OTTAWA, Canada — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is pulling Canada’s welcome mat away from newcomers as record inflows sank public support for immigration. Canada will admit nearly 20 percent fewer permanent residents next year, or 395,000, compared to this year’s expected level of 485,000, according to the latest government’s plan from Immigration Minister Marc Miller. The numbers will then continue to drop by about 4 percent annually through 2027.
The government also set its first-ever target for temporary immigrants. The group, which includes international students and foreign workers who have been a key driver of post-pandemic influxes, will see their numbers decline by about 446,000 in 2025 and 2026, compared to 2023 levels of about 800,000. In 2027, Canada will admit 17,400 new non-permanent residents.
Overall, the plan means Canada’s population would decline by 0.2 percent in each of the next two years, before rebounding with modest growth of 0.8 percent in 2027.
That’s compared to annual growth of 3 percent in the second quarter of this year, one of the fastest rates in the world and on par with developing countries with high birth rates. If the Trudeau government meets its goal, the country’s population will shrink for the first time in data going back to the early 1950s. At a news conference, Trudeau described the plan as a “pause” on population growth to allow all levels of government to catch up and make the necessary investments in health care, ho.
