Immigration reform under the microscope this federal election as Bramptonians wait for answers

With the federal election less than a month away, the city that defines the success and struggles of newcomers is now facing growing uncertainty as a new government waits in the wings while federal leaders agree that rolling back immigration levels to pre-pandemic levels and drastically capping international student permits is a badly needed course correction. 

Many Brampton residents— a significant portion of whom are immigrants or first-generation Canadians—are scrambling to understand what the inevitable changes will mean for their future, depending on which party rises to power.

Manik Verma, a computer systems technician and networking student at St. Clair College, who lives in Brampton, said the federal cap on study permits introduced last year by the Liberals to pull back runaway international student numbers is already creating anxiety among peers planning to stay after graduation.

"The Liberal government's promises of easier permanent residency pathways for graduates might offer some hope, but whether these will directly benefit you depends on various factors, including your field and work prospects," Verma told The Pointer.

Manik Verma, an international student living in Brampton, says recent federal permit caps add stress and uncertainty for students hoping to stay and work in Canada after graduation.

(Muhammad Hamza/The Pointer)

Each party has a plan to right-size immigration. With almost 60 percent of its nearly 800,000 residents born outside Canada, nowhere are the stakes higher than in Brampton, where hundreds of thousands of residents rely on settlement supports, fair and functional pathways to permanent residency, an equitable work environment and avenues for family reunification.

Under Mark Carney, the Liberal Party is framing immigration as a pillar of long-term economic growth after last year laying out its policy to curtail the dramatic rise in immigration, which had grown far beyond levels the Liberals had themselves set. More than a million newcomers, twice the established targets, arrived in the country each of the last two years, driving Canada’s population growth.

The temporary resident population, which includes international students, reached just over 3 million people at the start of this year. In 2023, the number of permanent resident immigrants and non-permanent residents that arrived was just over 1.2 million, as overall population growth in the country reached 3.2 percent, the highest rate since 1957 when it was 3.3 percent.  

While the permanent resident population (identifying those with a direct pathway to citizenship) reached almost 500,000 each of the last two years, it’s the non-permanent resident population that experts are most concerned about. 

Capacity in the housing market and other areas of the economy, including at the local level, simply cannot meet the demand or accommodate the resources needed to support the numbers that have recently been seen. 

Nowhere has this been felt as acutely as in Brampton, where overcrowded driveways in front of homes with multiple suites (many of them illegal) illustrate the explosion in growth across the city, whose population increased 16 percent in four years from 2020 to 2024.

(The Pointer files)

The Liberals in 2023 finally took action.

Temporary pandemic recovery policies that increased the number of temporary foreign workers were ended, international student enrolment was dramatically curtailed and permits for spouses and dependents of students and workers were reduced. 

As a result the number of international students declined by 43 percent in the first nine months of last year compared to the same time in 2023, and projections from Immigration Canada in collaboration with Statistics Canada show that the non-permanent resident population will decline by about 400,000 this year and the same number next year. 

The current Liberal platform focuses on improving pathways from temporary to permanent residency through programs like Express Entry and the Provincial Nominee Program, while continuing support for family sponsorship and regional immigration pilot programs. 

Further changes were introduced in the 2025-2027 Immigration levels plan by former immigration minister Marc Miller unveiled in October to “pause population growth” in the short term to ease pressure on housing, infrastructure, and public services, while setting a foundation for long-term stability. The new targets reduced the number of permanent residency permits from a planned 500,000 to 395,000 this year, with a further reduction to 365,000 by 2027. Canada’s non-permanent resident population, including international students, is expected to decline by more than 800,000 over the next two years due to capped permits and tighter eligibility criteria.

At this time, it remains unclear whether the next government, Liberal, Conservative or otherwise, will maintain the current immigration plan, abandon it entirely, or introduce a new strategy that could redefine the future for newcomers to Canada.

The Conservative Party of Canada under Pierre Poilievre, aims to temporarily slash immigration, citing housing shortages and infrastructure capacity. Conservatives are focused on prioritizing skilled workers, faster credential recognition and stronger system enforcement, arguing that immigration targets must match the country’s ability to absorb newcomers.

Poilievre lambasted the new Liberal plan last year calling the announcement a “massive admission of failure by Justin Trudeau,” during a press conference in October.

The NDP under the leadership of Jagmeet Singh, supports increasing permanent immigration with a focus on equity, fairness, and rights, including protections for undocumented residents, ending exploitation in temporary foreign worker programs, expanding refugee admissions, and accelerating family visa application timelines.

Singh said the emotional and financial toll is high.

"Feeling supported by the system varies; complexities in the immigration process can cause significant financial and emotional stress. If the Conservative plan to reduce immigration levels is enacted, your security in settling in places like Brampton could be undermined. These policy shifts might also restrict job opportunities, particularly part-time roles that students depend on."

Rajveer Singh, an international student and Brampton resident, echoed those concerns and stressed the uncertainty now surrounding many students.

"For those hoping to continue their studies or build a career in the country, these restrictions add obstacles," Singh told The Pointer. "It also brings uncertainty for those already studying in Canada, as they may face stricter requirements when renewing permits or transitioning into the workforce. Now the situation has been worse in regard to unemployment and scarcity of living standards. Unemployment has become a major issue. Apart from this, with tuition fees on the rise, and high living costs, many international students are feeling overwhelmed".

Financial challenges, he said, are mounting with these new permit restrictions, as students struggle to find steady part-time work.

"Many international students depend on part-time jobs to help cover tuition, rent, and daily expenses," Singh underscored. "However, with new restrictions on work permits and increased competition due to a cap on student admissions, finding reliable part-time employment has become more challenging. Some employers may also be reluctant to hire international students if visa regulations become more complicated."

The concerns over immigration are not limited to international students; residents who meet all the eligibility criteria and follow legal channels to reunite their families are also facing setbacks.

Junaid (who did not want his last name used), a Brampton resident, told The Pointer that some of his friends are facing difficulties in the immigration process.

"One of my friends, he has already applied for his spousal visas three times. But all three times his file got rejected. He already has his field job. He has everything as required. He has a bank balance. He's financially strong…But this is the third time that guy had applied, and this was the third time the file got rejected."

He expressed frustration with the country’s immigration policies that seem to penalize hard-working, law-abiding immigrants who contribute to Canada while being separated from their families.

"Sometimes I do feel like they work in our favour, but sometimes it's completely against us. Like against the people who are literally trying hard to meet their needs, who is trying to work here legally, who has come through legal channels, proper channels... Sometimes the immigration laws, which are changing regularly, do affect our lives. They do affect our lives continuously, like we can't see our family. Things have gotten tough."

Gurpreet Singh, an immigration consultant at Flowertown Immigration Services Inc., criticized the current family reunification system as fundamentally flawed.

“Canada has a lottery system. If I applied for my parents this year and you apply after me, there’s no guarantee who’s going to get the invitation,” he said. “They only invite around 10,000 people to become permanent residents under the parents' category. They should increase that number.”

While Singh acknowledged the Liberal government’s move to extend the Super visa from two to five years, he pointed out that this only solves a part of the problem.

“They can live with us, but they cannot become residents. They have to buy health insurance, and I’ve seen people paying up to $800 a month. That’s not affordable for everyone.”

Gurpreet Singh, an immigration consultant at Flowertown Immigration Services Inc. in Brampton, warns that reduced international student and worker intakes could severely impact the immigration consulting industry.

(Muhammad Hamza/The Pointer)

He warned that if the flow of temporary workers and international students continues to decline, immigration consultants like himself will struggle to stay in business, as many of their clients come through temporary programs before applying for permanent residency.

With Brampton’s local economy now intertwined with immigration-driven services and education, many residents are now questioning how sustainable the system will remain under a new government facing widespread pressure to dramatically curtail immigration.

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