Who are the 500,000 immigrants headed to Canada? A look at the numbers
Immigration Minister Marc Miller.Canada does not foresee a cut to immigration levels and plans to hold its target of annual newcomers steady at 500,000 people starting in 2026, according to plans tabled in Parliament by Miller. A closer look at the data and breakdown by category can give an idea of who these new immigrants headed to Canada will be.The Immigration Levels Plan sets guidelines and targets for how many permanent residents Canada plans to welcome under economic, humanitarian and family reunification streams.The latest plan maintains previously set targets of welcoming 485,000 new permanent residents in 2024 and 500,000 new permanent residents for 2025.
The number will stay at 500,000 in 2026 and “stabilize,” which Miller said is about “allowing time for successful integration” as well as “sustainable population growth.”The total number of new permanent residents will be divided into four broad categories. These categories are economic; family reunification; refugees and protected persons; and one listed as “humanitarian, compassionate and others.”So how many of each are set to come to Canada?Economic migrants are projected to make up the largest chunk of newcomers, with 281,135 economic migrants projected in 2024 and 301,250 per year in 2025 and 2026.Family reunification numbers will also go up, from 114,000 in 2024 to 118,000 in 2025 and 2026.The spouses, partners and children of Canadian citizens and permanent residents are expected to number 84,000 annually, while parents and grandparents are projected to be at 34,000.While the number of economic immigrants and family members will go up over time, newcomers in other categories are expected to go down.
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