- In 2023, the Canadian budget placed more focus on healthcare, clean energy initiatives, and affordability measures for Canadians.
- The 2023 budget proposes to spend up to $55 million for immigration in the 2023-2024 fiscal year through spending on current programs and processing applications.
- There are measures in the budget to speed up the processing of citizenship applications, such as an expansion of eligibility for the Electronic Travel Authorization Program; measures to continue support for Francophone immigration; and measures to continue support for Ukrainians who wish to come to Canada to escape current unrest.
Recently, Canada released its 2023 Budget, which had far-reaching impacts on all programs for immigrants in the country. The budget reflects priorities and plans of the government for spending and provides an outlook on the fiscal health and economic performance of Canada.
Spending on Immigration Programs
This means that in 2023-2024, the Budget 2023 will spend $55 million on immigration. These monies are going to help in the carrying on of the existing immigration programs and ease the application processing system. Additionally, over the proposed five years, the budget will see the provision of $10 million to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in the implementing of biometrics. This will be able to help in fast-tracking the processing of citizenship applications.
Expanding the Electronic Travel Authorization Program
This will cost $50.8 million over four years, and in addition to these measures, it will expand eligibility for the Electronic Travel Authorization Program to low-risk countries. This will be expected to make Canada a more attractive destination for those trusted travelers and free up resources for the screening of high-risk travelers. Currently, the service is only available in Brazil, but a list of eligible countries will be released soon.
Support for Ukrainians
To support the aspirations of Ukrainians who wish to come to Canada during the war, another $171.4 million over three years, starting in 2022-2023, is being invested. The Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) has been extended to July 15, 2023, and people with CUAET authorization can travel to Canada until March 31, 2024. CUAET participants in Canada have the same duration of the above-mentioned timeframe to extend or change their temporary status free of charge.
Boosting Francophone Immigration
The budget includes $123.2 million to improve Francophone immigration in Canada, including support to Canadian employers who wish to recruit French-speaking foreign workers, and enhanced support for such immigrants upon arrival in Canada. The formal mandate of the government is to spread the French language in communities outside Quebec.
Previous Immigration Announcements in Budgets
Budget 2022 has invested a total of $1.6 billion over 6 years and $315 million ongoing to support Canada’s Immigration Levels Plan, which aims to see 500,000 new permanent residents each year by 2025.
Most importantly, the 2022 budget also provided for the increase in Express Entry System capacity by giving the Minister of Immigration more powers to use Ministerial Instructions to back the selection of candidates most suitable for the country’s labor market. These changes are expected to roll out in the second quarter this year, but there is no fixed date.
Impact of Economic Outlook on Immigration
Although economic growth is expected to slow in 2023 in Canada, with interest rates rising and inflation remaining above the targeted 2% per year, the BoC sees inflation dropping to 2.6% at the end of the year. A higher interest rate will slow and decrease inflation, which recorded a high of 8.1% last June.
Conclusion
Policies within Budget 2023 that will see provisions made for spending to support healthcare, clean energy programs, and affordability measures will have their say on Canadian and immigrant populations. Immigration programs will see the application processing system streamlined, with the provision of funds to expedite citizenship applications.
Make Canada an even more attractive destination to travelers identified as trusted travelers by expanding the Electronic Travel Authorization Program and further encourage the settlement of Ukrainians and Francophone immigrants in the country. There is economic uncertainty, yet, with an economy that has been proven stable and one that has experienced a strong recovery in employment, Canada will continue to be a country of destination.
