Why Canada must change immigration policy: news of the week

The camping and outdoor activities season will soon begin in the country. But you can’t just arrive in a park or a reserve with your tent. Each park has its own prices and conditions for booking campsites, so you need to plan your vacation in advance. This year, the booking system has been updated and will open on March 3.

Air France is returning direct flights between Ottawa and Paris that were canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic. Flights will start on June 27, 5 times a week.

Labour shortage in Canada

Unemployment in Canada is historically low now, and the government is trying to solve the problem with the help of immigrants. However, experts say that this requires changes in immigration policy. Now it is aimed primarily at inviting highly skilled specialists, while the highest demand is for low-skilled workers. Another problem is that such a policy makes it difficult for people with work visas who occupy low positions to obtain permanent residency.

Canada is also experiencing an acute shortage of medical workers. In the province of Ontario alone, about 2 million people are now looking for a family doctor, and in Toronto, 20% of physicians plan to retire in the next 5 years. One of the key solutions to the problem is to speed up the recruitment of foreign doctors. Immigrants spend a huge amount of time proving their qualifications.

Immigration in 2023

Many candidates who want to move to Canada find it difficult to understand the intricacies of immigration, so they make mistakes. For example, they indicate the wrong occupation, collect documents for too long, provide incorrect confirmation of work experience, and so on. We talked about 5 common mistakes and how to fix them.

How to immigrate to Canada in 2023? What programs exist, what documents are needed, and how much does it cost? We talked about all the details of moving this year. Be sure to read our article if you want to immigrate in 2023.

Living in Canada

A recent survey in Canada showed that more than 70% of the country's residents consider the tax burden too high. And even more people, 80%, say taxes on the rich should be higher. The minimum income tax in Canada at the federal level is 15%, and the maximum is 26%. It depends on the amount of income. Another 5% to 15% are provincial taxes.

The province of British Columbia has begun experimenting with the decriminalization of drugs for personal use. Now people who keep up to 2.5 g of substances for themselves won't be fined or arrested. Instead, the police will give them cards with information about medical services. The measures are expected to encourage more addicts to seek help. The sale and transport of drugs are still prohibited.

Immigration draws

On January 30, Manitoba held a special draw for Ukrainian citizens who applied for immigration to the province. 21 people received invitations. They needed a connection to Manitoba. For example, relatives, work, or study.

The next day, a draw took place in British Columbia. The region selected 284 candidates with occupations needed. They were tech and healthcare workers, educators, and veterinarians.

Ontario held two draws. On January 31, there was a draw for foreign workers, in which 611 people were selected. On February 2, 1,902 Human Capital Priorities stream candidates were invited. In both draws, candidates with technical and medical occupations were selected.

Two more rounds of invitations took place in Express Entry. On February 1, Canada selected 893 applicants for the provincial immigration programs. The next day, 3,300 candidates for the Federal Skilled Worker Program were invited. There have been no draws for provincial program candidates since June 2022, and drawings for skilled workers haven't been held for several years.

Alex Pavlenko, founder of the Immigrant.Today emigration portal