Canada reached a new high by accepting more than 4.01 lakh new permanent residents in 2021, after more than a century, reaching its immigration target.
In the ensuing years, the aims are 4.11 lakh in 2022 and 4.21 lakh in 2023. However, as a result of the pandemic, the ‘Express Entry’ draws, which are the prominent point-based permanent residence program in Canada for skilled workers focused on the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).
These individuals were not affected by the Covid-19-fueled travel restrictions because they were already in Canada on temporary visas. A country-by-country breakdown of the data for 2021 is not known, however, based on prior trends, Indians are projected to account for roughly 40% of this record total.
The Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the Canadian government’s immigration department, just released the ‘Express Entry Report-2020,’ which includes country-specific details. Indian citizens received 50,841 invitations to seek permanent residence in Canada through the ‘Express Entry’ process in 2020.
This represents 47 per cent of the total invites (1.07 lakh) given by IRCC. The proportion has not altered from the preceding year when Indian citizens received 40,314 invitations. For several years, India has topped the rankings in terms of the number of invitations granted to its residents for permanent residency.
Applicants who get an invitation to apply have 90 days to decline the invitation or apply online for permanent residence with IRCC. When candidates and their accompanying family members are allowed to Canada after due process, they become permanent residents.
In the year 2020, there was a decrease in the number of people accepted to Canada as permanent residents. This year, just 63,923 primary applicants and their accompanying family members were admitted, compared to 1.09 lakh the previous year.
In 2021, 27,660 Indian candidates and their family members were granted permanent residency, up from 50,848 in 2019.
Indians also led the way in terms of admission, accounting for 43 per cent of all admissions to Canada. Also with emphasis on the CEC and PNP classes for Express Entry drawings, those already in Canada received 63 per cent of the invitations for permanent residence. Similarly, the proportion of invited candidates who were present in India fell to 10% from 18% in 2019.
“Considering that the highest numbers of temporary resident status such as study permits are granted to Indian nationals, they are the ones expected to benefit the most from the temporary public policies focusing on the grant of permanent resident status to those present in Canada”, pointed out Talha Mohani, legal counsel, at Migration Bureau Canada, an immigration services firm.
The legal counsel believes that while the focus will likely remain on CEC and PNP draws in the first half of 2022, IRCC would likely broaden the net later in the year to accomplish its immigration targets.
Immigration is a critical engine of the country’s economic resurgence, stated Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a letter to Sean Fraser, Canada’s Immigration Minister.
“The Prime Minister has directed Minister Fraser to continue to focus on reducing processing times and ensure that the immigration targets for 2022 are met. With the National Occupation Classification (NOC) code system changes and possible expansion of the Express Entry programs, it is possible that we could see both new streams and a less restrictive Express Entry program structure to help address the ongoing skills shortages across the country,” Ken Nickel-Lane, founder of an immigration services firm said.
The establishment of a ‘Trusted Employer system’ for Canadian companies recruiting temporary foreign workers, as part of the Global Talent Stream Program’s improvement, is one of the commitments sought by Canada’s Prime Minister in his letter to the immigration minister.
“This will make it easier for employers to bring in temporary foreign workers. In addition, this measure also suggests the intent to build up candidate pools for Canadian Experience Class,” states Nickel-Lane.
The letter also had good news for family-based immigration programs. As stated in the letter, family class applications will be digitalized, enabling them faster, more efficient, more effective. Applicants in the family class who are overseas and awaiting the processing of their permanent residence applications will be granted temporary resident status to allow for faster family reunification.
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