Worker shortages, tourist entry and other news of the week

What happened in Canada from July 12 to 18?

Immigration news

In the past week, Canada has held three immigration selections. British Columbia invited 56 IT professionals, and Ontario distinguished itself by calling in 1,685 professionals and graduates and 55 in-demand professionals.

Canada has been enjoying record selections lately, with thousands of candidates invited. Refugees, on the other hand, have been less fortunate. Official figures show that asylum denials in Canada doubled in 2021. The vast majority of applications from people claiming refugee status are now rejected.

Temporary residents of Canada who were living in the country with their children also found themselves in a difficult situation. Because of the relaxation of restrictions, many of them decided to go home, not knowing that their children would need new entry permits to return to Canada.

Work

Coming to Canada on a work visa is one reliable way to immigrate because many more programs are available for a candidate with Canadian work experience. Officially, one does not need to take a language test to get a work visa, but this is no reason to relax. A recent incident in Canada showed that with poor language skills can be rejected.

That said, there is a severe shortage of skilled workers in the country. Their numbers have been steadily declining over the past decades because Native Canadians are increasingly looking to build a career in an office, even though the wages in a factory may be higher. In addition, because of the acute shortage of employees, employers are willing to pay even more, which could play into the hands of those who are now looking for work.

Pandemic and travel

Canada's provinces continue to loosen sanitary restrictions. Saskatchewan became the second region to completely lift all existing bans.

Canada has caught up with the United States in terms of the number of vaccinated residents. Already more than 40% of the population have had both vaccinations, bringing the country even closer to achieving collective immunity and further easing restrictions.

The government says it may open the border to the United States by mid-August. Vaccinated tourists from other countries may be able to fly into Canada in September if the disease rates continue to decline. And starting in November, the country plans to once again accept cruise ships.

Canada's tourism sector was hit harder than any other during the pandemic. The sector lost a large number of employees and has to adapt to the new realities. The tourism sector is now missing about half a million workers.

Amid the positive news about the lifting of travel restrictions, more and more people are planning their summer holiday — and risk becoming the victims of fraudsters. You can encounter fraud when booking a hotel room, airline tickets, car rental.