Tories Spar With Immigration Minister on Expired Visa Holders Remaining in Country

Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab faced questioning this week from Tory MPs who voiced concern about temporary immigrants remaining in Canada after their visas have expired.

Diab told the House of Commons on June 9 the expectation is they will leave on their own and that removals are not within the purview of her department.

“When a person’s visa expires, they are expected to leave the country,” Diab said during question period, as first covered by Blacklock’s Reporter.

Conservative MP and immigration critic Michelle Rempel Garner responded that “they are not leaving the country, which is the problem.”

“How many people have been removed of the 500,000 who are on deportation orders announced in December 2024?” Rempel Garner asked the immigration minister.

Diab did not directly respond, saying the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is in charge of removals.

Rempel Garner asked why Canada is letting in “hundreds of thousands” of foreign students and temporary foreign workers when the country is experiencing a “health care crisis” and people “cannot find a doctor or a job.”

“We are working toward sustainable immigration by reducing our temporary resident numbers as well as our permanent residents,” Diab responded, adding that there have been “290,000 net new arrivals in Canada through the international student program.”

“The reality is that there were way fewer than 290,000 housing starts last year, and there are a lot more than 290,000 people waiting for a family doctor right now,” Rempel Garner said.

The CBSA reported data showing 16,860 people who were illegally in the country were removed in 2024. The majority of these, more than 13,000, were those who were rejected for refugee status. More than 90 percent of those removed last year decided to leave Canada on their own after they were ordered to do so, the CBSA data indicates.

When asked about her plan to remove immigrants who remain in the country illegally, Diab echoed her stance that there are rules in Canada and “we expect people to follow those rules.”

Rempel Garner replied that if temporary immigrants are not removed once their visas have expired, the system is “meaningless.”

Conservative MP Brad Redekopp asked Diab about the number of temporary residents who have left Canada out of the nearly 1.3 million who he said were forecasted to leave in last year’s annual immigration plan. Diab did not directly respond to the question.

Redekopp added that Statistics Canada data shows more than 3 million temporary residents in Canada as of March 31, which he said is an increase of 10 percent from 2024.

Immigration Targets

Ottawa announced its intention in March 2024 to reduce temporary residents to 5 percent of the population over the following three years, the federal 2025–2027 Immigration Levels Plan says. This includes both temporary foreign workers and international students.

The federal plan, which shows Canada’s targets for temporary residents beginning in 2025, says the country’s temporary population will decline by 445,901 in 2025 and 446,662 in 2026. This will be followed by a “modest increase” of 17,439 in 2027, it says.

The immigration department says it introduced an annual cap on international student study permits; tightened eligibility requirements for the post-graduation work permit program; reformed the temporary foreign worker program; and limited work permits for spouses of temporary residents to achieve the 5 percent targeted decrease.

An impact assessment report of the 2025–2027 Immigration Level Plan published by the Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer indicates that the new targets set out in the plan would translate to a 3.2 percent reduction in Canada’s “demographic outlook,” meaning 1.4 million fewer residents in the country by the end of 2027.

“Overall, we estimate that the new immigration targets would reduce nominal GDP—the broadest measure of the government tax base—by 37 billion on average over the next three years,” the report said.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has acknowledged that too many immigrants were allowed into Canada in the last few years.  He said during his election campaign that he would cap immigration until it returns to its sustainable, pre-pandemic trend.

The Liberal Party platform pledges to “return immigration to sustainable levels” by capping the number of temporary workers and international students to “ease the strain” on housing, public infrastructure, and social services.

The Speech from the Throne delivered by King Charles III on May 27 in Ottawa outlined the federal government’s move to cap temporary immigration levels.

“By doing this, the Government will attract the best talent in the world to build our economy, while sending a clear message to Canadians working abroad that there is no better time to come home,” the king said.

“Canada’s immigration system has long been a source of pride for Canadians and of dynamism for the economy. The government is dedicated to rebuilding the trust of Canadians in immigration by restoring balance to the system.”