Major Highlights:
- Recommencement of the draws for both CEC and the FSWP Express Entry invitations was announced by the Immigration Minister of Canada.
- Clear directives were given by the Canadian Immigration Minister to create more pathways aimed at international students, individuals looking for permanent residency, and temporary foreign workers.
- Draws are most likely to begin by early July.
Canadian Immigration Minister Sean Fraser announced the country’s immediate plans for recommencing CEC & FSWP invitation draws during a virtual interview. The Immigration Minister stated that the recommencement of draws is currently vital as Canada is facing an enormous labour shortage. It will be unfortunate for the people who prefer to stay back in the country if the draws are paused for long. So, it is crucial now to ensure and take adequate actions to improve the whole visa processing system.
Main reasons to stop CEC & FSWP draws in 2020
One of the primary reasons for stopping the FSWP or Federal Skilled Workers Program draws was the border restrictions due to the pandemic situation. Many would not be able to enter Canada even if they received PR Visa. Candidates also could not accept their PR if the validity of Confirmation of Permanent Residence or COPR expired. The good thing is that this Immigration policy was only effective until June 2021. Canada conducted Express Entry draws multiple times for issuing ITA to the Canada Experience Class candidates. Canada also formulated the Temporary Residence to Permanent Residence immigration pathway (TR to PR) to aid the candidates.
PGWP program
International students can obtain employment in Canada once they are qualified for Post-Graduation Work Permit Program (PGWP). However, they will not be permitted to stay in Canada without ITA. So PGWP holders will only be able to get employed in the country by applying for another type of work permit that qualifies them to stay. If the PGWP visa expires, a Bridging Open Work Permit (BOWP) would be the best option for international graduates to stay back and work in the country legally.
CEC & FSWP to achieve Canadian Immigration targets
CEC and FSWP are now aimed to meet the enormous Canadian workforce shortages. The Immigration plan for 2022- 2024 is to bring in almost 13.2 lakhs of foreign nationalities as immigrants to Canada. Both CEC & FSWP programs will be able to meet this target very quickly. For example, the new Express Entry applications are expected to get processed soon within six months of the timeframe. This is a significant improvement because it took almost 7 to 20 months for visa application processing. Immigration, Refugees, Citizenship Canada, or IRCC will also take all the necessary actions to ensure a speedy, simplified, and hassle-free visa application process.
IRCC to process more applications
Before the pandemic, IRCC used to invite only the candidates with the highest scores. During the initial stages of the pandemic, IRCC had to shift its focus to bringing in the maximum number of Canadian immigrants and that too, in a single year. However, Canada could not achieve this goal due to border restrictions. So Canada focussed on inviting Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates. As a result, Canada gave Invitations to Apply (ITA) to an astounding number of CEC candidates in the country’s entire history.
Also Read: The Five Easiest PNP to get Canada PR in 2022
IRCC was also determined to focus on the invitation of the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates to meet the provincial immigration targets throughout the pandemic. The change in Canada’s Express Entry policy and the pandemic-related challenges created backlogs in the immigration application system and ultimately affected the whole Express Entry process.
Current scenario of international immigrant intake
As per the country’s current Immigration plans for 2022-2024, IRCC is geared to bring in 110,000 or even more newcomers with increased Express Entry visa application processing. IRCC has also been able to significantly reduce the Express Entry backlog from almost 112,000 people recorded in September 2021 to a comparatively much lesser number of 48,000 recorded in March 2022. Adding to that, the first quarter of 2022 saw IRCC making a substantial increase in the number of decisions made for permanent residents, which is much higher when compared to the first quarter of 2021. Candidates can also apply for the immigration programs known as FSTP or Federal Skilled Trades Program and PNP. PNP is mainly a points-based visa application system. Eligible candidates will obtain a higher Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. Factors like work experience, education, age, and language skills add to the overall CRS score to make a candidate eligible for a Canadian visa.
Canadian Immigration Minister’s announcement gives more clarity about the Canadian immigration intake. It has rekindled new hopes and has provided further assurances. It is a happy time for prospective immigrants to Canada. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will resume both FSWP & CEC Express Entry Invitations in July! Yes, It is the right time to create and submit your Express Entry Profiles to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) in July!
