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IRCC’s #ImmigrationMatters campaign highlights the benefits of immigration
September 27, 2022
By CIC News |
Since 2018 Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has been running its immigration matters campaign as part of IRCC’s efforts to raise awareness of the benefits of immigration about all the ways immigration enriches Canada.
Also called #WelcomingWeek2022, IRCC runs this campaign both to educate Canadians on why immigration is so important, as well as make potential newcomers aware of all they have to gain by immigrating. The campaign features community events, as well as a website that shares immigration success stories, information on how the immigration system works and ways that Canadians can get involved with immigration initiatives in their communities.
In recent years, Canada has been inviting an increasing number of immigrants into the country and is on track to welcome nearly 432,000 new permanent residents by the end of 2022. Immigration is key to maintaining Canada’s labour force and supporting the economy, as well as creating diverse and strong communities.
Immigrants choose Canada
Newcomers to Canada choose to stay because of the country’s economic opportunities and stability. The result is an 85% retention rate of permanent residents in Canada. According to the campaign data, most immigrants make the same as a natural-born Canadian within 12 years of arrival. However, it often does not take that long for skilled workers who already have some Canadian work experience, such as those who immigrate through the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) or another Express Entry program.
Canada also has a history of opening up to refugees in times of crisis. UNHCR reports that Canada has settled over 700,000 refugees since 1959. This is ongoing even today as Canada invites refugees from Ukraine and Afghanistan. Over 80,000 Ukrainian refugees have arrived in Canada since the start of the conflict under the Canada Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET). This allows Ukrainians to obtain temporary resident status visas. Canada has also seen record numbers of immigrants from Afghanistan. In the first half of 2022, 11,415 Afghans arrived, making them the fourth biggest source of immigrants for the year so far.