Immigration Plan 2017: Canada to Welcome

Increased Number of Immigrants Through Economic

and Family Sponsorship Programs
OCTOBER 31, 2016

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The government of Canada has released its widely anticipated

immigration plan for 2017, and the news looks good for individuals looking to immigrate to
Canada through one of the economic or family sponsorship programs.
Key highlights:

Target number of newcomers through Federal Skilled Worker Class, Federal Skilled
Trades Class, and Canadian Experience Class increases by 23 percent.

Government aims for 51,000 new immigrants to come through the Provincial Nominee
Programs.

Quebec aims to welcome more than 29,000 through economic programs, including
the Quebec Skilled Worker Program.

Economic immigration to make up a larger share of overall immigration than in 2016.

More spouses, partners, children, parents and grandparents to arrive through Family
Class sponsorship programs.

Although the plan targets an increase in economic immigrants and sponsored persons, the target
figures for theRefugees and Protected Persons immigration categories are down compared to
the 2016 plan. However, the overall target for these programs, set at 40,000, remains far higher
than at any time during the previous Conservative governments tenure.
Overall, Canada may welcome as many as 320,000 new immigrants over the calendar year of
2017. The increased scope presented by the government the plan for 2016 allowed for up to
305,000 newcomers is likely reflective of a desire to increase immigration over the coming
years in order to respond to labour shortages and demographic challenges. Earlier this year,
Immigration Minister John McCallum said that theres a significant feeling that Canada does
need more immigrants, partly because we have an aging population, and so we need more
young blood to keep our economies going.
Before announcing the plan on October 31, 2016, Minister John McCallum met with stakeholders
across the country. In a statement, he said that the 2017 levels plan will put Canada in a strong
position for the future and support our overall economic and social development as a country.

Immigration Category

2017 Target 2016 Target

Percentage Difference, 2016 to 201

Economic Total

172,500

160,600

+7.41%

Family Total

84,000

80,000

+5%

Refugee and Humanitarian

43,500

59,400

-26.77%

280k320k

280k305k

+4.92% (higher range)

300,000

300,000

No change

Target range
Target

To view a full breakdown of the various immigration programs under each of these categories
and the target immigration numbers for 2017, click here.

Express Entry: Significant increase in ITAs to be issued in

2017
Of all the changes that have been made for the 2017 plan, arguably the most significant is the
increased role that Canadas Express Entry immigration selection system is expected to play
next year. Express Entry, which was first launched in January, 2015, is a system used by
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to select candidates for immigration to
Canada through the following economic immigration programs:

Federal Skilled Worker Class

Federal Skilled Trades Class

Canadian Experience Class

Together, up to 75,300 new immigrants will land in Canada through one of these programs in
2017. This includes applicants who applied prior to the launch of Express Entry and whose
applications remain in the inventory of applications that have not yet been processed to
completion. Last year, the government set an upper target range of 59,000 for these programs.
Moreover, the inventory of applications submitted before 2015 was larger at that time.
Consequently, the number of people to be invited to apply for Canadian permanent residence
through Express Entry in 2017 is expected to go up considerably.
The past few weeks have seen a distinct upswing in Express Entry activity, and this may be a
sign of things to come in 2017. The most recent draw, which took place on October 19, was the
largest ever, and the number of Invitations to Apply (ITAs) issued per draw has increased for
each of the past four draws.

Provincial Nominee Programs

Around 51,000 (potentially up to 54,000) new permanent residents will come through
the Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs), representing an increase from 47,800 in 2016. Most
provinces and territories have base PNP streams, as well as enhanced categories aligned with
the Express Entry system.

The PNPs allow provinces and territories to nominate individuals who wish to immigrate to
Canada and who are interested in settling in a particular province or territory. Over the past
couple of years, these programs have become more varied in scope and increasingly dynamic in
their approach to bringing newcomers to the provinces.
British Columbia, for example, has successfully introduced an exciting new system (the Skills
Immigration Registration System) for attracting and ranking candidates.
Meanwhile, Saskatchewan has been active both within and outside the Express Entry
system, Manitoba continues to conduct draws from its pool of skilled worker candidates,
and Alberta continues to process applications across a range of categories.
Further east in Ontario, 2016 was such a busy year that the province had to place a temporary
pause on some popular PNP streams. That being said, next year may well see even more PNP
activity from Canadas most populated province. The Maritime provinces along the east coast
also remain active with their PNPs, attracting individuals from different backgrounds and with
various occupations. In addition to these popular categories, the Atlantic Immigration Pilot
Program a new initiative between the federal government and eastern provinces will be
launched in earnest in 2017, bringing up to 2,000 more newcomers to Eastern Canada through
this program alone.
There are a couple of things that are worth noting about the PNPs as we enter 2017. First,
individuals who may not be eligible to enter the Express Entry pool (for example, because of
limited language proficiency) may be eligible to immigrate to Canada through a PNP. Second,
and contrary to much popular opinion, some PNP categories do not require individuals to have a
previous connection to the province, and some PNP categories do not require individuals to have
a job offer.
The PNPs may also prove to be the pathway to permanent residence for international
graduates who have completed their studies in Canada, as well as entrepreneur
immigrants looking to settle in Canada.

Quebec remains a force

With a new Expression of Interest-style immigration system expected to be launched at some
point in the future, 2017 could be an interesting year for Quebecs economic immigration
programs. This unique province, which has a separate immigration agreement with the
government of Canada, welcomes skilled workers, investors andentrepreneurs, as well as
individuals with experience of working or studying in the province.
Last week, Quebecs Immigration Minister Kathleen Weil doubled down on a plan to maintain
annual immigration levels above 50,000 for the coming year, despite political opposition. With a
target of up to 31,200 to come through Quebecs economic programs, Quebec will remain a force
in the overall Canadian immigration landscape.

Economic immigration overall

Economic immigration supports Canadas long-term economic priorities, with the goal of
improving livelihoods for Canadians and newcomers alike, while also improving Canadas global
competitiveness. The chart below shows the full range of Canadas economic immigration
categories, and their percentage share within the overall target for economic immigration to
Canada in 2017.

Economic Immigration Program

2017 Levels Plan Target

Skilled (FSW, FST, CEC)

71,700

Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program

2,000

Federal Business

500

Provincial Nominee Programs

51,000

Quebec Skilled Workers and Business

29,300

Caregivers

18,000

Overall

172,500

Reuniting more families in Canada

Before the Liberal Party won last years federal election, leading party members, including the
current Immigration Minister John McCallum, made it clear that Canadas family sponsorship
programs needed to be more of a priority in a number of ways. This includes increasing the
number of sponsored immigrants, reducing processing times, and removing the conditional
permanent residence provision on certain sponsored spouses and common-law partners.
Towards this end, the government has made a number of positive changes. The 2017
Immigration Plan reveals a government target of 84,000 sponsored immigrants through family
sponsorship programs, including 64,000spouses, partners, and children, as well as
20,000 parents and grandparents.
Moreover, the government plans on repealing the conditional permanent residence regulatory
provisions for certain sponsored spouses and common-law partners. If approved, the change is
expected to come into force in spring 2017. Finally, the government has also made strong
headway on reducing family sponsorship processing times: the latest figures show an overall
reduction in processing times of 15 percent over the past year.

Continuing growth, beneficial for all

Over the past few months there has been much talk, both across Canada and around the world,
about immigration. And of all the countries in the world, Canada continues to stands out as a
beacon of hope, notes Attorney David Cohen.
Compare Canada to the rhetoric coming out of Australia, the United States, and much of Europe
so far this year. It is markedly different, to say the least. What the government of Canadas 2017
Immigration Plan shows is a commitment to growth, economic and social. It is as much about
bringing the worlds best and brightest as it is about ensuring that their family members, as well
as the family members of Canadians, can join them here quickly.
Finally, it is crucial that Canada maintains its welcoming attitude towards those who need
protection the most, namely refugees, and this plan retains a high share of refugees and
protected persons within the mix.

To find out if you are eligible for immigration to Canada through one
of the many programs currently available, please fill out a free online
assessment today.
To find out if you or your spouse, partner or dependent(s) is eligible
for sponsorship under the Family Class, please fill out a free online
family class assessment. To find out if you or your family members
are eligible for the Parent and Grandparent Program (PGP), please fill
out a free parental sponsorship assessment today.
-Mamunoor Rashid
MD
Welcome Group
House-01,Road-06,Sector-03. Uttara, Dhaka-1230,Bangladesh.(Ground floor of Uttara
Officer's Club)
Phone: +88-01720055952, +88-02-8954974
E-mail: rashidmamunoor@gmail.com
www.welcomeimmigration.com