Wow, the media is admitting immigration is out of control? I wonder what changed?
www.thestar.com
Canada’s immigration system, once admired for its fairness and balance, has drifted into crisis
If Canada can admit 17,000 people with criminal convictions, yet leave skilled, law-abiding applicants in limbo — and push even the most qualified newcomers into survival jobs — then something
Opinion | Canada’s immigration system, once admired for its fairness and balance, has drifted into crisis
Seventeen thousand. That’s the approximate number of individuals with criminal convictions who were admitted to Canada over the past decade.The government has not disclosed how many of those convictions were for serious offences that could have otherwise barred entry.
This number, recently revealed by the CTV news and the lack of transparency, raises concerns of the integrity of our immigration system.
Canada’s immigration framework, once admired for its fairness and balance, has drifted into crisis. For years, policy decisions prioritized record-setting targets over planning, screening, and integration.
The result? A system disconnected from the realities on the ground — and both newcomers and long-settled Canadians are feeling the strain.
I grew up in India, trained as a surgeon in Britain and moved to Canada nearly two decades ago. As a physician, educator, father and community member, I have seen immigration enrich communities and transform lives.
I’ve also seen the toll of unchecked expansion: overwhelmed emergency departments, ballooning wait times, a shortage of family doctors, and fraying social trust. These are not abstract concerns — they’re happening in clinics, classrooms, and neighbourhoods across this country.
Since 2014, Canada’s population has grown by more than six million — roughly 15 per cent — but essential infrastructure hasn’t kept up. We are short more than 3.5 million homes. Young people are being squeezed out of entry-level roles. The youth unemployment rate is among the highest it has ever been.
Many students — immigrant and Canadian-born — struggle to find not only housing but also summer and part-time jobs, once considered a rite of passage. Meanwhile, many newcomers face underemployment and are pushed into survival jobs just to stay afloat.
Some of these pressures reflect broader economic challenges. But immigration remains the hinge on which many of them turn. And under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the system became increasingly misaligned with the country’s actual needs and capacity.
The international student stream, originally meant to attract talent, has become a backdoor to residency. Study permits surged, while many institutions lacked academic oversight. Nearly 50,000 students were listed as “no-shows” by the schools that admitted them. The result: overloaded housing, strained services, and thousands of students left underemployed and adrift.
Worse still, Ottawa’s enforcement mechanisms have faltered. The federal government acknowledged that Canada may now have up to 500,000 undocumented residents. Tens of thousands of people overstay visas each year without consequence. A system that overlooks such lapses is not generous — it is negligent. It jeopardizes the very trust on which public support for immigration depends.
Support for immigration still runs deep in Canada, but it’s not without limits. Canadians value immigration when it’s fair, focused and transparent. But when the system starts to look porous or easily gamed, confidence frays. And everyone pays the price: the immigrant who played by the rules, the patient waiting for a family doctor, the student without housing or work, and the community stretched thin.
Canada needs immigrants. We need health care workers in rural hospitals, care aides in long-term care homes, and early childhood educators across the country. But meeting those needs doesn’t require a floodgate — it needs a funnel. One that matches admissions to housing, health care capacity, and real labour demand.
Prime Minister Carney now holds the mandate — and the moment — to restore credibility to Canada’s immigration system. That means criminal vetting must be immediate and enforceable. Study permits must be tied to accredited programs with proven pathways to employment. Intake levels must be scaled in line with infrastructure and economic absorption capacity. And Ottawa must publish clear, transparent audits showing how homes, hospital beds, and transit systems will match future growth.
Fixing immigration is not a peripheral policy. It is the first test of whether the new government is prepared to govern for results rather than optics. The promise of immigration lies not in how many arrive, but in how many thrive. It lies in our ability to match aspiration with capacity, and compassion with competence.
Because if we can admit 17,000 people with criminal convictions, yet leave skilled, law-abiding applicants in limbo — and push even the most qualified newcomers into survival jobs — then something is deeply broken. And if we don’t fix the system now, we risk losing not just public trust, but the very foundation of a nation built on rules, trust, and earned opportunity.
Seventeen thousand. That’s the approximate number of individuals with criminal convictions who were admitted to Canada over the past decade.The government has not disclosed how many of those convictions were for serious offences that could have otherwise barred entry.
This number, recently revealed by the CTV news and the lack of transparency, raises concerns of the integrity of our immigration system.
Canada’s immigration framework, once admired for its fairness and balance, has drifted into crisis. For years, policy decisions prioritized record-setting targets over planning, screening, and integration.
The result? A system disconnected from the realities on the ground — and both newcomers and long-settled Canadians are feeling the strain.
I grew up in India, trained as a surgeon in Britain and moved to Canada nearly two decades ago. As a physician, educator, father and community member, I have seen immigration enrich communities and transform lives.
I’ve also seen the toll of unchecked expansion: overwhelmed emergency departments, ballooning wait times, a shortage of family doctors, and fraying social trust. These are not abstract concerns — they’re happening in clinics, classrooms, and neighbourhoods across this country.
Since 2014, Canada’s population has grown by more than six million — roughly 15 per cent — but essential infrastructure hasn’t kept up. We are short more than 3.5 million homes. Young people are being squeezed out of entry-level roles. The youth unemployment rate is among the highest it has ever been.
Many students — immigrant and Canadian-born — struggle to find not only housing but also summer and part-time jobs, once considered a rite of passage. Meanwhile, many newcomers face underemployment and are pushed into survival jobs just to stay afloat.
Some of these pressures reflect broader economic challenges. But immigration remains the hinge on which many of them turn. And under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the system became increasingly misaligned with the country’s actual needs and capacity.
The international student stream, originally meant to attract talent, has become a backdoor to residency. Study permits surged, while many institutions lacked academic oversight. Nearly 50,000 students were listed as “no-shows” by the schools that admitted them. The result: overloaded housing, strained services, and thousands of students left underemployed and adrift.
Worse still, Ottawa’s enforcement mechanisms have faltered. The federal government acknowledged that Canada may now have up to 500,000 undocumented residents. Tens of thousands of people overstay visas each year without consequence. A system that overlooks such lapses is not generous — it is negligent. It jeopardizes the very trust on which public support for immigration depends.
Support for immigration still runs deep in Canada, but it’s not without limits. Canadians value immigration when it’s fair, focused and transparent. But when the system starts to look porous or easily gamed, confidence frays. And everyone pays the price: the immigrant who played by the rules, the patient waiting for a family doctor, the student without housing or work, and the community stretched thin.
Canada needs immigrants. We need health care workers in rural hospitals, care aides in long-term care homes, and early childhood educators across the country. But meeting those needs doesn’t require a floodgate — it needs a funnel. One that matches admissions to housing, health care capacity, and real labour demand.
Prime Minister Carney now holds the mandate — and the moment — to restore credibility to Canada’s immigration system. That means criminal vetting must be immediate and enforceable. Study permits must be tied to accredited programs with proven pathways to employment. Intake levels must be scaled in line with infrastructure and economic absorption capacity. And Ottawa must publish clear, transparent audits showing how homes, hospital beds, and transit systems will match future growth.
Fixing immigration is not a peripheral policy. It is the first test of whether the new government is prepared to govern for results rather than optics. The promise of immigration lies not in how many arrive, but in how many thrive. It lies in our ability to match aspiration with capacity, and compassion with competence.
Because if we can admit 17,000 people with criminal convictions, yet leave skilled, law-abiding applicants in limbo — and push even the most qualified newcomers into survival jobs — then something is deeply broken. And if we don’t fix the system now, we risk losing not just public trust, but the very foundation of a nation built on rules, trust, and earned opportunity.
