Friday October 25, 2024
Mogadishu (HOL) — Canada has announced major cuts to its immigration targets, reducing the number of new arrivals as the country seeks to control population growth amid increasing housing and social service pressures. The revised plan, introduced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, scales back Canada’s 2025 permanent residency goal from 500,000 to 395,000—a 21% reduction. Trudeau admitted his administration “misjudged the balance” in attempting to solve labour shortages through high immigration.
With public sentiment shifting, recent surveys indicate growing concerns over Canada’s high immigration rates, particularly their impact on housing affordability and strained public services. Trudeau and Immigration Minister Marc Miller, acknowledging these concerns, have further reduced the annual residency goal to 365,000 by 2027.
These changes have raised questions within Canada’s Somali community, especially among those who arrive through the Group-5 sponsorship program.
For the past several years, the G5 program has allowed private citizens to directly support refugees by forming groups of five Canadians or permanent residents who collectively fund and facilitate the resettlement of individuals fleeing war, persecution, or human rights abuses. Managed by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the G5 program requires sponsors to cover essential expenses, such as housing, healthcare, and schooling, for at least one year, or until the refugee becomes financially independent.
Responding to these concerns, Mohamed Doli, a Canadian immigration law expert, assured that Group-5 sponsorships would likely be unaffected by the cuts. “The reduction mainly targets temporary foreign workers and international students rather than humanitarian and family reunification categories like Group-5,” Doolli explained.
According to Doli, the primary strain on Canada’s immigration system stems from temporary worker and student permits, especially following recent surges in arrivals from India. He estimated that Group-5 and family reunification migrants represent around 25,000 annually, a modest number compared to other immigrant categories.
Housing shortages remain a pressing issue in Canada’s major cities, with rent for single rooms hitting as high as $3,000 per month, a substantial jump from previous rates of $700 or $800. Doli said that the root cause of the housing crisis lies in restrictive government policies limiting new construction, not immigration itself. Lengthy regulatory processes continue to delay new developments, affecting housing availability.
Trudeau defended Canada’s immigration system, highlighting its economic contributions and role in fostering multiculturalism. “Our immigration model has always been flexible,” he noted, stressing that recent cuts aim to balance growth with resource availability. Nearly all of Canada’s population growth—97% in the last year—was driven by immigration, according to federal data, with overall unemployment rising to 6.5% and youth unemployment now exceeding 14%.
The policy shift marks a departure from Canada’s historically open-door immigration stance. Since taking office in 2015, Trudeau’s administration steadily raised annual immigration targets, reaching 485,000 in 2023. Economists warn, however, that this rapid growth has overstretched housing and social services, sparking debate on sustainable immigration levels.
A recent Environics Institute survey, which tracked Canadian attitudes toward immigration since 1977, reveals that 58% of Canadians now believe immigration levels are too high. The institute noted that public opinion has “shifted sharply from broad acceptance to viewing immigration as increasingly problematic.”
The G5 program’s strict eligibility requirements mean that refugees sponsored through it must hold Refugee Status Determination (RSD) documentation from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) or a comparable authority. Additionally, the program is open only to refugees outside their home country, excluding those already within Canada. The application process is both rigorous and time-intensive, with a timeline that can stretch from 12 to 36 months.