Even with all of the challenges being posed by the pandemic, the Canadian government had an ambitious immigration target for 2021, with the country aiming to welcome 401,000 new immigrants, which is Canada’s highest number since it became a country in 1867.
In a recent press release, the Canadian government stated the steps it is implementing in order to reduce the processing times of immigration applications. The government also highlighted that Canada surpassed its immigration target in 2021 by landing around 405,000 new immigrants.
The Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) department has done a commendable job in meeting its immigration goal despite the challenging circumstances. The pandemic continues to create different challenges for both applicants and the immigration department; however, the immigration department managed to find a way out and land a record number of newcomers in 2021. In order to achieve the immigration target, IRCC implemented special measures such as launching an immigration program last year, specifically designed for international graduates and essential workers, as well as reducing the Express Entry score requirements for specific immigration programs. Many new permanent residents were benefitted from these special policies, and now they will be able to pursue their dreams in Canada.
Undoubtedly, the IRCC is proud of landing a record number of new immigrants in 2021, as the department published a press release just before Christmas.
Repercussions of the 401,000-immigration target
Despite surpassing the immigration goal, the IRCC has acknowledged that pursuing 401,000 landings in 2021 has come at a cost. Unfortunately, all of these consequences could have been avoided if the government of Canada had walked a more sustainable path to achieve its immigration target last year.
The primary purpose of increasing the immigration numbers was to promote labour force, population, and economic growth while still reuniting families and assisting refugees. Considering around 60 percent of the newcomers are from the economic class, it is reasonable to assume that the country’s primary immigration objective is economical.
On the flip side, the Canadian government’s aim last year compromised its objective of backing the economy through immigration, as the country opted to focus on transitioning the candidates who are already residing in Canada to permanent residence. Before the pandemic, about 70% of new economic class permanent residents came from outside the country, and only about 30% came from within Canada. However, last year, these numbers were reversed, as 70% of new economic class permanent residents came from within Canada, and only 30% came from outside the country.
One of the major consequences of this decision is the restricted flow of international talent in the country, which led to a weaker labour force, population, and economic growth. Furthermore, Canada’s population growth has slowed to its lowest level since 1915/16. Before the pandemic, Canada’s population was rising at a pace of around 1 percent every year, which was the highest among developed countries, and immigrants accounted for around 80% of the annual population increase in Canada.
In addition, decreasing the number of economic class newcomers coming from outside of Canada had adversely impacted the labour market of Canada. Every year, immigrants accounted for 80% or more of all new employees in Canada. Due to restricted immigration of candidates from outside of Canada, the country is now standing at its highest rate of employment vacancy, with around 1 million job positions to be filled.
To pursue its immigration targets, the federal department of IRCC reduced the selection standards as well. In 2015, the Express Entry System was introduced, and at the time, the IRCC said the new Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) was a scientific approach to identifying the potential immigration candidates who have the best chances of integrating into Canada’s labour market.
Before the pandemic, on average, the cut-off CRS score was around 470 points that candidates were required to score in order to be invited to apply for permanent residence. However, last year, the IRCC reduced the cut-off CRS score to as low as 75 points, with an aim to admit more in-Canada candidates to meet its 401,000 admissions targets. It can be concluded that the Canadian government took a call to prioritize meeting its immigration targets while compromising the evidence-based standards it had established to evaluate an Express Entry candidate’s suitability to integrate into the country’s economy.
This comment is not to point out that the candidates with lower CRS scores cannot make a difference in Canada. Immigrants from all socio-economic backgrounds have made significant contributions, as history shows. This observation, on the other hand, is aimed to indicate the inconsistency in the immigration policy of Canada.
It is yet to be seen how well the candidates who obtained permanent residency through Express Entry but had a lower CRS score will fare in Canada’s labour market. They will probably do well; however, the research from the IRCC and Statistics Canada highlights that the candidates who have higher human capital earn more and create better overall job outcomes. If this is correct, IRCC will have missed the chance to admit higher-potential immigrants in return for achieving the record number of admission targets.
In addition, the federal department of IRCC acknowledged that focusing on the immigration targets has worsened backlogs, as the backlog increased to 1.8 million from 1.5 million in July 2021. The reason for the increased backlog is the shifted focus of IRCC on processing in-Canada applications, leaving current and new applications to wait.
Increasing backlogs is creating a vicious cycle, as the backlogs will continue to slow the landing process of new immigrants from outside of Canada, which will hamper the growth of the labour force and economy of the country. Moreover, this will also impact the processing of family reunification and settlement of refugees.
In a press release on January 31, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser stepped up to lay out the measures being taken to restore IRCC’s service standards in an attempt at some damage control. Fraser also acknowledged the high numbers of applications backlog.
Suggesting to restore the performance of Canada’s immigration system
The federal department of IRCC should share their strategy to reduce backlogs with the public, as applicants have a right to know where their applications stand and when decisions on their cases will be made. It would be beneficial for IRCC to be open and honest about the actual processing times applicable for different immigration streams, as currently, the department is not revealing much about the immigration process to the applicants.
Furthermore, IRCC is required to continue processing at a high level in 2022. The department’s processing capacity significantly reduced following the pandemic; however, after June 2021, the department started to process these applications at a considerably faster rate, with over 500,000 processed in total last year.
As per the IRCC, if current levels are maintained, the department will be able to complete its permanent resident inventory by the end of 2022. The federal department of immigration is required to maintain this speed after 2022 as well to ensure that all the applications are processed timely.
Moreover, the IRCC should resume issuing Express Entry invitations to the candidates under the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) programs on an immediate basis for multiple reasons.
Some of these reasons are:
- Express Entry plays a crucial part in the elimination of workforce shortages in Canada and boosting the economic recovery.
- Considering the current backlogs of immigration applications, IRCC should be able to improve the processing times for Express Entry applications in the latter half of the year, so sending out new ITAs would not create unnecessary pressure over the department, as they will be in a better position to process new applications timely after the submission.
- Since in June 2021, Canada eliminated the restrictions on travel for all Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) holders, there has been no basis for halting FSWP invites (travel restrictions). It is also important to note that IRCC was processing study permits, work permits, and temporary residence applications for the candidates residing outside of Canada throughout the entire last year, so there is little rationale for the FSWP application processing to be so time-consuming.
- Resuming the Express Entry draws for FSWP candidates would help Canada regain its global competitiveness. The recent halt in the Express Entry draws for FSWP candidates has prompted international talent to seek other immigration alternatives, and few of them are no longer interested in immigrating to Canada.
- Thousands of CEC applicants will lose their legal status in Canada if the halt on these draws is extended any further, and IRCC’s failure to provide a solution would force them to leave Canada.
So, for all the above reasons, IRCC should create a new temporary public policy that will enable the candidates who are currently in Canada and want to stay as permanent residents to extend their temporary status. For example, IRCC can come up with a one-time extension on work permits for all such CEC candidates who are impacted due to the delay in Express Entry draws, which have been on pause since September 2021.
In 2021, IRCC did something similar for Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) holders, as the department offered these candidates a one-time 18-month work permit extension, allowing them some extra time to obtain permanent resident status. This strategy has several advantages, including providing Canadian employers with continued access to such work permit holders and reducing the possibility of tens of thousands of employees being forced to leave Canada owing to the expiration of their work permit status.
The Government of Canada cannot change what has already happened last year, but it can think in a creative manner on how to address the harmful consequences which resulted due to their goal of landing more than 400,000 immigrants by 2021. Finding an efficient solution to address these negative consequences will benefit everyone, and it will be yet another cause to applaud the IRCC.
