As Canada’s immigration backlog approaches two million, prospective newcomers and overseas students may expect additional delays and disappointments.
According to recently obtained data from Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the backlog in immigration applications has been rapidly expanding in recent months, rising from 1,813,144 in mid-December to 1,844,424 in mid-March 2022. The figures include application pools for citizenship, permanent residency, student permits, temporary work visas, and visiting visas.
Given the considerable backlog, the IRCC has apparently made great headway in the Express Entry category, an economic class immigration gateway to Canada, where applications have reduced by about 24,000 since December. More Federal Skilled Worker Program (FWSP) applications have been completed in the last two weeks than in a seven-month period in 2021, while the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) has just 10,400 people left to be processed.
According to a new report on Canada’s immigration application figures, there has also been a rise in temporary resident applications. Work permit applications surged by over 15,000 between February 1, 2022, and March 17, 2022, while study permit extensions increased by 4,054 within the same period. The government published the Immigration Levels Plan 2022-2024 last month, a new strategy to increase the number of entrants to Canada over the next five years.
The government expects to admit 431,645 permanent residents this year, with 447,055 and 451,100 entrants expected in 2023 and 2024, respectively. In the official announcement, Canada’s immigration minister, Sean Fraser, stated that the plan aimed at attracting skilled workers to bolster the Canadian economy and address the country’s labor shortage, as well as reuniting families and resettling the world’s most vulnerable groups through refugee resettlement.
According to the Toronto Star, Fraser stated that he is devoting his “whole concentration” to fixing Canada’s immigration backlogs and building a more “nimble” system. Given the assurances, overseas students enrolled in work-experience-based co-op programs have complained about aggravating delays in processing and a lack of clear communication from the IRCC.
Students at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia were advised that their placements could take up to 18.5 weeks to process. Overseas students are mostly lured to Canada because of its post-graduation work permit (PGWP), a one-time temporary work visa that permits graduates to work in the country for up to three years after finishing their studies.
Statistics Canada published a report on January 18, 2022 that shows good outcomes for overseas students: more graduates are receiving PGWPs, and the median yearly pay for PGWP holders has improved by 12,300 Canadian dollars from 2008 to 2018. Due to graduates’ collective work and study experience in the country, the research predicts an encouraging trend in transition rates to PR status.
A further survey found that three out of every ten international students who arrived in Canada after 2000 obtained permanent resident status within a decade of receiving their study permit.
Within the decade investigated, Indian nationals accounted for the greatest number of PGWP holders, increasing from 10% in 2008 to 46% by 2018, while Chinese students experienced the opposite trend, falling from 41% to 20%. Annual median wages also varied greatly by industry, gender, and age.
The current backlog in processing immigration applications in Canada will not impair the chances of acquiring a study permit, but it may cause a roadblock for PGWP applicants. Many with PGWPs that are about to expire may lose their right to work in Canada and face deportation unless they obtain a new work permit in time or successfully obtain PR status.
Legal Disclaimer: This article is provided for information purposes only.
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