Regardless of the Coronavirus crisis, Canada's Immigration Plan is on!

The pandemic coronavirus has struck terror in every household. It has caused a severe threat to the global economy and financial markets. Travel bans, plunging stock market, locked down cities, shut down schools and colleges, are the ripple effects of the deadly COVID-19. Like every other country affected by the coronavirus, Canada is also going through a critical economic turmoil. Due to the declining price of oil, the economy of Canada will witness major blows. It won’t be an exaggeration to say that the country appears to hit a recession.

Why is Canada keen on welcoming new immigrants despite the economic crisis?

It is no denying that Canada’s economy is on the verge of contracting this year. Despite this, the government has laid out the three years Immigration Levels Plan. It might come across as an irrelevant step to many concerning the coronavirus threat engulfing the entire world. But looking at the broader perspective, things are different.  Canada welcomes a large number of immigrants every year to fill the job vacancies and meet the labor market needs. Therefore, it is exclaimed that due to the economic downturn, there won’t be sufficient job opportunities for the new immigrants. So, it will be futile to look forward to welcoming the outsiders. However, looking at the bigger picture, Canada has taken a positive move for its economy. A large chunk of Canada’s working population is made up of elderly people who are in the years of retirement. In addition to this, the country has a low birth-rate. Therefore, Canada would require a huge number of young workers to stimulate economic growth in the face of a turndown. Complementarily, the immigration policies of Canada are always ahead of the curve made to strengthen the economic status of the country. So, even if Canada takes in newcomers against the backdrop of economic slowdown, it would be beneficial for the country in the long run as these new immigrants will act as a catalyst to boost the economic growth rapidly.  The growth of the labor force will help Canada grow its economy. Thus, the federal government is doing it right by welcoming immigrants for permanent residence even when the country is dealing with economic setbacks. In times to come, immigrants will find jobs with better salaries for themselves as a large workforce will be on the brink of  retirement.

Till 1980s Canada had “Tap on, tap off” approach towards Immigration

Canada used to have a “tap on, tap off” methodology on immigration levels till the 1980s. As per this approach, it took in a large number of new immigrants when the economy was booming, but reduced the immigration level significantly during periods of economic distress.  After analyzing the overall situation, Canada discontinued the tap on, tap off approach and instead started welcoming newcomers as it needed young skilled workers to alleviate the economic growth during the financial low phase. Since 1980, Canada has tried to maintain a higher level of immigration during the times of recession, for instance, even during the major recession of 2008, the country did not block the influx of immigrants.  To conclude, the higher immigration levels plan of the Canadian government, even when the entire world is struggling with an economic crisis and national health emergency due to the outbreak of coronavirus, will help in building a strong economy in near future. Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs