Research by the Conference Board of Canada looked at the effects of COVID-19 on immigrant admittance in the country and how it could be mitigated.
In the first 6 months of the COVID-19 outbreak, immigration throughput was drastically reduced.
According to a new study from the Conference Board of Canada, permanent resident admittance was down 56% from March to December 2020 comparing to 2019.
Admissions to the refugee and family classes were the hardest affected, with drops of 72 and 63 percent, respectively. The proportion of admissions among these different migrant groups was approaching pre-pandemic levels by the end of last year.
According to current inclinations in draws, the Conference Board predicts that the proportion of individuals with Canadian work experience may rise this year. As per the study, the percentage of permanent residents with prior temporary employment or study experience in the country increased by 10% from 2019.
Only Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates were considered in the Express Entry invitation rounds at the start of the pandemic. Then, in the second part of 2020, Canada began taking all candidates into consideration, including those from the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).
However, since the beginning of 2021, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has refocused on transferring people currently in the country to permanent residency. The focus has been on CEC and PNP applicants, who are less likely to be influenced by the pandemic’s multiple disturbances.
Lower immigration figures in 2020 will have a disproportional impact outside of Ontario, British Columbia, and Quebec, according to the analysis. This is due in part to policy considerations such as preferring CEC admissions because these individuals are concentrated in Ontario and British Columbia.
Altogether, temporary work visa admittance was down 33%. Considering the significance of farmworkers to Canada’s food security, the government took proactive measures to make it simpler for them to reach the nation and work. Agricultural worker admittance was only down 8%, indicating that these approaches were successful.
How to mitigate the impacts of this outbreak?
The Conference Board of Canada looked into the economic influence of immigration in the country. According to their research, more significant immigration over the next four years has the potential to boost Canada’s GDP by 44%, increase public revenues by $50 billion, and compensate for the country’s otherwise ageing demographics by 15% by expanding the ratio of working-age individuals to pensioners.
The Conference Board suggests four strategic imperatives for the country’s immigration policy and initiatives in light of these likely repercussions:
To begin, it is suggested that immigrant support be increased by encouraging paths for them with a job offer, spending more in assistance programs, and speeding up family class applications to assist economic immigrants in entering the labour field.
The second suggestion is to keep focusing on regional integration in order to entice immigrants to areas where there are fewer immigrants and where the epidemic has had the worst effect.
Third, it is suggested that policy reforms be implemented to improve immigrants’ economic prospects.
Lastly, the Conference Board suggests that the number of family class migrants allowed to Canada be increased, mainly because they have not been proved to have a detrimental economic impact.
