Immigration board asks feds to better track temporary residents

Canada's immigration board has called for the federal government to improve tracking of temporary residents, according to an expert panel head. Parisa Mahboubi, who leads the C.D. Howe Institute’s immigration targets council, argues that better data on temporary residents' status and exits is crucial for managing the country's non-permanent resident population. The panel is preparing a submission for the government's annual immigration levels consultation.

Since 2025, the government has sought to reduce temporary residents, which rose sharply due to issues like housing shortages and overburdened social services. Prime Minister Mark Carney blamed the loss of control over international students and temporary workers for the high immigration levels. However, Mahboubi criticized Canada's "flying in the dark" approach to tracking temporary residents after they arrive, citing a lack of clear data on visa renewals and exits.

As of June 30, there were 632,000 study permit holders and 1.5 million temporary work permit holders in Canada. However, new student and worker arrivals have fallen sharply, with only 22,410 new foreign students and 98,130 new temporary workers arriving in the first six months of 2025, compared to much higher numbers in 2024. The government aims to reduce the temporary resident population to less than five per cent of the total population by the end of 2027, currently standing at more than seven per cent.

Critics argue that Carney's claim of controlling the system is misleading, and the government should tailor immigration levels to Canada's ability to provide jobs, housing, and healthcare to newcomers. The Conservative immigration critic, Michelle Rempel Garner, highlighted the need for a fair system that doesn't create a "two-tiered justice system" by granting lighter sentences to non-citizens to avoid immigration consequences.