Issue
Immigration
Federal immigration levels (set in IRCC's annual Immigration Levels Plan), refugee and asylum policy under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the Express Entry framework for economic immigration, and the Citizenship Act. Active 2025 files: Bill C-3 of the 45-1 (royal assent November 18, 2025) restores citizenship to second-generation Canadians born abroad after the 2023 Ontario Superior Court ruling in Bjorkquist v. Canada that struck down the first-generation limit. Bill C-71 of the 44-1 (the predecessor that lapsed) and Bill S-245 (a Senate companion). The 2025 reduction in federal Permanent Resident targets from 500,000 to roughly 395,000 per year by 2027, the temporary-resident cap, and the federal-provincial coordination on credential recognition (Bill C-286 of 44-1) are the live debates.
Where parties stand
Compare side-by-side- Bloc QuébécoisBLOC
The Bloc Québécois has consistently called for Quebec to control all immigration to its territory, including the federally administered family-class and refugee-class streams that currently bypass Quebec's annual immigration-plan thresholds. Bloc demands an asymmetrical federal-Quebec immigration arrangement matching the 1991 Canada-Quebec Accord but extending to temporary foreign workers, international students, and asylum-seekers. Brought after Quebec's Bill 96 (CAQ government's French-language reinforcement) led to friction with federal immigration thresholds. Supports the post-March 2023 Roxham Road closure as relieving pressure on Quebec social services.
Source - Conservative Party of CanadaCONSERVATIVE
The federal Conservative Party under Pierre Poilievre has called for a substantial reduction in temporary foreign workers (currently approximately 750,000 plus the Post-Graduate Work Permit cohort per IRCC 2024 data), a hard cap on international-student permits per institution and per province (which the Liberal government implemented at 360,000 in 2024 in a 35 percent year-over-year cut), faster credential recognition for skilled-economic-class immigrants in regulated professions, and stronger Border Services enforcement against asylum-seeker irregular crossings. Supports the Roxham Road closure that took effect March 25, 2023 under the Safe Third Country Agreement amendment.
Source The federal Green Party supports expanding family-class reunification permits (the Parents and Grandparents Program currently operates with a 2024 lottery-based annual intake of 28,500 visas applications selected from approximately 35,000 invitations), refugee-resettlement quotas matching the UNHCR demand-of-resettlement target (Canada resettled approximately 25,000 refugees in 2024 per IRCC, the second-most in the world after the United States), full credential recognition for skilled-economic-class immigrants under regulated-profession frameworks, end to detention of asylum-seekers in immigration holding centres (over 9,000 detentions in 2022-2023 per Canada Border Services Agency data), and stronger anti-trafficking enforcement on temporary-foreign-worker exploitation.
Source- Liberal Party of CanadaLIBERAL
The federal Liberal Party under Mark Carney has set the 2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan at 395,000 permanent residents annually (down from 485,000 in 2024 and 500,000 in 2025-2026 originally announced under Trudeau), capped international-student permits at 360,000 for 2024 (a 35-percent year-over-year cut), tightened the Post-Graduate Work Permit eligibility (effective November 1, 2024), restricted Temporary Foreign Workers in low-wage occupations in regions with unemployment over 6 percent, and signed the post-March 2023 Safe Third Country Agreement amendment that closed the Roxham Road irregular-crossing route. Maintains the Canada-Quebec Accord on Immigration (1991) framework for Quebec.
Source The federal NDP supports lowering the temporary-foreign-worker share of the labour force (the Migrant Workers Alliance reported approximately 4.5 percent in 2024, up from 2.2 percent in 2018), expanded family-reunification permit caps including the Parents and Grandparents Program lottery replacement with a first-come-first-served queue, expanded refugee resettlement quotas for Sudan and Afghanistan, and full provincial nominee program funding parity. Opposes the Liberal-Conservative consensus on the post-March 2023 Safe Third Country Agreement closure of Roxham Road as having pushed asylum-seekers into more dangerous crossings.
Source
Bills affecting this issue
- C-274Federal45-1First reading
An Act to amend the Citizenship Act and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
Citizenship Act and IRPA bundle of equity fixes.
- Projet de loi 84Provincial43e législature du QuébecSecond reading
Act respecting Quebec national integration
CAQ bill asserting Quebec's role in immigration selection and integration, including temporary-resident streams.
- C-3Federal45-1Royal assent
An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (2025)
Restores citizenship to second-generation people born abroad after the 2023 Ontario court ruling.
- C-220Federal45-1Second reading
An Act to amend the Criminal Code (immigration status in sentencing)
Criminal Code amendments on immigration status in sentencing.
- C-212Federal45-1First reading
An Act to establish the Office of the Ombud for the Department of Citizenship and Immigration and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts
Creates a statutory Citizenship and Immigration Ombud office to investigate IRCC complaints.
- C-213Federal45-1First reading
An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (cessation of refugee protection)
Refugee-protection cessation rules update under the IRPA.
- S-215Federal45-1In committee
An Act respecting National Immigration Month
National Immigration Month (Senate).
- C-9-44Federal44-1Royal assent
Citizenship Act amendments (lost Canadians) (44-1)
Citizenship Act lost-Canadians amendments (44-1 alt).
- S-235Federal44-1First reading
An Act to amend the Citizenship Act and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act
Citizenship Act and IRPA equity amendments.
- S-286Federal44-1Second reading
An Act respecting National Immigration Month
Designates a National Immigration Month.
- C-399Federal44-1First reading
An Act to establish the Office of the Ombud for the Department of Citizenship and Immigration and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts
Statutory IRCC Ombud office (precursor to 45-1 C-212).
- C-71Federal44-1First reading
An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (2024)
First version of the lost-Canadians fix after the 2023 Ontario ruling. Eventually re-tabled in 45-1 as C-3.
- S-8Federal44-1Royal assent
An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, to make consequential amendments to other Acts and to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations
IRPA amendments with consequential changes to other acts.
- C-242Federal44-1Royal assent
An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (temporary resident visas for parents and grandparents)
Adds a new temporary-resident visa category for parents and grandparents of permanent residents and citizens.
- S-245Federal44-1In committee
An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (granting citizenship to certain Canadians)
Lost Canadians bill. Extends citizenship to second-generation people born abroad excluded by the 2009 first-generation limit.
- C-286Federal44-1First reading
An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (recognition of foreign credentials)
Federal framework on recognition of foreign professional credentials. Targets the doctor and engineer credentialing logjam.