Last month, Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), Hon. Marco E. L. Mendecino announced a new temporary pathway allowing 90,000 foreign workers and international graduates of a Canadian institution to obtain permanent residence.
On its opening day, May 6, 2021 IRCC received more than 37,000 online applications which caused IRCC’s online payment site to crash.
Applicants must meet all the eligibility conditions to submit an online application starting May 6, 2021 until Nov. 5, 2021. To qualify, foreign workers must have at least 12 months of Canadian work experience in a health care profession or another pre-approved essential occupation. International graduates must have completed an eligible post-secondary program in Canada within the last 4 years, and no earlier than January 2017.
IRCC’s online portal will accept applications until November 5, 2021 or until the cap has been reached for each stream namely:
- 20,000 applications for foreign workers in health care
- 30,000 applications for temporary workers in other selected essential occupations
- 40,000 applications for international students who have graduated from an eligible Canadian institution.
Unfortunately, one day after opening, IRCC has received the maximum number of applications under the International graduates stream.
As of this writing, IRCC has received:
Workers in Canada : health care 1,101 applications out of 20,000 applications to be accepted
Workers in Canada: essential, non-health care 7,200 applications out of 30,000 applications to be accepted
Three additional streams with similar eligibility criteria have also been launched for French-speaking and bilingual candidates, but there is no maximum number of applications.
Applicants must intend to reside in a province or territory other than Quebec to qualify all streams of this temporary pathway.
This new pathway to permanent residence aims to recognize Canada’s need for educated and experienced workers while working towards economic recovery. It also acknowledges the extraordinary service of so many essential workers during the pandemic, many of whom are newcomers to our country and have played critical roles in Canada as we fight
COVID-19. This is part of Canada’s plan to accept 401,000 new permanent residents for 2021.
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 ICCRC. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of RCIC’s.
