Canadian Immigration News

MINISTER PLANS TO MAINTAIN CURRENT IMMIGRATION LEVELS

Canada’s new immigration minister, Monte Solberg, said that he has no plans to change the number of immigrants that Canada accepts every year.

Canada’s new immigration minister, Monte Solberg, said that he has no plans to change the number of immigrants that Canada accepts every year. However, he maintained that the mix of immigrants, and the type of visa they use to enter the country, may need to change to match Canada’s labour shortages.

Solberg proposed the idea of liaising with both provincial governments and industries to harmonize Canada’s intake of skilled immigrants with specific labour needs, especially in Canada's booming natural resource industry. However, this should not change the overall number of newcomers that Canada welcomes every year.

In 2004, almost 236 000 newcomers came to Canada. The intake of immigrants for 2005 is expected to increase to over 245 000.