After a monumental year in the history of Canadian immigration, the global community looks upon the country in 2022 with much anticipation and excitement for what lies next after the IRCC pulled out all the stops in 2021.
The world of immigration watched in awe in 2021 as historical Express Entry draws cleared out the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) pool and other unorthodox yet strategic moves by the IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) to fulfil its target of welcoming 401 000 immigrants – making last year the highest number of immigrants to the Great White North since 1913.
So, can we expect another significant year in 2022?
This year’s target – to welcome 411 000 newcomers by the end of 2022 – a mandate set out by the Federal Government in October 2020, when it was announced that Canada intends to welcome 411 000 in 2022 and 421 000 in 2023, as an aide to compensate for the deficit in newcomers caused by COVID-19 and to ensure Canada has the workers it needs to fill crucial labour market gaps and remain competitive on the world stage.
According to experts in the industry, with such a mammoth target exceeding 10 000 more immigrants than last year, there is no doubt we can expect another exciting year.
It is also important to note that according to CIC News, “Canada will very likely get two immigration levels plan announcements in 2022. The plans will outline Canada’s targets for new permanent resident arrivals and what programs the new immigrants will arrive under. Under the current plan, Canada is looking to welcome 411 000 new immigrants in 2022 and 421 000 in 2023, however these figures may be revised when the federal government unveils their new levels plans.”
While the COVID-19 pandemic is still expected to to largely influence Canadian immigration, IRCC will also continue implementing its three-fold immigration policy objectives of strengthening the economy, reuniting families, and assisting those with a humanitarian need.
Here are some of the changes expected in 2022:
- To address the challenge of the backlog of applications, the 2021 Economic and Fiscal Update provided $85 million in 2022-2023 to process more applications and reduce processing times.
- The new immigration minister Sean Fraser’s mandate from the Prime Minister stated the possibilities of simplifying and streamlining work permit renewals while continuing the normal two-week processing time period for certain application types, given the critical labour shortage face by employers.
- In 2021 Express Entry draws only invited Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates. This is exceptional since Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) candidates were the main source of Express Entry immigrants prior to the pandemic but have been excluded altogether from Express Entry invitations over the last year. They currently comprise some 85 per cent of candidates in the Express Entry pool. This is expected to change as more Express Entry draws are anticipated from FSWP.
- With Canada’s technology and start-up industry booming, we should expect to see more applicants through business and entrepreneurial streams
Watch this space as Immigrants Life unveils the latest news in Canadian immigration in 2022.