The 2025 Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration presents a marked slowdown in Canada’s overall immigration growth compared to previous years. After several consecutive years of expansion, the 2024 data show the beginning of a contraction across nearly every category of temporary residence and a levelling off in permanent immigration. This shift reflects a deliberate effort by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to curb intake after years of unprecedented growth that strained housing, health care, and settlement capacity.
Permanent resident admissions totalled 483,640 in 2024, up slightly from 471,808 in 2023 but well below earlier government projections. For the first time since 2016, the report does not project large increases ahead but instead signals stability and consolidation. The rise of roughly 2.5 percent is statistically modest when set against the 2021–2023 trend of double-digit annual increases. The message is clear: growth is slowing, and the government is intentionally tapping the brakes.