Canada’s population of temporary residents has surpassed 3 million, making up 18.5% of the country’s private sector workforce, according to a newly released federal briefing. Blacklock's Reporter says the figures, which include more than 129,000 individuals now living in the country without valid permits, were outlined in a May 1 memo from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.The department noted the non-permanent resident population reached an estimated 3,049,277 as of January 1, 2025. That includes 1,462,893 work permit holders, 643,879 study permit holders, 347,268 individuals with both work and study permits, and 163,726 family members without permits. Also included were 282,601 asylum claimants with only work permits, 2,372 with only study permits, 16,885 with both, and 129,653 asylum seekers without any valid permit..“This group plays a role in Canada’s economy and social fabric,” said the department’s Temporary Resident Reduction note, “but we have committed to reducing temporary immigration growth to better align the needs of our labour market, housing supply and community capacity.”The data do not account for landed immigrants, but the total population of temporary residents now matches nearly one-fifth of the country’s private sector workforce, which was 16,471,600 in January, according to Statistics Canada.The presence of more than 129,000 people whose permits have expired has triggered sharp political criticism, particularly following Immigration Minister Lena Diab’s appeal in June for them to leave voluntarily.“When people’s visa expires they are expected to leave the country,” Diab told the House of Commons on June 9..Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner challenged the minister over the government’s failure to remove those with expired status. “They are not leaving,” she said. “What is the plan to get them to leave?”Diab responded that the Canada Border Services Agency is responsible for removals, but refused to disclose how many have actually been deported. “We have rules in this country and we expect people to follow those rules,” she said.Rempel Garner fired back: “Does she not understand if you don’t remove people who do not have a legal right to be here, that the system is meaningless?”A separate 2024 department briefing, Undocumented Migrants, estimated the number of foreigners living in Canada illegally — including students, visitors, and migrant workers with expired permits — could be as high as 500,000. “There are no accurate figures,” the memo said.
