Canada: immigration

How many immigrants come to Canada?

Canada admitted an estimated 99,148 immigrants (new permanent residents) in the second quarter of 2026, 4.2% fewer than a year earlier, according to Statistics Canada's quarterly population estimates, released on 23 September 2026. Canada's population was estimated at 41,798,407 on 1 July 2026, up 0.2% in the quarter.

Immigrants here means people granted permanent residence. Temporary residents such as students and workers are counted separately as non-permanent residents. Annual admission targets are set in the federal Immigration Levels Plan from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Quarterly estimates are preliminary and are revised in later years.

Official sources: Statistics Canada: Canada's population estimates, second quarter 2026

How many temporary residents are there in Canada?

There were an estimated 2,779,774 non-permanent residents in Canada on 1 July 2026, down 0.7% from the previous quarter, according to Statistics Canada. Non-permanent residents include people on work and study permits, asylum claimants and their family members.

The figure is a stock (the number present on one date), not a flow of arrivals. The number falls when permits expire and people leave, or when temporary residents become permanent residents and are then counted as immigrants. Statistics Canada notes that preliminary estimates can show artificial decreases when there is a gap between one permit expiring and the next being issued. Breakdowns by permit type are in its interactive dashboard.

Official sources: Statistics Canada: Canada's population estimates, second quarter 2026

How many refugee claims are made in Canada?

The Immigration and Refugee Board referred 2,898 new refugee protection claims in August 2026 and finalized 11,590, leaving 259,085 claims pending, according to the IRB's monthly statistics. Monthly intake has been below 3,100 since April 2026, compared with 5,890 in March and 16,407 in September 2024.

Pending claims peaked at 300,084 at the end of December 2025 and have fallen each month since, as finalizations exceeded new claims. Intake counts claims referred to the IRB's Refugee Protection Division, including some returned by courts for a new decision. The 2026 monthly figures are preliminary and may be revised.

Official sources: IRB: Recent trends (monthly refugee claims)

Which countries do refugee claimants in Canada come from?

India was the largest source of refugee claims referred to the Immigration and Refugee Board in January to June 2026 (4,322 claims), followed by Haiti (2,262), Iran (1,921), Mexico (1,706) and Nigeria (1,597), according to the IRB. In total, 26,467 claims were referred and 49,960 finalized in the period, of which 22,109 were accepted.

Of the finalized claims, 8,166 were rejected and the rest were abandoned or withdrawn. Countries are listed by the country of alleged persecution. Values under 20 are suppressed for privacy. The IRB publishes a separate table of refugee appeals and statistics on claims by irregular border crossers.

Official sources: IRB: Claims by country of alleged persecution, 2026

How quickly do immigrants find work in Canada?

42.5% of recent working-age immigrants who were not employed when they arrived had found a job or started a business less than three months after arriving, according to a Statistics Canada study released on 7 April 2026. That was higher than the 31.3% for immigrants who had arrived 10 to 15 years earlier.

The study uses the Labour Force Survey and covers immigrants aged 25 to 54 who arrived in the five years before the third quarter of 2024, a period of tight labour markets. Statistics Canada found that these recent immigrants generally fared better than earlier cohorts in their early integration into the labour market.

Official sources: Statistics Canada: Labour market experiences of recent immigrants

What share of Canada's population are immigrants?

22.2%: that is the share of people born abroad in Canada for 2024, according to the UN Population Division. In 2015 the figure was 22.4%. World rank, highest first: 25th of 193.

Are more people leaving Canada than arriving?

According to the UN Population Division, net migration in Canada was 326,204 in 2025. Since 2005 it has ranged from 192,884 (2014) to 459,988 (2022). World rank, highest first: 5th of 193.

How many refugees are in Canada?

416,028: that is the number of refugees in the country in Canada for 2025, according to UNHCR. That is the highest since at least 2005. Worldwide: 21st of 169.

How many refugees come from Canada?

UNHCR puts the number of refugees from the country living abroad in Canada at 360 in 2025. The peak was 530 in 2007 and the low 60 in 2021. World rank, highest first: 122nd of 189.

How much money do migrants send home to Canada?

The World Bank puts personal remittances received in Canada at 0.0% of GDP in 2025. It is the bottom of the series, which starts in 2005. Of 127 countries with 2025 data, 121st highest.