According to a non-profit that evaluates international students and immigrants’ credentials, foreign nationals feel confident in Canada’s abilities to manage the COVID-19 outbreak and care for its patients.
“A positive perception of the ability of the government and health care system in Canada to manage the pandemic is having a positive impact on interest in immigrating,” notes World Education Services.
The group showed in a paper titled One Year Later: Canada’s Enduring Appeal to Prospective Immigrants in the Face of COVID-19, Comparative Analysis, August 2020 – August 2021 that Canada’s approach to the pandemic has maintained an interest in immigrating strong.
Fifty-eight per cent of those surveyed said they were increasingly interested in moving to Canada because of the Canadian government’s and healthcare system’s abilities to control the pandemic and care for Covid-19 patients.
In early 2021, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) awarded the most Invitations to Apply (ITAs) through Express Entry since the program’s inception in 2015. The 44,124 ITAs issued in the first three months of the year were more than double the number issued in the same period the previous year.
Prospective immigrants are also encouraged by Canada’s economic recovery throughout the pandemic, which gives them hope that they will be able to find work once they arrive.
The percentage of the respondents who expected the pandemic to have a negative impact on job availability in Canada fell from 45% to 33% year on year, while those who predicted a positive impact increased from 27% in 2020 to 35% in 2021.
The country’s dropping unemployment rate and enormous labour shortages are reassuring would-be immigrants that Canada is a land of opportunity. Whereas the economic and labour market repercussions were significant at the start of the pandemic, there has been a progressive drop in unemployment levels, from a high of 13.7% in May 2020 to 6.7% in October 2021.
Those exploring a move to a country other than Canada more than doubled over the study’s year.
The percentage of respondents who said they were likely to immigrate to a nation other than Canada as a result of the pandemic increased from 13% in 2020 to 22% in 2021. The report’s confidence in Canada’s ability to properly manage the pandemic reflects the findings of another research done last year.
It demonstrated that Ottawa’s successful COVID-19 vaccination program had boosted the confidence of overseas students who had intended to postpone their courses for a year but changed their minds and decided to come to Canada as soon as feasible.
“Canada’s successful vaccination rollout will hold the country in good stead to take the lead on a less restrictive international travel environment though universities will still need to carefully consider how they manage their international recruitment strategies for the rest of the year and what measures they can implement to safeguard against any future setbacks,” wrote Kym Nguyen, Vice President of Client Development with QS Enrolment Solutions, last year.
Last year, QS World highlighted in its Canadian International Student Survey, headlined Supporting Recovery and Driving Growth in Global Higher Education, that international students who had planned to postpone their studies in Canada altered their views due to Canada’s pandemic approach.
One of the draws of Canada for overseas students is the ability to work both while studying and after graduation, which is made possible by the country’s Study Permits and Post-Graduation Work Permits.
That employment knowledge and experience can then be used to increase their Comprehensive Ranking System points, increasing their prospects of moving to Canada and becoming permanent residents.
Canada welcomed a record-breaking 401,000 new permanent residents in 2021 and plans to exceed that figure this year with an immigration target of 411,000 new permanent residents. Foreign nationals can immigrate to Canada in a variety of ways. Canada accepts immigration applications online through the Express Entry system.
Applicants who meet the qualifying criteria submit an online profile known as an Expression of interest (EOI) to the Express Entry Pool through one of three federal visa programs or a participating provincial immigration program.
Candidates’ profiles are then ranked against one another using the Comprehensive Ranking Approach, which is a point-based system (CRS). The top candidates will be considered for an ITA for permanent residence. Those who receive an ITA must submit a full application and payment processing fees within 90 days.
Canada employs a two-tiered immigration system, offering programs for skilled workers at both the federal and provincial levels, under shared administration between Ottawa and the provinces.
All of Canada’s ten provinces and three territories can nominate skilled worker applicants for admission to Canada with the specialized talents required by their local economies through a network of Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP).
Top scoring candidates who acquire a provincial or territory nomination can then apply to the federal immigration authorities for permanent residency in Canada.
Immigrant investors can however come to Canada through the Start-up Visa Program, which grants them Canadian permanent residence. The aim of the program is to bring entrepreneurs to Canada, connect them with Canadian private business enterprises such as angel investor groups, venture capital funds, or business incubators, and help them develop their start-up businesses in Canada.
An authorized venture capital fund must confirm an investment of at least $200,000 in a qualifying startup. Candidates may also be eligible if they have two or more pledges totalling $200,000 from specified venture capital funds.
A designated angel investor group should make a minimum investment of $75,000 in the qualifying enterprise. Overseas students can eventually obtain permanent residency in Canada by first entering the country on a study permit, then applying for a PGWP, and then applying for permanent residence through the Express Entry system.
Applicants for immigration are assigned points under the CRS system utilized by Express Entry system programs depending on:
- Skills;
- Work experience;
- Language ability;
- Language ability and education of the applicant’s spouse or common-law partner;
- Possession of a job offer supported by a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment;
- Possession of a provincial government nomination for permanent residence, and;
- Certain combinations of language skills, education and work experience result in a higher chance of the applicant becoming employed (skill transferability).
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