Maple News reports that 2021 marked a historic year for Canadian immigration, shaped by the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and an ambitious goal set by the federal government: admitting 401,000 new permanent residents. The Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) was tasked with this challenge in a time of global uncertainty, struggling with large backlogs, international travel restrictions, and delayed entry for approved immigrants.
To meet these lofty targets amid a public health crisis, IRCC pivoted its strategy early in the year. Instead of focusing on overseas applicants, the department concentrated on transitioning temporary residents already in Canada—such as international graduates and essential workers—into permanent residency. This policy shift was evident in the early 2021 Express Entry draws, prioritizing Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates, 90% of whom already resided in the country.
A pivotal moment came on February 13, 2021, when IRCC conducted the largest Express Entry draw since the program’s launch in 2015, inviting an unprecedented 27,332 CEC candidates in a single day. This aggressive approach signaled IRCC’s heavy focus on in-country immigration simply because it was more feasible during travel restrictions.
Further pushing toward its target, IRCC launched six new temporary streams in May 2021, enabling up to 90,000 essential workers, international students, and French-speaking applicants already in Canada to apply for permanent residency. By mid-year, monthly immigration landings surged, with over 35,000 new permanent residents arriving each month—escalating to over 45,000 by November.
In a milestone achievement, IRCC announced in December that it had successfully welcomed over 401,000 new permanent residents in 2021, breaking its all-time annual immigration record. However, the success came with consequences. Backlogs swelled to more than 1.8 million applications, delaying processing for many including Confirmed Permanent Residents (COPR) living abroad, Federal Skilled Worker Program candidates, and applicants seeking study, work, or visitor visas.
This inward-focused strategy, while effective in the short term, inadvertently contributed to other issues. Canada’s population and labor force growth slowed due to the limited inflow of newcomers from overseas, compounding a growing labour shortage that saw over one million job vacancies nationwide by late 2021.
Adding to the complexity were international flight bans—such as the prolonged suspension of direct flights from India, Canada’s largest source country for immigrants—which further hindered IRCC’s ability to process and welcome overseas applicants.
Despite setting a new benchmark in Canadian immigration, IRCC acknowledges that the approach of 2021 was shaped more by necessity than choice. Looking ahead, the department aims to strike a better balance between domestic transitions and overseas recruitment, as global pandemic conditions and border restrictions continue to evolve.