Category Archives: Immigration

A ray of hope can be there for the international students if their post-graduation work permits in Canada are expiring soon. As already discussed earlier the two million backlogs of Canada regarding immigration, the country is working towards expanding the Express Entry system and opening up pathways for international students and temporary foreign workers to grant permanent residency in Canada.

The skilled workers looking forward to settling down in Canada have an online Express Entry system. This system is used by Canada to manage immigration applications. The three types of immigration programs managed under the Express Entry program includes the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP). 

Due to the increasing backlogs, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) paused the issuance of CEC invitations which is known to be the most common route for post-graduate work permit holders for obtaining a permanent residency.

In a recent detailed discussion that took place on 16th February 2022, about the state of Canadian immigration that considered the matter to look into making the Express Entry system more flexible for the candidates and the CEC draws would be resumed in the near future.

As of now, the immigration levels plan is seeing constant improvements and the balance will be shifting back as before in the next couple of years. Canada is estimated to welcome a record number of federal skilled workers, including the Canadian Experience Class in the upcoming three years.

In the mandate letter, Fraser stated that he would be prioritizing to broaden the options for the candidates to receive PR status for the international students as well as the temporary workers especially for the candidates whose right to remain in Canada has been affected due to the IRCC delays despite contributing to the Canadian economy significantly. 

Express Entry Expansion to tackle the backlogs

A piece of concern rose out even after the reassurance of Fraser that the immigration applications will be tackled shortly that included the loosing of skilled immigrants to other countries which are working to reform their immigration system to welcome the new candidates and stating that everyone is in a race for global talent but when it comes to Canada, there’s no such question of winning the race. 

According to the new strategy of IRCC to welcome more immigrants in the upcoming years under the Immigration Level Plan 2022-24 which is looking forward to admitting 431,645 applicants in 2022 aiming to attract skilled workers to occupy the labour shortages rose because of the pandemic and also including refugee resettlement for the candidates looking forward to seeking asylum in Canada.

The economic class admissions are going to admit most of the immigrants under the new plan. However, Canada has decided to halt the admission categories such as CEC, FSWP, and the FSTP and inviting only Provincial Nominee Program candidates for applying Express Entry system since September 2021.

Research made by the CIC news states that Canada is having 64,890 CEC and FSWP candidates’ pendency till 1st February 2022. Fewer immigrants were welcomed due to the new Immigration Levels Plan through Express Entry this year.

It is necessary for the PGWP holders to be eligible for CEC or Bridging Open Work Permit (BOWP) before the expiration of their PGWP. The freezing of Invitation to Apply scares the Canadian credentialed, skilled workers of getting their permanent residency progress derailed. It is also a negative point for the Canadian employers who wish to keep them as stated by the Canadian Immigration Lawyers Association in the matter of the Express Entry pathway.

Concrete and systematic planning to tackle the short staffing in IRCC’s application processing is required necessarily. Not providing a permanent solution to the problem will lead to the casualty of resource mismanagement for the international graduates with PGWP in Canada.   

A warning has been generated by the CILA that mentions the hardships because of the September 2021 pause in the Canadian Experience Class invitations for the thousands of international students and temporary foreign workers who have contributed to Canada’s economy and society and are now only left with limited permanent residency spots for them. 

Best immigration program for Canada

Express Entry Program

Canada has community-oriented, polite, and friendly people; as a result, it becomes easy for the immigrants to adapt to the new atmosphere and people. The express entry program was launched in 2015, and this helps a candidate to attain Canada’s permanent residency as soon as possible. The candidates are required to have a graduation degree, at least three years of work experience, and English language proficiency. International students can obtain permanent residency under the Express Entry system. The program includes a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) which is a point-based system that includes an evaluation system that the candidates are required to clear to be eligible for the express entry program. The program has helped the professional’s immigration to Canada a lot easier.

• The express entry system offers three significant immigration programs:-

Federal skilled worker (FSW) – this is an initiative for skilled employees who are looking forward to gaining foreign work experience and wish to immigrate to Canada. Under this program, skilled immigrants are largely welcomed in Canada. The candidate gets opportunities based on the abilities of the candidate. A Canadian secondary or postsecondary certificate, diploma or degree, or a complete foreign credential with an assessment of the credential from a CIC-approved agency is required for the international candidates. The work experience of one-year full-time or equivalent part-time paid work in the last 10 years can also be considered. The job will be of skill type 0 or skill levels A or B as well as having language proficiency with Canadian Language Benchmark 7. 

Canadian express class (CEC) – the candidates who are already working in Canada and looking to obtain permanent residency in the country are suitable for the Canadian express class. The working experience required for CEC is 12 months of skilled work experience within three years before applying for CEC. The processing time required for a Canadian experience class is about 3-4 months and it is stated to be one of the quickest ways to attain a permanent residency in Canada.

A federal skilled trade (FST) – the federal skilled trades are economic immigration programs that are prioritized to work in traders’ occupations. It is qualified for the tradespersons who want to immigrate to Canada. The Canadian Language Benchmark 5 is required for the candidates. The international applicants are required to have an offer of full-time employment for a full year at minimum. 

Other programs through which candidates can immigrate to Canada

Provincial Nominee Program

Canada’s provincial nominee program is a way of immigrating and obtaining permanent residency in the country for individuals who are interested in a specific Canadian province or territory. PNP’s are stated to be a part of an economic immigration strategy, this is designed to attract workers who can contribute to the country’s economy with a high likelihood of settling in that province. For contributing to the country’s economy, students, semi-skilled workers, skilled workers, and business people can settle down permanently in any particular province or territory in Canada. For the qualification to get PNP in Canada, a candidate should have skills, education, and work experience, and also sufficient funds to support them as well as their family.

Spouse Visa

Canada has been identified as a country that is best for raising a family. Spouse visa is accessible and common in Canada. Firstly, a person has to obtain a permanent residency in Canada and the next step is to apply for a spouse visa for their partner. Obtaining a spouse visa in Canada isn’t very difficult; one has to follow the standard process. The application of spouse visa for Canada PR has a higher variable compared to other visa application procedures. The main component required to attain a spouse visa is to provide the documentation to prove that your relationship with the sponsored partner is genuine. If the applicant is married, he/she will have to provide mandatory documents such as a marriage certificate as well as all other essential documents. The people who choose to live in a common-law relationship have to provide documented evidence of their 12 month cohabitation period in place of a marriage certificate.

Student visa

When it comes to studying abroad, Canada is pretty much popular among Indian students because Canada is known to be the best place for higher studies. Canada offers world-class education and largely focuses on research programs. The students who have great research ideas are supported by getting scholarships from educational institutions. If the student wishes to work while studying, they get an opportunity to earn as well. The study permit issued to the international student is valid for the entire duration of the educational program and the students get 90 days after that to stay in the country and prepare to leave or to apply for the extension of their visa. The cost of a student permit from India is around CAD 150. The candidates can get a PGWP after completing their education and starting working in Canada. The PGWP can open the pathway for international students to apply for permanent residency after some years.

Which is the easiest province to immigrate to Canada?

When it comes to getting permanent residency in Canada, Alberta and British Columbia are considered easy options for PNP and considering the best state for getting a PNP from a province in Canada is Ontario because it is Canada’s most popular destination for immigrants that invites a bunch of newcomers to the bustling city of Ontario the state provides a highly growing tech-jobs sector. The state offers a wide variety to the immigrants as well as a good lifestyle. 

Can I immigrate to Canada without a job offer?

Canada welcomes candidates even without a job offer. The Canadian immigration system is highly versatile and dynamic and the country has a wide variety of opportunities for the candidate to grab job opportunities after their arrival. If the candidate is immigrating to Canada without a job offer, it is required to show sufficient funds to maintain the family expenditure for the first three months.

Requirements of funds for immigrating to Canada

The main requirement is that the applicant has to show proof of sufficient financial amount in their bank account to support them as well as their spouse or dependent children( if any) in Canada. 

As stated by the IRCC, the most popular program for immigrating to Canada is the Express Entry system which requires a minimum of CAD 13,213 for the savings to support their stay in the country.

Recently Canada made an announcement stating that the country is planning to welcome more than 1.3 million immigrants over the next three years to support the post-pandemic growth.

Canada has decided to increase its immigration targets. The country is looking forward to welcoming almost 432,000 new immigrants in the year 2022 instead of the initial plan to welcome 411,000 newcomers.

Indians have the highest nationality in gaining permanent residency in Canada accounting for about 40% of the total number. A total of 27,000 Indians gained access to Canada and about 50,000 Indians were invited to make an application for permanent residency.

Canada is planning to target the following number of immigrants in the coming three years:-

• An account of 431,645 permanent residents in 2022
• An account of 447,055 permanent residents in 2023
• An account of 451,000 permanent residents in 2024

The immigration minister Sean Fraser stated that the levels plan will help balance the needs of the country and the international obligations. The main focus of the levels plan is to attract skilled workers who are going to contribute to the economy of Canada and help tackle the labour shortage while keeping in mind the importance of family reunification and providing help to the world’s most vulnerable populations through refugee support. Support will be provided to Canada’s resurgence through increased retention of newcomers in the regions which are facing economic, labour, and demographic challenges. The minister also added that he is proud of how far Canada has come with its achievements and looking forward to Canada becoming the top destination of choice with the help of the newcomers.

It is estimated that the Express Entry, the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), and the Temporary to Permanent Residence will invite 56% of new immigrants in the year 2022.

The PNP program of Canada is looking to invite 83,500 newcomers through this program as it is the main admission program for the economic class immigrants suggested by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Express entry admissions are cut half for this year but it is aimed to get back to normal levels by the year 2024 with the estimated arrival of 111,500 immigrants.

The IRCC is considering the TR2PR program as the main immigration program with inviting 40,000 immigrants in 2022 and 32,000 immigrants by 2023 and planned to reduce the admissions under the Express Entry system.

Canada’s provinces are regulating the PNP invitations since the start of the pandemic. 24% of the admissions are estimated to be considered by the family class which includes at least 80,000 candidates to arrive under the Spouses, Partner, and Children Program and considering 25,000 applications under the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP). PGP admissions target has been increased by 1500 additional spots by the IRCC.

The left 20% of the candidates will be arriving in Canada under the refugee and humanitarian programs. Canada is looking forward to resettling 40,000 Afghan refugees over the coming years.

The Canadian government has been requested to state its immigration plan by November 1 every year by the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA). The announcement wasn’t made last year because the Canadian government was holding an election in September. Canada’s immigration system is completely guided by the levels plan. The basic approach of the levels plan is to look at the number of immigrants the country is going to welcome under the various federal, provincial, and territorial programs. According to this, the IRCC plan their operations to ensure that it can attract, settle, integrate, and retain the targeted levels of newcomers that are set to arrive in the provinces and territories.

By 2015, the number of immigrants welcomed in Canada was about 250,000. A target of 300,000 newcomers was announced in 2016. The target rose to 340,000 before the pandemic started and the immigration fell below 200,000 in 2020. To support the post- Covid economic recovery, the Canadian government decided to welcome 400,000 immigrants every year.

Canada’s immigrant record broke down last year by welcoming 405,000 new permanent residents, mostly from the temporary residents of the country.

Under the Express Entry, the PNP, and Quebec’s streams, almost 62% of the immigrants took entry to Canada, and 20% of immigrants were welcomed under the family class through the Spouses, Partner, and Children Program and the Parents and Grandparents Program, as well as the refugee and humanitarian programs, welcomed 15% immigrants.

Canada has an ageing population and low birth rate that makes Canada lack in population, labour force and economic growth, and enough workers so that they can pay taxes to support health care and education. As a result, Canada has to target newcomers to support its economy.

Due to the pandemic, taking up immigration largely has become important for the economy. The increased spending during the pandemic has made the Canadian government-run fiscal deficits. Employers belonging to Canada faced labour shortages because of the ageing population and the changing economy during the pandemic and the less arrival of the immigrants.

As the country is holding elections for the second year a well, it is required for the Canadian government to table the second Immigration Levels Plan of the year by 1st November 2022 replacing the recent plan.