On December 18—International Migrants Day—Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab issued a statement honouring the “courage and contributions” of migrants and reiterating Canada’s commitment to the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM). The minister highlighted Canada’s role as co-chair of the Compact Champions Initiative alongside Ecuador, noting that Ottawa will fund new pilot projects on climate-driven displacement and ethical recruitment in 2026.
The statement comes as Canada prepares to receive 485,000 permanent residents next year, with half expected to be economic immigrants. Diab stressed that attracting global talent remains vital for addressing labour shortages, but acknowledged that migration is “becoming more complex” due to geopolitical conflict, food insecurity and climate change.
At this juncture, companies and migrants alike may benefit from specialized assistance. VisaHQ’s Canada desk (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) provides fast, tech-enabled visa and document processing, helping employers secure work permits and keeping assignees compliant with recruiter-licensing and biometrics updates.
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For international employers, the message signals continuity in Canada’s pro-immigration stance even as it trims some temporary programmes. Multinationals assigning staff to Canada can expect further tweaks aimed at protecting vulnerable workers—such as mandatory recruiter licensing and stronger employer-compliance audits announced earlier this fall.
Diplomatically, Canada is leveraging the GCM to promote its digital-portal model for refugee sponsorship and its AI-based visa triage system, both of which Diab touted in recent UN briefings. NGOs welcomed the rhetoric but urged Ottawa to match words with faster family-reunification processing and expanded refugee spaces.
Although the minister’s statement does not create new rights, it sets the tone for 2026 policy debates on equitable migration pathways—an area closely watched by global mobility teams planning long-term talent pipelines.
The statement comes as Canada prepares to receive 485,000 permanent residents next year, with half expected to be economic immigrants. Diab stressed that attracting global talent remains vital for addressing labour shortages, but acknowledged that migration is “becoming more complex” due to geopolitical conflict, food insecurity and climate change.
At this juncture, companies and migrants alike may benefit from specialized assistance. VisaHQ’s Canada desk (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) provides fast, tech-enabled visa and document processing, helping employers secure work permits and keeping assignees compliant with recruiter-licensing and biometrics updates.
For international employers, the message signals continuity in Canada’s pro-immigration stance even as it trims some temporary programmes. Multinationals assigning staff to Canada can expect further tweaks aimed at protecting vulnerable workers—such as mandatory recruiter licensing and stronger employer-compliance audits announced earlier this fall.
Diplomatically, Canada is leveraging the GCM to promote its digital-portal model for refugee sponsorship and its AI-based visa triage system, both of which Diab touted in recent UN briefings. NGOs welcomed the rhetoric but urged Ottawa to match words with faster family-reunification processing and expanded refugee spaces.
Although the minister’s statement does not create new rights, it sets the tone for 2026 policy debates on equitable migration pathways—an area closely watched by global mobility teams planning long-term talent pipelines.
