What will happen to immigration to Canada in the near future?

When will Canada resume federal programs through the Express Entry system? A lot of people ask this question, and we get it a lot, too, because the federal skilled trades program has been one of the most popular immigration options, but it hasn't called for candidates since late 2020.

Other popular questions include when Canada will reduce its backlog of immigration applications and what ways to move are now a priority. Canadian Immigration Minister Sean Fraser took part in a online interview in early March about international students in the country. He talked about Canada's plans for granting permanent residency to professionals and international students, as well as addressing the challenges immigration applicants face, launching new programs, and answering questions in the chat.

Of course, there were questions about when selections would finally resume for the Federal Skilled Worker program and the Canadian Experience Class. These are very popular immigration options that, before the pandemic, allowed you to get a permanent residency and move to Canada literally within a year. There used to be draws that invited candidates in, so what happened to them?

Federal Skilled Worker Program

There have been no selections for the Federal Skilled Worker Program since December 2020. Before the pandemic, there were a lot of applicants for permanent residency under this category, even though the program has pretty high requirements. But since most of them were outside of Canada at the time of application, they could not enter the country because of the pandemic.

Selections were suspended, and Canada then focused on granting permanent residency to those who were already in the country, i.e. foreign workers and students, including through a program of professionals with Canadian work experience. This strategy eventually led to a backlog of applications from participants in the skilled trades program who had received invitations before the pandemic.

Now it is expected that on average, the processing of applications under the program will take about 3 years instead of the required 6 months. That is, Canada grants permanent residency to specialists who applied back in 2019. If selections do resume, one should probably not expect fast immigration, although the backlog is being reduced.

Canadian Experience Class

The situation is a little different for applicants to the Canadian Experience Class. In 2021, there were large selections for this program, inviting 5,000 to 6,000 people each, and once more than 27,000. Most of the people who immigrated under this category were those who either found a job in Canada or studied at a university and then stayed to work.

Due to the fact that a lot of people were invited during the year, the processing time of their applications also increased, so in September 2021 the selection was suspended. However, here everything is much more optimistic, and the average processing time is only 7 months.

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The only problem is that when a person receives a Canadian education and subsequent work permit, this permit is valid for 1 to 3 years, and it cannot be extended. It turns out that until there are no selections, candidates lose time and risk not getting permanent residency in Canada and returning to their country.

The Department of Immigration is well aware of the problem, as Sean Fraser said in an interview. And while immigration through education is still a priority for Canada, the minister said the department is now examining various options for graduates to ensure they don't lose their right to work and become permanent residents in Canada. Details are promised in the coming weeks or months, but some things are already known.

Immigration through education and work

The Department of Immigration wants Canada to remain a top country for students, so it will seek to make it easier for them to obtain a permanent residence permit. For now, there are relaxations for those just entering higher education, they can start studying online and then fly in and still qualify for a Post-Graduation Work Permit. The permit itself, called PGWP for short, is also planned to change in favor of students, but what kind of changes the minister is not saying yet.

He also said that Canada plans to launch new immigration streams for graduates of Canadian universities. Such programs have already been launched in 2021, and they very quickly gathered the right number of applications. Also, according to Fraser, a new immigration policy is being developed for foreign students and temporary workers, those who are in Canada on a work visa.

In addition, Canada is working to allow more international students to come to the country. Fraser mentioned the problem of students being denied student visas because they could not prove their intention to return home. The Department of Immigration, on the other hand, is interested in having a graduate stay in the country to work and get a permanent residence permit. The minister said that he had some ideas on how to solve this and how to speed up the issuance of study permits, but he has not yet voiced anything.

So the path through training remains perhaps the most relevant and most reliable, especially since, in addition to the federal program, many provincial programs are suitable for graduates, and some do not even have to gain experience after graduation. The second most reliable way is to find a job in Canada. The Minister of Immigration said that there are 900,000 job openings in the country right now. Canada is now holding Express Entry drawings for provincial program participants every 2 weeks.

Top ways to immigrate to Canada in 2022.

Resumption of draws in federal programs

Sean Fraser said there has been no official announcement from the Department of Immigration about resuming selections, but the department expects it to happen as early as 2022, tentatively in the spring. Don't get your hopes up that the draws will resume so soon, because Canada is now focusing a lot of attention on resettlement of Ukrainians.

Still, if the selections are resumed this year, it will already be good. And if in the coming months, even better. There's more good news. The Department of Immigration is still reducing the backlog of applications. For example, in the first half of March, 4,000 applications for the Federal Skilled Worker were processed. That's more than the 7 months of 2021. And even better, participants in this program are already flying into Canada and getting permanent residency, with more since the beginning of this year than in the entire year 2021.

As for the Canadian Experience Class, as of March 15, the Department of Immigration had 10,400 applications left to process. That may seem like a lot, but it's not. At the end of last year, the total number of applications pending was more than a million and a half.

Stages of obtaining permanent residency

You may have some confusion in your mind right now about how and who is invited and where the delays are coming from. When an applicant applies for a program and is selected in a drawing, they do not immediately receive permanent residency. They must then file for immigration with the federal government. They get a visa and proof of residency status, fly to Canada, and upon arrival go through the landing process, which means they get permanent residency and a PR card.

In the pandemic, for a long time people could not fly into Canada at all, even though they were taken away. There was also a delay between applying for permanent residency and lending in Canada.

Steps to resume the draws

The Department of Immigration needs to hold selections if they plan to meet this year's immigrant intake goal, which is more than 430,000 people. Fraser outlined some of the steps Canada is taking.

First, it is the funding that is allocated to the Department of Immigration. Second, the department has hired more people to process applications. And third, all immigration programs are moving to an online format, which will speed up the process considerably. This applies to some provincial programs, for which applications are still accepted on paper.

Priority, of course, is given to those already working in Canada, because Fraser said he doesn't want them to overstay their work permit and leave, because Canada is already short of labour.

To summarize, the applications of those already invited are being processed, federal programs will most likely resume this year and, under good circumstances, even this spring, and most of all Canada needs those who have found a job or graduated from college.

If you want to be among those who immigrate to Canada, sign up for a consultation. We recommend that you have a free chances assessment beforehand.