IRCC to receive $747 million to support 2018-2020 Immigration Levels Plan

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada says it is slated to receive $747 million to support Canada’s 2018-2020 Immigration Levels Plan under the 2018 federal budget.

The $747 million that IRCC will receive is part of an overall $875 million over six years that Canada’s federal government has set aside for its transition to a multi-year immigration levels plan.

In an email, IRCC spokesperson Lindsay Kemp said the additional funds “will ensure that we continue to manage the immigration system carefully and responsibly," adding that the largest proportion will be used for settlement services.

“Settlement costs are formula driven,” Kemp said. “As Canada welcomes more newcomers, settlement costs increase proportionately.”

The balance of these additional costs will be used to support IRCC and its security partners to process and screen additional applications for permanent residence, Kemp said.

The costs associated with Canada’s 2018-2020 Immigration Levels Plan, which has an admissions target of nearly one million immigrants over that three-year period, will be partially offset by increased revenue from the fees all applicants for permanent residence must pay.

Canada’s plan to increase admissions through economic immigration programs by 60 per cent is also expected to help balance the costs of the multi-year immigration levels plan by addressing labour shortages and supporting economic development.

“Higher immigration will contribute to more economic growth, and therefore to increased taxation revenues,” Kemp said.

IRCC says the $747 million is in addition to sums already disclosed under the federal government’s 2018 budget. These include:

• $196 million over five years for the Temporary Foreign Workers Program for unannounced inspections, continuing the International Compliance Regime and collecting labour market data about open work permits.
• $32 million over three years for a pilot project in support of programming to remove potential employment barriers for newcomer women of a visible minority.
• $17 million to process asylum claims in 2018-2019 in connection with irregular migration at the Canada-United States border.
• $7 million over 5 years, and $800,000 per year ongoing, to establish the Start-up Visa Program as a permanent pathway to immigration. This program makes it easier for foreign entrepreneurs actively seeking new business ventures in Canada to become permanent residents and scale up, creating more jobs for Canadians.

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