On June 8, 2022, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced that temporary and permanent residence pathway applicants were now eligible to apply for open work permits starting on June 6, 2022.
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This will avoid open work permit renewals since they can be issued until December 31, 2024. Moreover, eligible family members who are outside Canada can apply for an open work permit, which may speed up family reunification.
Meanwhile, on June 11, 2022, IRCC Minister Sean Fraser announced that the federal government is working on a new permanent residency pathway. By implementing a new permanent residency pathway, it would be possible to speed up the permanent residence applications of newcomers and temporary residents in Canada. This includes international students and temporary foreign workers.
According to IRCC, with the global pandemic, Canada contaminated the spread of the virus by closing its border for immigration applicants outside the country. During this time, TR to PR was the permanent residency pathway that was open, which welcomed 90,000 international students, essential workers, and front-line healthcare workers to Canada.
However, in an interview with CBC News, IRCC Minister Sean Fraser said that the new permanent residency pathway is not similar to the TR to PR pathway. He said that during a Commons meeting last month, a motion establishing a 120-day timeline was approved.
With that, applicants who have worked in Canada and completed their education in Canada have a significant advantage in this new permanent residency pathway.
Number of Immigration Applicants for 2022
Canada aims to welcome 432,000 immigrants in 2022. According to Minister Sean Fraser, the IRCC is doing its best to welcome immigrants amidst the pandemic and with the resettling of refugees who fled from the conflict in both Ukraine and Afghanistan. As of last week, Canada had welcomed 200,000 immigrants, which is almost half of the target number of immigrants for 2022.
With the new and faster permanent residency pathway, it will be a thoughtful approach to establishing immigration targets. However, IRCC’s former senior bureaucrat, Andrew Griffith, still worries about backlogs and too many immigration programs despite a higher number of applicants. As Griffith pointed out, the number of newcomers accepted is less important than who comes to Canada—what skills they bring to the table and whether or not they can help the country grow more productively and economically, which Rupa Banerjee agreed on. Banerjee said that who newcomers are and whether they have access to services is more important than the number of them.
On the other hand, in an interview with CBC News, IRCC Minister Sean Fraser said,"... We know we need to keep growing the number of people who are coming to Canada to fill gaps in the labour force and to, frankly, address a very troubling demographic trend with our aging population if we're going to be able to sustain services that we depend on."
Other Permanent Residency (PR) Pathways
Canada is known for being a top destination for immigrants from around the world. With that, the federal government implemented several immigration pathways for permanent residency. The following includes:
Express Entry
Provincial Nomination Program
Family Sponsorship Program
Business Immigration Programs
LMIA Work Permit
To know more about these permanent residency pathways, read: 5 Ways to Immigrate to Canada in 2022.
Find Out If You Are Eligible for Permanent Residence (PR) in Canada
Is settling down in Canada one of your 2022 goals? We would be glad to assist you with your permanent residence journey in Canada and achieving your Canadian dream. You can book a consultation with our Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants (RCICs) or reach us at +1-604-484-9474 to assess your profile for PR eligibility. The PR pathway and criteria depend on your profile, so it would be best to consult a professional.
A Cautionary Note: The foregoing provides only an overview and does not constitute legal advice. Readers are cautioned against making any decisions based on this material alone. Rather, specific legal advice should be obtained, and the readers are asked to refer to the government website for the most updated information.
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