CANADA IMMIGRATION – EXPRESS ENTRY
Two thousand applicants applied for permanent residency through Canada’s most recent immigration program (Express entry. Through Express Entry, Canada expects to accept 55,900 permanent residents in 2022. The number may drastically rise during the years 2023 and 2024.
A new Immigration Levels Plan is published every year by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to guide the department’s operations. In 2021, the IRCC welcomed more than 405,000 immigrants, exceeding its goal. In 2022, this goal has risen further to increase to 431,645 new permanent residents. As per the news coming from Canada, they are planning to invite and accept 447,055 more immigrants in 2023 and 451,000 in 2024.
Canada currently aims to accept approximately 430,000 new immigrants each year under its Immigration Levels Plan, the most significant number in its history. So, it’s great news for the seekers of Canadian Immigration in a short period.
Recently a report titled Canada’s Immigration Advantage presented by the business lobby of Canada pointed out the “severe shortage of skilled workers to fill jobs in Canada”. The research indicates that eighty percent of employers are having problems hiring skilled labor. It also showed that every province and territory experiences shortages. As a result, Half of the country’s most prominent companies prefer to maintain or want to boost the nation’s high immigration levels.
Why Canada needs high immigration levels ?
Low rate of population levels-
Canada’s population is among the oldest in the world and has one of the lowest birth rates. Suppose we consider that 9 million baby boomers in Canada will reach retirement age in 2030. As a result, Canada will have fewer workers and increase social spending on healthcare. For over 30 years, Canada has taken the initiative to address this issue by gradually expanding its immigration goals.
Currently, the immigration rate to Canada is somewhere around 1.1%. In other words, Canada invites three times as many immigrants per person compared to the United States of America.
For fostering the economy-
Canada’s slow pace of natural population increase hinders the growth of the labor force and the country’s economy. It is challenging for Canada to raise taxes to fund social services like education, health care, and other crucial areas that ensure the country’s high living standards. As a result, Canada has increased immigration levels since the late 1980s to accelerate population growth, labor force expansion, and economic development. Canada’s labor force and a growing portion of its economic growth are driven mainly by immigration.
Due to COVID 19 Pandemic-
In the short term, COVID-19 has hurt Canada’s economy and raised government spending on social services. Additionally, in 2019 Canada’s birth rate reached a record low of 1.47 children per woman. Given the low birth rate in Canada before the pandemic and the possibility that the epidemic may further lower the birth rate due to economic uncertainty, the country will rely even more on immigration in the years to come to support population growth. If Canada’s birth rate stays low, immigration will account for an even more significant portion of future labor force growth. After COVID-19, Canada needs to increase its revenue base through immigration to fund public spending.
To create jobs and strengthen trade-
With a higher percentage of entrepreneurs than their Canadian-born equivalents, immigrants contribute significantly to innovation and the development of new jobs. Additionally, immigrant-owned companies can strengthen trade relations with Canada. As Canada’s workforce ages and transitions into retirement, there will be a growing need for immigration as well as a low unemployment rate and high job vacancy rate, according to the Labor Force Survey’s prediction for May 2022.
It looks likely that Canada will continue to steadily boost its immigration numbers throughout the foreseeable future based on its demographic realities and immigration trends. Immigration will continue to be essential to the nation’s economic and financial stability.
Popular Programs under Canada Immigration
More than half of the planned admissions under the multi-year plan are related to economic immigration, which significantly contributes to Canada’s economic growth. The federal Express Entry system programs will cover about half of the expected financial admissions:
Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) Program: Express Entry System manages the Federal Skilled Worker Program. The Federal Government of Canada has released it for managing skilled workers’ applications for PR. The program makes eligible and covers engineers, lawyers, IT, and other professionals. In this PR scheme, qualified immigrant applicants can use the Express Entry system to become Canadian permanent residents.
PR in FSW Category allows Visa-holders to reside, study, work or do any business in Canada except the province of Quebec.
Eligibility of FSW Program: You must have one year of ongoing full-time work experience (or the equivalent in ongoing part-time work) in a skilled occupation listed under Skill Type 0. And Skill Level A or B within the last ten years before you submit your electronic application for PR.
Federal Skilled Trades Class (FSTP): Express Entry is the most popular program in Canada. For welcoming economic class skilled workers from the rest of the world to immigrate to their country. FSTP is one of the three skilled workers’ programs launched in 2013, managed by the Express Entry System and administered by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada, the department responsible for immigration to Canada. The program covers the foreign trade workers
- Qualified skilled workers
- Possess work experience in eligible trade occupations, and
- Willing to immigrate to Canada.
The program can help the communities in various locations in Canada to cater to the shortage of experienced labour in many skilled trades occupations. FSTP is the only federal economic immigration program of express entry that covers workers in trade occupations.
Using FSTP Option, eligible candidates can usually obtain their permanent residence within a short period of less than a year.
Canadian Experience Class (CEC):Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) have launched the Canadian Experience Class Program for professionals with Canadian experience.
- The CEC Program is part of the Express Entry system. It is ideal for applicants having gained eligible work experience in Canada.
- International students interested in obtaining permanent residency in Canada and building a prosperous future are encouraged to apply for this program.
- Canadian Experience Class Program primarily focuses on your qualifications and lawfully obtained and paid working experience for the required occupation in Canada.
- The program facilitates those applicants having worked for at least one year full-time or gained equivalent part-time skilled work experience in Canada.
- The program can help temporary foreign workers and students to obtain pr.
Please note that the system will not find you eligible if you don’t have a full year of experience. So, please don’t try to apply unless you have completed one year of experience in Canada.
Provincial Nominee Program (PNP): Apart from the programs mentioned above, PNP also plays a vital role in economic immigration. PNP Immigration Program is a non-express entry program designed for immigration to Canada.
- Express Entry System permit applicants to apply with any province or territory and is suitable for those who want to settle in any province of their choice.
- Each individual willing to apply for this program needs to meet the eligibility requirements of the concerned province that can nominate you.
- For this program, applicants need to submit a paper application.
- Quebec is not clubbed with other provinces or territories where applicants need to apply separately,
- Provinces in Canada are running their Programs to help applicants with fast-tracked immigration.
- PNP is a slower process than Express Entry Scheme because of the manual work involved.
Once the applicant can get a nomination from the province of their choice, obtaining permanent resident status in Canada is usually specific. Holding permanent residence (PR) status, one can live, study, settle, and work in any part of Canada.
However, on PNP, you have been offered residency to stay and contribute to the province’s growth, which nominated you to bring your skills.
If you want to study, work and settle in Canada, our experienced team of specialists at Pious Global Consultancy can help determine your eligibility and improve the chances of your success.