On April 14, 2021, the honorable Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship, Marco E. L. Mendicino, announced a new pathway to permanent residence for over 90,000 international graduates and essential temporary workers.
The minister, in his statement, said, “The pandemic has shone a bright light on the incredible contributions of newcomers. These new policies will help those with temporary status to plan their future in Canada, play a key role in our economic recovery and help us build back better. Our message to them is simple: your status may be temporary, but your contributions are lasting—and we want you to stay.”
These exceptional public policies will allow permanent status to international graduates and temporary workers in Canada. It is expected that these policies will boost Canada’s economic recovery. The guidelines also prioritize those who possess the skills and experience we need to fight the pandemic.
The temporary workers who are being employed in hospitals and long-term care homes and on the frontlines of other essential sectors and international graduates who have the potential to drive the economy for tomorrow are going to be the focus of this innovative pathway.
The temporary workers will be eligible for this new pathway if they have at least 1 year of Canadian work experience in a healthcare profession or another pre-approved essential occupation.
As for international students, they must have to complete an eligible Canadian post-secondary program within the last 4 years and no earlier than January 2017.
IRCC revealed in a meeting with the Canadian Bar Association’s Immigration Law Section and other associations representing immigration lawyers and consultants that it will begin to accept applications for its six new limited-time immigration pathways on Thursday, May 6 at 12 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST).
IRCC will start accepting applications under the following three streams-
- 20,000 applications for temporary workers in health care
- 30,000 applications for temporary workers in other selected essential occupations
- 40,000 applications for international students who graduated from a Canadian institution
Some documents will be compulsory to submit. However, IRCC will provide counsel if the candidates are not able to submit certain documents.
For example, you must submit documents or evidence of your medical exam completion and police clearance certificates to IRCC. IRCC suggests that the temporary workers offer their old medical exam if they advise later in the application process whether they will need to submit another one.
It is expected that IRCC will process a total of 40,000 permanent residence applications under the streams in 2021. This indicates that most of the applicants will be expected to get their permanent residence status in 2022.
The application guide is expected to be revealed on Thursday. More information will be available by then.
