The government of Canada will invite more than a million individuals to become permanent residents of Canada over three years from 2019 to 2021! This multi-year Immigration Levels Plan, an ambitious initiative of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), is designed to stimulate the Canadian economy by inviting a younger and more innovative workforce to live and work in Canada. An aging population and declining birthrate in Canada makes the plan even more relevant. In graduated numbers over the next three years, Canada will welcome 1.3 million newcomers through the country’s various economic, family, refugee, and humanitarian immigration categories.
The most well-known of the qualifying programs under the Immigration Levels Plan is Express Entry (EE) which includes the categories of Federal Skilled Worker Class, the Federal Skilled Trades Class, and the Canadian Experience Class. The Immigration Levels Plan got kick-started this January 2019 when 3,350.00 individuals received invitations to apply for permanent residency in Canada through the Express Entry program. The numbers invited will gradually increase every year through 2021.
Additionally, individuals invited to apply for the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) will increase from 18% to 20.2% of the overall admissions. The PNP program is for workers who have specific skills, education, and experience to benefit the economy of a specific province of Canada; namely Ontario, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The PNP program allows Canadian provinces and territories to nominate eligible individuals who have also demonstrated a genuine desire to live and work in a particular province. Each PNP has at least one immigration program which is aligned with the Express Entry program.
Canada will also welcome over 270,500 spouses, common law partners, dependent children, and grandparents of Canadian citizens under its Family Class programs. The number of applicants eligible for permanent residency through the Humanitarian Class will also increase, in contrast, however, to a slight decrease in the numbers invited from the Re-Settle Refugees class.
Last but not least, the Visible Minority Newcomer Women Pilot has been launched to support minority women in their efforts to access the labor market as well as to assist organizations to build the capacity to serve or be led by women. This Program also spans three years and its goal is to improve employment and career advancement of minority women by addressing the issues of gender and race-based discrimination, precarious or low income employment, and unaffordable child care.
Now is a good time to move to Canada! The Canadian Parliament’s plan to invite over a million new permanent residents in the next three years represents nearly one percent of the country’s current population. This friendly stance may mean this is the ideal time to consider your options, especially if your efforts to immigrate to the U.S. are being thwarted by the more restrictive immigration policies under the Trump Administration.
NPZ Law Group, P.C., an immigration and nationality law firm, with a US and a Canadian Division, is ready to help you evaluate your options to go to Canada. Please visit our website at www.visaserve.com to learn more about our legal services or you can feel free to call 905-499-3853 to speak with a Canadian Lawyer.