What is the top most topic of discussion in Canadian immigration circle these days? Obviously, the announcement on April 14, 2021 made by Marco E. L. Mendicino, honourable Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Canada.
It was announced that Canada will grant permanent residency to more than 90,000 foreign students and workers who made a contribution to Canadian economy during pandemic or help fight the pandemic by working in health related professions.
The program starts on May 6, 2021 and is intended for workers with at least one year of work experience in health care or large number of other sectors which are considered essential right from from grocery store cashiers and shelf stockers, to truck drivers and farm workers.
In addition to these are international graduates who’ve completed a post-secondary degree within the last four years, not before January 2017.
What do these public policies mean and what will be their effect on Canadian immigration. These special public policies intend to grant permanent status to temporary workers and international graduates who are already in Canada and who possess the skills and experience that Cabada needs to fight the pandemic and recover from the economic losses incurred by the national economy because of pandemic. Once again indicating how Canadian economy depends on immigration.
These pathways will also help Canada achieve it’s target of 401000 immigrants set for year 2021 . As stated by the honourable Immigration Minister, the new public policy will help in compensating for a drop in immigration last year when the border was closed.
“The pandemic has shone a bright light on the incredible contributions of newcomers,” he told a news conference.
The new policies will help people who are living in Canada on a temporary status, plan their future permanently and work in the country to helo in economic recovery and repair the damage caused by pandemic.
I shall quote the Mr. Mendicino here when he addressed the temporary workers saying, “Your status may be temporary, but your contributions are lasting and we want you to stay.”
As Canada continues the fight against the pandemic, immigration will remain an important factor contributing to economic recovery of the country by addressing labour shortages and adding growth with efforts made by every single individual.
With an accelerated pathway to permanent residency, these special public policies will encourage essential temporary workers and international graduates to put down roots in Canada and help the country retain the talented workers it needs, particularly in our health-care system.
To conclude, announcement will help us achieve our 2021 Immigration Levels Plan, which will see Canada welcome 401,000 new permanent residents. The skilled newcomers and international graduates welcomed under our plan will help create jobs and drive long-term growth in Canada.