Immigration Minister Marc Miller has unveiled plans to reassess the number of temporary visitors to Canada, aiming to preserve the sustainability of the program. However, the specific steps the government will employ to attain this aim remain undisclosed.
Announcing his plans after setting the immigration attritions for long-term inhabitants on a Wednesday afternoon, Miller confirmed that the strategy’s execution would heavily rely on the varying categories of work and study permits.
In the agricultural sector, he noted the requirement for a more collaborative and thorough approach to the issue of temporary foreign worker status being exploited. Miller addressed the unenviable conditions these workers often face, such as unsafe work environments, abuse, and threats of deportation if their performance is deemed unsatisfactory.
Despite this, Miller also acknowledged that there have been notable success stories and emphasised the need for an exhaustive solution to what he described as an ‘ecosystem’ issue.
Over the past three years, the Liberals’ unprecedented immigration attritions for permanent residents raised concerns amidst Canada’s shortage of attainable and low-priced housing options. While no such targets govern the issuance of transient resident visas for employment or study in Canada, these figures have risen substantially.
The Immigration Department’s recent annual report displays a considerable rise in temporary worker visas. From 337,460 permits in 2018, the number soared to 605,851 in 2022. Miller expressed concern over Canada’s increasing dependence on temporary foreign workers and the unforeseen ripple effects.
A surge was also recorded in the population of international students. Miller had previously ordered changes in the authentication of school acceptance letters to ward off deceit.
Previous Immigration Minister, Sean Fraser, who currently serves as the Housing Minister, suggested putting a cap on the international student visas to combat housing scarcity in university towns. However, Miller seems disinclined towards this plan.
He reassured that drastic measures will not be resorted to, and he can only, for the time being, provide a general outline about the proposed transformations to the programs.
Miller stated, “Specific measures will be addressed in a very surgical way in the near future.”
