CIC’s commitment is to admit new permanent residents in 2009 within a planning range of 240,000 and 265,000 admissions. In this way, Canada’s immigration program will continue to respond to the diverse skill requirements of an expanding and dynamic economy while maintaining the Government’s commitments to support family reunification and humanitarian objectives. The 2009 levels plan sets the upper range of economic admissions higher than in 2008 in order to reflect growth in several economic streams, such as federal skilled workers, Quebec-selected skilled workers and provincial nominees. However, the distribution of admissions across categories in the Economic Class has changed to reflect the changing mix of economic immigration, in particular, as demand for provincial nominees increases.

To meet growing regional needs, the plan aims to admit a record number of provincial nominees.

The plan also includes a number of admissions through the CEC, a new avenue for immigration for certain skilled temporary workers and international students with Canadian degrees and Canadian work experience. Along with expected growth in the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, the CEC will enhance labour market responsiveness by facilitating the retention of temporary workers and international students who have demonstrated their ability to succeed in Canada.

The implementation of ministerial instructions in the fall will enhance the ability of the immigration system to respond to immediate labour market needs. The instructions will stop the growth of the federal skilled worker (FSW) backlog by allowing CIC to return FSW applications (submitted on or after February 27, 2008) that are not selected for processing, along with fees paid. Because processing is critical for reducing the backlog, instructions will play an important part in achieving reductions in the coming years.

Table 1: Immigration Levels Plan 2009

Immigrant Category	2009 Ranges
	Low	High
ECONOMIC CLASS
Federal Skilled Workers	68,200	72,000
Quebec-selected Skilled Workers	28,100	29,100
Federal/Quebec Business	11,000	12,000
Live-in Caregivers	8,000	10,000
Provincial/Territorial Nominees	20,000	26,000
Canadian Experience Class[note 3]	5,000	7,500
Total Economic	140,300	156,600
FAMILY CLASS
Spouses, Partners and Children	50,000	52,000
Parents and Grandparents	18,000	19,000
Total Family	68,000	71,000
PROTECTED PERSONS
Government-assisted Refugees	7,300	7,500
Privately Sponsored Refugees	3,300	4,500
Protected Persons in Canada	7,000	9,000
Dependants Abroad	6,000	6,200
Total Protected Persons	23,600	27,200
OTHERS
Humanitarian and Compassionate/Public Policy	8,000	10,000
Permit Holders	100	200
Total Others	8,100	10,200
TOTAL	240,000	265,000