Canada has long been an appealing country to those looking for a change and to relocate somewhere new. In a statement discussing plans for the new year Immigration Minister John McCallum has said that he aims to reduce visa times and reunite even more families. So now may be the right time for those thinking making the decision to move to Canada. Seeking to recruit overseas labour workers As the number of retirements in the labour market are currently outweighing the number of new hires, there is a particular desire from the Canadian government for immigrants wanting to join the Canadian labour work force. As a result of this, the government has planned to grant at least 300,000 permanent resident admissions this year. This is equivalent to about one percent of Canada’s current population. The majority of these will be selected for economic programmes, to counteract the aging retiring population and to keep their economy flourishing. More family visas The Immigration Minister has also said there are plans to make improvements to the family sponsorship programmes a priority. With the aim of bringing even more families together. They will be increasing the number of sponsored immigrants this year and reducing processing times. The 2017 Immigration Plan will see a target of 84,000 sponsored immigrants receiving visas through family sponsorship programmes. Canada's dependance on immigration Canada has for a long time seen immigration as a crucial element to its economic success. This is why today one fifth of Canada’s current population is foreign born. In fact it is expected that by 2036 almost half the population will have emigrated to Canada or be children of those who have. So if you are considering relocating to Canada now may be the perfect time following Canada’s plans for immigration this year. If you would like to receive a moving quote for your relocation to Canada please click here.