Canadian Press via AP

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Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters

Conservative Party of Canada leader Pierre Poilievre rises to vote in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters

Canada’s New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh speaks during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters

Canada further tightens rules on foreign students and temporary workers

A Canada Border Services Agency logo is seen on a worker at Toronto Pearson International Airport. Photo: Reuters

Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Marc Miller takes part in a press conference in Ottawa in January. Photo: Reuters

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Migrants have been blamed for everything from a housing crisis to a rising cost of living and a strained healthcare system


Migrants have been blamed for everything from a housing crisis to a rising cost of living and a strained healthcare system.


Justin Trudeau