Canada does not keep exit statistics on foreign visa holders

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As 2025 began, federal records showed that there were 4.9 million visas set to expire in the coming 12 months, with Conservatives pressing the Liberal government on how it would deal with those who didn’t leave willingly.

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“The vast majority leave voluntarily, and that’s what’s expected,” was the official committee testimony of then Immigration Minister Marc Miller.

As to how many ended up doing so, the short answer is that Ottawa doesn’t really know.

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Despite Statistics Canada noting a slight contraction of the Canadian population at the end of 2025 – and border authorities reporting an uptick in “enforced removals” – Canada does not keep exit statistics on foreign visa holders.

In 2023, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada estimated that between “20,000 and 500,000 persons” were living illegally in Canada. Known officially as “undocumented migrants,” these were foreign nationals with “no authorization to reside and/or work in Canada.”

“Some may have overstayed their temporary status, while others may have remained in Canada following a rejected........

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