Immigration to Remain Central to Canada’s Economy

Key Highlights:

• Thank You, Immigration Minister
• Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
• The New Mandate
• Defining Key Issues
• New Session of Parliament
• Come What May

The Canadian government has revealed its new immigration priorities.

Let us first hear what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had to say to Immigration Minister, Mr. Marco Mendocino. "Thank you for continuing to serve Canadians as Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship."

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

"Priorities set out in my mandate letter to you in 2019, as Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, you will implement on a priority basis the following commitments, as set out in the Speech from the Throne 2020 and building off the investments in the Fall Economic Statement 2020."

• "Continue to bring newcomers to Canada safely to drive economic growth and recovery, as recently set out in the 2021-2023 Immigration Levels Plan, including by:

1. Expanding pilot programming to welcome skilled refugees through economic immigration streams;
2. Continuing to support expedited family reunification; and
3. Continuing work on sectoral and regional pilot programs.
   
   

• Continue to implement measures that create permanent residency pathways for those who have provided health care in long-term care homes or medical facilities or performed other essential services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Continue working with the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness and the Minister of Health to protect Canadians' health and safety through safe, responsible and compassionate management of the border with the United States and other ports of entry into Canada.
• Continue exploring pathways to permanent residency and citizenship for temporary foreign workers.
• Support the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion to continue fully supporting and protecting workers who are vulnerable to COVID-19 and secure labour to fill workforce gaps in farming and food processing.
• Continue working with provinces and territories to support high-quality settlement services and facilitate the successful settlement and integration of new Canadians. It includes continuing to support French-language training while respecting provincial jurisdiction and complementing existing measures, supported by the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages."

The New Mandate

Immigration is going to remain central to Canadian economic development. It is what the Prime Minister stressed in the new supplementary legislation. 

It is one of the essential document letters to the Canadian immigration department.

Defining Key Issues

The mandate letter is designed to highlight critical issues. The new immigration program for IRCC is to improve application processing times. Remember, Canada announced a historic new immigration plan to welcome over 401,000 new immigrants every year.

This new mandate letter from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau supplements the one provided in December 2019.

The New Session of Parliament

The Canadian parliament started a new session of parliament in September 2020. It was meant to incorporate new objectives that emerged from the Covid-19 pandemic.

There are no surprises in this supplementary letter. It explicitly outlines the goals in the earlier December 2019 mandate letter.

Come What May

Be there a pandemic or not. Canada will continue to operate its immigration program as best as it can. The country is looking forward to harnessing global citizens' skills and talents to support its economic health.