Canada introduced new immigration priority categories on Wednesday to bring in skilled workers in fields ranging from research and health care to aviation, and to include certain military recruits, Reuters reported. 

The new categories align with Prime Minister Mark Carney's goals of broadly reducing the number of new permanent residents in Canada while recruiting skilled workers and scholars and boosting defense capabilities to lessen dependence on the United States.

The government said the shift was aimed at restoring immigration to sustainable levels while finding workers for key industries. Canada's government in recent years has sought to reduce the number of immigrants to ease strains on housing and social services, according to Reuters.