Over the last few years, Canada's immigration system has needed some course corrections. Granted, IRCC has had to make some hard decisions. But do they have to be hasty ones?
Canada needs immigrants. Immigrants make up for the country's ageing, shrinking population and contribute to the labour market.
Yet, in 2023, rising housing costs, shortage of public services, and increasing cost-of-living, changed the political opinion and public sentiment around immigration. The government responded to this pressure by doing a hard U-turn.The "Canada's doors are open" messaging gave way to "taking back control" and "returning immigration to sustainable levels."
Some of the changes that followed were warranted. For instance, the international student program had grown to prioritize quantity over quality. It needed fixing, but perhaps notthe way IRCC did.
