What the 2025 Canadian Federal Election Could Mean for the Future of Immigration in Canada

The 2025 Canadian federal election, held on April 28, 2025, has concluded. The Liberal Party of Canada won the election, constituting their fourth consecutive win. The Liberal Party came just short of the 172 seats required for a majority government, winning 170, so they will helm a minority government until the next election.

The continuity in the Liberal Party leading Canada will have ramifications on Canada’s immigration system, as the Liberals shared their vision for the future of immigration in Canada as part of their election platform. It is likely that throughout this new Liberal term, there will be changes in immigration policy when compared to the former three terms, as the government is now headed by Mark Carney, as opposed to the three previous governments, which Justin Trudeau headed.

This break with the previous leadership is perhaps best exemplified in the platform, where the plan indicates that the previous administration “has let immigration levels grow at a rapid and unsustainable pace”. The platform further acknowledged that Canada’s housing and infrastructure failed to absorb all the people who entered the country.

This explicit criticism of the previous government seems to suggest that not only will policy likely be changing, but immigration levels will also likely be reined in by the new administration.

Permanent Residence

The election platform promises to stabilize permanent resident admissions at less than 1% of Canada’s population annually beyond 2027. Canada’s current population is around 41 million, and assuming that Canada’s population does not appreciably increase in the next few years, this would mean that permanent resident admissions would be around 410,000 people per year. This is roughly consistent with the 2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan, which calls for 365,000 planned permanent resident admissions in 2027. Given that the plan for 2027 will only take effect around two years from now, the target admission number can change and still be within 1% of Canada’s total population.

Further, the platform indicates that permanent resident admissions will focus on attracting top global talent to drive economic growth and prosperity. This part of the platform indicates that the recent change to Express Entry, which provided for category-based admissions, will continue to be in force.

Temporary Residents

The Liberal platform described immigration levels growing at an unsustainable pace, which was in large part due to spiking temporary resident levels in Canada after the COVID-19 travel and immigration restrictions were lifted in 2021 and 2022. The platform includes a promise to cap the total number of temporary workers and international students at less than 5% of Canada’s population by the end of 2027. The platform indicates that there was a temporary resident population of 7.3% of Canada’s population at the peak.

One way the previous government controlled temporary resident levels was by instituting a cap on international students for the first time in Canada’s history. Based on the Liberal platform, it is likely that this policy will continue as it will help to reduce the temporary resident population to the 5% target. Temporary residents converting to permanent residents will further decrease the proportion of temporary residents in Canada. Further, temporary residents whose status expires and leave Canada will reduce the percentage further.

It remains to be seen if further measures regarding temporary residents will be implemented for the new government to meet the 5% target.

Francophone Immigration

One area where the new government has pledged to increase immigration levels is with Francophone immigration. The new government has pledged to establish a 12% target for Francophone immigration outside of Quebec by 2029. This would represent an increase of 20% over the current target of 10% of permanent resident admission targets.

Other Platform Immigration Promises

Some businesses and business people will be happy with a specific part of the platform, as the platform includes a promise to revitalize the Global Skills Strategy. According to the platform, it will allow Canada to attract top global talent, especially from the United States, to help Canadian businesses and entrepreneurs. The Global Skills Strategy is an immigration program that provides priority work permit processing. The program allows applicants to receive a week’s processing for their applications, so long as they submit all the required documents. This makes the Global Skills Strategy program preferable for those who qualify under it, as a two-week processing time is far lower than the processing time for other work permits, which may take months.

In relation to the processing times, the Liberal platform has also promised to use digital service tools to reduce processing times and eliminate immigration backlogs that exist in different areas of Canada’s immigration system. There is no specific promise for how this will be achieved, but any reduction in processing times and backlogs would help increase the efficiency of Canada’s immigration system.

There are also some promises from the Liberal platform that they want increased collaboration between the federal, provincial and territorial governments. Specifically, they want to streamline the recognition of foreign credentials for internationally skilled workers so they can contribute to the Canadian economy more quickly. The platform also calls for increased cooperation in claimant status, removals, and settlement support between the provinces, territories and federal government.

Further promises include strengthening the border, removing failed immigration claimants, and supporting legal aid for asylum seekers and refugees so that their cases can be resolved quickly.

Overall, the Liberal platform contains many promises that would positively impact Canada’s immigration system if implemented as planned. It will be interesting to see how Canadian immigration changes over the course of the current government’s mandate and whether they can fulfill their platform promises while heading a minority government.

Navigate 2025 Immigration Changes With The Experienced Immigration Lawyers At Garson Immigration Law

The 2025 election results signal significant shifts in Canadian immigration. Garson Immigration Law specializes in providing clear, expert guidance on permanent residence, temporary residence, and navigating complex immigration challenges. With our deep understanding of the evolving landscape, we can help you strategically plan your immigration journey. Contact us online or by calling 416-321-2860 today for a personalized consultation and take the first step towards your secure future in Canada.`