March 8, 2016 – Ottawa, ON – The Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, John McCallum, today announced that Canada will welcome a greater number of immigrants in 2016—with a special emphasis on family reunification.

The Government of Canada has an ambitious plan to bring in between 280,000 and 305,000 new permanent residents in 2016. As we continue to show our global leadership, Canada will reunite families, offer a place of refuge to those fleeing persecution, and support Canada’s long-term economic prosperity.

Through the Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration—which includes the 2016 immigration levels plan—the government outlined how it will increase levels of family class immigration, which will address the application backlog and reunite families more quickly.

The government will meet its commitments to welcome more refugees to Canada, and in the process, it will help diversify the Canadian economy and create sustainable growth.