Temporary residents in Canada received over $1.3 billion in child benefit payments over 4 years
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The expansion in CCB payments is correlated to the growth in Canada’s temporary resident population during the years covered by the data.
LifeSiteNews) — Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) records obtained through an access-to-information request show that individuals classified as temporary residents received more than $1.35 billion in Canada Child Benefit (CCB) payments from 2020-2023.
As of the most recent year’s stats alone (2023), over $369 million of CCB payments were paid out to temporary residents.
The year-by-year breakdown details total CCB payments to temporary residents at $313.8 million in 2020, $356.3 million in 2021, $311.1 million in 2022, and $369.1 million in 2023. In both 2022 and 2023, the amount paid out to temporary residents was higher than that paid out to protected persons (asylum seekers and refugees).
The CCB paid out a total of nearly $26 billion in 2023 alone ($25.8 billion), with $18.8 billion paid out to Canadians and $6.3 billion to “permanent residents” (landed immigrants who are not citizens). The benefit is estimated to be around 5 percent of the overall Canadian budget, clocking in as one of the largest and most expensive government programs.
Unknown and “no status” Canadians also received a combined total over $50 million in payments. CRA documentation notes that payments listed under these title categories can still be issued even when individuals do not have a citizenship status on file. They remain eligible for CCB if their spouse was filed as being a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, protected person or temporary resident.
The expansion in CCB payments is correlated to the growth in Canada’s temporary resident population during the years covered by the data. The 2023 total of temporary residents was estimated to be over double what it was in 2020 (~1 million to 2.66 million as of January 1, 2024).
Questions tabled in Parliament in 2025 and 2026 have asked for comprehensive breakdowns of CCB payments to temporary residents since 2016, including yearly totals by immigration category, the number of recipients, verification procedures, and measures to stop payments once permits expire or before the 18 month residency requirement is met.
A March 2025 review by the Taxpayers’ Ombudsperson examined service delivery for temporary residents and found cases where payments were cut off because CRA records showed expired status, even when individuals had maintained legal status through timely extension applications.
The figures released through the access-to-information request (reference A-2025-002346) cover federal CCB payments only. They do not include provincial and territorial child benefits, which add billions more in taxpayer-supported spending each year.