Canada will streamline expat access starting July
From July, Canada will ease Express Entry admission criteria to attract skilled talent faster, cut immigration backlogs below 48 000, and introduce new work permits for international grads.
Canada is redoubling efforts to solve its chronic labour shortages. As part of that drive, Express Entry draws will restart in July, making expatriation to Canada smoother. Express Entry is the online system the Government of Canada uses to manage skilled-worker immigration applications.
Admission criteria simplified
The Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Sean Fraser, announced streamlined criteria to speed up the process. Permanent-resident applications under the Canadian Experience Class will see eased requirements, helping skilled workers immigrate at the federal level.
Mr Fraser also noted the federal backlog of high-skill cases has dropped from 112 000 in September 2021 to 48 000 in March 2022, with a further decline expected by July. That means Canada can once again invite qualified candidates both at home and abroad.
Since autumn 2021, immigration authorities have limited Invitations to Apply (ITAs) to candidates in the Provincial Nominee Program. From July, most new applications will be processed within six months.
A new temporary immigration policy
This summer a temporary policy will let international graduates keep working longer while they pursue permanent residence. Those whose post-graduation work permit expires in 2022 can apply for a new open work permit valid for up to 18 months.
The country also doubled the number of permanent-residence applications it processed in the first quarter of 2022, clearing more than 156 000 files and welcoming 113 000 new permanent residents. Over the same three months, more than 100 000 work permits were issued.
A further temporary public-policy measure, launching in August 2022, will let visitors already in Canada apply for employer-specific work permits—good until February 2023. New measures were also unveiled for candidates on the single-pathway from temporary to permanent residence (TR to PR), even though applications closed in November 2021.
Easing the transition from temporary to permanent residence
Applicants will no longer have to remain in Canada while their permanent-residence application is processed. Those requesting an open work permit while awaiting finalization of their permanent-residence application can obtain a permit valid through the end of 2024.
Immediate family members of the principal permanent-residence applicant can also receive their own open work permits, supporting family reunification.
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