According to data from Statistics Canada, immigrants currently account for 2/3 of Canada's population growth. It is projected that by 2030, immigration may become the sole source of population growth in Canada.
Immigrants have made significant contributions to Canada's economic and social development; however, the continuous influx of a large number of new immigrants in recent years has also brought about many social issues. For example, the varying quality of new immigrants leads to different levels of integration into the Canadian economy and society, and due to barriers such as language, the unemployment rate among new immigrants is high. Research shows that approximately 36% of new immigrants fall into poverty due to issues such as unemployment, which may become a factor of social instability.
To avoid these social problems caused by new immigrants, the Canadian government has adjusted its immigration policy in a timely manner and raised the entry standards for investment immigration, which faces difficulties in integrating into Canadian society. In June 2010, the federal government increased the minimum deposit requirement for investment immigration from 400,000 CAD to 800,000 CAD, and increased the minimum personal net worth requirement from 800,000 CAD to 1.8 million CAD. Starting from June 30, 2011, it also implemented a measure to limit the federal investment immigration program to 700 applications per year. Effective July 1, 2012, the Canadian immigration authorities announced a 6-month suspension of federal skilled worker immigration applications.
In addition, this trend of change can also be seen in the allocation of immigration quotas. The "2013 Federal Immigration Quotas" released by the Canadian federal immigration department shows that the 2013 Canadian "Federal Skilled Worker" program, "Canadian Experience Class" program, and "Live-in Caregiver" program had a total quota of 74,600, while the investment immigration quota was 6,000. In early February 2014, the Canadian government announced its "2014 Economic Action Plan," stating that it would terminate the investment immigration program, and tens of thousands of investment immigration applications submitted prior to this would be returned. While this change seemed sudden, analysis reveals that it was an inevitable choice for the Canadian government to adjust its immigration policy based on changing circumstances.
Furthermore, when visiting China in March, Canadian Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Chris Alexander stated that Canada's cancellation of the federal investment immigration program was not targeted at Chinese people. However, the fact that some Chinese immigration applicants ignored residency regulations was one of the reasons why Canada recently cut the entire investment immigration program. Alexander emphasized that Canada's doors remain open to China; the new investment immigration program to be introduced later will not only increase the minimum investment amount by at least double to 1.6 million CAD (approximately 8.8 million RMB), but will also require an investment period of over 5 years. At the same time, it will strictly regulate the residency period of applicants in Canada.
Canada is a typical immigrant country, and immigrants have made outstanding contributions to the history of Canada's national development. The Canadian government has also formulated and implemented a multicultural policy, embracing and respecting the traditions and customs of all immigrant ethnic groups. However, in general, the Canadian government screens immigrants based on the needs of its own economic and social development. Historical facts such as the head tax imposed on Chinese immigrants in Canadian immigration history, as well as the recent decision to halt the investment immigration policy, all demonstrate that the introduction or exclusion of immigrants is determined by the standard of national interest.
