In January 2022, 35,260 people were granted permanent residency in Canada
What programs did they apply for?
This year, Canada plans to admit the largest number of immigrants in the country's history — 432,000 people. Last year, admissions slowed under the Federal Skilled Worker program, for which selections ended back in 2020. But now Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has accelerated the processing of applications for the program that were submitted more than a year ago.
All of these people had already come to Canada with immigrant visas, not just invitations in selections. Some of them had been in an unclear legal status for more than a year, had difficulties with employment and public health insurance.
The distribution of immigrants admitted in January by program and stream can be seen in the table:
| Atlantic Immigration Pilot programs (no longer a pilot, but a full-time program) | 585 |
| People with Canadian experience | 7 685 |
| Caregivers (program for nannies and caregivers, replaced by two programs) | 425 |
| Program of state support for the economy | 60 |
| Pilot Program for Rural and Northern Immigration | 110 |
| Working professions | 25 |
| Skilled professionals | 2 570 |
| All employee programs | 11 460 |
| Investors | 225 |
| Self-employed | 25 |
| Start-up | 55 |
| All programs for businessmen | 305 |
| Provincial Programs | 4 200 |
| Permanent residence permits for temporary residents (foreign workers, students) | 7 055 |
| Total economic migrants | 23 020 |
| Sponsored children | 455 |
| Sponsored parents and grandparents | 1 285 |
| Spouses and partners sponsored | 5 255 |
| Other sponsored family members | 35 |
| Total sponsored family members | 7 035 |
| Refugees receiving assistance from the state | 915 |
| Refugees sponsored by private individuals | 430 |
| Persons in need of protection | 750 |
| Protected persons (already temporary residents) | 2 220 |
| Total refugees and persons in need of protection | 2 970 |
| Persons admitted on humanitarian and compassionate grounds | 875 |
| Public Policy | 20 |
| Other immigrants | 895 |
As you can see, the upgrade was not in vain; the promise to speed up the rate of processing applications has been fulfilled. Most likely, they will be processed even faster in the coming months of 2022.
First, at the same rate, the Department of Immigration would not be able to meet the annual plan. Second, before the pandemic, fewer immigration decisions were always made at the beginning of the year because of the long holidays. Typically, the second quarter of the year processed 40 percent more applications than the first.
