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TL;DR

Canadian attitudes toward immigration recovered slightly in 2025 after deteriorating sharply over the previous two years, according to federal public-opinion research released Monday.

In November 2025, 47% of Canadians said too many immigrants were coming to the country. That was down from 54% in November 2024, but more than double the 22% recorded in March 2023.

The findings show that opinion improved as Ottawa began lowering immigration targets. Support, however, remained well below the levels recorded before concerns about housing availability, job competition and strained public services intensified.

Half of respondents in November 2025 said immigration was seen as having a somewhat or very positive impact on Canada. In March 2023, 71% held that view.

The research from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) links much of the change in mood to doubts about whether Canada has enough housing, infrastructure and public-service capacity to handle rapid population growth.

Among respondents who considered immigration too high, common reasons included housing costs or availability, competition for jobs, economic capacity and access to social supports.

In August 2025, 56% agreed that immigration was adding too much pressure to housing prices in their community. That was below the 61% recorded in June 2024, but well above the 34% recorded in March 2022.

The share expecting new immigrants to have a negative effect on the housing market followed a similar path. It rose from 50% in March 2023 to 69% in November 2024, before declining to 65% in August 2025.

Federal housing briefing material identifies immigration-led population growth as a major source of housing demand, alongside restrictive planning rules, construction costs and low productivity in the building sector.

Estimates of the housing shortage vary by measure. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation previously estimated that 3.5 million additional homes, beyond expected construction, would be needed by 2030 to restore affordability to 2004 levels. The Parliamentary Budget Officer estimated a 1.3-million-unit gap to return vacancy rates to their historical average.

Rental conditions began easing in several cities during 2025. A mid-year report from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) found that advertised rents for two-bedroom purpose-built apartments fell year over year in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Halifax during the first quarter.

CMHC said affordability had not improved despite growing supply and slower rent increases, especially in Vancouver and Toronto.

Canadians also became less receptive to arguments connecting immigration with labour shortages and long-term economic growth.

In August 2025, 46% agreed that immigration was necessary to sustain growth as Canada’s population ages, down from 60% in March 2023. Agreement that Canada’s competitiveness depended on recruiting immigrants for changing labour needs fell from 57% to 45% over the same period.

Support for using immigration to fill local labour and skill shortages dropped from 56% to 42%. Meanwhile, 59% said unemployed Canadians should receive priority over recruiting skilled immigrants from abroad. That figure had reached 63% in November 2024.

IRCC focus groups conducted during 2024 and 2025 found interest in connecting admissions more closely to labour shortages, recognizing foreign credentials faster and directing more newcomers toward less-populated regions. Focus-group findings describe participant views but cannot be projected across the population.

An independent Environics Institute survey conducted in September 2025 found that 56% of respondents believed Canada accepted too many immigrants. The telephone survey included 2,004 adults and had a margin of error of 2.2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

That result should be kept separate from the federal government’s November finding of 47%. The surveys used different organizations, dates and methods. IRCC has also cautioned that online respondents tend to express more negative views than telephone respondents.

The longer trend shows a substantial change from the previous two decades. The proportion saying immigration was too high fell from 46% in 1996 to 29% in 2005, then reached 22% in 2020. It remained at 22% in March 2023 before climbing to 35% that November and 54% one year later.

The federal government responded to pressure on housing and services by reducing planned admissions and introducing temporary-resident targets for the first time.

The 2025 to 2027 plan lowered the permanent-resident target to 395,000 in 2025, 380,000 in 2026 and 365,000 in 2027. A subsequent immigration levels plan set permanent admissions at 380,000 annually from 2026 through 2028 while reducing planned arrivals of international students and temporary workers.

For 2026, Ottawa set targets of 155,000 new international students and 230,000 new temporary workers. Economic immigration accounts for 63% of planned permanent admissions that year.

Public confidence has not recovered at the same pace as the targets have changed. In January 2026, 41% said the government was on the wrong track in managing immigration, while 26% said it was headed in the right direction. Only 22% agreed that the immigration system was well managed overall.

Immigration was not the public’s leading federal concern. Seven per cent named it as the single issue requiring the most attention, compared with 19% for the economy, jobs and unemployment, and 17% for living costs, housing and inflation.

Public-opinion findings do not change an immigration application or a person’s legal status. They can influence the policies that determine future admission numbers, program eligibility and processing priorities.

If you plan to study, work or apply for permanent residence in Canada, check current IRCC requirements rather than relying on earlier targets. Temporary pathways now face tighter limits, while economic admissions remain the largest part of the permanent-resident plan. Applicants with experience in selected in-demand sectors or rural communities should also watch for program changes tied to labour shortages.

Housing and employment conditions differ widely by province and city. Compare local rents, credential requirements and job openings before choosing where to settle.