Canada currently has 2.2 million temporary residents, according to estimates from Statistics Canada, out of a total population of 40.1 million.

This means that about one in every 18 people residing in Canada is a temporary immigrant. This does not account for individuals living in the country without official documentation.

The figures released today by Statistics Canada show a 46% increase in the number of temporary residents between July 1, 2022, and July 1, 2023. This is "the largest recorded increase since comparable data became available (1971 - 1972)," said the federal agency.

The number of temporary residents in Canada was estimated at about 1.5 million people on July 1, 2022, and it rose by 698,000 in the following 12 months. This annual increase is greater than the increase in the number of permanent immigrants. This is a historic first for Canada.

Statistics Canada also noted that the number of temporary residents has now surpassed the number of Indigenous people counted in the last official census conducted in 2021, which was 1.8 million.

The temporary residents are mostly foreign temporary workers and international students. About 1.9 million of them hold a work permit or a study permit, or both. The estimated number of asylum seekers is about 260,000, with 147,000 residing in Quebec, which is approximately 57% of the total number.

The increase in temporary immigration to Canada follows a trend from recent months and years, where administrative processes have been eased at both the federal level and in Quebec for bringing in foreign workers.

Statistics Canada also partially attributed the rise in the number of temporary residents to the emergency travel permits issued by Ottawa to Ukrainians since March 2022 due to the Russian military invasion of their country, which has allowed 175,000 of them to come to Canada so far.

However, this data on temporary residents remains incomplete as it does not include the number of undocumented individuals whom Justin Trudeau's Liberal government in Ottawa is considering regularizing their status.

This phenomenon could be substantial, as estimates from last spring suggested that the number of people who chose to remain in Canada despite their work permits expiring ranged between 200,000 and 500,000.

It is worth noting that Canada's population surpassed the 40 million mark in mid-June of last year.