Background Information | Canada | bpb.de

During the twentieth century, the country’s immigration policy was transformed from a mechanism for keeping people of non-European origin out into a tool for selecting a mixture of newcomers – regardless of origin – designed to fuel the country’s economic and demographic growth. Despite consistently high levels of immigration and increasing diversity, especially in urban centers, Canada has not experienced the kind of political backlash against immigration and multiculturalism seen in most European countries during the past decade.

In Europe and elsewhere, Canada’s immigration policy – at least the component referred to as the "point system" – is often regarded as a model to be emulated. In recent years, however, the system upon which this Canadian success story is based has begun to change fundamentally. Three policy shifts in particular are of concern to migration researchers: (1) the expansion of temporary migration channels, (2) the more restrictive and conditional approach to permanent immigration and (3) the devolution of power over immigrant selection from the federal to the provincial level. All three changes have been introduced in order to address perceived shortcomings, especially the increasing labor market difficulties of highly-skilled immigrants since the 1990s and untenably long processing times for reviewing immigration applications. Whether or not these recent changes will have the economic effect that policy-makers desire is unclear. There are growing concerns that they may have negative consequences for aspects of immigrant integration beyond the economic sphere.