Annex G: Levels and Mix Online Stakeholder and Public Consultation Questionnaire

N.B.: This page contains the exact content of the online questionnaire used during the consultation.

About this consultation

This past July, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney, along with Parliamentary Secretaries Rick Dykstra and Chungsen Leung, launched a series of cross-country consultations on immigration issues.

As part of this process, this online consultation aims to seek your feedback on Canada’s immigration program. We are asking for your input on:

1. the right level of immigration to Canada (how many?); and
2. the right mix between the three immigrant classes to Canada (economic, family and protected persons).

Should immigration levels be higher? Which of these areas should be a priority? If we raise levels in one of these areas, where should we take less?

A report on the consultations, including a summary of this online consultation questionnaire, will be available on the CIC website in fall 2011 or winter 2012.

Before you begin

The online consultation will take about 20 to 30 minutes to complete. Your participation is voluntary and we appreciate your time and input. Prior to completing the questionnaire, please read the background document. This serves to give you a sense of some of the challenges and realities we face as we strive to best answer the difficult questions involved in managing Canada’s immigration system.

Are you responding as an individual or a representative of an organization?

A. Levels

What is the appropriate level of immigration for Canada?

Canada has long been a destination of choice for immigrants. Much of Canada’s success with and public support for immigration is based on the positive outcomes of immigrants and their contribution to our economy and society. For the past 25 years, Canada has maintained immigration levels averaging between 225,000 and 250,000 immigrants per year. In 2010, Canada admitted close to 281,000 permanent residents, the highest level since 1957. Canada has one of the highest per capita rates of permanent immigration in the world—roughly 0.8% in recent years—and has welcomed 3.5 million immigrants in the last 15 years. It is important to note that increases in levels have impacts on our communities and the costs related to helping newcomers integrate and succeed. The capacity to welcome immigrants cannot be separated from levels planning. For more information, see “What is the appropriate level of immigration for Canada?” in the background document.

How familiar are you with Canada’s immigration system?

• Not at all familiar
• Somewhat familiar
• Very familiar

Over the next five years, do you think Canada’s immigration levels should be maintained, increased or decreased, relative to the average 250,000 of the past decade?

• Maintained
• Increased
• Decreased
• Do not know

If you believe levels should increase or decrease, what is the appropriate level of immigration for Canada?

• 50,000 or less per year
• 50,000-100,000 per year
• 100,000-150,000 per year
• 150,000-200,000 per year
• 200,000-250,000 per year
• 250,000-300,000 per year
• 300,000-350,000 per year
• 350,000-400,000 per year
• 400,000 or more per year
• Other, please indicate
• Do not know

Please explain

Immigration can be positioned to meet a variety of objectives. Please rank the objectives below in order of importance (i.e. one is the most important, 2 is the next most important, 6 is the least important, etc.) when establishing immigration levels.

• Supporting long-term economic growth
• Meeting current labour market needs
• Encouraging immigration to all regions of the country
• Assisting family reunification
• Protecting refugees
• Supporting population maintenance/growth

Please explain

The following is a list of six factors which influence immigration levels planning:

Immigrant Economic Issues

• Immigrant earnings
• Poverty rates among immigrants
• Distribution of incomes within and between Canadian and immigrant populations
• Unemployment, underemployment and under-utilization of immigrant skills

Impact on Canada

• Job displacement among the Canadian population
• Public support for immigration
• Public support for refugee program

Basic Needs of Immigrants

• Access to settlement and integration supports generally
• Access to language training
• Access to housing
• Immigrant health outcomes

Integration Issues

• Socio-economic integration among the second and third generations (post immigration)
• Immigrant concentration in urban areas
• Inter-immigrant and inter-ethnic group conflict
• Multiculturalism and diversity

Sustainability of Immigration

• Immigration and related program costs at both local and national levels
• Safety and security concerns
• Environmental sustainability

Resource Issues

• Operational capacity of Canada’s immigration systems

Please rank the factors below in order of importance (i.e. 1 is the most important, 2 is the next most important, 6 is the least important, etc.) when establishing immigration levels.

• Immigrant economic issues
• Impact on host population
• Basic needs of immigrants
• Integration issues
• Sustainability of immigration
• Resource issues

Please explain

Do you have any additional comments related to immigration levels?

B. Mix

What is the appropriate mix between economic, family class and protected persons (refugees)?

The current immigration system must manage multiple objectives. Immigration has a role both in helping to meet the labour market needs of today and in helping to build the skilled workforce of the future. It helps reunite families, build strong communities, and, in keeping with a proud Canadian tradition, supports global humanitarian efforts through the resettlement of refugees and providing assistance to asylum seekers.

Here is an approximate overview of how the mix breaks down currently:

• 60% (roughly 156,800 to 161,300 persons) of the immigrants who come to Canada annually are in the economic class;
• 26% (roughly 58,500 to 65,500 persons) come in the family class; and
• the remaining approximately 14% (roughly 30,900 to 38,200 persons) are primarily protected persons (refugees) but includes others admitted for humanitarian and compassionate reasons.

It is worth noting that less than half of those who come in as economic immigrants are principal applicants – their spouses and dependants are also included in this category. However, a large portion of these spouses and dependents (along with those in the family class and refugees) eventually join the labour market and become economic actors as well.

For more information, go to “What is the appropriate mix between economic, family class and protected persons (refugees)?” in the background document.

Assuming Canada maintains the current level of immigration, what is the appropriate mix between economic immigrants, family class immigrants and protected persons (refugees)?

Select the percentage for each immigration class, so that all three add up to 100 percent. Status quo: 60% economic, 26% family class, 14% protected persons [refugees]

• Economic immigrants
• Family class immigrants
• Protected persons (refugees)

Making difficult decisions about the mix

As noted in the background document, there is substantial pressure to bring in more people in most, if not all categories. Clearly this cannot be accommodated within current, or even modestly raised levels, meaning difficult choices have to be made.

Within the economic category there is growing demand from the provinces and territories to raise levels for provincial nominee programs. These programs have grown substantially over the past few years. There is an obvious argument that provinces and territories know their own needs best. But growth in these programs has come with increased questions around evaluation of results and accountability. Increases in provincial programs put pressure on the federal programs, and need to be balanced with the federal government’s primary role in managing immigration for the country. The Federal Skilled Worker program also has transparent criteria – outlined in regulations – including a “points test” to assess skills, knowledge and experience.

There are clearly difficult decisions to be made in the economic category. A number of factors must be considered to ensure that the programs are balanced to meet the economic needs of the country. Among them, pressures to increase the Provincial Nominee Program, a growing inventory of live-in-caregivers eligible for permanent residence, and questions around whether to take in more Temporary Foreign Workers. There are also considerations related to international students who have experience in Canada, and the long list of investors prepared to add significant resources to the economy.

Within the family class, the parents and grandparents category provides another dilemma. Wait times that are long, and growing, are not sustainable. Not only that, but at the current rate of application intake, this backlog will continue to grow and will potentially double in the next ten years. One partial answer might be to increase the number of yearly admissions over a number of years. But this would require a reduction in the economic class or an increase in overall immigration to Canada. However, that alone will not address the backlog problem. Over the longer term, decisions will need to be made about the number of new applicants that are accepted in this stream and a more sustainable path for the program.

These issues point to difficult questions in levels planning. Should the levels plan primarily reflect the number of people who want to immigrate to Canada? Do we continue to admit more people in a category simply because there are more applications?

The following questions will focus on the appropriate mix between three categories of immigration:

• Economic
• Family
• Protected Persons (Refugees)

Questions about managing the immigration system, service standards and processing times have also been included within the Economic and Family categories.

ECONOMIC CLASS

Economic immigrants are chosen because of what they can contribute to the Canadian economy. As outlined in the background document, there are a number of categories within the economic category.

Federally-selected:

• Federal Skilled Workers (FSW)
• Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
• Business Immigrants and Live-in Caregivers

Provincially-selected:

• Quebec Skilled Workers and Business Immigrants selected by Quebec
• Provincial and Territorial Nominees (PNP)

It is important to note that close to two-thirds of economic class immigrants are actually family – i.e. the spouses/partners and dependent children of principal applicants, which means a minority of economic class immigrants (principal applicants) are actually selected according to their skills and experience.

How familiar are you with Canada’s economic immigration programs?

• Not at all familiar
• Somewhat familiar
• Very familiar

Consider what you have read about Canada’s economic immigration programs. Should the annual number of economic admissions each year be:

• Increased

  Assuming that total immigration levels remain the same, if you favour increasing economic immigration, which of the other two categories should be decreased?

  • Family class
  • Protected persons class (refugees)
  • Both family and protected persons classes
  • Do not know
• Decreased

  Assuming that total immigration levels remain the same, if you favour decreasing economic immigration, which of the other two categories should be increased?

  • Family class
  • Protected persons class (refugees)
  • Both family and protected persons classes
  • Do not know
• Remain the same
• Do not know

The 2010 proportions of the economic class are as follows:

Text version: [2010 proportions of the economic class]

Source: Citizenship and Immigration Canada, 2010 Preliminary Facts & Figures.

Assuming Canada maintains the current level of immigration, what is the appropriate distribution between federal and provincial economic programs?

Note: The total proportions below automatically include an estimated 20% for the Quebec Skilled Workers and Business Immigrants, as these are governed by the Canada-Quebec Accord.

• Federal
• Provincial

Please explain

Selection of Economic Immigrants

Citizenship and Immigration Canada takes into account current and projected economic and labour-market conditions when planning admissions. There is a balance between meeting immediate job needs, and ensuring immigrants have skills that will allow them to adapt and succeed as the economy changes. The size of the labour market must also be considered. Similar to other countries, Canada is facing significant demographic challenges such as an aging population and slowing labour force growth. Although immigration cannot address these problems alone, it will be a factor in helping to build the labour force of tomorrow. In this respect, provincial and territorial input on labour market issues is one of the key factors influencing economic immigration to Canada. Quebec is involved in selecting and integrating its own immigrants under the Canada-Quebec Accord. Other provinces have signed provincial nominee programs allowing them to select a certain number of economic class immigrants to meet regional needs.

Within the economic category there is growing demand from the provinces and territories to raise levels for Provincial Nominee Programs. These programs have grown substantially over the past few years. Provincial programs encourage immigration to all regions of the country and allow provinces and territories to respond to local labour market needs. At the same time, the growth in these programs requires on-going program integrity measures and evaluation of results in the interest of accountability. Increases in provincial programs put pressure on the federal programs, and need to be balanced with the federal government’s primary role in managing immigration for the country. The Federal Skilled Worker program highlights many best practices in economic immigration programming such as transparent criteria – outlined in regulations – including a “points test” to assess skills, knowledge and experience.

There are clearly difficult decisions to be made in the economic category. A number of factors must be considered to ensure that the programs are balanced to meet the economic needs of the country. Among them, pressures to increase the Provincial Nominee Program, a growing inventory of live-in-caregivers eligible for permanent residence, and questions around whether to take in more Temporary Foreign Workers. There are also considerations related to international students who have experience in Canada, and the long list of investors prepared to add significant resources to the economy.

In your view, who should have the greater say on which economic immigrants Canada should accept?

• Federal government
• Each provincial/territorial government for its jurisdiction
• Employers
• All of the above, working together
• Do not know

Please rank the following objectives for economic immigration, where 1 is least important and 6 is most important.

• Skilled workers who meet specific labour market needs, including to fill specific job openings
• Skilled workers with more generic skills to help build Canada’s long-term labour force
• Workers, at a range of skill levels, who meet regional/sectoral needs
• Candidates who have advanced post-secondary credentials (e.g., PhDs)
• A broad range of candidates representing a wider variety of skill and education levels
• Candidates who will invest significant levels of capital and/or create jobs

Please explain

Research shows that factors like an immigrant’s language skills, age and education account for up to 60 percent of their economic success. Rate the importance of each factor below for an immigrant to succeed in Canada’s labour market.

In this scale, 1 is 'not at all important,' 4 is 'somewhat important' and 7 is 'extremely important'.

• Strong skills in one of Canada’s official languages
  (oral/written/reading/comprehension)
• Social networks (e.g., friends or relatives already established in Canada)
• Degree or diploma from a Canadian post-secondary institution
• Degree or diploma from a non-Canadian post-secondary institution
• Prior work experience in Canada
• Prior work experience abroad
• A job offer in Canada before they arrive
• Age

Other factor(s)

• Please specify

Do you have any additional comments about the economic category?

• Please specify

TEMPORARY RESIDENTS

There are three broad categories of temporary residents – visitors, international students and temporary foreign workers (TFWs). While all three categories place demands on the department’s resources, the temporary foreign worker program is most relevant in the context of this consultation.

Temporary Foreign Workers

The TFW program meets several needs. It provides work permits to foreign individuals with job offers in order to meet specific labour market needs. The number of temporary foreign workers in Canada has risen from 116,000 in 2000 to over 182,000 in 2010. TFWs enter in all types of occupations including managerial, professional, technical, trade, and lower skilled occupations.

The TFW program was created to fill temporary gaps, but important avenues exist for TFWs to transition from temporary to permanent status in Canada, and the number of TFWs who transitioned to permanent residence has increased from less than 12,000 in 2000 to close to 33,000 in 2010. In general, pathways for TFWs to transition to permanent residence are intended primarily for skilled TFWs through programs like the Canadian Experience Class, but avenues are available for some lower-skilled TFWs to also transition to permanent residence through programs such as the Live-in Caregiver Program, and many streams of provincial nominee programs.

In the context of these consultations, some commentators have raised concerns that if lower-skilled TFWs are indeed needed on a sustained basis, there should be additional pathways to allow for permanent residency for these workers.

How familiar are you with the Temporary Foreign Worker program?

• Not at all familiar
• Somewhat familiar
• Very familiar

Do you think additional pathways to permanent residence should be established for low-skilled temporary foreign workers?

• Yes

  If you indicated that additional pathways to permanent residence should be established for low-skilled temporary foreign workers, please explain:

  • They already have Canadian work experience
  • They have proven themselves with their Canadian employer
  • Canada needs more low-skilled workers
  • Other, please explain
  • Do not know

  Assuming that total immigration levels remain the same, if you favour increasing pathways for lower-skilled TFWs to permanent residence, which economic immigration category should decrease as a result?

  • Federal Skilled Workers FSW
  • Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
  • Business Immigrants
  • Provincial and Territorial Nominees (PNP)
  • Other, please explain
  • Do not know
• No

  If you indicated that additional pathways to permanent residence should not be established for low-skilled temporary foreign workers, please explain:

  • Canada needs to invest in and hire Canadians
  • Canada does not need more low-skilled workers
  • Other, please explain
  • Do not know

  Assuming that total immigration levels remain the same, if you favour increasing pathways for lower-skilled TFWs to permanent residence, which economic immigration category should decrease as a result?

  • Federal Skilled Workers FSW
  • Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
  • Business Immigrants
  • Provincial and Territorial Nominees (PNP)
  • Other, please explain
  • Do not know
• Do not know

Do you have any additional comments on temporary foreign workers?

FAMILY CLASS

Approximately 26% of the immigrants who come to Canada each year do so under the family class. Canada’s family class program is one of the most generous in the world.

Canadian citizens or permanent residents over the age of 18 may sponsor their immediate family members, subject to sponsorship agreements of 3 (spouses/partners, children) to 10 years (parents and grandparents). It is important to note that in addition to this, close to two-thirds of economic class immigrants are actually family – i.e. the spouses/partners and dependent children of principal applicants, which means a minority of economic class immigrants (principal applicants) are actually selected according to their skills and experience.

Applications for sponsorship of spouses/partners and dependent children receive priority processing, but this commitment, and the need to balance family reunification with other immigration objectives, has resulted in a backlog of nearly 165,000 persons as of March 31, 2011, in the parents and grandparents category. Wait times for recent applicants in this category are already long, and could grow steadily longer if no action is taken.

How familiar are you with the family immigration program?

• Not at all familiar
• Somewhat familiar
• Very familiar

Consider what you have read about the Family immigration programs. Should Family immigration admissions each year be:

• Increase

  Assuming that total immigration levels remain the same, if you favour an increase to family immigration, which of the other two categories should be decreased?

  • Economic class
  • Protected persons class (refugees)
  • Both economic class and protected persons classes
  • Do not know
• Decrease

  Assuming that total immigration levels remain the same, if you favour an decrease to family immigration, which of the other two categories should be decreased?

  • Economic class
  • Protected persons class (refugees)
  • Both economic class and protected persons classes
  • Do not know
• Remain the same
• Do not know

Parents and Grandparents

As previously mentioned, within the family class, the parents and grandparents category provides another dilemma. Wait times that are long, and growing, are not sustainable. Not only that, but at the current rate of application intake, this backlog will continue to grow and will potentially double in the next ten years. One partial answer might be to increase the number of yearly admissions over a number of years. But this would require a reduction in the economic class or an increase in overall immigration to Canada. However, that alone will not address the backlog problem. Over the longer term decisions will need to be made about the number of new applicants that are accepted in this stream and a more sustainable path for the program.

How parents and grandparents sponsorship works:

• Any permanent resident or Canadian Citizen who is 18 years or older may sponsor a parent or grandparent and any of their accompanying dependants (children under 22 years).
• The sponsor must have a minimum income and undertake to provide basic needs for a 10-year period.
• During those 10 years, parents and grandparents are not eligible for public pensions (Old Age Security/Guaranteed Income Supplement), however they do have full access to medical care.
• Within the family class, spouses, partners and children are allotted the number of admissions required to meet demand on an annual basis. Parents and grandparent numbers allotted are dependent on many factors including the overall number of immigrants allowed into Canada and priorities in the family and economic streams.

Every year we receive more applications in the parent and grandparent category than can be processed, resulting in a backlog of applications (165,000 persons as of March 31, 2011) and long wait times for applicants.

How familiar are you with the parents and grandparents immigration program?

• Not at all familiar
• Somewhat familiar
• Very familiar

Consider what you have read about the parents and grandparents immigration program. How important is it to maintain this category?

• Not at all familiar
• Somewhat familiar
• Very familiar

What do you consider to be the most important element of the parents and grandparents program?

• Allows for family reunification
• Allows newcomers to better integrate in Canada since they have their family network with them
• Allows newcomers to work since their parents and/or grandparents can care for their children
• Allows for the transfer of cultural identity to the next generation
• Other, please specify
• Do not know

In your opinion, should parents and grandparents be given the same application processing priority as spouses, partners and children?

• Yes
• No
• Do not know

How should Canada handle the current backlog of parents and grandparents applications? Select all that apply.

• Increase the number of parents and grandparents allowed into Canada each year
• Limit the number of people allowed to sponsor their parents and grandparents
• Do not accept any new applications until backlog is eliminated
• Not applicable – the parents and grandparents program should be eliminated
• Other, please specify:
• Do not know

Please explain

In your opinion, what is the most important change that should be made to the parents and grandparents immigration program?

• Require that the majority of their children live in Canada
• Require parents and grandparents to pay higher fees to cover the cost of social services
• Require sponsors to be better financially established before they are eligible to sponsor
• Require sponsor to be a Canadian citizen
• Require that the parents and grandparents be able to communicate in one of Canada’s official languages
• Allow only those parents and grandparents to apply who are fully financially dependent on their sponsor and have no other close relatives in their own country who are able to assist them
• Other, please specify
• Do not know

Do you have any additional comments about the parents and grandparents immigration program?

PROTECTED PERSONS (REFUGEES)

The remaining approximately 14% of immigrants to Canada come from this group. Canada has a long-standing international commitment to assist in the resettlement of refugees for whom no other durable solution is available. In addition, Canada’s refugee determination system adjudicates refugee claims by individuals within Canada.

Canada has two major refugee categories for permanent residence: resettled refugees (including those sponsored from abroad by the Government and those sponsored by private organizations) and those who have made successful refugee claims from within Canada. There are also categories to address exceptional humanitarian or public policy cases on an individual basis.

There are currently applications representing 71,000 individuals waiting to be processed – including 10,000 government assisted refugees, 25,000 privately sponsored refugees and 20,000 in the humanitarian/public policy categories. As reforms to the refugee determination system proceed and the backlog of refugee claims is drawn down it can be expected that the number of successful claimants requesting permanent resident status will increase. At the same time, as part of the same refugee reform package, the Government has committed to increasing the number of resettled refugees by 2500 to 14,500 per year.

How familiar are you with the protected persons category?

• Not at all familiar
• Somewhat familiar
• Very familiar

Consider what you have read about the protected persons category. Should the annual number of entries accepted in this category each year be:

• Increased

  Assuming that total immigration levels remain the same, if you favour an increase in protected persons admissions, which of the other two categories should be decreased?

  • Economic Class
  • Family Class
  • Both Economic Class and Family Classes
  • Do not know
• Decreased

  Assuming that total immigration levels remain the same, if you favour a decrease in protected persons admissions, which of the other two categories should be increased?

  • Economic Class
  • Family Class
  • Both Economic Class and Family Classes
  • Do not know
• Remain the same
• Do not know

Do you have any additional comments on the protected persons category?

Thank you for your comments on Canada’s immigration levels and mix.

Do you have any additional comments you would like to add?