Maple News reports that Canadians see family reunification as the top immigration priority in 2020, ahead of economic and refugee immigration. According to a national survey conducted by the Association of Canadian Studies, approximately 36% of Canadians believe that family members of current residents should be given immigration priority — a notable increase from 30% in 2016.
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly disrupted Canada’s immigration system, with family sponsorship, refugee resettlement, and economic-class immigration volumes all sharply declining. In the second quarter of 2020 alone, family-class immigration fell by 78% compared to the same period in 2019. Refugee approvals faced the hardest hit, plummeting by 85%, while economic-class immigration dropped 52%.
Across provinces, Alberta recorded the highest support for prioritizing family reunification at 44%, followed closely by Atlantic Canada (42%) and Ontario (36%). Conversely, Manitoba and Saskatchewan showed the lowest support at 28%, though even here, family reunification ranked higher in priority than economic or refugee classes.
Support for other immigration categories was less robust. Roughly 27% of Canadians backed the economic-class pathway, a consistent figure compared to 2016. However, support for refugee immigration declined substantially—from 29% in 2016 to just 16% in 2020.
This shift in public sentiment occurs against the backdrop of widespread immigration processing delays due to the pandemic. Critics argue the Canadian government hasn’t done enough to address family separations. A national petition led by MP Jenny Kwan, which gathered over 6,000 signatures, calls for the introduction of a Special Temporary Resident Visa to allow spouses and children to reunite with their Canadian partners. The petition will be reviewed when Parliament resumes.
Despite the pandemic, Canadian attitudes toward immigration remain largely positive. Sixty-one percent of survey respondents believe immigration will support the country’s long-term economic recovery. This sentiment was strongest in Atlantic Canada (67%) and lowest in the Prairie Provinces (52%), with favorable views outweighing negative ones across all regions.
The federal government’s pre-pandemic immigration targets for 2020–2022 reflected ambitious plans to grow family-class immigration to 91,000 individuals per year, while also increasing levels for economic and refugee classes. However, the global health crisis may require significant recalibrations to meet both public expectations and practical realities.
As immigration policies continue to evolve in response to COVID-19, the growing public demand for family reunification suggests it could become a central pillar in Canada’s post-pandemic recovery strategy.