Marc Miller Says Government Still Weighing Status for Health Care and Construction Workers
The federal government has no plans to broadly grant residential status to undocumented migrants working in Canada, according to Immigration Minister Marc Miller.
“As frustrating as that is to hear for people in the precarious position of being undocumented in Canada and contributing to the economy — and perhaps with children who are Canadian — we have to be realistic about what’s achievable,” Miller told CBC News.
Despite recognizing both the economic and humanitarian imperatives behind such a broad regularization program, Miller said the government is not pursuing it at this time. “It is clear to me that Canadians are not there, and that’s just reality,” he added.
Miller’s remarks come as Canada grapples with issues surrounding its growing temporary resident population. The Bank of Canada has projected challenges in managing this surge, and a recent Leger poll found that 60 percent of Canadians believe there are too many immigrants coming into the country.
While the broader regularization of undocumented migrants is off the table, Miller said he is “actively considering” providing status to those working in specific sectors such as health care and construction. The Liberals had pledged in 2021 to explore ways to regularize the status of undocumented workers contributing to Canadian communities, but no timeline has been set for implementing this proposal.
The number of undocumented people in Canada is estimated to be between 300,000 and 600,000. The government has faced pressure from migrant advocacy groups, including the Migrant Rights Network, which urged Miller in May to follow through on the regularization proposal.
Sarom Rho of the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change criticized Miller’s comments, accusing the government of backtracking. “Minister Miller’s comments show that our actions have convinced the government that regularizing our undocumented coworkers, neighbors, and friends is the right thing to do. They are trying to back down, blaming rising xenophobia for their inaction on equal rights for undocumented people,” Rho said in an emailed statement.
The Migrant Workers Alliance for Change has vowed to continue pushing for permanent resident status for all migrant and undocumented individuals who contribute to Canada’s economy and communities. The group is urging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Minister Miller to reject what they see as divisive rhetoric and fulfill the government’s pro-immigrant platform.
Immigration has become a significant political issue, particularly in relation to affordability concerns such as housing. In response to these challenges, Miller announced in March that Ottawa would attempt to reduce temporary residents’ share of the population from 6.2 percent to five percent by 2027.
Miller acknowledged the difficulty of achieving this goal within a tight timeframe. “We have to be practical and realistic about whether we can demonstrate to Canadians that we’re capable of doing that in the next year,” he said.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has stated that measures to address the influx of temporary residents will be included in the upcoming immigration levels plan. The plan, which will cover both temporary and permanent resident arrivals, is expected to be tabled this fall following consultations with provincial and territorial counterparts.