Five of Canada’s leading labour-market economists detailed how a once-predictable, world-class immigration model has been quietly ‘subverted’ into what they describe as an opaque, politically malleable system that sidelines high-skilled newcomers and erodes public trust.

David Green, Philip Oreopoulos, Craig Riddell, Mikal Skuterud, and Christopher Worswick outline how a pivotal 2023 policy change that was introduced with virtually no public debate gave Ottawa broad discretion to override Canada’s long-standing points-based selection framework.

Stop the Influx! Prime Minister Trudeau finally admits immigration rates exceed Canada’s capacity

The PM still refuses to acknowledge the significant rise in permanent resident immigration, which has nearly doubled since 2020.

REPORT by @TamaraUgo: https://t.co/3Z5Ifl5TG5. pic.twitter.com/xGig3FjiqV

— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) April 5, 2024

Go Ad Free

The economists laid out their concerns in a pointed letter to Immigration Minister Lena Diab on December 9, warning that the system — known today as the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) — had historically selected immigrants based on education, work experience, and language proficiency, admitting those most likely to succeed in the Canadian labour market.

“The result was a continuous inflow of top talent chosen without political influence that benefited the Canadian economy and was admired by many countries (and emulated by some),” they wrote.

But a policy shift in 2023 created a new category-based selection mechanism that allows the immigration minister to prioritize chosen groups, effectively moving them to the front of the line. According to the authors, this transition from rules-based selection to ministerial discretion has produced a process that “looks like a lottery” to applicants and is more vulnerable to lobbying.

The thing I find most concerning about this video is that there are more people concerned with the constable and my alleged trespass than they are of vulnerable children being exploited and coerced into participating in immigration fraudpic.twitter.com/vfZOBDHeKa

— Tamara Ugolini 🇨🇦 (@TamaraUgo) October 1, 2025

The effects are already visible: in 2025, the category receiving the highest priority is francophone applicants settling outside Quebec—regardless of relative skill or labour-market prospects.

This tightening of federal control layers atop Canada’s already fragmented immigration landscape.

Provincial Nominee Programs that were designed to admit candidates who would not qualify under federal skill-based criteria continue to expand their share of total admissions, which the authors say further dilutes the national focus on high-skilled migration.

The authors warn that admitting fewer skilled workers carries a steep price: lower productivity, weaker tax revenues, and even reduced international interest in Canadian post-secondary education. This comes at a time when universities and colleges are already struggling with rapidly declining foreign enrolment and ongoing financial strain.

Guess what the latest immigration numbers show?

Aside from the mass immigration boom continuing as Carneys promise to get things under control crumbles

A 🧵 pic.twitter.com/Ls4yBgEeVw

— Tamara Ugolini 🇨🇦 (@TamaraUgo) August 15, 2025

They refer to the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), a once reliable pathway from study to permanent residency for international graduates with Canadian work experience, which is no longer providing the opportunity that it once did. Although conceived as a way to retain top global talent trained in Canada, the pathway is easily ‘abused’ by institutions that leverage immigration ambitions over academic merit to recruit students.

“This has contributed to the growth of low-quality programs and distorted incentives on all sides. The problem lies in policy design,” the authors conclude.

Compounding the issue was Ottawa’s decision to cut international student admissions for 2026 by 50% in an attempt to curb pressure on housing, healthcare, and labour markets, which has drawn pushback from post-secondary institutions. The letter highlights a critical and otherwise overlooked fact that the current intake is already falling far short of federal caps, as new international student arrivals are projected to be under 160,000 for 2025, well below the government’s reduced threshold of 305,900.

The economists say the pathway to permanent residency has become unpredictable, with some students told to learn French or face arbitrary priority changes. This uncertainty is driving top talent away, undermining Canada’s education exports and long-term economic prospects.

The authors recommend three immediate reforms: restore the pre-2023 points-based system, reassure international students that Canada is open, and adjust the points system to prioritize high-earning graduates and programs with strong labour-market outcomes.

The letter closes with a stern message that Canada’s current immigration approach is “bungled,” shaped more by political considerations and lobbying pressure than by economic evidence. Without swift reform, the country risks losing the very advantage that once made its immigration system a global model.