New ways to immigrate to Canada, entry program for Ukrainians and other news

Entry for Ukrainians

What many Ukrainians have been waiting for has happened. Canada has finally fulfilled its promise and announced the launch of a special program for Ukrainians fleeing war. The good points: Ukrainians can get a visa and an open work permit within two weeks. No need to pay visa fees, no need to show any money either. You don't even need a passport: the Canadian government issues a special entry permit. In Canada you can stay for three years, get a job. There is also a government portal, which registers employers who are willing to hire Ukrainians. Children will be admitted to schools free of charge.

In general, Canadians are very positive to Ukrainian refugees. There are almost a million and a half people of Ukrainian descent in Canada. In recent weeks there have been constant rallies in support of Ukraine. People have been raising money and organizing humanitarian aid. Some Canadians are willing to temporarily shelter Ukrainians. 80% of Canadians surveyed said they approve of unrestricted admission of refugees from Ukraine. 79% believe that Canada should continue to help Ukraine with money.

Immigration to Canada

It is stated that Immigration Canada employees are working around the clock to process all applications from Ukrainians. It is likely that processing applications for all other immigration streams will slow down. But it's not all bad: In early 2022, the Department of Immigration processed more applications for permanent residency under federal programs than it did in all of 2021. Apparently, the money allocated to speed up the process was not wasted.

In other good news, 35,260 people received permanent residency in Canada in January 2022. Most of them are professionals, workers and graduates of universities in Canada. Some immigrants came to live with relatives, and some came through refugee programs. Some applicants waited more than a year to get permanent residency.

Immigration draws

British Columbia had four targeted selections. The province needed technology professionals, educators, and medics. A total of 176 people were invited.

Alberta has released details of the selection, which took place March 8. The 350 people who registered on Express Entry received invitations to apply for a provincial nomination.

Prince Edward Island also held its monthly drawing. This province invites businessmen, graduates and professionals of different qualifications at the same time. This time, 11 entrepreneurs and 130 professionals received invitations.

Nova Scotia says it is launching a new immigration stream for local college graduates. But not for all, only for sanitation workers and kindergarten teachers. Candidates must have a provincial job offer, the necessary licenses and enough money to live on.

Working in Canada

In addition to employees of hospitals, nursing homes and daycare centres, Canada needs electricians. The province of Ontario has invested $13 million CAD to train electricians and upgrade their skills. Ontario is also modernizing a plant that will begin producing hybrid cars in the summer. The Prime Minister of Canada himself came there and officially announced a major investment. So electricians are being urgently retrained so they can service electric cars, hybrid cars and charging stations.

Overall, Canada's economy is recovering well from two years of pandemic despite a shortage of talent. The national unemployment rate decreased 1% from last month to the same level as before the pandemic. 337,000 jobs appeared in Canada in February.

Some companies even pay people to come in for an interview. That's what one non-profit organization in Toronto does. Each applicant gets $75 CAD for their time. If he or she does a test assignment, it is paid at the hourly rate for which the applicant is applying.

But it's a separate company that gets so much attention. More importantly, the Canadian government has already indexed the federal minimum rate. This means that wages in all government-regulated industries have gone up: the civil service, postal service, railroads, banking, nuclear power, agri-food plants, and so on. Following the federal government, the minimum hourly wage within the province was raised by British Columbia. It is likely that other provinces will raise minimum rates as well in the near future.

Studying in Canada

Another interesting piece of news is the rating of the world's best cities for students. It includes two Canadian cities — Montreal and Toronto. Montreal took fifth place. Students like the fact that there are many universities in the city and everything is fine with the accessibility of public transportation. Toronto is in twenty-fifth place. This city is expensive for students, but it is more comfortable to live in.

Alex Pavlenko, founder of the emigration portal Immigrant.Today