Posted on August 17 2020

103,420 newcomers welcomed by Canada in the first half of 2020

By
Anshul Singhal
, Editor

Updated January 10 2024

As per the figures recently released by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada [IRCC], Canada has welcomed 103,420 newcomers in the first half of the year.

According to the 2020-2022 Immigration Levels Plan announced on March 12 – a week before COVID-19 special measures were introduced in Canada on March 18 – Canada was initially supposed to admit 170,500 by June 30, 2020.

However, while Canada immigration went on as usual even amidst the coronavirus pandemic, with regular federal and provincial draws being held, the focus had shifted to immigrants more likely to already be in Canada.

Since March, IRCC has been holding more of program-specific draws, alternating between the Canadian Experience Class [CEC] and the Provincial Nominee Program [PNP]. Candidates eligible for CEC or PNP have a higher likelihood of already being in Canada as against those currently overseas.

All-program draws have been resumed by IRCC. The most recent all-program draw was held on August 5, 2020.

In the 26 federal Express Entry draws held so far in 2020, a total of 61,850 Invitations to Apply [ITAs] have been issued.

As per the IRCC statistics, of the 103,420 newcomers welcomed to Canada in the first half of 2020, a majority – that is, approximately 63.7% – comprised those admitted through economic immigration programs.

Of those taking the economic immigration route to Canada, around 21.8% were nominated through Canada’s Provincial Nominee Program [PNP].

Total 103,420 welcomed by Canada between January to June 2020

Route to Canada	Number welcomed in first 6 months of 2020	% of the total
Skilled workers	42,360	40.96%
PNP 22,505	22,505	21.76%
Sponsored spouses	18,155	17.55%
Refugees and protected persons	11,170	10.80%
Sponsored parents and grandparents	5,310	5.13%
Sponsored children	1,200	1.16%
Business	955	0.92%