A new program to Canada: quickly and without fees

Canada has announced a permanent residency program that will begin this summer. It promises to process applications in 6 months, and you can simplistically certify work experience and not pay fees.

On March 27, the Canadian government announced a new immigration program under which a large number of popular professions, from nursing assistants to computer programmers, can apply for permanent residency.

The launch of the new program was known in advance, so many people were waiting for it. There was speculation that it would be a new program for those working in Canada, or changes in Express Entry, which had long been promised. What kind of program is being launched in the end?

Economic Mobility Pathways

In fact, nothing particularly new has emerged. They announced an expansion of a program that already exists. It is called the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot. It has some special features, such as accelerated application processing — usually 6 months, simplified confirmation of work experience, and no application processing fees.

The expansion of the program is aimed at enabling Canadian employers to hire more skilled people who are abroad. All the details are not yet known, because the program won't start until the summer. And the government promises to release more information in the coming weeks.

So far they have said only that specialists with in-demand professions are needed first and foremost. They are nursing assistants, caregivers, software engineers, web designers, mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, teachers, tourism workers, truck drivers, and delivery drivers. But applications will be accepted from candidates of all professions. They also promised to make the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot more flexible, so that more people would fit its requirements.

Requirements

Who is eligible to apply for the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot? Here is the main disadvantage of the program, which makes it not suitable for everyone. First, you must meet the requirements of one of the other immigration programs. It could be the Atlantic Program, Rural and Northern Pilot, or one of the provincial programs. Second, you must be a refugee and outside Canada. Refugees are people who are not in their home country and cannot return there because of some danger. For example, war, persecution, discrimination, and the like.

Of course, you will have to prove that you are in danger in your home country. This can either be a document from the UN that you are a refugee or some third country has to register you as an asylum seeker. Or there is another option — you can contact the official partner organizations of Canada or the UN partners.

You need to get a job offer from a Canadian employer. There are some simplifications. For the Atlantic Program and the Rural and Northern Pilot, you can show work experience not for a specific period, such as the last 5 years, but for any time. You don't have to prove you have the funds, but you will have to apply for a loan through the Government of Canada website. This does not apply to provincial programs. Maybe something will change after the updates, but we don't know for sure yet.