Canada and the rest of the world endured a year like no other in
2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, and immigration was severely
impacted.
Travel restrictions and the closure of the Canada-U.S. border
meant newcomers were reduced to a trickle from March, with numbers
of new permanent residents way below federal government
projections.
Exemptions allowed in work permit holders, some new permanent
residents and certain international students, but for three months
at the start of the pandemic, the immigration system essentially
stood still.
Numbers recovered to 15,000 new permanent residents a month by
October, still well below the more than 30,000 newcomers a month
being welcomed during the same period of 2020.
