Rachel Bendayan Appointed as Canada’s New Immigration Minister

March 17, 2025

Ishita Soni

Canada’s New Immigration Minister

Canada just got a new Minister of Immigration! Her name is Rachel Bendayan. She’s from Outremont, Quebec, and she’s taking over the immigration department from Marc Miller. Rachel is super experienced and has worked in lots of important roles in politics. Before this, she was Canada’s Minister of Official Languages. Plus, she worked in law, especially in international trade. She’s also taught at a university! So, she’s pretty smart and well-rounded.

What is a Cabinet Reshuffle?

You might wonder, why is there a new immigration minister? Well, the Prime Minister (that’s like Canada’s president) sometimes decides to reshuffle the cabinet. This is when ministers (the people in charge of different areas like health, finance, immigration) get moved around. It happens for different reasons: maybe they did a great job and deserve a new challenge, or maybe the Prime Minister wants to change things up to fix problems in certain areas.

Marc Miller’s Impact on Immigration

Now, before Rachel, Marc Miller was the Minister of Immigration. What did he do? Well, he made some big changes. He wanted to slow down the number of immigrants coming to Canada, especially to help with things like housing issues and job opportunities. For example:

• He put limits on the number of people who could come to Canada on study or work permits.
• He even paused applications for some jobs in places with high unemployment.
• He also made some changes to the Express Entry system, which is a way for immigrants to apply for permanent residence. These moves were mostly about controlling the flow of immigrants to make sure Canada’s economy and housing could handle it.

Why Immigration Is So Important in Canada

Why is immigration such a big deal in Canada? Well, Canada needs immigrants to help keep its economy strong and grow its population. Without enough newcomers, the country would face serious problems like labor shortages. In fact, immigration helped Canada avoid a recession in 2023!

The immigration minister’s role is so important that even after they leave office, they often go on to hold big roles in the government. For example, Sean Fraser (the previous immigration minister) is now working on housing, which is a huge issue in Canada.

The Future of Immigration Under Prime Minister Mark Carney

With the new Prime Minister, Mark Carney, in charge, things might change even more. Prime Minister Carney hasn’t said exactly what his immigration policies will look like, but he has hinted at a few ideas. For example:

• He might want to limit immigration to what it was like before the pandemic.
• He also wants to focus more on giving temporary residents (like students or workers) a chance to stay permanently.
• Carney has also talked about reducing the number of temporary foreign workers in Canada.

The Power of the Immigration Department

Canada’s Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is an extremely powerful department. It has a lot of control over immigration rules and can make big changes quickly. For example, during the pandemic, the government made a temporary rule that allowed international students to work more hours than usual, helping them earn money while studying.

Conclusion

Canada’s immigration system is always changing, and the new Minister, Rachel Bendayan, is now in charge of helping guide these changes. Immigration is a huge issue in Canada because it keeps the economy running and helps the country grow. Keep an eye on what happens next because the immigration policies could look very different with a new Prime Minister, Mark Carney, in charge!

Get in touch with SPS Global

Receive professional advice on any of your questions regarding Canadian immigration. get in touch with us, experienced immigration consultants from SPS Canada. For additional information, contact support@spscanada.com (Canada) or support.amd@spscanada.com (Ahmedabad), or by phone at (1) 905-362-9393 (Canada) or +919586226232 (Ahmedabad).

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