Since the Canadian government announced in December 2021 its intention to address the estimated 300,000 to 600,000 migrants living without authorization in Canada, civil society organizations and migrant representatives have called for Ottawa to deliver a broad and inclusive regularization program that gives status to undocumented people.
Advocates like the Canadian Council for Refugees have argued that the current situation is mostly due to changes and gaps in immigration policies, and that the government has “an obligation to offer pathways to permanency for those who have been pushed to precarity.”
Undocumented migrants’ major economic and social contributions have been highlighted, along with the need to end their abuse and exploitation.
