A new analysis shows Canada has been gradually closing the gap with the United States when it comes to attracting and keeping new permanent residents.
The Association for Canadian Studies says the annual number of permanent residents admitted to the U-S remains below pre-pandemic levels, while Canada set a new single-year record last year.
In 2021, new permanent residents in the U-S numbered just over 738-thousand, well off the pace of more than a million in 2019.
New permanent residents in Canada in 2021 numbered more than 405-thousand _ and the federal government has plans to outstrip that in each of the next three years.
Business leaders say the government should be even more focused on attracting skilled migrants than it already is, and do more to ensure their credentials and qualifications are recognized.
Housing is a problem too, with association CEO Jack Jedwab saying Toronto beat out the New York area last year as the most popular destination for new permanent residents.