How Will the Upcoming Federal Election Change the Canadian Immigration System?

3.75 minute read

"The federal election today on Monday, September 20, 2021 will determine the future of the Canadian immigration system for the next 4 years. The federal government will oversee all the major decisions impacting the immigration system. Therefore, whoever wins the federal election will shape the future of immigration in the country."

Written by My Visa Source Team
Published on: Sep 20, 2021

The federal election today on Monday, September 20, 2021 will determine the future of the Canadian immigration system for the next 4 years. The federal government will oversee all the major decisions impacting the immigration system. Therefore, whoever wins the federal election will shape the future of immigration in the country.

Despite the Constitution of Canada stating that immigration is a shared jurisdiction between federal and provincial governments, with the federal government having the final decision, it is the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) that controls major immigration policy decisions. The IRCC is controlled by the ruling political party that runs the federal government.

It is the IRCC that decides the immigration levels for all provinces and territories. The IRCC also determines the processing times for all immigration visa categories and is by far the provider of settlement and integration services to newcomer immigrants.

How Will the Federal Election of 2021 Impact the Canadian Immigration System?

Since the IRCC is controlled by the current federal government that will be run by whichever political party wins the upcoming election, it is going to be very impactful. Every political party leaves a lasting impression on the Canadian immigration system by the way of the policy decisions they make based on their different ideologies and public expectations.

Until the federal election is complete, the IRCC and the provincial and territorial governments will continue their normal operations under the existing immigration policies. What will not happen during the election is that no new immigration policy decisions will be made until the new government takes control and provides further guidance.

It usually takes up to 1-2 months for the newly elected government to select its cabinet and make other important appointments. That way the transition of power occurs between the previous and the new governments. Once this is complete, the new Prime Minister will send a letter of mandate to the newly appointed ministers, including the immigration minister. This letter of the mandate will highlight the priorities of the government.

Note, these priorities will give shape to future policy decisions regarding Canadian immigration.

When Are the Letter of Mandates Released by the New Government?

The Canadian federal election takes place every 4 years. The election in 2019 was held in October, the cabinet was formed by November and the mandate letters were made public during the winter holidays in January 2020. However, in the 2015 elections, the cabinet was formed by November and the mandate letters were released the same month.

For this year’s election, it is expected that the new government will form a cabinet by November at the earliest. Therefore, the new mandate letters are expected to be released before the winter holidays in December.

Currently, the Liberal Party is running the existing government with Mr. Marco Mendicino as the federal immigration minister. If the Liberal government is formed again, Mr. Mendicino will likely continue to be the immigration minister and the existing mandates will be added into new mandates.

How Will the Canadian Immigration Levels Plan Be Affected by the Federal Election of 2021?

Once the mandate letter has been released by the new immigration minister, the ICRC's next agenda will be to decide on the next Immigration Levels Plan for 2022-24. The Immigration Levels Plan determines the number of immigrants that Canada will welcome each year.

This plan also allocates the immigration levels for each province and territory. It is announced every year by November 1. However, it gets delayed during the election years. During the 2015 and 2019 elections, the Immigration Levels Plan was announced in the first quarter of the new year.

The new Immigration Levels Plan is expected to be announced by March 2022. It will most likely be a continuation of the existing plan to welcome over 400,000 immigrants each year.

How Will the Budget for Immigration Be Affected by the Federal Election of 2021?

The federal government highlights where the funds will be allocated in their budget. Sometimes, the government announces certain policy decisions in the budget that will impact the immigration system. For instance, in Budget 2021, the federal government allocated $430 million to the IRCC to update and improve its IT infrastructure to expedite processing times.

Irrespective of the result of the federal election of 2021, the IRCC will continue to welcome new immigrants and process visa applications. The main thing affected by the election results will be the areas of focus in the immigration system since every political party will have a different view on how it should be done.