Immigration Canada: Canadian immigration by the numbers

By Tobi Cohen and Jordan Press, Postmedia News

Read more: http://www.canada.com/Canadian+immigration+numbers/5647556/story.html#ixzz1ckHe218W

Highlights from Citizenship and Immigration's annual report:

- Canada expects to have welcomed about 260,000 immigrants to Canada by the end of this year;

- Canada admitted 280,681 permanent residents in 2010, an increase of 11.3 per cent over 2009 and the highest level recorded in 50 years;

- Canada welcomed 182,276 foreign workers in 2010, an increase of 2.2 per cent over the previous year;

- The number of international students permitted into Canada in 2010 was up 13 per cent over 2009 to 96,157;

- Canada issued 12,452 temporary resident permits in 2010 to foreigners deemed inadmissible under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act but who offer compelling reasons for special consideration;

- By 2013, such foreign nationals will be required to provide their biometrics as part of a border security initiative;

- The number of asylum claimants fell by 10,000 in 2010, in large part due to the introduction of temporary resident visa requirements for people from the Czech Republic and Mexico;

- Immigration levels for 2012 will remain between 240,000-265,000;

- For the second consecutive year, Canada resettled 12,000 refugees in 2010;

- 26.6 per cent of new immigrants don't know either official language; 57.1 per cent know English, six per cent know French, 10.3 per cent know both;

- Authorities fell shy of processing time targets for family class applicants. Officials expect to meet the 12-month target by March.