Canada's Bold Move: Reducing Temporary Immigration to Address Housing Shortage

Canada is set to impose a cap on temporary immigration to address housing shortages and strain on essential services. The plan involves reducing temporary residents to 5% of the total population over the next three years. Immigration Minister Marc Miller will finalize the plan in May with provincial counterparts.

Canada is taking unprecedented steps to curb temporary immigration in an effort to tackle its housing shortage and the strain on essential services, Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced on Thursday. This marks the first time the country has considered such a measure.

Over recent years, Canada has experienced a surge in international students and foreign workers arriving on temporary visas, driven by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's economic policies. However, critics argue that this influx has worsened the housing crisis and overwhelmed services like education and healthcare. The government aims to lower temporary residents to 5% of the total population from the current 6.2% over the next three years, a significant reduction from 2.5 million in 2023.

Miller emphasized the need for sustainable immigration levels, announcing that the immigration plan will now include both temporary and permanent resident arrivals. This fall, the Trudeau government also plans to stop increasing permanent resident numbers and has already placed caps on international student intake.

(With inputs from agencies.)