With the targets for immigration set higher and making the immigration process more efficient to achieve it, Canadian immigration is looking more promising. With the end of 2021, we are expecting some changes in the immigration programs for 2022 and are ready for them. The government of Canada has planned to welcome the highest number of immigrants in 2022, around 411,000 new candidates as permanent residents since Canada’s immigrati0on began. This has also been highlighted in the Immigration Level Plan of 2021-2023. The target set is higher than ever before seen. The government has also shown no intention of reducing this even during the pandemic. The new Minister of Immigration, Sean Fraser has stated that there is potential that the level set for immigration to Canada may increase in order to meet the growing demand of the labour market.
Express Entry draws in 2022
This year was difficult for those who had applied to the Federal Skilled Worker Program and were waiting for their selection through the Express Entry system. The last draw that was conducted and targeted the applicants of the Federal Skilled Worker Program was in December 2020. The lack of draws for the FSWP was the root cause for quite a frustration among immigrants.
The year 2021 saw Canada and the IRCC holding draws that were program-centric, mostly targeting applicants of the Provincial Nominee Program and the Canadian Experience Class. By September, the IRCC was holding more draws that targeted the Provincial Nominee Programs and the draws also grew smaller. This was done in an effort to manage the backlog that had been created in the immigration system due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
A major part of the staff working at the IRCC was on leave during the Covid-19 pandemic, which made them unable to process and finalize the application for permanent residency submitted due to the travel restrictions. The result was that there was a massive backlog due to the pandemic. IRCC reported a backlog of about 18 million applications by October 2021.
The challenges that were brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic have also helped in paving a way to make the immigration system of Canada more efficient. The last quarter saw the IRCC admitting more immigrants into the country every month than were ever admitted in the history of Canadian immigration. The backlog began to clear and an all-program draw is sure to take place in 2022.
CRS score in 2022
The immigration system of Canada made drastic changes in order to meet the immigration target that had been set for 2021 in spite of the travel restrictions that were put in place for public safety. These measures also included lowering the cut-off CRS score to around 75 for applicants to certain Express Entry Pathways. The IRCC also put in place a temporary program to obtain permanent residency status in Canada. In order to meet the immigration target set for 2022, the Canadian government may further plan to plummet the CRS cut-off for the Express Entry Program.
NOC structure for Canadian immigration in 2022
One big change that can be predicted in the immigration system for 2022 is the change to the structure of the National Occupational Classification. The codes of the NOC serve a very essential purpose in the process of Canadian immigration. Applicants who wish to immigrate to Canada are asked to identify the type of work and their experience by mentioning the NOC code under which their work role fits best.
The version of the NOC code used currently was introduced in 2016. The current structure is divided into 4 levels of skills, A, B, C, and D. Those whose skill level matched A or B are considered to be eligible for various Express Entry streams. Almost half of the NOC codes fall under sill type B. The new NOC code is looking to introduce 6 TEER categories, TEER being Training, Education, Experience, and Responsibilities. The new NOC structure was released and finalized in 2021 and will come into effect in 2022.
This can bring a lot of change into who becomes eligible to be placed in the Express Entry pool. The IRCC has not released an official announcement about what the effects will be on candidates who fall under skill level B, but it can be that those applicants will not be eligible after the changes made to the system.
The IRCC can also decide to make a complete change in the way that candidates are selected from the Express Entry pool. The Express Entry pool may use the NOC code along with the CRS score to determine who is eligible. The NOC standards can also change after each draw, allowing the immigration offices to select candidates from the occupations that are particularly in demand in the labour market.
Municipal Nominee Immigration Program 2022
The Federal Government of Canada has worked on introducing and implementing a Municipal Nominee Program, and it has been under works since 2019. The IRCC has not made any official announcement about when the program will come into effect but it is very possible that it will be enacted in 2022. Just like the Provincial Nominee Program, the aim of the Municipal Nominee Program will be spreading the benefits of the immigration system of Canada to all the regions of the country.
The Municipal Nominee Program will allow the smaller communities in the country to decide on who gets to immigrate. There has been no official announcement from the government regarding the launch of the program or the requirements that will make a candidate eligible for it. This program is predicted to be smaller than the Provincial Nominee Programs, and communities will make a decision on which candidates to select for immigration on the basis of their skill-set, work experience, and how well they can fit into the local demographic and fill the gaps in the labour market of that region.
The Municipal Nominee Program will also be similar to the Provincial Nominee Program in that it will give an option to the applicants who do not have the required CRS score to be eligible for the Express Entry Program to get an invitation directly from the federal government.
Canada is recovering from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic economically, and the government is using immigration as a big part of the recovery plan in 2022. Exciting new changes are being made to the immigration system of Canada with the beginning of a new year and this can prove to be a great time to begin your journey of Canada immigration.
