A key method of restricting the population of temporary residents is to offer them permanent resident status, the immigration minister said Friday, but that doesn’t mean everyone who wants to stay will be able to.
Marc Miller met with his provincial and territorial counterparts for the first time since since he announced an unprecedented plan to set limits on the number of new temporary residents.
The aim is to rein in runaway growth, which has put pressure on the housing market and other services. The number of temporary residents would decrease over the next three years to five per cent of Canada’s population, down from the 6.2 per cent it was in 2023.
Several provincial ministers pitched expanding their own immigration programs as a way to transition temporary visa holders into permanent residents.
“The fact people are already here, their impact on affordability has already been baked in, so it’s smart,” Miller said.
“But it doesn’t mean by extension that everyone’s entitled to stay here or be here in Canada.”
The new targets for temporary residents are expected to be published in the fall.