Undocumented migrants are individuals who are not authorized to live or work and enter Canada legally or illegally.
Many undocumented migrants are unable to meet the requirements of current immigration programs to get legal status in Canada.
Most of these migrants entered Canada legally, but they have overstayed their authorized period of stay. Only a small percentage of migrants entered unlawfully.
Canada still lacks accurate figures on the number of undocumented migrants. According to academic sources, the estimated number of undocumented migrants is between 20,000 and 50,000 individuals.
Undocumented migrants are afraid of being detained and have restricted access to healthcare and social services.
Due to informal employment contracts, undocumented workers are also subjected to employer abuse and exploitation.
They may refrain from reporting instances of abuse and exploitation to authorities due to their fear of deportation.
On November 18, 2022, the IRCC committed to regularizing undocumented immigrants who have been contributing to Canadian communities.
Temporary Public Policy for Out-of-Status Construction Workers in the GTA is the current program to regulate undocumented construction workers.
Another program is the Guardian Angels temporary public policy, which provides PR pathways for refugee claimants who worked in patient care and their family members.
To help undocumented immigrants contribute to Canada's economy, IRCC is still evaluating the outcomes of these programs and developing new initiatives.