This year has been a year filled with many changes in Canadian immigration from new provincial immigration streams as well as new temporary policies implemeted. The biggest express entry draw ever was also held in the first half of 2021. With all of these activities, there has been no Federal Skilled Worker (FSW)or Federal Skilled Trade (FST) draw.
Throughout the first half of the year of 2021, IRCC was alternating between Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) Express Entry draws and Canadian Experience Class (CEC) draws holding 24 draws in total.
Some of the major highlights of the first half are:
Newfoundland and Labrador opened new immigration program for skilled workers. The new stream is for highly educated graduates of Memorial University a Masters or PHD’s degree within the past three years in one of the following four specialities: Technology, Health Care, Aquaculture, and Agriculture. and skilled workers with work experience in in-demand occupations. least one year of skilled work experience in an in-demand occupation and
On January 8, 2021, a new policy that would allow former international students with an expired or expiring Post-Graduate Work Permit (PGWP) to apply for a new open work permit was implemented. Now students with an expired PGWP can now get open work permits valid for 18 months to help them extend their stay in Canada. The deadline for this extension is July 27th 2021.
IRCC held a historic draw on Saturday, February 13, 2021, which saw a total of 27,332 CEC candidates invited to apply for PR. This was the largest draw ever held by IRCC and the minimum CRS score required was just 75 to receive an invitation — the lowest CRS requirement ever.
Qualified Candidates continued to receive invitations to apply to provincial programs in Provinces like Ontario, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, New Foundland and Labrador
Also to support international students residing in Saskatchewan that have been affected by the outbreak of COVID-19, a Temporary Measure has been enacted by the SINP. Students living in Saskatchewan prior to September 1, 2020, who have graduated from a recognized post-secondary institution in Saskatchewan may be eligible to apply for PR through this 𝐓𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 March 22nd and will run till 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟐𝟐𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 September 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟏 𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝟏,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐝.
IRCC also launched six new permanent residence streams in May that aimed to transition some 90,000 essential workers and international graduates to permanent residence. The English-speaking international graduate stream reached its quota of 40,000 applicants in just over 24 hours
As at June 21st 2021, all valid Confirmation of Permanent Residence holders can now enter Canada. It is estimated 23,000 COPR holders overseas will now be eligible to complete their landing in Canada, according to the federal government. Applicants with expired COPR have been receiving instructions to update medicals and police certificates if expired.
As at June 30, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has issued a total of 88,715 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) for permanent residents. This is 81.76% of the total EE QUOTA FOR 2021. In 2021 alone, Canada has set a target of welcoming 108,500 new immigrants through Express Entry-managed programs.
Canada immigration is set to pick up the pace in the second half of 2021. We still expect a number of changes as Canadian immigration gradually gets back to normal. A few things already happening and others expected to come. Here are a few!
Fully Vaccinated Travellers: From July 5, individuals with valid Confirmation of Permanent Residence documents would be allowed into the country. Also, fully vaccinated international students arriving by air will not be subject to the federal requirement to quarantine at a government-authorized hotel or take a COVID-19 test on day-8.
New Open Work Permit : Canada introduced a new open work permit for essential workers and international student graduates. Temporary residents who applied for permanent residence essential workers and graduates streams can now get an open work permit while they wait for the results of their application. New open work permit opens on July 26th.
Essential Worker Non-Health: This category in the TR to PR pathway has now reached its Quota of 30,000 Applicants. Two of the six pathways have closed. There are still lots of opportunities in the essential occupation in healthcare and French speakers category.
Border Opening to Non- Essential Travel: Canada is also set to potentially open borders between Canada and the US as early as August ( with potential announcement coming this month). There are also plans to open the border to fully vaccinated tourists from other countries.
Express Entry Reform: In the 2021 Budget, it was noted that the federal government is looking to reform Express Entry. In this planned reform, the government is looking to give the immigration minister more authority to “select those candidates who best meet Canada’s labour market needs.” We are anxiously waiting for more details on this reform. Also, could this also be an added reason for the lack of FSW & FST draw?
Processing of Backlogged applications: Many permanent resident residency applications have stalled through the pandemic as well as Canadian tourist visa applications. We are hopeful that many of these applications will begin gaining traction again.
A lot has happened, we came through the pandemic and many are now vaccinated. The Canadian economy took a big hit with record unemployment rates. As this begins to open, the recovery of the economy would be crucial to what immigration would look like as well.
Despite the changes, there are still opportunities for many. The key is to get started. Find out what you qualify for or what you need to do to qualify to immigrate to Canada. If you are unsure where to start, our team of licensed & experienced immigration consultation would be happy to assist you. If you plan to immigrate to Canada, the first step would be to schedule a consultation with one of our consultants.
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