Canada’s population barely grew in the first quarter of this year as tighter immigration policies slowed the number of new arrivals, Statistics Canada data showed. The country added just 20,107 people, a near-zero percentage increase, compared with an average quarterly rise of 0.3% over the past decade.
Excluding the pandemic period, this was Canada’s weakest quarterly growth rate since comparable records began in 1946. Population increases had previously been fuelled by a surge in temporary residents — especially foreign students — following the pandemic.
Prime Minister Mark Carney, who has promised to cut immigration to “sustainable levels,” welcomed the data. His predecessor, Justin Trudeau, began curbing new arrivals last year after rapid growth strained the country’s housing, healthcare, and other public services.
Temporary residents fell to about 3 million, or 7.1% of the population, down from a peak of 7.4% last year. Foreign students saw the biggest drop, with Ontario and British Columbia recording their steepest quarterly population declines since 1951.
At the same time, asylum claims continued to rise for the 13th consecutive quarter, reaching a record 470,029 people. Carney’s government introduced a bill to tighten asylum rules and is already restricting the number of international students and foreign workers. Legislators will debate the new law on Wednesday.
The immigration plan seeks to hold overall population growth flat before returning to more typical rates. Even with these measures, migration accounted for all net growth last quarter as deaths outnumbered births by 5,600.
The government must now balance its goals. “We want to attract the best talent in the world to help build our economy,” Carney said after winning his April election. But as public support for immigration declines, officials face increasing pressure to ensure future arrivals match the country’s capacity and economic needs.
Inside Canada's plans to curb immigration
Canada has introduced a series of tightened immigration measures in 2024–2025. These include caps on international student and temporary worker permits, tougher spouse‑permit rules, language requirements, and new asylum restrictions under the “Strong Borders Act.” The goal: reduce temporary residents to 5% of the population, ease pressure on housing and services, and preserve system integrity.
What Canada wants
Excluding the pandemic period, this was Canada’s weakest quarterly growth rate since comparable records began in 1946. Population increases had previously been fuelled by a surge in temporary residents — especially foreign students — following the pandemic.
Prime Minister Mark Carney, who has promised to cut immigration to “sustainable levels,” welcomed the data. His predecessor, Justin Trudeau, began curbing new arrivals last year after rapid growth strained the country’s housing, healthcare, and other public services.
Temporary residents fell to about 3 million, or 7.1% of the population, down from a peak of 7.4% last year. Foreign students saw the biggest drop, with Ontario and British Columbia recording their steepest quarterly population declines since 1951.
At the same time, asylum claims continued to rise for the 13th consecutive quarter, reaching a record 470,029 people. Carney’s government introduced a bill to tighten asylum rules and is already restricting the number of international students and foreign workers. Legislators will debate the new law on Wednesday.
The immigration plan seeks to hold overall population growth flat before returning to more typical rates. Even with these measures, migration accounted for all net growth last quarter as deaths outnumbered births by 5,600.
The government must now balance its goals. “We want to attract the best talent in the world to help build our economy,” Carney said after winning his April election. But as public support for immigration declines, officials face increasing pressure to ensure future arrivals match the country’s capacity and economic needs.
Inside Canada's plans to curb immigration
Canada has introduced a series of tightened immigration measures in 2024–2025. These include caps on international student and temporary worker permits, tougher spouse‑permit rules, language requirements, and new asylum restrictions under the “Strong Borders Act.” The goal: reduce temporary residents to 5% of the population, ease pressure on housing and services, and preserve system integrity.
What Canada wants
- Cut international student permits by 35% starting September 2024
- Set further 10% decrease in student permits for 2025
- Require language tests for post-graduation work permits (CLB 7 for university grads, CLB 5 for college grads)
- Limit post-graduation work permits to in-demand fields only
- End work-permit eligibility for spouses of bachelor’s and college students — keep it only for spouses of master’s, PhD students, and select high-skilled workers
- Cap number of temporary foreign workers in low-wage jobs and reduce their maximum stays
- Implement a “Strong Borders Act” tightening asylum rules — stricter eligibility, faster removals, stronger border controls
- Aim to reduce temporary residents to 5% of the population by 2026, with declining target numbers for 2025–2027
- Align permanent resident targets to 395,000 in 2025, then gradually reduce
- Increase intelligence-sharing and cooperation with U.S. border enforcement
- Address public concern over rapid post-pandemic population growth and pressure on housing and public services
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