The Canadian government has no plans to broadly grant residency status to undocumented immigrants working in Canada, Immigration Minister Marc Miller said.
“As frustrating as that is to hear for people who are in a precarious position of being here illegally in Canada and who are contributing to the economy, and perhaps for Canadian children, I think we have to be pretty clear and pretty realistic about what is achievable to Canadians,” Miller told CBC News.
“Despite the economic need and the very humanitarian need that a broad-based regularization program would bring, it’s clear that Canadians are not there and that’s the reality.”
Reuters was the first to report the incident.
Miller said he was “actively considering” granting status to undocumented immigrants working in certain sectors, such as health care and construction.
The Liberal Party has pledged to “examine ways to regularize the status of undocumented workers who are contributing to Canadian communities” later in 2021. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said there is no deadline for implementing the proposal.
Miller estimates the number of illegal immigrants in Canada at between 300,000 and 600,000.
The government is under pressure from organisations representing migrants, including the Migrant Rights Network. In May, Miller Implement government proposals.
Immigration has become a major focus of the broader political debate, particularly in relation to affordability issues such as housing. A Leisure poll conducted in July found that 60 per cent of respondents said there are too many immigrants coming to Canada.
Miller announced in March that Ottawa aims to reduce the proportion of the population that is transient from 6.2 per cent to five per cent by 2027.
“I think we have to be pretty practical and realistic about whether we can get it done in a way that demonstrates to Canadians that we can do it within the next year,” he said.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said in a media statement earlier this month that the department plans to include measures to address the influx of temporary residents in its future immigration levels plans.
“The Levels Plan is being expanded to include both temporary and permanent resident arrivals. It is expected to be submitted in the fall as part of Canada’s annual Levels Plan, following consultation with provincial and territorial counterparts and other stakeholders,” the statement said.
