The top Canadian immigration developments to expect for the rest of 2023

By CIC News |

Fall and the lead-up to the Christmas holiday period are typically busy seasons for developments from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and Canada’s immigration system in general.

While there are a lot of moving parts to Canada’s immigration system, there are several key developments to watch for as the year comes to a close.

These include potential changes in Canada’s immigration policy priorities and permanent residence levels, and updates to the parents and grandparents, international student, and work permit programs.

New Ministerial Mandate Letter?
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau may issue a new Ministerial Mandate letter in the coming months.

Mandate letters act as instructions to ministers from the Prime Minister on the government’s objectives for their term.

In other words, the letter to Canada’s Immigration Minister shapes the country’s immigration policy and will help determine how IRCC acts moving forward.

The Prime Minister may choose to issue new mandate letters following a cabinet shuffle, such as the one that occurred this summer when Marc Miller became Canada’s new immigration minister but there is no obligation for the Prime Minister to issue a letter at all and Minister Miller may simply pick up where Sean Fraser, the previous minister left off.

The last mandate letter requested that the minister continue to welcome newcomers under the Immigration Levels Plan to help reunite family and strengthen Canada’s economic growth and recovery post-pandemic.

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