Canada gained over 500,000 new permanent and temporary residents in 2009, according to data from Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) released last week.
The Canadian government had planned to welcome between 240,000 and 265,000 permanent residents during 2009 and it ended up receiving a total of 252,124 new permanent residents. The number was within the predicted range and about 30,000 higher than the average annual intake in the 1990s.
Canada also welcomed 85,131 foreign students to its shores in 2009.
“The Government of Canada is maintaining immigration levels to meet Canada's short, medium and long-term economic needs, help offset our aging population and low birth rate, and sustain our workforce," commented Jason Kenney, Canada’s Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism.
