A new survey has reported that Canadians are still optimistic towards immigration, but wish to see family reunification as a priority over economic-class and refugee-class immigration. Nearly 36% of the participants of this recently held survey by the Association of Canadian Studies were of the opinion that the family members of people already in Canada should be prioritized in 2020. In the year 2016, this figure was only 30%.

Canadians usually believe that immigration is important for Canada’s economic recovery although they would want to see family members given the priority for immigration. Due to COVID-19, the immigration numbers are reducing. Family sponsorship was down by 78% in the 2nd quarter of 2020 in comparison with the same period last year.

Most of the Canadians believe that immigration will help Canada’s long-term economic recovery. About 61% were of the opinion that immigration will be helpful, 22% said that it would be harmful to economic recovery, and 18% stated that they didn’t have any idea about it. Survey participants from Atlantic Canada were most possibly going to say that immigrants would help the economy (67%). The Prairie Provinces were probably not willing to respond that immigrants would help the economy in the long term. However, the people who responded favourably (52%) was greater than those who contradicted (26%) and those who didn’t know (22%).

The Government of Canada is also considering immigration as a pathway towards efficient post-pandemic economic recovery. Recently, Canadian ministers of immigration had met to discuss the future potential and impact of immigration after the epidemic, the importance of intake of international students and attracting new immigrants into the rural Canadian communities.