By Anna Mehler Paperny
TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada will sharply lower the number of immigrants it allows into the country for the first time in years, in a dramatic policy change for an unpopular government trying to hang on to power.
Canada will bring in 395,000 new permanent residents in 2025, 380,000 in 2026 and 365,000 in 2027, down from 485,000 in 2024, according to a government source.
The number of temporary residents, meanwhile, will decrease by about 30,000 to around 300,000 in 2025, the source said.
The new targets were first reported by The National Post.
Canada has long prided itself on welcoming newcomers, but over the past year the rhetoric around immigrants has soured.
Migrants have been blamed for everything from a housing crisis to a rising cost of living and a strained healthcare system.
The issue has become one of the most contentious in Canadian politics with a federal election due no later than October, 2025. Polls show a growing share of the population thinks Canada has too many immigrants.