Canada's new plan to allow more Temporary Residents to become Permanent Residents
On May 11, 2022, Private Member’s Motion M-44, introduced by Randeep Sarai, Liberal Member of Parliament for Surrey Centre, was passed in the House of Commons. The Motion calls on the Government to publicly release a plan to expand economic immigration pathways so workers at all skill levels can access permanent residency and to support greater transitions from temporary resident status to permanent resident status.
Temporary foreign workers and international students play an important role in Canada’s economy and that is why the Government aims to enable greater pathways to permanent residency.
Temporary foreign workers
• The number of work permit holders in the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) and International Mobility Program (IMP) have been increasing since program reforms in 2015.
• While there have been increases in both employer-specific and open work permit holders, the number of open work permit holders has increased by nearly 110% from 2015 to 2021.
• Much of this demand is linked to Canada’s international student strategy, with post-graduation work permits increasing by nearly 290% between 2015 and 2021 (from 33,575 to 130,695).
• In 2021, post-graduation work permit holders comprised approximately 31% of all work permit holders.
International Students
Canada has long been an attractive choice for international students among global competitors. While the principal objective of the International Student Program is to facilitate temporary study in Canada, international students have played an increasingly important role in Canada’s labour market. During the school term, eligible international students are permitted to work an unlimited number of hours on-campus and up to 20 hours per week off-campus without the need for a work permit, as well as full time work during scheduled breaks. As of the end of 2021, approximately 618,000 international students held valid study permits.
After graduation, students may qualify for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP), which is an open work permit (meaning it is not tied to a specific employer) issued under the IMP. In 2021, approximately 372,000 post-graduation work permits were issued, enabling international student graduates to both contribute to Canada’s labour force and gain work experience in Canada that can provide the necessary job experience required to apply for permanent residence. Research indicates that almost three-quarters of all post-graduation work permit holders transition to permanent residence within five years of obtaining this type of work permit. International students as a source of labour supply: Engagement in the labour market after graduation
However, despite growing in size, the international student population has become less diverse over the past two decades with increased concentration in certain source countries, provinces of study, and fields of study. International students as a source of labour supply: The growing number of international students and their changing sociodemographic characteristics IRCC is exploring strategies to diversify the source countries for Canada’s International Student Program, as well as ways to incentivize students to look beyond major urban centres when choosing a program of study.
It is also important to recognize that temporary residency is granted in its own right, either for studying or working temporarily in Canada.
The Government will use a five pillar approach to achieve its objectives.
In order to expand transitions of international student graduates and temporary foreign workers, and support successful transitions, the pillars of the strategy are to:
1. Leverage increased immigration levels
2. Reform Express Entry and increase flexibility in immigration selection tools
3. Enhance permanent economic immigration programs and pilots
4. Support communities in attracting and retaining newcomers, including through Francophone immigration
5. Build operational capacity
The economic immigration class is the largest source of permanent resident admissions to Canada. In 2021, 252,971 (or 62%) of the total 405,999 immigrants were admitted under the economic class including spouses and dependents.
Express Entry is the application management system, used since 2015, to select candidates in the Federal High-Skilled Programs on the basis of their ability to succeed in the Canadian economy and society over the long term. Canada’s Federal High-Skilled Programs – Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Worker Program, and Federal Skilled Trades Program – traditionally represent the largest economic immigration category in the Immigration Levels Plan which sets targets and ranges for overall admissions for immigration categories. In 2021, 139,460 new permanent residents were admitted through these programs, which constituted approximately 34% of total immigration.
The Provincial Nominee Program, which is jointly administered by federal, provincial and territorial governments, attracts a significant volume of temporary foreign workers and international student graduates. The Provincial Nominee Program receives applicants across all of the skill levels, including those with work experience and job offers in occupations at the intermediate and lower-skilled levels (NOC skill level C & D). From 2017 to 2021, 16% of principal applicants who became permanent residents through this program intended to work in NOC skill level C and D occupations. Through the Provincial Nominee Program, IRCC supports provinces like Ontario and New Brunswick who have targeted specific Francophone immigration strategies including percentage quotas, as well as providing temporary foreign and overseas workers with French-speaking abilities the opportunity to apply for permanent residence in order to live and work in their jurisdictions.
The Atlantic Immigration Program was established as an ongoing program in January 2022, after being successfully tested as a pilot. The 2020 pilot evaluation found that the pilot was on track with design in supporting the region’s employers in filling their labour needs and increasing the retention of immigrants, particularly in technical occupations and skilled trades (NOC B) and intermediate level occupations (NOC C) and also in sectors such as services, trades, transportation and manufacturing (particularly the fish and seafood sector). An exception was included, which allows highly skilled health care workers (i.e., nurses) to accept jobs at a lower skill level (i.e., nurse aides/orderlies) enabling these individuals to immediately start working in this in-demand sector while they explore the option of upgrading their credentials. In 2021, the Atlantic Immigration Pilot welcomed approximately 4,900 permanent residents to Atlantic Canada, many with previous Canadian work experience. In order to continue to address the Atlantic’s regional challenges, the 2022-2024 Immigration Levels Plan has set targets for the program for a combined 19,250 new permanent residents over a three year period.
The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot, an innovative community-based pilot with 11 participating communities, was introduced in 2019 to attract and retain foreign talent in smaller communities facing economic and demographic challenges. Included under this pilot is a pathway to permanent residence for international student graduates that completed post-secondary education in the community and for workers with needed skills and attributes.
The Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker pilots were launched in June 2019, to provide a clear and direct pathway to permanent residence for in-home caregivers. In 2021, more than 2,800 caregivers and their family members were admitted to Canada.
Temporary Resident to Permanent Resident Pathway targeting recent international graduates and essential workers. Over 130 essential occupations at various skill levels in areas such as health care, caregiving, agriculture, manufacturing, service industry, trades and transportation, were eligible. Dedicated streams for French-speaking and official language bilingual temporary residents were included. Close to 24,000 new permanent residents were admitted through this pathway in 2021 and over 31,000 more have been admitted to the end of July 2022, or approximately 78% of the 40,000 planned admissions for 2022. A further 32,000 admissions are planned in 2023. The intended occupations of those admitted to date has varied significantly with notable concentrations in: administrative assistants; user support technicians; food service supervisors; retail sales supervisors; home support workers; cooks; security guards and related services; material handlers; transport truck drivers; and cashiers. The intended skill levels of principal applicants admitted to date tended to be at the higher end of the spectrum: 44% being skilled and technical workers (NOC B), 8% professional (NOC A), and 4% managerial (NOC 0); 32% were employed in intermediate-skilled jobs (NOC C) and 11% in occupations requiring no formal education / on-the-job training (NOC D).
At the same time, there is an even greater number of temporary residents working and studying in Canada. For example, in 2021, there were roughly 444,800 study permit holders and 415,000 work permit holders, highlighting that there are not enough spaces to permit all temporary residents to obtain permanent residence in a given year. Newcomers who obtain permanent residence through the other two main classes of immigration (family reunification and refugees) also contribute to the economy and participate in the labour market.
Canada has set ambitious immigration levels targets to welcome 431,645 new permanent residents in 2022, 447,055 in 2023, and 451,000 in 2024, an immigration rate of approximately 1% of Canada’s population. The plan will allow more workers than ever before to transition from temporary to permanent residence under a suite of programs.
Source: Strategy to Expand Transitions to Permanent Residency - Canada.ca