Immigration Policy in Canada (Plain-Language Summary)

Early Canadian Immigration Policy

Canada became a country in 1867. (See Confederation (Plain-Language Summary).) In the 19th century, Canada wanted immigrants from Britain and the United States. But many immigrants from other parts of Europe started to come as well. Canada accepted them because it hoped that they would help the country and economy grow. Others were not welcomed though. Immigration policy was unfair to keep some people away. For instance, Canada did not want Black immigrants to Canada. In 1911, it almost banned Black immigration. (See Order-in-Council P.C. 1911-1324 – the Proposed Ban on Black Immigration to Canada.) Asian people were also not welcomed. Starting in 1885, Chinese immigrants had to pay a special tax. (See Chinese Head Tax in Canada (Plain-Language Summary).) In 1923, Canada banned most Chinese immigration. This only changed in 1947. (See Chinese Immigration Act.) Canada also made it difficult for people from Japan and India to come.

Post-War Canada and Immigration

Immigration policies changed a lot after the Second World War. The biggest change happened in the 1960s. Canada adopted a “points system.” Race was no longer a factor in selection now. The same was true of country of origin and skin colour. Selection was based on other criteria. Some of these criteria include work skills and education. Being able to speak English or French also helped.

Canada passed a new immigration law in 1976. For the first time, Canada clearly listed its goals with immigration. Canada wanted immigration to help Canada’s population size, economy and culture. Also, immigration was to help bring families back together. The law was against discrimination for immigrants. Discrimination against race, ethnicity, nationality and skin colour was not allowed. Discriminating on religion or sex was also not allowed. Also, the law allowed the federal and provincial governments to collaborate on immigration. Refugees became a new official immigration category.

In 1979, yet another change occurred. Canada allowed private groups (like churches) to sponsor refugees and their families.

By 1980, immigrants were divided into five classes. The classes include: independent, humanitarian, family, assisted relatives and economic. The independent class are people who apply on their own. The humanitarian class is made up of refugees. People in the family class are sponsored by family members. Family members also sponsor the assisted relative class. People in the economic class have skills and funds that can help the Canadian economy.

Recent Immigration Trends

Since the 1980s, Canada focuses on economic immigrants. These people can do much to create jobs in Canada.

In 2001, the 9/11 terrorist attacks happened. Canada and the US restricted their immigration policies.

In recent years, Canada has focused more on immigration. Canada wants to increase its population. One reason for this is that if the population shrinks, the economy will shrink too. This will make it very difficult for governments to sustain social welfare programs. Because of this, immigration to Canada has gone up a lot in the past few years.

Who is in Charge of Immigration?

For a long time, the Canadian government managed immigration by itself. This changed in the 1960s. The Quebec government began to have more control. In 2010, British Columbia too received more control. Since 2017, all provinces have had more of a say about immigration. The same goes for the territories. The provinces and territories aim to select immigrants based on their needs. They want immigrants to help the economy.

Among them, Quebec has the most control over immigration. Quebec wants immigrants who can speak French. (See Quebec Immigration Policy.)