Immigration ministers in Canada want to plan for a post-coronavirus world

The federal and provincial immigration ministers of Canada have maintained throughout the coronavirus crisis that immigration would be the key to promote economic recovery in the country once the crisis is over.

Recently, they reiterated their commitment to being welcoming towards immigrants in the future. They rely on immigrants to lead the economic recovery in the country once the pandemic is behind us.

Canada organizes frequent meetings between the federal and provincial government levels in order to have a successful immigration system. The Canadian ministers who are in charge of immigration attended an online meeting on July 24 to talk about the influence of coronavirus on the immigration system. Moreover, they also engaged in discussions regarding regional economic immigration and immigration levels planning.

What was discussed in the meeting?

Ministers thought about approving the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Strategic Plan for Canadian Immigration 2020-2023. The plan would list all the immigration priorities. It was agreed that international students would be the key drivers in both demographic and economic growth in the post-pandemic world. Not only will they be crucial for the country’s economic recovery.

The present travel restrictions have negatively affected Canada’s ability to welcome new immigrants for now, but they have not displaced the long-term drivers responsible for increases in the immigration level.

Canada is currently suffering from labor shortages in multiple industries. The aging population and the low birth rate contribute to the problem further. Immigration allows Canada to keep up a positive population growth and reduce the gaps present in the labor market. The ministers agreed to collaborate and develop a new Municipal Nominee Program since Canada is still struggling to attract newcomers to the smaller cities.