Canada plans to reduce the number of temporary residents and impose limits on temporary immigration for the first time in history, Immigration Minister Mark Miller said on Thursday, in the latest government effort to address a shortage of housing and basic services, Reuters reported.

Canada has seen a sharp increase in the number of international students, foreign workers and other temporary residents coming to the country on limited-stay visas in recent years as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has relied on immigration to spur economic growth and cover deficits. workforce.

But the Liberal government has also come under political pressure over its immigration policies, which critics say have exacerbated the housing crisis. Some services provided by the provinces, such as education and health care, are also not keeping pace with population growth.

According to Miller, the government wants to reduce the number of temporary residents to 5 percent of the total population in the next three years, from 6.5 percent in 2023. This would mean a reduction of about 20% of Canada’s 2.5 million temporary residents in 2023.

Miller will convene a meeting with his provincial and territorial counterparts in May to finalize the plan.

“We need to make sure that the number of temporary residents coming into the country is stable,” Miller told reporters in Ottawa.

Fewer immigrants

“Beginning this fall, we will for the first time expand the immigration tier plan to include both temporary and permanent residents,” he said, referring to the federal government’s immigration goals.

In November, the Trudeau government said it would end tougher immigration for permanent residents starting in 2026.

In January, Canada announced a two-year limit on international student admissions and said it would no longer grant work permits to students after graduation in an effort to curb record numbers of newcomers.