IRCC announced that they have reached their target of 431,645 permanent residents in 2022 surpassing their previous record from 2021. This represents the largest number of people welcomed in a year, in Canadian history. Prior to setting a new record for admissions in 2021, the last time Canada welcomed such a large number of newcomers was in 1913.
According to IRCC, in 2022, they processed approximately 5.2 million applications for permanent residence, temporary residence and citizenship, which is double the number of applications processed in 2021. IRCC added resources, introduced new technology, streamlined processing, and brought more processes online. These changes, they said, are all important improvements to Canada’s immigration system.
Canada focuses on addressing the acute labour market shortages and one thing is certain; immigration is a key part of the solution.
COVID19 pandemic has brought drastic changes to Canada’s immigration system. Despite these challenges IRCC announced that it has reduced its overall inventory by nearly half a million applications. At the end of Nov, IRCC had processed approximately 4.8 million applications-nearly twice the 2.5 million processed during the same period last year. For study permit processing as of Nov 30, IRCC has processed over 670,000 study permits, nearly 700,000 work permits and over 260,000 visitor visas. Canada welcomed a record breaking 405,000 new permanent residents in 2021, surpassing the previous record from 1913. IRCC expects a record number of new Canadians in 2022-2023, with approximately 251,000 new citizens welcomed from April to Nov -surpassing the total number of new Canadian citizens for the last fiscal year. To address the labour shortage, Canada has put in place measures to help harness the labour market potential of temporary and permanent newcomers to Canada such as extending work permits to spouses and working age dependants of temporary foreign workers, at all skill levels; temporarily lifting the 20 hour per week cap on the number of hours that eligible post-secondary students are allowed to work off-campus while class is in session; implementing measures to allow foreign nationals whose post-graduation work permit expired or will expire between Sept 20, 2021 to Dec 31, 20, 2022 to work in Canada for an additional 18 months, expanding the Rural and Northern immigration pilot, exempting physicians from current requirements; due to changes to the NOC, 16 additional occupations are now eligible under express entry and many more.
Canada continues to be a top choice for people looking for a new place to work, study and build their lives with their families. The government of Canada set a target to welcome 465,000 permanent residents in 2023, 485,000 in 2024 and 500,000 in 2025.
If you have questions regarding the above article, you may contact Marjorie at [email protected]
Source: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)
A word of caution: You should not act or rely on the information provided in this column. It is not a legal advice. To ensure your interests are protected, retain, or formally seek advice from a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) in good standing of CICC. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of RCIC’s.
