Canada Records Highest Population In 66 Years, Major Influx From India

Canada’s population surge at present it is fuelled by non-permanent immigrants, including those on study or work permits, of whom a significant section come from India.

Outlook Web Desk

Updated on: 20 December 2023 3:40 pm

Canadian PM Justin Trudeau

The increase in non-permanent residents, including students, has led to Canada recording its highest level of population increase in a single quarter in 66 years.

The non-permanent residents population in Canada include significant section come from India.

“According to new data from Statistics Canada or StatCan, the country’s data agency, Canada’s population grew by 430,635 people from July 1 to October 1 this year. At a 1.1% increase, this was highest since the 1.2% growth recorded in 1957, which was caused by a post-World War II baby boom along with refugees entering the country following the Hungarian Revolution the previous year,” HT reported.

It said the population surge at present it is fuelled by non-permanent immigrants, including those on study or work permits, of whom a significant section come from India.

“There was a net increase of 312,758 non-permanent residents in the quarter, which is the greatest quarterly increase going back to 1971, when such data was first collected,” the report said.

“The gain in non-permanent residents was mostly due to an increase in the number of work and study permit holders and, to a lesser extent, an increase in the number of refugee claimants,” StatCan said, the report mentioned.

It also stated in addition to the arrivals on temporary visas, there were also the ballooning numbers of permanent residents or PRs.

“Between July and September, Canada welcomed 107,972 new permanent residents. From January to September this year, immigration reached a figure of 371299 or 79.8 per cent of the annual target set by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada or IRCC, which is 465,000,” the report said.

Overall, Canada’s population rose to over 40.5 million.

“Sentiment in Canada has already risen against the high intake of immigrants in recent years. In a poll in November, the agency Abacus Data found that 67% of respondents considered the levels of immigration to Canada either way too high or too high, an increase of six percentage since July this year,” the report said.