An Innovative Immigration System at 150 and Beyond
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An Innovative Immigration System at 150 and Beyond. REPORT AUGUST 2017 An Innovative Immigration System at 150 and Beyond Kareem El-Assal Preface This report summarizes discussion points and recommendations from the Canadian Immigration Summit 2017: Innovating at 150 and Beyond. It provides an overview of the importance of immigration to Canada’s economic future, highlights the key remarks made by federal and provincial immigration ministers, and provides suggestions on how Canada can improve its selection, settlement and integration, and citizenship policies. To cite this report: El-Assal, Kareem. An Innovative Immigration System at 150 and Beyond. Ottawa: The Conference Board of Canada, 2017. ©2017 The Conference Board of Canada* Published in Canada | All rights reserved | Agreement No. 40063028 | *Incorporated as AERIC Inc. An accessible version of this document for the visually impaired is available upon request. Accessibility Officer, The Conference Board of Canada Tel.: 613-526-3280 or 1-866-711-2262 E-mail: [email protected] ®The Conference Board of Canada and the torch logo are registered trademarks of The Conference Board, Inc. Forecasts and research often involve numerous assumptions and data sources, and are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties. This information is not intended as specific investment, accounting, legal, or tax advice. The findings and conclusions of this report do not necessarily reflect the views of the external reviewers, advisors, or investors. Any errors or omissions in fact or interpretation remain the sole responsibility of The Conference Board of Canada. CONTENTS i EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2 Introduction 2 Overview 3 Immigration in Canada’s Economic Growth Equation 4 Ministerial Remarks 5 Maintaining Public Support for Immigration in the Era of Brexit and Trump 8 Sending the Right Messages to Global Talent 8 How Many Immigrants Does Canada Need in the Future? 10 Refining Canada’s Selection Policies 11 Should Canada Admit More Semi-Skilled Immigrants? 13 Strengthening the Immigration-Innovation Nexus 14 Improving Canada’s Business Immigration Programs 16 The Importance of Pre-arrival Services 17 Integrating Skilled Immigrants Into the Labour Market 19 Connecting Refugees With Employment Opportunities 20 The Municipal Role in Canadian Immigration 21 Citizenship 22 Conclusion 23 Canadian Immigration Summit 2018 Appendix A 24 Canadian Immigration Summit 2017 Resources Appendix B 25 Bibliography Acknowledgements This National Immigration Centre report was prepared by The Conference Board of Canada under the direction of Craig Alexander, Senior Vice-President and Chief Economist. The report was written by Kareem El-Assal, Senior Research Associate, Immigration. The author thanks Craig Alexander and Pedro Antunes, Deputy Chief Economist, for their internal reviews of the report. Any errors or omissions in fact or interpretation contained in this report remain the sole responsibility of The Conference Board of Canada. We apologize in advance to any speaker whose views may not have been fully captured in this event synopsis. Sponsors The Conference Board of Canada thanks Fragomen Canada and AURAY Capital for sponsoring this report. It also expresses gratitude to all delegates and sponsors of the Canadian Immigration Summit 2017: Innovating at 150 and Beyond. The National Immigration Centre The Conference Board of Canada’s National Immigration Centre is a major, research-intensive initiative that examines the immigration challenges and opportunities facing Canada today. Meeting the challenges and benefiting from immigration requires a multi-year effort that brings together many stakeholders and leads to concerted action. The Centre is studying the short-, medium-, and long-term impacts of Canada’s immigration policies, programs, and practices in light of the needs and objectives of governments, employers, communities, and immigrants. Through independent, evidence-based, objective research and analysis, the Centre is making recommendations for action to help improve Canada’s immigration system. The National Immigration Centre’s goals are to: • build a strong empirical base and foster dialogue among stakeholders to generate common understanding, shared purpose, and collaborative action; • raise public awareness of the nature and importance of immigration to Canada’s economy, society, and culture; • track and report on the immigration system’s performance in achieving Canada's economic, social, and cultural goals. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY An Innovative Immigration System at 150 and Beyond. At a Glance • Over 300 delegates attended the Canadian Immigration Summit 2017: Innovating at 150 and Beyond in Ottawa to discuss innovative solutions to strengthen the country’s immigration system. • This report summarizes the Canadian Immigration Summit 2017’s discussion points and recommendations on how Canada can strengthen its immigration system. • The report also evaluates two important questions explored at the Summit. First, with populism on the rise globally, how can Canada maintain public support for its immigration system? Secondly, with the federal government set to boost immigration levels, how many immigrants should Canada admit moving forward? Find Conference Board research at www.e-library.ca. AN Innovative Immigration System at 150 and Beyond On the eve of the country’s 150th anniversary, The Conference Board of Canada hosted the Canadian Immigration Summit 2017: Innovating at 150 and Beyond. Over 300 delegates attended the event in Ottawa to celebrate immigration’s role in Canada’s success as a nation and discuss innovative solutions to strengthen the country’s immigration system. This report summarizes the Summit’s discussion points and recommendations. It begins with an overview of the importance of immigration to Canada’s economic future. Next, it highlights key remarks made by federal and provincial immigration ministers at the event. It then looks at two important questions explored at the Summit. First, with populism on the rise globally, how can Canada maintain public support for its immigration system? Second, with the federal government set to boost immigration levels, how many immigrants should Canada admit moving forward? The report goes on to provide delegate suggestions on how Canada can improve its selection, settlement and integration, and citizenship policies. The report is divided into the following sections: • Immigration in Canada’s economic growth equation • Ministerial remarks • Maintaining public support for immigration • The importance of sending the right messages to attract more global talent • How many immigrants does Canada need in the future? • Refining Canada’s selection policies • Should Canada admit more semi-skilled immigrants? • Strengthening the immigration-innovation nexus • Improving Canada’s business immigration programs • The importance of pre-arrival services • Integrating skilled immigrants into the labour market • Connecting refugees with employment opportunities • The municipal role in Canadian immigration • Canadian citizenship in the 21st century Find Conference Board research at www.e-library.ca. ii An Innovative Immigration System at 150 and Beyond. Report Summary • Canada has a strong immigration system, but it needs to confront many issues moving forward such as ensuring that the public continues to support immigration. • Building upon Canada’s track record of developing innovative immigration policies and programs, delegates at the 2017 Summit offered many thoughts on how key issues and challenges could be addressed. • Canada’s 150th anniversary provides Canadians with the opportunity to celebrate their nation and immigration’s contributions to the country’s development. It also serves as a reminder that Canada needs to continue its tradition of developing innovative immigration policies and programs to support the country’s continued success. Find Conference Board research at www.e-library.ca. AN Innovative Immigration System at 150 and Beyond Introduction On the eve of the country’s 150th anniversary, The Conference Board of Canada hosted the Canadian Immigration Summit 2017: Innovating at 150 and Beyond. Notable speakers included Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship; three ministers responsible for immigration in their provinces: Laura Albanese (Ontario), Kathleen Weil (Quebec), and Donald Arseneault (New Brunswick); and Naheed Nenshi, Mayor of Calgary. Over 300 delegates joined them in Ottawa to celebrate immigration’s role in Canada’s success as a nation and discuss innovative solutions to strengthen the country’s immigration system. Canada has a rich history of innovating to meet its immigration goals. Examples include its launch of the world’s first points system to select immigrants objectively, the Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program, the Provincial Nominee Program, and in more recent times, Express Entry, the Atlantic Immigration Pilot, and the Global Talent Stream. Overview This report summarizes the Summit’s discussion points and recommendations. It begins with an overview of the importance of immigration to Canada’s economic future. Next, it highlights key remarks made by the federal and provincial immigration ministers. It then looks at two important questions explored at the Summit. First, with populism on the rise globally, how can Canada maintain public support for its immigration system? Second, with the federal government set to boost immigration levels, how many immigrants should Canada