News of the week: closed borders, new immigration programs and the fight for the environment

The main events of the week from 19.04 to 25.04.

Immigration news

This time around, there were only two immigration selections in one week:

Manitoba invited 399 qualified professionals;
BC selected 90 candidates working in IT.

Another province, Quebec, is also interested in IT professionals. On April 22, applications for a new immigration program for workers in artificial intelligence, information technology and visual effects began. Quebec plans to invite 550 candidates a year.

Nova Scotia, which was hit hard during the pandemic, says it plans to attract as many immigrants as possible by the end of 2021. So look out for its immigration programs.

Earlier, by the way, word got out about new federal immigration programs under which Canada will invite 90,000 people. I made a video about it, I suggest you watch it.

Also earlier this week, the Canadian government released its federal budget for 2021. Authorities have certainly not forgotten about immigrants and are willing to allocate millions of dollars to improve the immigration system and new opportunities for those who have recently moved away.

Pandemic and vaccination

Once again, the news is not encouraging. According to Health Canada, the third wave of COVID-19 is more aggressive towards young people: people aged 20-39 are most often infected.

Because of the spread of the virus in Canada began to suppress travel even within the country. So, residents of British Columbia will not be able to leave the province without a good reason.

The vaccine situation is not yet improving. The United States has promised to help Canada, provided it has a surplus. The province of Alberta is postponing immunization of workers at a plant where a COVID-19 outbreak has killed several workers due to delays in vaccine delivery.

There is good news: in New Brunswick, all pregnant women are now able to get the vaccine, and Alberta, where people in their 40s can get vaccinated, is considering introducing paid time off for the duration of the vaccination.

Canadians, meanwhile, are already thinking about what they want to do once the population is fully vaccinated. A recent survey showed what residents want most.

Travel

It will not be possible to simply come to Canada in the near future: the country has once again extended the entry ban for foreigners. For now it is only possible to enter Canada with a work or student visa. The borders with the United States also remain closed for now.

Canada has also halted inbound flights from India and Pakistan, where the COVID-19 situation is very tense. Airlines, fortunately, are going out of their way to accommodate passengers. Air Canada will refund money for cancelled flights, even if the tickets were non-refundable. For now, this only applies to flights between February 1 and April 13.

Mandatory hotel quarantine for those arriving from abroad remains in place. Here you can find out all the details: what restrictions the hotel has, how much it costs to stay, if there is any way around this law, and so on.

Ecology

Canada is serious about improving its environmental situation. By 2030, the country plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions by almost half . Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is counting on cooperation with the US.

Provincial governments aren't staying away. British Columbia has set a goal to plant 300 million trees in places that suffered from wildfires last year. They will even be inviting workers from other provinces to do so.

And here's what's troubling — back in March, some Canadians observed satellite debris flying over their homes. Experts call for more research on the effects of rockets on the atmosphere, believing that spent engines, failed satellites and other space debris pose serious dangers.