On November 6, 2014 the government of Canada announced in its annual immigration plan that in 2015 Canada would welcome between 260,000 and 285,000 new permanent residents. That represented an increase from the levels announced in the previous annual plan (i.e., between 240,000 and 265,000 new permanent residents). The announcement states that the planned increase 'supports the government's economic growth strategy by addressing labour and skills shortages, reuniting families sooner and reducing backlogs.' The economic immigration category accounted for the largest segment of the 2015 levels plan, at almost 65% of overall admissions. Whereas the plan for 2014 had envisioned 164,500 economic immigrants, the 2015 plan foresees a number ranging between 172,100 and 186,700.
The list of affected jurisdictions is based on the inflow of permanent residents in 2013, as published by the Canadian government (cf. Sources).