Carney Stresses Immigration Goals in New Letter to Ministers

Prime Minister Mark Carney sent a clear message to his cabinet in a recent letter. He highlighted two main goals for Canada’s immigration system. First, he wants to bring immigration numbers back to levels Canada can manage well. Second, he aims to attract top talent from around the world to boost Canada’s economy. These goals rank among the top priorities for the government.

What Are Mandate Letters?

Mandate letters guide cabinet ministers. The Prime Minister sends these letters to share big goals and plans. Usually, each minister gets their own letter. It’s not clear yet if Carney will do the same. But this letter sets the tone for immigration work ahead.

Bringing Immigration Numbers to Manageable Levels

Carney wants to reduce immigration to what Canada can support. During the election, the Liberals said immigration had grown too fast. This fast growth stressed housing and public services in many places.

To fix this, they plan to keep permanent resident numbers below 1% of the population each year after 2027. Canada’s population will be around 41.5 million in 2025. The government’s plan for 2025 to 2027 already follows this rule.

The plan calls for 395,000 new permanent residents in 2025, then 380,000 in 2026, and 365,000 in 2027.

Attracting the Best Talent Worldwide

Besides reducing overall numbers, Carney wants Canada to welcome the best workers globally. This matches earlier election promises. The plan includes improving the Global Skills Strategy (GSS). This program helps Canadian companies hire skilled foreign workers faster, usually within two weeks.

The government also wants to help businesses and entrepreneurs bring in top talent. It focuses on attracting highly skilled people, especially from the United States.

Carney’s plan also calls for better and quicker recognition of foreign degrees and work experience. This helps skilled immigrants start working in Canada faster.

Background: Changes from Previous Government

These ideas continue work started under the last Immigration Minister, Marc Miller. At that time, Canada slowed both temporary and permanent immigration.

They took steps like:

• Lowering targets for study and work permits;
  
• Cutting back permanent resident numbers to pre-pandemic levels;
  
• Stopping new low-wage work permits in places with high unemployment;
  
• Giving priority to immigrants already in Canada for economic programs;
  
• Limiting new study permits;
  
• Changing job categories for Express Entry immigration;
  
• Adding language and study rules for Post-Graduation Work Permits;
  
• Creating new immigration paths for skilled trades and construction workers;
  
• Limiting work permits for family members;
  
• Removing extra points for arranged employment in Express Entry.
  

These changes aimed to balance immigration with economic needs and community support.