Canada is often described as a country built by immigration, but the rules and attitudes behind it have changed dramatically over time, from openly discriminatory exclusion laws to a points-based system that screens applicants on skills rather than race or national origin. In short: the modern emphasis on points, skills, and multiculturalism is the result of roughly 150 years of policy shifts, including a turning point in 1967 and the official adoption of multiculturalism in 1971. Understanding that history helps explain why today's system, governed by the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA, in force 2002) and built around tools like Express Entry (launched 2015), looks the way it does. This is an educational overview of the major milestones. It is general history, not immigration advice, and current rules, targets, and programs change frequently, so always confirm anything that affects you on canada.ca.
Early immigration and Confederation (1867 to early 1900s)
Before and after Confederation in 1867, immigration was central to building the new country. The first federal Immigration Act, passed in 1869, was Canada's first immigration law after Confederation and contained very few restrictions on who could come; it focused on practical matters such as the safety and treatment of passengers arriving by ship. In the decades that followed, the government actively recruited settlers, especially to populate the western prairies in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Newcomers in this era came largely from the British Isles, Europe, and the United States, and immigration policy was closely tied to agricultural settlement and railway expansion. The Canadian Pacific Railway, completed in 1885, was built in part with the labour of thousands of Chinese workers, which makes what came next, the head tax of that same year, especially stark.
What this means for context: in this period there was no points system and no centralized online application. "Immigration policy" was largely about recruiting farmers to settle land, and the door was relatively open to immigrants seen as desirable settlers while being closed or taxed for others.
The exclusion era and the Chinese head tax (1885 to 1947)
Early immigration policy was also openly discriminatory. The Chinese Immigration Act of 1885 introduced the Chinese head tax, a fee charged to most Chinese people entering Canada. It is widely described as the first Canadian law to restrict immigration on the basis of ethnic origin. The tax started at $50 per person and was later raised, eventually reaching $500, a very large sum at the time. It was designed to discourage Chinese immigration once Chinese labour was no longer needed for railway construction.
The head tax did not stop immigration enough to satisfy the policy's backers, so in 1923 Parliament passed a new Chinese Immigration Act, often called the Chinese Exclusion Act, which effectively banned almost all Chinese immigration. It remained in force until it was repealed in 1947, in the years after the Second World War. Other groups also faced restrictions and exclusion during this period through measures such as the "continuous journey" regulation and various orders-in-council.
These exclusionary policies are now widely recognized as a difficult chapter in Canadian history. In 2006, the federal government issued a formal apology for the head tax and the exclusion era. Understanding this period explains why the 1967 shift to a race-neutral points system is treated as such a significant turning point.
The 1967 points system and official multiculturalism (1967 to 1988)
In 1967, Canada introduced a points system that assessed prospective immigrants on factors like education, occupational skills, employment prospects, age, and proficiency in English or French, rather than national origin or race. This was a landmark shift toward a more objective, skills-based approach and removed the explicit racial and national-origin preferences of earlier policy. The basic idea, scoring applicants against transparent criteria and admitting those who reach a threshold, still underpins economic immigration today.
In 1971, Canada became the first country in the world to adopt multiculturalism as official government policy, announced by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau within a bilingual framework. The policy was later reinforced and given the force of law by the Canadian Multiculturalism Act in 1988, which set out the goal of preserving and enhancing Canada's cultural diversity.
The Immigration Act of 1976 (which came into force in 1978) further modernized the framework. It set out, for the first time in law, the fundamental objectives and principles of Canada's immigration program, formally established refugee classes consistent with Canada's international commitments, and gave the provinces a larger role, a foundation that later grew into today's Provincial Nominee Programs.
What this means for you: when you hear that Canadian immigration is "points-based" and "multicultural," those are not slogans. They are concrete policy choices made between 1967 and 1988 that still shape how applications are assessed.
The modern system (2002 to today)
The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), which came into force in 2002, is the main law governing immigration today, supported by the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR). IRPA replaced the 1976 Act and consolidated the rules on who may enter and stay, the immigration classes, and grounds of inadmissibility.
In 2015, Canada launched Express Entry, an online system that manages applications for key economic programs (the Federal Skilled Worker Class, Federal Skilled Trades Class, Canadian Experience Class, and part of the Provincial Nominee Program). Rather than a first-come line-up, it ranks candidates in a pool using the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) and invites the highest-scoring candidates to apply for permanent residence. In recent years, IRCC has also run category-based rounds that target candidates with specific work experience or strong French-language ability; the exact categories are set by the Minister and are updated periodically, so check the current list on canada.ca.
Today the system combines federal economic programs, Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs), family sponsorship, and refugee protection, building on the skills-based, multicultural foundation laid over the previous decades. The federal government sets out its planned admissions in a multi-year Immigration Levels Plan that is updated regularly; recent plans have placed more emphasis on managing overall growth, including the number of temporary residents. Because targets, programs, and rules change frequently, treat any specific number or program detail you read as a snapshot and confirm the current position on canada.ca.
What this means for you: the headline history is one of a system that moved from open recruitment, through an exclusion era, to a transparent points-and-programs model. The structure is durable, but the specific levels, categories, and selection criteria are deliberately adjusted by the government over time.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Canada introduce its points system for immigration?
Canada introduced the points system in 1967. It assessed immigrants on factors such as education, skills, and language rather than national origin, marking a major shift toward a more objective, skills-based approach.
What was the Chinese head tax?
Introduced in 1885, the Chinese head tax was a fee charged to Chinese immigrants entering Canada. The Chinese Immigration Act of 1923 then effectively banned most Chinese immigration until it was repealed in 1947. These are now recognized as discriminatory policies.
When did Canada adopt multiculturalism?
Canada became the first country to adopt multiculturalism as official policy in 1971, later reinforced by the Canadian Multiculturalism Act of 1988.
What law governs Canadian immigration today?
The main law is the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), which came into force in 2002, supported by the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR). The Express Entry system, launched in 2015, is the online system used to manage applications for several federal economic immigration programs.
What was Canada's first immigration law?
The first federal Immigration Act after Confederation was passed in 1869. It contained very few restrictions on who could immigrate and focused largely on the safety and treatment of passengers arriving by ship. More restrictive and, in some cases, openly discriminatory laws came later, beginning in the 1880s.
Did Canada apologize for the Chinese head tax?
Yes. On June 22, 2006, the federal government issued a formal apology in the House of Commons for the Chinese head tax (in place from 1885) and the subsequent exclusion of most Chinese immigrants from 1923 to 1947. The government also announced symbolic redress payments and community recognition funding.
How is the modern system different from the 1967 points system?
The 1967 points system introduced the core idea of scoring applicants on objective factors such as education, skills, age, and language instead of race or national origin. The modern system keeps that idea but adds much more structure, including the Express Entry pool and its Comprehensive Ranking System, Provincial Nominee Programs, and category-based selection rounds. The criteria and targets are adjusted by the government over time, so confirm current details on canada.ca.
Why did Canada change its immigration policy in the 20th century?
Several pressures drove change: the explicitly discriminatory laws of the exclusion era became increasingly indefensible, especially after the Second World War and Canada's commitment to human rights; the economy needed skilled workers; and Canada wanted a more transparent, internationally credible system. The 1967 points system and the 1976 Immigration Act reflected that shift, and official multiculturalism (1971, reinforced by the 1988 Act) reframed diversity as a national asset rather than something to restrict.
Guides
Official sources
This page is based on law and policy published by the Government of Canada.