Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s immigration policies have been a rollercoaster of unrealistic promises, ideological commitments, and sudden flip-flops in recent years.
While his government has touted itself as a champion of humanitarianism and inclusivity, many of its decisions have been criticized for contributing to housing shortages, strained public resources, and ending Canada’s consensus on immigration.
True North has compiled a timeline of Trudeau’s key immigration moves, from sweeping reforms to recent retreats, exposing a government caught between lofty rhetoric and harsh realities.
2015: Opening the door to over 100,000 Syrian refugees
Soon after being elected, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government under then-immigration minister John McCallum began with the resettlement of what would become over 100,000 Syrian refugees.
Canada boasted one of the most generous Syrian resettlement programs in the developed world. Additionally, as the program went on, Trudeau made his infamous “Welcome to Canada” tweet in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s immigration restrictionist policies, sparking the ongoing illegal immigration crisis along the U.S. border.
2017: Massive upsurge in Canada’s immigration targets
In 2017, Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen announced that Canada would welcome nearly one million immigrants over three years, with targets rising to 340,000 annually by 2020. While touted as necessary for economic growth, the plan faced backlash for ignoring the country’s limited housing supply and infrastructure.
2017: Removed visa requirements for Mexico and 14 other countries
Hussen also removed visa requirements for Mexico and 14 other countries, introducing the less stringent electronic travel authorization program. The program would eventually be rescinded upon the request of US authorities years later.
Applicants using eTAs only had to fill out a simple application online that took several minutes to complete and was low-cost as opposed to the traditional visa process.
2017: Relaxed medical inadmissibility rules
That same year, Hussen upended a 40-year policy that denied entry to immigrants who had high-cost health or social service needs. Under prior governments, those seeking to come to Canada had to prove their conditions would not cost Canadian taxpayers more than $7,000 per year – the amount that the average Canadian cost at the time.
The Liberals reversed this policy, tripling the maximum cost to taxpayers to $21,000 a year.
2020: Upped immigration targets to 1.2 million over 3 years
Under the leadership of Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino, the Liberal government made massive changes to Canada’s immigration targets.
The Liberals upped immigration to about 1% of the Canadian population annually for 2021 to 2023. They pledged at the time to let in 401,000 permanent residents in 2021, 411,000 in 2022 and 421,000 in 2023 – far above their previous commitments.
2020: Re-opened the border during COVID-19 to international students
Despite ongoing travel restrictions for unvaccinated Canadians that lasted well into 2022, Mendicino said Canada would reopen its borders to international students in October 2020.
2022: Highest population growth in G7 due to mass immigration targets
Under the Liberals, Canada’s population grew by over 1 million people in 2022, primarily due to immigration, marking the highest increase since 1957.
However, with just 4.7 new homes built per 1,000 new residents, the population boom exacerbated the housing crisis and strained public services and the ongoing healthcare crisis.
2023: Fraser claims Canada’s new immigrants will fix housing shortages
Immigration Minister Sean Fraser claimed high immigration levels would help solve housing shortages by providing labor for construction projects. However, data showed population growth far outpaced housing completions, debunking his defense.
“I would urge caution to anyone who believes the answer to our housing challenges is to close the door on newcomers,” Fraser told CBC.
“When I talked to developers, in my capacity as a minister of immigration before today, one of the chief obstacles to completing the projects that they want to get done is having access to the labour force to build the houses that they need.”
2023: Liberals admit nearly one million international students
In 2023, Immigration Minister Marc Miller admitted 900,000 international students, alongside half a million new residents and hundreds of thousands of temporary workers.
At the time, international students began to file asylum claims to try and stay in Canada longer than their prescribed visas.
2024: Feds impose two-year cap on international students, reducing number by 35%
In a major policy reversal, Miller imposed a two-year cap on international student permits, reducing numbers by 35%. The decision followed mounting criticism over the impact of record-breaking admissions on housing and public services.
“In recent years, the integrity of the international student system has been threatened. Some institutions have significantly increased their intakes to drive revenues, and more students have been arriving in Canada without the proper supports they need to succeed. Rapid increases in the number of international students arriving in Canada also puts pressure on housing, health care and other services,” Miller said in a statement.
2024: Liberals end visa-free travel from Mexico after U.S. pressure
After facing pressure from U.S. authorities, Miller said his government would end the Liberals’ nearly eight-year practice of not requiring visas for Mexican nationals.
“We strive for balance between the movement of people between our two great countries, and the need to relieve pressure on our immigration system so we can provide protection to those who need it the most,” said Miller at the time.
Miller admitted that the decision was in response to a record number of asylum claims in the US from Mexican citizens entering via Canada.
2024: Liberals cut immigration targets by 135K over two years
After years of aggressively raising immigration levels, the Liberals announced a 20% reduction in permanent resident targets, scaling back to 365,000 annually by 2027.
2024: Launch ad campaign to dissuade asylum seekers from coming to Canada
Most recently, in a sharp departure from its “welcoming” rhetoric, the Trudeau government launched a global ad campaign to warn asylum seekers about the difficulties of making claims in Canada.
