World Education Services (WES) is a non-profit social enterprise dedicated to helping international students, immigrants, and refugees achieve their educational and career goals in the United States and Canada. The weekly roundup includes research, stories, and events of interest to the Canadian immigration and settlement community. This content has been created by WES and is reproduced here with their permission, in partnership.
Population projections for Canada, provinces and territories, 2024 to 2074 (Stats Canada)
According to Stats Canada, the Canadian population will continue to soar over the next few years, despite reductions to immigration levels. In October 2024, the federal government announced plans to reduce the number of permanent residents admitted to the country by 21 percent in 2025, in efforts to ease pressures facing the economy like housing shortages, strained health care services, and food insecurity. While the reduction in permanent residents is expected to result in decreased and slower population growth, immigration is still set to be a key driver of growth over the next 50 years. In low-growth scenarios, the population, currently at 40.3 million, is projected to reach 45.2 million by 2074. A medium growth scenario would place the population at 59.3 million, while a high-growth scenario would lead to a population of 80.8 million by 2074. These variations reflect different assumptions about immigration levels, fertility rates, and interprovincial migration trends, which influence long-term growth projections. However, in all scenarios, immigration remains the primary factor driving population increases.
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Trudeau says Canada is ready to respond to possible Trump tariffs (Reuters)
Amid the threat of 25 percent tariffs on Canadian imports from US president Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada is ready to respond. While uncertain, the Prime Minister assures that negotiations will underscore Canada’s vital contributions to the American economy and the need to ensure prosperity for both countries. In the meantime, scenario planning for incoming tariffs include:
If imposed, tariffs could have major impacts on the Canadian economy, as the country is closely tied economically to the US, with nearly $2 billion in daily goods and services exported; representing 20 percent of Canada’s GDP. Anticipating across the board tariffs placed on Canadian goods, experts caution that this may result in a direct financial impact on the average Canadian and a disruption to trade. At the industrial level, Canada’s energy and auto sectors are likely to bear the brunt of economic impacts related to blanket tariffs.
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Has Canada overshot its mark in cutting international student enrolment? What the latest study permit data shows (Toronto Star)
New projections indicate that Canada’s yearly study permit approvals would decline by 45 percent during peak intake seasons. This would result in a maximum of 280,000 admissions across all study levels, significantly higher than the 35 percent reduction that was posed by IRCC, in January 2024. Despite the cap being aimed at undergraduate programming, admissions to graduate, post-graduate, elementary, and secondary students are expected to be impacted. Declining international enrollment has triggered a domino effect of challenges including program and campus closures, layoffs, and hiring freezes. Experts caution that while reforms were needed in international education strategies, a balanced approach will guard against creating additional problems at a time of economic vulnerability.
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Canada Doubles Penalties for Employers Abusing the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (Immigration News)
Canada has doubled penalties for non-compliant employers, providing additional measures aimed to uphold the integrity of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). Penalty measures include increased fines of up to $45,000, replacing the $15,000 cap; extended suspensions for up to 5 years; and rigorous inspections. IRCC data indicates that nearly $4.1 million in fines was issued in 2024, representing 154 levies. To enhance procedural oversight, Employment and Skills Development Canada in partnership with IRCC, will enforce stricter measures to ensure Labour Market Impact Assessment compliance. Employers are no longer able to use attestation letters from accountants or lawyers to demonstrate legitimacy and ministerial instruction will enable federal agencies to suspend LMIAs in cases of suspected misuse. These sweeping measures seek to implement increased accountability mechanisms for employers and support networks for workers.
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