Canada’s levels of immigration continue to suffer due to the recent global pandemic. New IRCC data reveals that Canada sent out invitations to 15,025 newcomers in September 2020.
If you compare this with the data of the same month last year, it shows that it is low. In September 2019, Canada had 35,000 immigrants.
Between January and September, Canada has welcomed around 143,500 immigrants. This means that it is at par to falling short by almost 200,000 newcomers by the end of this year.
During the first nine months of last year, Canada had welcomed 264,000 immigrants and more than 341,000 in total for the whole year.
Canada had a target of adding 341,000 newcomers to its list this year. Canada’s immigration minister, Marco Mendicino had made this announcement days before they decided to close their borders to most foreign travelers.
Canada will fail to achieve this target due to three primary reasons.
- The disruption of the immigration system due to the pandemic was huge. Measures like social distancing have affected everything. This includes the ability to complete various official language tests like CELPIP or IELTS, submission of biometrics, and acquiring visas from Canadian government authorities.
- Thousands of COPR holders remain stuck abroad due to the expiry of their COPRs during the pandemic. These COPR holders are exempt from the Covid-19 travel restrictions of Canada.
- The Covid-19 travel restrictions of Canada do not let individuals set foot on Canadian soil unless they fall under an exemption. These are people who have obtained their COPR after March 18.
It is true that the pandemic is temporary. Two weeks ago, Canada also made a confirmation that it is extremely committed to welcome a higher number of newcomers in the days to come.
Mendicino had made an announcement in late October that Canada will notably increase its immigration targets. This is to compensate for the deficit in the immigration level this year.
Under the new 2021-2023 Immigration Levels Plan, Canada aims to welcome more than 400,000 newcomers every year. In the days to come, this will be the highest immigration level in the history of the country.
IRCC will host Express Entry (EE) draws on a bi-weekly basis during the pandemic. This will help Canada achieve its immigration targets.
Two of the most recent EE draws saw 4,500 invitations for the permanent residence application. These were issued in each draw and are also tied for the highest levels in each draw. This was since they launched the EE in January 2015.
EE happens to be Canada’s primary system when it comes to managing applications for skilled workers.
The second in the list of primary ways for Canada to welcome skilled workers is through PNP.
PNP draws have been regular throughout the pandemic. Ontario was the last province to hold its PNP in recent times.
In total, there were nearly 3,000 provincial nominations issued in October by all the Canadian provinces.
Canada is en route to falling short by almost 200,000 new permanent residents this year. It will be for the first time since 1999.
Despite all these data, the immigration system of Canada continues to work. New applicants can apply for the EE pool and submit their applications through PNP and various other economic class programs.
This is possible due to various language tests being available, such as IELTS and CELPIP. Several educational credential assessment (ECA) organizations are operational such as World Education Services (WES).
Those who are COPR holders may enter Canada once they modify or lift their travel restrictions. This will be possible after the proper distribution of Covid-19 vaccines.
Get in touch with us on WhatsApp or Call us at 905-671-4442. You may even email us at info@immigrationterminal.ca if you have any queries about your permanent residence application.