{"id":48140,"date":"2026-04-12T01:49:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T01:49:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=48140"},"modified":"2026-04-12T01:49:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-12T01:49:07","slug":"canada-slashed-migration-and-housing-costs-dropped-there-may-be-lessons-for-australia-canada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=48140","title":{"rendered":"Canada slashed migration and housing costs dropped. There may be lessons for Australia | Canada"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Canada\u2019s decision to radically cut migration levels and slash the number of foreign workers and students in the country has delivered on its goal of reducing housing costs, experts say.<\/p>\n

In the grip of a post-pandemic surge in overseas migration that was judged to be contributing to unaffordable housing and stretched public services, the Canadian government under former prime minister Justin Trudeau in late 2024 tabled a law that cracked down on foreign arrivals.<\/p>\n

The plan for the first time targeted not just the permanent immigration stream, but included caps for new temporary residents, and specifically international students.<\/p>\n

The radical move for a country that has long welcomed overseas arrivals has smashed universities that had become reliant on foreign students to plug funding gaps, and raised concerns about labour shortages in industries such as the care sector.<\/p>\n

But with the country\u2019s population now shrinking for the first time since the 1940s, experts say the impact on housing costs has been undeniable.<\/p>\n

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Quarterly change in Canada\u2019s population<\/a><\/figure>\n

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Average asking rents across all properties in year-on-year terms have now been falling for 17 straight months nationally, according to Rentals.ca<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The impact on home values has been more muted, but prices for apartments in some big cities have dropped by as much as a third as demand from foreign students in particular disappears.<\/p>\n

Canada has long been a welcoming nation for migrants, and between 2001 and 2025 experienced the fastest population growth among major advanced economies.<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>A housing development on the edge of the Ontario Greenbelt in greater Toronto.<\/span> Photograph: Cole Burston\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The country\u2019s population grew by about 400,000 per year over the two decades leading up to the pandemic.<\/p>\n

Alongside the many benefits, however, the influx of people placed pressure on housing and services and exposed a lack of planning.<\/p>\n

Then there was an explosion in non-permanent resident arrivals in the wake of the Covid period that further soured attitudes towards migration.<\/p>\n

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\nQuick Guide<\/span><\/p>\n

Canada\u2019s 2025-27 immigration plan<\/h4>\n

<\/svg><\/span>Show<\/span><\/span><\/summary>\n

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\u2013 Cap new permanent migrants at\u00a0395,000 in 2025,\u00a0380,000 in 2026 and\u00a0365,000 in 2027 rather than 500,000 for each year<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0Reduce\u00a0non-permanent migrants to 5% of the\u00a0population by the end of 2026 through lower\u00a0arrivals targets<\/p>\n

–\u00a0Prioritise transitioning skilled temporary workers into permanent residents, and put more emphasis on attracting key skills from overseas<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n