The Government of Canada is working hard to resettle 40,000 Afghan nationals as quickly and safely as possible. Over the past week, nearly 460 Afghan refugees arrived in Canada on 20 different commercial flights. To date, a total of 7,550 Afghan nationals have arrived in Canada.
Canada needs immigration to drive our economy, help address labour shortages, and keep our communities thriving. The Government of Canada understands that to keep attracting talent as a destination of choice, we must remain committed to improving our client service and providing the best experience possible for people who see their future in Canada.
Global migration has been upended by the pandemic. Widespread travel restrictions, local public health measures, and constraints on our settlement partners have all had a significant impact on our clients’ ability to provide complete applications or travel. Measures taken to protect the health and safety of employees and Canadians have also affected IRCC’s ability to process paper applications and lengthened processing times for some. IRCC has taken action and come a long way since the onset of the pandemic—providing additional resources where they are needed most and streamlining our processes.
Immigration is the engine of the Canadian economy, helping to address labour shortages and keep our communities thriving. Newcomers have played an essential role in addressing some of our most severe labour shortages throughout the pandemic, including on the front lines. However, there remain challenges, including processing delays that have led to frustrations for those trying to come to Canada to work or reunite with their families. While Canada welcomed the highest number of permanent residents in a single year in 2021 by processing a record number of applications, border restrictions and other pandemic-related factors have led to delays for many applicants, and long waits for application updates. We know these need to be addressed.
Canada is responding as quickly as possible to the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan by helping bring Afghan citizens and their families safely to their new home. We remain firm in our commitment to resettle 40,000 Afghan nationals, and our partnerships with provinces, territories and settlement service providers across the country are key to achieving this goal.
Newcomers to Canada play a crucial role in the future of our country and contribute in important ways to our society and economic recovery from the pandemic. To ensure newcomers settling in small towns and rural communities have access to essential services during their first year in Canada, the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced an investment of more than $35 million to expand resettlement capacity and settlement services across Canada.
For 2 decades, Canadians have worked side by side with Afghan nationals to improve security, democracy and human rights in Afghanistan. Now Canada is welcoming people who face risks as a result of this vitally important work.
“Today marks the 75th anniversary of the Canadian Citizenship Act, a major moment in Canada’s history and a milestone on our journey to full independence and nationhood. Before the Act, the people of this country were British subjects – we have forever since been Canadian citizens.”
Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Sean Fraser announces the Permanent Atlantic Immigration Program to attract workers and drive economic growth
With the significant exception of Indigenous people, all Canadians originally come from somewhere else. The story of immigration fills many chapters in the history of Canada—including the most recent one. To support Canada’s post-pandemic recovery and chart a more prosperous future, the Government of Canada set a target of welcoming 401,000 new permanent residents in 2021, as part of the 2021–2023 Immigration Levels Plan.