Canada Resuming Express Entry Invites from July

During Canada’s recovery from the pandemic, employers are actively looking to fill hundreds of thousands of vacant positions in all fields across the country. Immigration is critical to boost Canada’s economy. At present, Canada’s economic growth is faster than current workforce and handle. Canada has emerged as a top destination for global talent and Canada needs to use this fact to ensure that businesses and employers have access to the skilled workers they need to grow and succeed. The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship made several major announcement to fuel Canada’s economic growth. Canada is resuming Express Entry Invites from July.

Key Highlights of the Announcement

• Express Entry invitations for FSWP, CEC, and FSTP categories will resume in July.
• Worker with expiring PGWP between January and December 2022 will qualify for an additional open work permit of up to 18 months.
• Applicants will no longer be required to remain in Canada while their application is being processed.
• Applicants who apply for an open work permit while waiting for their permanent residence application to be finalized will be able to get work permits valid until the end of 2024. This will ensure that all permanent residence applications will be finalized before applicants will need to apply to extend their temporary status again.
• To support family reunification, immediate family members who are outside Canada and who were included in a principal applicant’s permanent residence application will be eligible for their own open work permit.

Quick Facts

• Canada’s Express Entry (EE) system is designed for those seeking to immigrate permanently through the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program, the Canadian experience class and a portion of the Provincial Nominee Program. The submitted profiles are ranked, and the candidates the highest ranking points (CRS Score) are invited to apply for permanent residence.
• Federal high-skilled processing inventory was cut by more than half, from 111,900 people in September 2021 to just 48,000 people by March 2022. This inventory will be further reduced by July 2022.
• Canada welcomed 157,000 former students as new permanent residents in 2021.
• Canada made 156,000 final decisions on PR applications during Q1 of 2022 (Jan – March 2022) and welcomed 113,000 new permanent residents.
• IRCC process over 100,000 work permit applications in Q1 of 2022 which is almost double than what was processed in Q1 of 2021.

Quotes

“With the economy growing faster than employers can hire new workers, Canada needs to look at every option so that we have the skills and labour needed to fuel our growth. Immigration will be crucial to easing our labour shortage, and these measures aim to address pressing needs in all sectors across the country, while providing more opportunities for recent graduates and other applicants to build their lives in Canada and continue contributing to our short-term recovery and long-term prosperity.”

– The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

Who will Benefit?

• IRCC estimated that 95,000 post-graduation work permits expire between January 31 and December 31, 2022. Many of these WP holders have already became permanent residents. The new temporary policy to give 18 months WP extension is expected to benefit about 50,000 applicants.
• Express Entry candidates waiting for EE draws to resume
• Candidates who need to visit other countries during their application processing
• Family reunification in Canada

A Quick Peak on Canada’s Labour Shortage

As of Q3 of 2021

• Accommodation and Food Services – 130,070 vacancies
• Health Care and Social Assistance – 119,590 vacancies
• Retail Trade – 103,990 vacancies
• Manufacturing –  81,775 vacancies