JidbaaleCanada has declared significant reductions to its immigration objectives, decreasing the influx of new entrants as the nation aims to manage population growth in light of escalating housing and social service demands. The amended plan, presented by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, reduces Canada’s 2025 permanent residence target from 500,000 to 395,000—a 21% decrease. Trudeau said his government “misjudged the balance” in seeking to alleviate labor shortages through massive immigration.
With public attitude evolving, recent studies reveal rising worries about Canada’s high immigration rates, notably their effect on housing affordability and stretched public services. Trudeau and Immigration Minister Marc Miller, understanding these concerns, have further decreased the yearly residence objective to 365,000 by 2027.
These developments have caused worries among Canada’s Somali population, particularly among individuals who enter under the Group-5 sponsorship program.
For the last many years, the G5 initiative has enabled private persons to actively help refugees by organizing groups of five Canadians or permanent residents who together pay and arrange the relocation of individuals escaping conflict, persecution, or human rights violations. Managed by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the G5 program requires sponsors to fund necessary expenditures, such as housing, healthcare, and education, for at least one year, or until the refugee becomes financially independent.
Responding to these worries, Mohamed Doli, a Canadian immigration law specialist, stated that Group-5 sponsorships would likely be unaffected by the reduction. “The reduction mainly targets temporary foreign workers and international students rather than humanitarian and family reunification categories like Group-5,” Doolli noted.
According to Doli, the biggest burden on Canada’s immigration system originates from temporary worker and student visas, notably after recent spikes in arrivals from India. He calculated that Group-5 and family reunion migrants comprise roughly 25,000 yearly, a minor proportion compared to other immigration groups.
Housing shortages remain a severe problem in Canada’s largest cities, with rent for single rooms climbing as high as $3,000 per month, a huge hike from earlier prices of $700 or $800. Doli claimed that the underlying reason of the housing issue rests in restrictive government policies preventing new development, not immigration itself. Longer regulatory procedures continue to delay new projects, hurting home supply.
Trudeau defended Canada’s immigration system, noting its economic advantages and role in encouraging pluralism. “Our immigration model has always been flexible,” he remarked, underlining that current restrictions attempt to balance growth with resource availability. Nearly all of Canada’s population growth—97% in the previous year—was driven by immigration, according to official figures, with overall unemployment climbing to 6.5% and young unemployment now topping 14%.
The policy adjustment signals a break from Canada’s previously open-door immigration approach. Since entering power in 2015, Trudeau’s government progressively upped yearly immigration objectives, reaching 485,000 in 2023. Economists warn, however, that this fast increase has overstrained housing and social services, raising debate about sustainable immigration levels.
A new Environics Institute study that monitored Canadian opinions toward immigration since 1977 indicates that 58% of Canadians currently feel immigration levels are too high. The organization highlighted that public opinion has “shifted sharply from broad acceptance to viewing immigration as increasingly problematic.”
The G5 program’s severe eligibility rules imply that refugees sponsored via it must carry Refugee Status Determination (RSD) documents from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) or an equivalent body. Additionally, the program is offered exclusively to refugees outside their native country, excluding those currently inside Canada. The application procedure is both demanding and time-intensive, with a timeframe that may range from 12 to 36 months.
