Canada has announced reductions in targets for permanent resident admissions over the next three years as part of plans to cut immigration.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has repeatedly affirmed that the move is Canada’s efforts to put its citizens at the forefront of economic opportunities.

The prime minister and Marc Miller, minister of immigration, refugees, and citizenship, on Thursday unveiled the country’s 2025–2027 immigration levels plan in a joint statement.

The layout seeks to reduce permanent residents from 500,000—last year’s target—to 395,000 in 2025.

In 2026, 500,000 permanent residents will be slashed to 380,000, while in 2027, the figures will drop to 365,000.

The plan comes nearly two months after the prime minister said the country would be cutting down on an intake of foreign workers.

“Today’s announcement is the next step in our plan to address the evolving immigration needs of our country. While it’s clear our economy needs newcomers, we see the pressures facing our country, and we must adapt our policies accordingly,” Miller said.

“These changes will make immigration work for our country so that everyone has access to the quality jobs, homes, and supports they need to thrive. We have listened to Canadians, and we will continue to protect the integrity of our system and grow our population responsibly.”

The levels plan will also support efforts to reduce temporary resident volumes to five percent of Canada’s population by the end of 2026.

These reductions are the result of a series of changes over the past year, including a cap on international students and tightened eligibility requirements for temporary foreign workers.

The United Kingdom has deported 44 Nigerian and Ghanaian asylum seekers.

According to UK Guardian, the number is the highest ever in a single flight.

The move comes barely 48 hours after Keir Starmer, UK prime minister, agreed a deal to deport migrants arriving in the Chagos Islands in small boats to St Helena, a British island territory more than 5,000 miles away in the Atlantic Ocean.

The Home Office told the UK Guardian on Friday that the deportations were part of a “major surge” in immigration enforcement and returns.

Since Starmer came to power in July, 3,600 people have been returned to various countries, including about 200 to Brazil and 46 to Vietnam and Timor-Leste.

There are also regular deportation flights to Albania, Lithuania and Romania.

However, deportation flights to Nigeria and Ghana are relatively rare, with just four recorded since 2020.

The number rose in June after some 13 Nigerians were flown to Lagos from the UK.

One of the Nigerian deportees in the latest removal said he was trafficked.

“I told the Home Office I was a victim of trafficking. They rejected my claim,” he told the Guardian.

Another said he had been in the UK for 15 years as an asylum seeker and had no criminal record but the Home Office refused his claim.

In August, Nigeria reportedly signed a deportation agreement with the UK, which would see the arrival of illegal immigrants in the country.

The partnership came into effect after an asylum deal with Rwanda turned sour.

Kenya President William Ruto has nominated Kithure Kindiki, interior minister, as his new deputy.

This comes a day after the senate voted to impeach Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, despite a plea from Paul Muite, Gachagua’s lawyer, to postpone the proceedings.

According to Muite, Gachagua was hospitalised after falling very sick, hours before the vote was set to hold.

In total, 281 MPs voted in favour of the ouster, with 44 voting against. One MP abstained.

Moses Wetang’ula, speaker of parliament, said on Friday that the president had nominated Kindiki.

“I have received a message from the president, regarding the nomination of Professor Kithure Kindiki to fill the vacancy which has occurred in the office,” he said.

Kindiki, a close ally of Ruto, has held the interior ministry post throughout Ruto’s two years as president.

He previously served as senator for Tharaka Nithi County and was a top contender to be Ruto’s running mate during the 2022 election.

Parliament will have to vote to approve Kindiki’s appointment before he is sworn in.

Gachagua, who faced 11 charges, was impeached on five counts.

The charges include ground one of shareholding, ground four of undermining the independence of judges, ground five of the National Cohesion and Integrity Act 4, ground six of crimes under the National Cohesion Act, and ground nine of gross misconduct (public attacks on the national security intelligence service).

The impeached deputy president has repeatedly insisted that the proceedings were a “political witch hunt” and vowed to defend himself.