Canada admits highest number of temporary and permanent residents in its history of immigration

According to the preliminary year-end figures for 2007 by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), Canada accepted the highest number of temporary and permanent residents in 2007 during its entire history of immigration.

A total of 429,649 permanent residents, temporary foreign workers and foreign students entered in Canada in 2007, a fourteen per cent increase over the previous four years.

Over 251,000 people immigrated to Canada on permanent basis in 2007. This number was within the planning target range of 240,000 to 265,000 new immigrants. By year’s end, more than 94 per cent visa holders had arrived in Canada.

A 12 per cent increase in the number of temporary foreign workers accounts for much of the increase in the overall number of temporary and permanent residents admitted in 2007. This sharp increase in labor demand could be translated into a fast growing economy, which will continue to grow in the next few years. The most recent Census indicates that in the past five years, Canada’s population grew by 1.6 million—with 1.1 million being the result of immigration. By 2012, immigration is expected to account for all net growth in country’s labor force.

With strong job growth and low unemployment, Canadian businesses are increasingly focusing on foreign workers to help fill regional labor shortages. Canadian employers added 43,300 net new employees to their work forces in the month of February, just under the 46,400 that were added in January and well above last year’s monthly average of 31,000. February job creation overwhelmed economist expectations of only 3,000 net new jobs in the month. This strong jobs performance brought Canada’s employment rate to a record high of 63.9 per cent and maintained the country’s 33-year low unemployment rate of 5.9 per cent.

A 4.6 percent increase in the number of foreign students admitted in 2007 was also seen. A number of factors account for the continued strength of foreign registrations. These include strong economic growth in leading Asian countries, such as China; new university marketing strategies to counter competition from institutions in other countries; changes in immigration policies; and provincial agreements with other countries to attract foreign students.