Clear humanitarian PR backlogs

AI summary

The petition asks the Minister of Immigration to increase annual permanent resident (PR) admissions to about 415,000 from 2027 and to allocate sufficient quota to humanitarian pathways for Hongkongers, Sudanese and Ukrainians to clear a reported 62,000‑application backlog within three years. Petitioners say the backlog (they state 35,000 Hong Kong, 20,000 Ukraine, 7,000 Sudan) has led to projected wait times exceeding ten years, that the 2026 Immigration Levels Plan allocates only 5,800 admissions to these pathways (falling to 4,000 in 2027–28), and that granting PR to applicants already in Canada would reduce temporary resident counts and administrative renewals (about 186,000 work/study permit renewals, per the petition). They also assert Canada’s population declined by over 234,000 across three consecutive quarters starting mid‑2025 and that lower immigration has contributed to an economic slowdown, citing comments attributed to Prime Minister Carney and academic studies.

AI summaries describe petitioners’ requests and claims. Consult the official record for the full text.

Official petition

Petition to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has a longstanding humanitarian tradition of assisting people affected by crises through special immigration pathways. PR pathways were established for Hongkongers, Sudanese and Ukrainians; Applicants of the pathways face a 62,000-application backlog (35,000 Hong Kong, 20,000 Ukraine, 7,000 Sudan), resulting in projected wait times exceeding ten years, among the longest processing times across Canada’s PR programs; The 2026 Immigration Levels Plan allocates only 5,800 admissions to the three pathways, and falling further to just 4,000 annually in both 2027 and 2028; These applicants are already living, working or studying in Canada, and granting them PR would reduce the temporary resident population without creating significant new demand for housing, education, healthcare or public infrastructure; Canada’s population recently shrank by over 234,000 over three consecutive quarters starting in mid-2025; Canada is experiencing an economic slowdown and PM Carney has attributed this partly to lower immigration. Studies have shown that sustainable immigration plays an important role in long-term economic performance; and Clearing the backlog would eliminate IRCC’s administrative burden of processing approximately 186,000 work and study permit renewals. We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship to take the following actions: 1. Increase the annual PR admissions target for 2027 onwards from the current 380,000 to approximately 415,000, representing 1% of Canada’s population. 2. With the increased annual PR admissions target, allocate sufficient annual quota to the humanitarian pathways for Hongkongers, Sudanese, Ukrainians to clear the backlog of the 62,000 pending applications within three years.

Government response

No government response is available yet.