Toronto, Nov 2 (IANS): Though Canada will admit 485,000 new immigrants in 2024 as in 2023, it plans to raise the numbers to 500,000 by 2025.

Unveiling immigration plans for 2024-26, Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, said on Wednesday that immigration levels will be capped at 500,000 from 2026.

As India is Canada's biggest source of immigration and students, Indians will be the biggest beneficiary of these levels because theyare going to get the lion's share ofa record 281,135 newcomers under the economic category and 114,000 under the family category.

Last year, over 118,000 Indians took up Canadian permanent residency (PR), accounting for a quarter of all 437,120 newcomers to Canada.

The new immigration targets will push up Canada’s population each year by 1.3 per cent.

In fact, record immigration levels have helped the Canadian population cross the 40-million mark even as the country faces an acute housing shortage.

The Justin Trudeauled government is sticking to high immigration levels despite opinion polls showing opposition to the plan because of the housing crunch.

“Canada will continue to welcome newcomers and ensure that they are supported in their new lives," Miller added.

He however, admitted that immigration levels were being capped at 500,000 because “we recognise that housing, infrastructure planning, and sustainable population growth need to be properly taken into account".

"Through this plan, we are striking the appropriate balance to grow Canada’s economy," the Minister added.

Canada, which admitted more than 46,500 refugees from over 80 countries last year, will welcome a record 76,115 new refugees in 2024.

Over 5.2 million applications from around the world for permanent residence, temporary residence and citizenship were processed last year.