Canada has recently released its Immigration Levels Plan 2023-2025 which aims to invite 465,000 new immigrants in 2023, 485,000 immigrants in 2024, and 500,000 new immigrants in 2025. The country broke its all-time immigration record by inviting over 405,000 immigrants in 2021 and is looking forward to welcoming approximately 432,000 immigrants this year.

The Immigration Levels Plan acts as a guide for the number of immigrants Canada targets to welcome each year. Canada’s immigration goals include growing the economy, reuniting families, and offering asylum to refugees fleeing hardship abroad.

Express Entry and PNP Goals Will Increase

Economic class programs such as those within Express Entry or Provincial Nomination Programs (PNPs) account for the majority of new permanent residents. The targets for Express Entry landings will increase as follows:

• 82,880 in 2023
• 109,020 in 2024
• 114,000 in 2025

The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) will remain Canada’s foremost admissions program for economic-class immigrants and targets will also rise to:

• 105,500 in 2023
• 110,000 in 2024
• 117,500 in 2025

Increased PGP Admissions

 Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) also have the mandate to unify families. After economic class programs, family class sponsorship is the second largest permanent residence class set out by the Immigration Levels Plan. In family immigration programs, a spouse, partner, child, or other members of the family sponsors the applicant for permanent residence. Canada will continue to look to welcome 80,000 new immigrants per year under the spouses, partners, and children program.

Parents and Grandparents Program participants will reach 28,500 in 2023, 34,000 in 2024, and 36,000 in 2025.

The Number of Refugees and Humanitarians is Expected to Decline 

Refugees and humanitarian-class immigrants also have an allocation under the immigration levels plan. Canada grants asylum to displaced persons from unsafe countries. Due to its ongoing efforts to complete several campaigns, such as welcoming 40,000 Afghan refugees, Canada has high humanitarian targets. During 2023 and 2024, the overall refugee class target will be just over 76,000 new arrivals, before declining to 72,750 in 2025. As for the humanitarian class target, it is expected to decline from nearly 16,000 in 2023 to 8,000 by 2025.