Canada accepted the highest number of temporary and permanent residents in its history last year, the Citizenship and Immigration Ministry said Friday.
In 2007, Canada admitted 429,649 permanent residents, temporary foreign workers and foreign students. This number is more than 60,000 higher than in 2003, the ministry said in a press release.
Much of the increase was fueled by a 12 percent increase in the number of temporary foreign workers, who are increasingly needed to counter growing labor shortage, caused by aging baby boomers leaving the workforce and a growing economy, especially the energy sector.
The statistics also show a 4.6 percent increase in the number of foreign students admitted in 2007.
Canada's fast growing economy means labor demands will also continue to grow in the next few years. The most recent census indicates that in the past five years, Canada's population grew by1.6 million, with 1.1 million being the result of immigration.
By 2012, immigration is expected to account for all net growth in our labor force, it is predicted.
Over 251,000 permanent resident visas were issued in 2007, which is within the target range of 240,000 to 265,000. Only 236,689 visa holders had arrived in Canada by year's end.
Newcomers arrived from all over the world, spokesman Doug Kellam said. According to the trend in 2006, most permanent residents came to Canada from China and India, while most temporary foreign workers arrived from the United States and Mexico. Foreign students moved from Korea and China, he said.
Source:Xinhua
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