Canada’s Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration, presented to the House of Commons on 31 October, has stated that the country expects to welcome between 240,000 and 650,000 skilled migrants in 2008.

As well as revealing the prospective figures, the report also announced that between 139,000 and 145,000 new permanent residents will enter the country under the new Canadian Experience Class, which will be implemented in 2008. Under the new stream, certain temporary foreign workers, as well as international students with Canadian degrees and work experience, will be allowed to apply for permanent residency from within the country.

Between 68,000 and 71,000 migrants will enter Canada permanently under the Family Reunification scheme in 2008.

A further 26,000 to 31,800 will be eligible to enter the country as refugees and 8,000 places have been designated for humanitarian and compassionate reasons.

The report also announced migration statistics from 2006, revealing that a total of 251,649 migrants took up permanent residency in Canada, the majority of whom were skilled workers or people involved in business.