Sean Fraser appointed as New Immigration Minister

Sean Fraser Replaces Marco Mendicino After Cabinet Reshuffling

Sean Fraser is a 37-year-old former lawyer from Nova Scotia who has been re-elected as a Member of Parliament and replaces Marco Mendicino as Canada’s newly appointed Immigration Minister.

Mendicino, who previously served as Immigration Minister between 2019 and 2021, is now the Minister of Public Safety.

Fraser represents the “Central Nova”. Before entering politics, he practiced commercial litigation and international dispute resolution.

Trudeau’s Liberals won a minority government in September and Parliament reconvenes on November 22.  Last year, the Liberal government made the announcement that Canada will accept over 400,000 newcomers per year, with the goal of providing greater support to the economy and post-pandemic economic recovery.

What To Expect For Canada When It Comes To Immigration

During the September 2021 election campaign, the Liberals made many immigration promises. These include ending citizenship fees, which currently cost $725, and reforming the Express Entry Program so that temporary foreign workers and international students may have more immigration pathways and shorter processing times.

The new Immigration Levels Plan will be unveiled by March 2022 and the Liberals will have several immigration issues to work on to fulfill their mandate – application backlogs that grew during the pandemic as an obvious example. IRCC will likely also focus on reforming the Express Entry and the Parents and Grandparents Program, launching the Municipal Nominee Program, and waiving the aforementioned citizenship fees.

The new Immigration Levels Plan 2022-2024” shouldn’t have any surprises and will likely continue to focus on helping Canada achieve its goal to welcome over 400,000 new immigrants annually. The 2022 budget should be published around the same time and may highlight the new government’s major priorities on immigration. As for now, IRCC will continue to invite immigration candidates through the Express Entry Program, the Provincial Nominee Program, and Quebec’s provincial immigration programs.