Growth has been experienced in the business and Canadian Investor Visa programs, new immigration figures show.
Figures from the second quarter of 2010 to the third quarter, the most recent statistics, show that business immigration grew by eight per cent to almost 60,000.
Within the business class, one of the largest growth areas is something called the Provincial or Territorial nominees program, which allows jurisdictions to determine their preferred migrants. This category has grown, in part, because provinces such as Alberta have asked Ottawa to raise the cap so that they can accept more skilled migrants.
The Canadian investor immigration category has enjoyed even more impressive growth.
These trends held firm when comparing the first three quarters for 2009 and 2010.
The Canadian Government has said that Canada needs migrants who can contribute to the economy and pay taxes, while helping to increase our population by sponsoring their relatives or raising children in the country.
"Within five years, there will be no growth in the Canadian labour market," Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said earlier this year.
“All labour force growth will be because of immigration. There are, in certain regions, significant labour-market shortages. We've also seen some recent data that show that federal skilled workers who have arrived in the last few years have seen significant improvement in their economic outcomes,” he said.
