Canada to offer more immigration pathways to temporary residents

Canada has continued to hold the draw during the lockdown where majorly it was for Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) streams and Canadian Experience Class (CEC) where the most candidates were already in the country. Canada had set target to invite newcomers for 2020.

Canada is planning to offer more permanent residence pathways to foreign nationals who are already in the country. Canada, as announced before, would welcome over 400,000 immigrants per year over the next three years, and hence, the federal government will make announcements on new pathways soon.

Why this change is necessary

It is necessary for Canada to find the pathways to PR for international students, temporary foreign workers, and asylum seekers already in the country as it is necessary to alleviate the economic challenges the country is facing in current time. The decline in Canada’s immigration levels has slowed population, labour force, and economic growth. The number of both permanent and temporary residents dropped significantly this year.

The benefits of Canadian experience

There are two major benefits to the country in introducing more pathways to existing students, foreign workers, and asylum seekers in Canada. In short run, the temporary decrease in immigration due to pandemic will be covered to support the economic growth and in the long run, immigrants with Canadian experience tend to have strong labour market outcomes.

The combination of having Canadian education, work experience, social and professional networks, and fluency in English and/or French results in quicker labour market integration and high wages in the long term.

What could changes look like?

The authority did not hint what the changes may include, but there are certain assumptions as follows:

• launching new federal pilot programs
• holding program-specific Express Entry draws
• modifying Express Entry’s Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) to provide more points for Canadian experience
• modifying eligibility criteria for federal programs (e.g., reducing the work experience requirement for the Canadian Experience Class)
• extending the length of temporary work permit durations to give candidates more time to gain the Canadian work experience they need to be eligible to apply for an immigration program such as the Canadian Experience Class.

The minister and IRCC have not provided any indication on what reforms they are planning to come up with, so we have to wait for the official announcement. Keep checking our news and blogs to get the latest update.