Applicants recite the Oath of Citizenship as they become new Canadians at a citizenship ceremony in Ottawa, Thursday, March 20, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

OTTAWA — As the political debate over immigration heats up again, a group that works to support newcomers says immigrants need a sense of both belonging and optimism to convince them to stay.

The Institute for Canadian Citizenship published a survey of roughly 5,000 immigrants Tuesday focused on how Canada can retain newcomers. The survey also found that a sense of security, faith in institutions and a strong economy can help determine whether an immigrant chooses to stay.

Institute CEO Daniel Bernhard said Canada needs to find ways to encourage immigrants to remain as outward migration increases, birthrates decline and the government makes plans to reduce the immigration intake.

"The discourse in Canada today suggests that all immigrants do is consume stuff. They consume housing, consume health care, and consume space on the road when they're driving between their house and the hospital," he said.

"This is, I think, a false frame that omits the very, very important contributions that immigrants do make. And retaining those talents for Canada is going to be essential."

A November 2024 study by the institute found that one in five immigrants ultimately leave Canada in the long term.

Political debate over immigration is ramping up, with the Liberal government moving more than a year ago to reduce the number of temporary visas issued for workers and students, and both Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and B.C. Premier David Eby recently calling for the termination of the temporary foreign worker program entirely due to high youth unemployment.

Speaking at a housing-focused press conference in Brampton, Ont., on Tuesday, Poilievre said the Liberals brought in "too many people too fast" and "our youth can't find jobs or homes" as a result.

"Immigrants are not to blame for this mess. They simply followed the rules that the Liberals created, or the lack of rules," Poilievre said.

The institute's survey found 76 per cent of immigrants believe housing in Canada is unaffordable.

Public opinion on immigration seems to be shifting, with recent polls — including the government's own research — suggesting more Canadians now believe too many people are coming here.

Bernhard said that even those who oppose increased immigration should support retaining immigrants so that they don't need to be replaced in the workforce.

"If you want to reduce immigration to improve health care wait times, be careful what you wish for. You can take 10 per cent of the people out of the hospital waiting room and you'll take 20 or 30 per cent out of the hospital staff room by reducing immigration," he said.

The federal government is conducting its annual review to determine how many immigrants, both permanent and temporary, it will admit over the next three years. It's expected to update the immigration levels plan later this fall.

Bernhard said he believes it's time for the immigration conversation to turn away from debating "just a big number" and start addressing where the gaps are in the labour market.

"Immigration, I think, needs to eventually be situated within a broader envelope of tools for addressing big policy goals that benefit all of Canada," he said.

"The number-first approach, where we set a big target and then later on try to figure out who's going to fill it, I don't think it serves Canada as well as it could any longer."

The government has said it plans to reduce the number of temporary residents to 5 per cent of the total population and cut the annual intake of permanent residents to from 395,000 this year to 365,000 by 2027.

Poilievre has said a Conservative approach to immigration would be to bring in "the right numbers of the right people to fill jobs" under "stronger" security standards.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2025.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2025