The number of new permanent residents to Canada increased by 71.8 percent in the first five months of this year, compared to the same period last year, as per the recent IRCC figures.

Canada had welcomed 187,490 new permanent residents by the end of May this year. This is an increase of 78,370 over the first five months of 2021.

At the current rate of immigration, Canada is on track to receive 449,976 new permanent residents this year, far exceeding Ottawa's previous high of 431,645.

The current rate of immigration to the country is so high that Canada will likely exceed even next year's much higher immigration target of 447,055 new permanent residents under the current Immigration Levels Plan for 2022-2024.

The plan calls for 451,000 new permanent residents to arrive in Canada by 2024.

Canadian business leaders have been urging provincial and territorial leaders to demand more immigration in order to address labor shortages across the country.

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The Business Council of Canada highlighted the severe shortage of qualified workers to fill jobs in Canada in a report released in June titled Canada's Immigration Advantage: A Survey of Major Employers.

As per the report, "a lot of employers are experiencing issues tracking down skilled laborers." "Deficiencies exist in all territories and provinces, yet they are most extreme in Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia."

"Employers are having difficulty filling technical positions." Computer science, engineering, and information technology are the most common fields with skill shortages. Construction workers, plumbers, electricians, and other skilled trades are also in short supply."

Goldy Hyder, president, and CEO of the Business Council stated earlier this week, ahead of the Council of the Federation meeting of premiers in Victoria, that Canada's unemployment rate and labor shortages are stifling the country's economic recovery and exacerbating inflation.

Premiers from territories and provinces want more say in PNPs and international student recruitment.

The premiers of the provinces and territories in agreement

Following their discussions earlier this week in British Columbia, they issued a joint statement in which they urged the federal government to give them a greater say in the recruitment of international students and other immigrants through the Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs).

"To help the maintenance of Canada educated international student, (the) premiers encourage the central government to eliminate hindrances to international students getting to federal employment support programs, like coordinated effort with provinces and territories in optimizing the Post-Graduate Work Permit (PGWP) for international students to meet local workforce needs and more efficient transitions to permanent residency," the premiers said in a statement.

With a PGWP, international graduates receive a work permit and can work in Canada for up to three years after graduation. That work experience can then help them improve their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score and gain permanent residence in Canada through the Express Entry system.

The premiers also sent a message to Ottawa, stating that it is up to the provinces and territories to ensure that immigration meets local labor market needs.

In the first five months of 2022, PNPs attracted 15.9 percent of new permanent residents.

In the first five months of this year, Canada welcomed 29,735 new permanent residents through provincial and territorial nominee programs, accounting for approximately 15.9% of all new permanent residents during that time period.

The premiers now want to increase those figures.

"(The) premiers approach the central government to work with provinces and territories to grow provincial and territorial nominee programs and guarantee the fundamental federal assets are set up for convenient and effective nominee processing," the premiers said in an explanation.

"Because immigration is a shared jurisdiction, the federal government should strengthen collaboration on multi-year planning, including levels and economic priorities." Through provincial and territorial nominee programs, federal immigration policies should complement and respect the role of provinces and territories in economic immigration."