How Canada's immigration system will change with a new immigration minister
15 May 2025
On May 13, 2025, the Canadian federal government appointed Lena Metlege Diab as the new Minister of Immigration, succeeding Rachel Bendayan, who served for a short period of time as part of a cabinet reshuffle announced by new Prime Minister Mark Carney. This appointment marks an important turning point in the direction of Canadian immigration policy and how it will operate in practice, so we take a look at her background and policy positions to see what we can expect.
Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, to Lebanese immigrants, Minister Rina Diab moved to Lebanon with her family when she was two years old, then returned to Canada at age 11 to escape the Lebanese civil war. He entered public school not speaking any English, but through hard work, he went on to university and law school, became a lawyer, became a community leader, and entered politics through his volunteer work in multicultural communities. His first-hand experience of life as an immigrant has given him a strong understanding and empathy for immigration policy.
His political career is also diverse. After being elected to the Nova Scotia legislature in 2013, she was appointed the first female provincial Attorney General in Canadian history, and has since held several other positions, including Minister of Immigration and Minister of Acadian and Francophone Affairs. As Nova Scotia's Minister of Immigration, she has experience attracting large numbers of immigrants through practical policies such as expanding provincial pathways and strengthening local settlement programs. With her experience designing and implementing immigration policy at the provincial level, Ms. Diab is well positioned to lead a policy transition at the federal level.
Canada's immigration system is currently undergoing a critical transition. The change of federal immigration minister is particularly noteworthy at this time. The federal government has just announced an adjustment to its immigration level plan that will reduce immigration intake targets in each year from 2025 to 2027, capping the number of new permanent residents at 395,000 this year, 380,000 in 2026, and 375,000 in 2027. While this adjustment can be seen as a reflection of a number of issues, including a surge in temporary residents, an imbalance in the international student system, and limitations in settlement infrastructure, it could also mean increased competition and higher thresholds for prospective immigrants. Given these circumstances, the new minister's policy direction will have a significant impact on both immigrant and settlement communities.
Given Diab's past record in Nova Scotia, it's likely that Canadian immigration policy will be more pragmatic and inclusive in the future. In addition to English, Diab is fluent in French and Arabic, and has a history of serving as a minister for Francophone communities. This dovetails with the government's push to increase French-speaking immigration from outside Quebec. The government has a goal of increasing the proportion of French-speaking immigrants to 7% by 2025 and 8% by 2026, and Diab's experience will play a key role in achieving this goal.
Diab has also shown a strong interest in increasing the settlement and employment opportunities for women and ethnic minority immigrants. In 2022, she personally announced budget support for the Racialized Newcomer Women Pilot program, which aims to create systems to help women settle and protect them from violence. This focus on quality and equity in settlement is likely to continue, which bodes well for family-based migrants, international students, and vulnerable groups in particular.
Coming from a legal background is also seen as a great strength in policy making. His approach to designing policies and programs, which emphasizes legal validity and procedural fairness, will help ensure that complex policies, such as the recent restrictions on the number of international students, the reduction of PGWP eligibility, and the restrictions on spousal open work permits, are operated under clear standards.
Taking these factors into account, it will be interesting to see how Minister Lina Metledge Diab will guide the direction of Canadian immigration going forward, and what new opportunities she can create for immigrants. More than just a change of minister, Canada's immigration policy is once again at a turning point, and it's time to see if it can lead to real change.
On May 13, 2025, the Canadian federal government appointed Lena Metlege Diab as the new Minister of Immigration, succeeding Rachel Bendayan, who served for a short period of time as part of a cabinet reshuffle announced by new Prime Minister Mark Carney. This appointment marks an important turning point in the direction of Canadian immigration policy and how it will operate in practice, so we take a look at her background and policy positions to see what we can expect.
Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, to Lebanese immigrants, Minister Rina Diab moved to Lebanon with her family when she was two years old, then returned to Canada at age 11 to escape the Lebanese civil war. He entered public school not speaking any English, but through hard work, he went on to university and law school, became a lawyer, became a community leader, and entered politics through his volunteer work in multicultural communities. His first-hand experience of life as an immigrant has given him a strong understanding and empathy for immigration policy.
His political career is also diverse. After being elected to the Nova Scotia legislature in 2013, she was appointed the first female provincial Attorney General in Canadian history, and has since held several other positions, including Minister of Immigration and Minister of Acadian and Francophone Affairs. As Nova Scotia's Minister of Immigration, she has experience attracting large numbers of immigrants through practical policies such as expanding provincial pathways and strengthening local settlement programs. With her experience designing and implementing immigration policy at the provincial level, Ms. Diab is well positioned to lead a policy transition at the federal level.
Canada's immigration system is currently undergoing a critical transition. The change of federal immigration minister is particularly noteworthy at this time. The federal government has just announced an adjustment to its immigration level plan that will reduce immigration intake targets in each year from 2025 to 2027, capping the number of new permanent residents at 395,000 this year, 380,000 in 2026, and 375,000 in 2027. While this adjustment can be seen as a reflection of a number of issues, including a surge in temporary residents, an imbalance in the international student system, and limitations in settlement infrastructure, it could also mean increased competition and higher thresholds for prospective immigrants. Given these circumstances, the new minister's policy direction will have a significant impact on both immigrant and settlement communities.
Given Diab's past record in Nova Scotia, it's likely that Canadian immigration policy will be more pragmatic and inclusive in the future. In addition to English, Diab is fluent in French and Arabic, and has a history of serving as a minister for Francophone communities. This dovetails with the government's push to increase French-speaking immigration from outside Quebec. The government has a goal of increasing the proportion of French-speaking immigrants to 7% by 2025 and 8% by 2026, and Diab's experience will play a key role in achieving this goal.
Diab has also shown a strong interest in increasing the settlement and employment opportunities for women and ethnic minority immigrants. In 2022, she personally announced budget support for the Racialized Newcomer Women Pilot program, which aims to create systems to help women settle and protect them from violence. This focus on quality and equity in settlement is likely to continue, which bodes well for family-based migrants, international students, and vulnerable groups in particular.
Coming from a legal background is also seen as a great strength in policy making. His approach to designing policies and programs, which emphasizes legal validity and procedural fairness, will help ensure that complex policies, such as the recent restrictions on the number of international students, the reduction of PGWP eligibility, and the restrictions on spousal open work permits, are operated under clear standards.
Taking these factors into account, it will be interesting to see how Minister Lina Metledge Diab will guide the direction of Canadian immigration going forward, and what new opportunities she can create for immigrants. More than just a change of minister, Canada's immigration policy is once again at a turning point, and it's time to see if it can lead to real change.