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The minister was probably chosen specifically because she was inept and wouldn't know what was going on in her department; that reduces the likelihood that anyone would be turned away a while longer. As Lorrie said - just like my Political Science professor pointed out almost 50 years ago - immigrants largely vote for whoever was in power when they arrived in the country. A very large percentage of the people that they bring into the country under a Liberal government are likely to vote Liberal. That's a (practically) guaranteed stream of new Liberal voters to replace the old Liberal voters who have become disillusioned by the Liberal Party's actions. It has to stop. We need to vet EVERYONE who comes in and we shouldn't be giving them gold-plated health care until we've granted them refugee status or permanent residency and they should be told that up front so no one is shocked or feels cheated. If they know that and still come, they'll know what they're facing. If they choose not to come, they've made an informed decision.

More BS from a supposedly neutral balanced media outlet. At least when the CBC have a panel they have one from each party. Here are the facts. The Honourable Lena Metlege Diab is the current Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. She was appointed to the role in May 2025 by Prime Minister Mark Carney following the April 2025 federal election. Her current activity is defined by a shift toward more restrictive and "talent-focused" policies. Here is the technical breakdown of her recent initiatives: 1. 2026 Express Entry Overhaul On February 18, 2026, Diab announced significant adjustments to the Express Entry system. The primary objective is to transition from broad intake to "sustainable levels" while addressing specific labor gaps. * New Categories: Streams were added for researchers, senior managers, transport occupations (pilots/mechanics), and foreign military personnel recruited by the Canadian Armed Forces. * Medical Priority: A specific category was introduced for foreign medical doctors already possessing Canadian work experience. * Tightened Requirements: She doubled the category-specific work experience requirement from 6 months to 12 months. This move is designed to narrow the candidate pool and prioritize those with deeper integration into the Canadian labor market. 2. Legislative Reform (Bill C-12) Diab is currently championing a major immigration and border security bill (C-12), which is moving through its third reading in the Senate as of February 26, 2026. * Executive Power: The bill grants the Governor in Council (acting on cabinet advice) broad authority to vary, cancel, or suspend immigration documents and applications in the "public interest." * Asylum Restrictions: Diab has been vocal about curbing what she terms "fraudulent" claims. The legislation proposes making anyone who has been in Canada for over a year ineligible to claim asylum, and it restricts claims from those entering via land borders outside official ports of entry. 3. Shift in Strategy The Minister’s rhetoric marks a pivot from previous Liberal administrations. Her current messaging focuses on "taking back control" of immigration levels. While she continues to promote the recruitment of "the best and brightest," she has explicitly stated the government's goal is to reduce the total annual number of both permanent and temporary residents. Summary Table | Focus Area | Recent Action | |---|---| | Express Entry | Increased experience threshold to 12 months; added military/researcher streams. | | Asylum Policy | Supporting Bill C-12 to restrict claims made after 1 year of residency. | | Staffing | Recently appointed Isaac MacDonald (former P.E.I. Liberal executive) as Director of Parliamentary Affairs.

Yes, Canada’s asylum system is currently facing intense scrutiny due to record-high claim volumes and allegations of systemic fraud. THE SCALE OF THE PROBLEM Backlog Explosion: The inventory of pending asylum claims has surged significantly, reaching approximately 300,000 active cases as of late 2025. Rising Claim Volumes: Annual claims reached a record 190,000 in 2024, though they decreased by about a third in early 2025 following new policy measures. Removal Gap: Criticisms have been raised regarding the low rate of deportations; reports indicate that 86% of rejected claimants remain in Canada. SOURCES OF "BOGUS" CLAIMS International Student Surge: There has been an "alarming trend" of international students claiming asylum to remain in the country after their study permits expire or in response to new caps on student visas. Fraud Networks: Investigations have highlighted vulnerabilities where unauthorized agents and transnational fraud networks counsel migrants to submit fabricated narratives or forged documents. "Rubber-Stamping" Allegations: A recent report by the C.D. Howe Institute warned that a paper-based "fast-track" system for certain high-risk countries may be bypassing essential security screenings and in-person questioning. ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL IMPACT Healthcare Costs: The Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP), which provides medical benefits to claimants, saw its budget jump from roughly $66 million to over $1 billion annually. Policy Shift: To reduce incentives for non-genuine claims, the government is introducing a co-pay system for supplementary health services (like dental and vision) starting May 1, 2026. CONSEQUENCES OF FRAUD For individuals, filing a "bogus" or misrepresented claim carries severe penalties: A five-year ban from entering or remaining in Canada. Permanent record of fraud with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Loss of current temporary or permanent resident status

I am an immigrant in Canada and these students assume their permanent residency is guaranteed after their studies but nobody was given 100% "assurance" but these students "assumed." The country does not need any more uber/skip the dishes drivers or salespersons. There is no need any more Temporary Foreign Workers until the economy improves. At the moment, the Canadian economy is in limbo.

100% Common sense! At some point, the Canadian government needs to prioritize Canadian and permanent residents; And let employers cover the cost of discounted private insurance for work permit holders.

Common sense. Liberals just step aside and take your resume with your last pay check for a permanent vacation.

We shouldn't offer Healthcare of any kind to non citizens or non permanent residents. Let's say that again another way. Healthcare should only go to citizens and permanent residents, and temporary foriegn workers. Nobody else should get anything unless they pay up front out of pocket.

STOP handing out permanent residency status for students. Mm and 5 year citizenship process, and grandparents and parent visas. Maybe put military service attachment and see how many will really stay. Make it mandatory that they can only apply for refugee status from home country. Not at the airport.

Can we have a referendum for a city to leave Alberta? After all, the referendums can be played by various sides... Be careful what you wish for you may get it... Also, the question are actually misleading: Alberta does have its own provincial nomindation program and can nominate people to obtain permanent residence in Alberta.

Yet no referendum on cpp or Alberta Canada permanence or how about an actual election as the government has lost the confidence of the entire province.

Non-Permanent Residents (NPRs)—which include work permit holders, international students, and asylum claimants—account for approximately 5.6% to 5.8% of Alberta's total population. Just 5.8% !!! Even you get all of them out, can you fix Alberta problem? The oil industry is already a sunset industry; if they can't manage the economy well, they'll just look for excuses. Referendum is just an excuse.

Remove permanent residence programs, only ask for citizens by birth or naturalize after one year as a work permit holder

Any i immigrant criminal convicted of a crime needs to be deported . With a permanent ban to return to Canada

Yeah they'll get permanent residency.

ditto - Deport them and their family's with a permanent ban on ever returning

Wish I could tell you my story about permanent residence experience

Deport them and their family's with a permanent ban on ever returning

I immigrated to Canada when Jason Kenney was the immigration minister, came here as a permanent resident. Having said that, I do agree that our immigration system is out of whack.

Your preaching to the choir, we are DOOMED to permanent Liberal ideology here in Canada

WHY DO WE EVEN NEED IMMIGRANTS ANYMORE? Every government for the past 50 years has ignored WHY our birthrates are declining. Every government in the past 50 years has ignored the cultural destruction occurring because they flood us with people from 3rd world 💩 holes rather than white European Christians with shared values, heritage, & ethics. Immigrants are not only of ZERO VALUE today, but are permanently destroying everything that made us a united, cohesive, safe, democratic, free society.

What happened to Canada. They give Permanent residence for that kind of English.

Canada needs to deport permanent residents for 10years or more. They have their time to apply for citizenship but chose not to.

If Quebec can loosen their language-related laws, existing Canadian citizens and permanent residents from across the country can actually get decent jobs without having to get in foreign workers.

Temporary is always permanent in the United States.

She came here to study. And then she is classed as a TEMPORARY Foreign Worker. She even acknowleges that she doesn't have enough experience under the program's stipulations to stay. Is something lost in translation here? 🧐 She now has transferrable skills AND an education to take back to her home country. AND she can reapply to reimmigrate as a PERMANENT RESIDENT next time. She is exploiting the system.

She speaks good french, she can easily score NCLC 7 and become permanent resident.

This is the problem: Temporary workers are temporary. Their arrangement stipulates that they work in-country for a number years, and then return home. Yet, many temporary workers are under the impression that they're actually semi-permanent residents. That's why they invest so much, expecting to be able to stay indefinitely. It needs to be made clear that temporary means temporary.

Yeah, the majority here in Ontario are happy that the government is getting it under control, and unfortunately, the method is not fair. The missing parts of the report are: 1) the government has increased the number of permanent residency spots to convert temporary residents, but the increase is not proportionate. 2) The reason why we had an increase in temporary residents was because corporations (like Tim Horton's) lobbied the government to let in more temporary workers whom they can underpay and exploit, as the employees don't have as many rights. So now it is not surprising that they are lobbying against the changes.

When she says ‘they’ promised a better life, she’s talking about her immigration agent. Canada only ever issued her and millions like her a ‘temporary’ visa. I’m empathetic, I came with a temporary visa originally but I did not ‘invest’ anything into my life but the bare minimum until my status was permanent.

Temporary immigration is just permanent residency with extra steps. Everyone thought they were promised permanent residency the moment they came in.

That’s the harsh reality. During Trudeau’s time, Canada saw a significant influx of newcomers, which put pressure on housing, the labour market, and healthcare. It’s normal for a country to tighten immigration for a few years; lower quotas naturally mean higher requirements. Coming on a study permit or a work permit doesn’t guarantee permanent residency. Once a temporary status expires, and if there’s no other legal pathway to stay, the person must leave Canada.

Not true. Most Canadians want smaller numbers and tighter requirements. The students and TEMPORARY workers think they automatically will get permanent residency, when in fact there are no guarantees..Why these people act like Canada did something wrong? Having that many people come is a strain on all our resources and job market. We have a right to decide who we need and want. Store manager is not a job that Canadians won't do.

So, I am applying to TEMPORARY working visa, and when that term is finished, and the government decides not to extend my TEMPORARY visa, I say, oh, wait, I invested so much money in this to be PERMANENT, nobody does such an investment to COME BACK to my country... Interesting.

Not that an issue in Canada. Some on the extreme right are playing the racism angle. What happened was too many people were allowed in the country in a short period of time, putting strain on services and employment. This was done during pandemic when labor was issue and with universities and colleges when tuition was frozen, and they set that with foreign students who were not qualified financially to study abroad and did it more for permanent residency.

Reduce pressure on housing”? Please. Three houses on my street are sitting empty, owned by wealthy people who don’t even live in Canada. That’s the reality on the ground. You can cut immigration all you want, and it still won’t fix the housing crisis. And let’s be precise: immigrants are not the same as migrants. Canada has high levels of legal, permanent immigration, but very little irregular or transient migration compared to other Western countries. The problem isn’t people needing homes. It’s homes being treated like safety-deposit boxes for the global rich. Empty houses, speculative ownership, and capital parked in real estate do far more damage than newcomers ever could. Blaming immigration is just a convenient distraction from the real issue: housing has been turned into an investment vehicle instead of a place to live.

As a Canada who speaks both French and English and who follows politics quite closely, I have to say that the headline and some of the reporting here is quite misleading. A reduction in immigration has broad support across Canada. I wouldn't say that notion is dividing the country in any significant way. You do have certain industry groups that disagree, but among the population these reductions have broad support. This is a historic change in public opinion in Canada, but it has been driven by the unprecedented increase in immigration under the last term of the Trudeau government. To put this in context, non-permanent residents in Canada numbered around 1.5 million on Q3 2023, but by Q3 2025, that number sat a just over 3 million. The previous government increased immigration targets by 3 or 4 times over what they had been for years, which caused a number of economic issues. Essentially, the volume was simply too high for the economy and society to support. This was unfair to both Canadians and new comers, many of which could not find employment or afford a decent place to live. The changes being suggested are largely bringing Canada back to what the targets were for over a decade before, though a bit lower to account for the sudden surge. Canada remains one of the most pro-immigration countries in the world. However, and this is where I think DW's reporting is misleading, there is a distinction to be made between policies at the federal level and policies at the provincial level. Immigration, per our constitution, is a federal matter, however, Quebec in particular is distinct from other provinces. I don't mean only culturally and linguistically, but also in the powers that have been devolved to it by the federal government. On the question of immigration, Quebec has more powers and more ability to set its immigration targets and programs than any of the other 9 provinces. The particular program discussed here, the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ), is a particular immigration stream that only existed in Quebec. So what is happening with that program cannot be labeled as a whole-of-Canada thing. Where the changes to the PEQ are controversial, unlike the general changes at the federal level, is that people who immigrated under that specific program were promised certain things. There was a multi-year time line to Permanent Residency and then Citizenship. Many of those people have been in Quebec for 5-8 years already. However, the changes made to the program were done in such a way where people who many years into the program, had gotten an education, started a career, had children, ect. are now being told they can't continue and must leave Canada. There are even stories of people who married Canadians, now have children, and the one parent who was under this program now faces the possibility of having to leave Canada and be separated from their family. All through no fault of their own. That is what many people see as unfair, and I agree, however limiting future applications under the program, to bring in less people, that is not controversial. Canada has no responsibility to bring in people who are not already in Canada, but Canada does have some responsibility towards people who uprooted their lives to move to Canada and built new lives here based on promises and representations made to them by the Canadian and Quebecois governments. We should no simply kick those people out of the country.

If you go to Canada, you will mostly see Punjabi people there. I don’t know why Punjabi people have become so obsessed with Canada. They mostly refer to going to Canada. They don’t even work properly or look for jobs in India; they just prefer going to Canada. I don’t know what kind of jobs they get there. Some of them go there depending on relatives, and some go illegally, which is completely wrong. Because I want to say one true thing about Indian people: there is very little civic sense in India. Yes, if they belong to the upper class, then they may have some civic sense, but in the lower and middle class, civic sense is very low. That’s why wherever they go, they behave the same way they think, without caring that they are in another country. They don’t care about respecting that country or adjusting to its culture. Instead, they try to impose their own culture everywhere. They want to create their own space everywhere and put their own things everywhere. But if foreigners come to India and live here permanently, they just do their work and live normally. Even if they do something publicly to promote their own culture, Indians will immediately go against them. But I haven’t seen the same reaction outside. People there should also oppose this; otherwise, Indians will really spread everywhere in the same way.

Fun fact: most Punjabis in Canada are permanent citizens

My parents immigrated in the early 90s and I was born in Canada. It’s very hard to relate to the new immigrants in the last 10 years because we’re so different. The families that immigrated in the 80s and 90s had to assimilate and become “Canadian” which in hindsight was for the best. I learned about my culture and language at home, but my parents, emphasized the importance of being “Canadian first” and being a part of society and “fitting in.” This wasn’t at all a bad thing. I learned to ski, skate, make ice lollies with snow and syrup, went camping, played sports… I feel embarrassed when Indians are looked at in this light, but its true. 90% of this new wave of immigrants on “student visas,” dont intend to actually obtain any sort of an education, instead they use it as a pathway for permanent residency. I know this because I have relatives who say this out loud behind closed doors. I don’t agree with any of it, and quite frankly it’s very embarrassing, but most of us first generation Indian Canadians feel very upset about how its all played out and the negative light in which our people are now viewed under. Personally, I agree they arent interested in becoming culturally Canadian, they just want to be in Canada for financial reasons. They stay in their groups, dont integrate and think somehow this will play out well. It isnt discrimination when your own people also feel this way. I have yet to meet a first gen Canadian who disagrees

Canada will cease to exist in less than ten years. Send them home, end permanent residency!

I love the non Muslim Indian people. They are a great addition to our society unlike nasty middle eastern and African Muslims. The liberal party is massively moving the people in that are uneducated and can't assimilate so they will get on welfare and have their permanent vote

3 million Indians since 2014 - 2021. The figure is likely accurate, if not low, because it focuses on new arrivals (both permanent and temporary) rather than just PRs. The real number is quite literally not able to be found, as the government is very corrupt and hides the data officially. The upcoming census 2026 is going to be DISGUSTING. 2021 and beyond the rate of forced migration was south asians taking up 60 percent of the immigrants, how is that reasonable, nor racist, and how can we even vet these people properly to have quality assimilants?

This is the system: Student immigrates to Canada on a student Visa, gets a Diploma which they use to get a Post-Graduation Work Permit, this is used to get Permanent Residence (PR). After 3 years apply for Citizenship, which makes it easier to bring their parents into Canada. Those parents apply for PR, then wait 3 years, after which they can also apply for Citizenship. If they are 55+ years old, they don't need to take the test or prove they can speak the English. They just apply and get become Citizens. All of this while enjoying the benefits of a Socialized Healthcare, Old Age Pension after 65+, Canada Child Benefit paid to parents with kids under 18, and more. This is not a sustainable economic model, we WILL run out of money. Technically we already have 😂

I’m gonna comment here with a lil rant and I’m Indian woman, and I know my comment here would probably invite a lot of racist remarks . I am working very hard in my country to be a doctor and I wanna leave my country (because no opportunities ) and move to a better and a safer country where I’m respected as a woman , which my country fails to . Now , I have to give a lot of exams and fill up a lot of visa requirements to be in any better country and I’m absolutely fine with it . But I’m not fine with the fact that countries like Canada , Australia , uk etc are immigrating people from India who are not educated , don’t wanna assimilate, with very eased up visa requirements, easy pr facilities because these countries want cheap labor and when these bottom of barrel uneducated folks move to another country they do shady businesses , start making huge communities of similar people having similar views and this leads to chaos and a backlash , racism on a particular ethnicity, stereotypes and so and so . I’m not saying my people aren’t flawed , they are but why the government is so easy in immigrating uneducated uncouth people from 3rd world countries where even these people wouldn’t be hired in some great companies or give anything great to build a valuable society , why people who are talented and literally would assimilate, has respect , is educated literally would bring a change for better is sidelined or toughened up their immigration process ? I might come off as very rude and jealous by my comment and actually im kinda jealous but I really wanna know and I observed this pattern a lot . All educated people wanting to move out are struggling while these kinda are just migrating so so easily and most even have permanent residencies WHAT ???

In 2015, seniors (65+) were ~16–17% of Canada’s population. In 2024–25, they are ~19–20%. After 10 years and 3.6+ million permanent immigrants, aging was not solved. Immigration didn’t fix aging — it was used as justification, not a solution.

3.6+ million permanent immigrants in ~10 years. Hundreds of thousands facing homelessness. Housing supply failed. Wages failed. Aging still rising. This is not incompetence — it’s prioritization.

10 years. +3.6M permanent immigrants. Aging barely changed. Housing collapsed. Wages stagnated. Immigration didn’t fix Canada — it covered corporate greed.

We need to give goofy helmet, safety vest Guy a permanent visa to the USA ASAP

How the fuck he gets the permanent residency how ??

Indian immigration significantly benefits Canada by filling critical labor shortages, boosting the economy, and contributing to demographic sustainability. As a leading source of skilled professionals, Indians represent over 30% of Canada's high-skill visas, notably in IT, healthcare, and engineering, which supports technological growth and public services. They help counter an aging population, bolster the workforce, and increase tax revenue, with over 120,000 Indians becoming permanent residents annually.