Immigration Minister Lena Diab says Ottawa’s decision to scale back immigration levels has made her job “quite easy,” as the federal government moves to curb both permanent and temporary arrivals in response to public backlash.Blacklock's Reporter says speaking to the Canadian Club in Toronto, Diab confirmed that Canada admitted 393,500 landed immigrants last year — nearly a quarter below the 500,000 annual target set before the 2024 reductions. The quota is scheduled to drop further to 385,000 this year, a figure she said the department is on track to meet.“Adjustments needed to happen and I think generally speaking, everybody is pleased and proud those adjustments happened,” Diab said. “They need to happen.”Diab credited Prime Minister Mark Carney with issuing a clear mandate to rein in the system. She said the government’s objective is to restore public confidence, reduce the temporary resident population — including foreign workers and international students — and stabilize permanent resident admissions.“My job has been made quite easy,” Diab said, describing the revised plan as focused and targeted..Temporary permits for migrant workers and foreign students, which peaked at 1.8 million in 2023, are to be cut to 385,000 this year. Diab also delivered a blunt message to visitors entering on tourist visas: do not treat asylum claims as a backdoor to permanent residence.“Come and enjoy yourself and then go back home,” she said. “If you want to immigrate, do it through the proper channels.”Diab argued that in recent years some foreign nationals remained in Canada for extended periods before filing refugee claims, a practice she said undermines the integrity of the system.“Asylum is not to be seen by people to use it as an immigration pathway,” she said. “We have clear immigration rules, clear laws. People need to use those laws.”She added that individuals who have been in Canada for more than a year should not attempt to claim asylum, saying such claims would be ineligible under current rules..The policy reversal follows internal Privy Council research in 2024 that found widespread dissatisfaction with Ottawa’s handling of immigration levels. According to a report titled Continuous Qualitative Data Collection Of Canadians’ Views, participants overwhelmingly believed the federal government was on the wrong track in managing the system.The tougher tone marks a sharp departure from previous messaging. In 2017, then-prime minister Justin Trudeau publicly welcomed refugees fleeing persecution and war, while in 2024 then-immigration minister Marc Miller described Canada as “an open country” embracing record numbers of newcomers.
