The applications for CEC and FSWP category will restart once the backlogs are cleared.
Canadian Immigration Minister, Sean Fraser has claimed of restarting to issue the applications of Express Entry draws under the Skilled Workers category.
He was discussing challenges faced by international scholars in an online interview. The main focus area of the government is to welcome more students for Permanent Residency as well as foreign workers.
The questions regarding resuming Federal High Skilled were constantly being asked in the interview. This category undertakes the eligible candidates of FSWP, CEC, and FSTP.
Candidates matching the eligibility criteria for FSWP and CEC are not able to apply for these programs because the IRCC had put a halt to executing these programs since last year.
The immigration minister was still not confirmed about the confirmed dates regarding restarting of FSWP draws. Although he had mentioned probably beginning them in summer.
Fraser also mentioned about Post Graduation Work Permit people facing their permit’s expiry. Such candidates are not eligible to apply for Bridging Open Work Permit which allows them to work while the validity for PGWP has expired in the absence of Invitation to Apply.
The PGWP does not support extension or renewal which means, the working candidates of PGWP have to either choose for another work permit or leave Canada.
Fraser talked about the upcoming updates that will be in favor of candidates who are left with an option of leaving the country.
Discontinuation in FSWP
FSWP had the maximum number of candidates applying for Canadian PR in comparison with any other program under the Express Entry program before COVID19.
The reason for stopping FSWP started in March 2020. The Canadian borders were ceased to stop travelers from entering the country. Immigrants from the U.S. with approval were also denied entry to the Canadian province.
Most of the immigrants under the FSWP category reside abroad. Approved candidates wouldn’t be able to land in the country and thus their Confirmation of Permanent Residence would expire. So, to tackle the problem of decreasing Permanent Residents, the Canadian Government took this step.
To meet the immigration targets the government focused on accommodating applicants who were residing in Canada. For this, the government held many rounds for the CEC and TR2PR category for Permanent Residency through the Express Entry.
This resulted in an increase of backlog applications in IRCC under the FSWP and CEC category which resulted in an excess delay in processing time which was earlier than 6 months. It has been estimated that the processing time will now be 36 months, which is still not shown on their web page. Fraser has also mentioned updating the online portal within a few months.
Discontinuation in CEC draw
The IRCC had invited a huge number of CEC candidates in 2021 demanding a minimum score of CRS 75 points. It had invited a total of 27,332 candidates which increased by 6,000 candidates every 14 days.
The backlog of CEC also increased to a great extent which started delaying the processing time. The personnel took the step of pausing so that they could focus on already existing applications in the backlog which will take 7 months to clear off
The Express Entry draw is releasing applications only for PNP candidates. These candidates had cleared the eligibility of the Federal High Skilled Program which further gives them the eligibility to apply for provincial nomination. Candidates applying for provincial nomination are provided with supplementary 600 CRS points with a PNP invitation.
It has been presumed that the invitations for PNP will be continued simultaneously with resolving the backlog issue.
Improvement in IRCC backlog
Between the end of February and Mid of March, the IRCC has resolved around 4000 applications under the FSWP category. This number is way far more than the number of applications resolved by the IRCC in 7 months the previous year. A greater number of FSWP candidates have arrived in the country as compared to the candidates who came the previous year.
The active backlog as of mid-March is stated to be at 10,400 pending applications. It will take around one and half months for the IRCC to process 4,751 applications of the CEC category. In this manner, they would be able to accomplish the target of clearing off all the backlogs by approaching summers
The latest memo released indicates the recommencement of FSWP applications by 2022.
Candidates whose work permits have reached their expiry will certainly have to face inconvenience in getting an ITA. Once the process of ITA begins, the applicants will be provided with their respective CRS scores which is a necessary part of getting an ITA.
The halt in CEC and FSWP invitations applications will at least continue to the end of this month to decrease the backlog numbers. Further, the exact vision of starting the applications will be based on the preferences of IRCC.
The IRCC certainly has to begin with releasing applications for CEC and FSWP invitations to match their pre-made targets.
To achieve the targets of 2023, the IRCC has to provide immigrants with ITAs in the current year. The IRCC gives them 2 months to fix the application procedure. Then the applicants have to wait for 6 months to receive the response from their end. After receiving positive approval from the IRCC, the candidates are free to land.
One of the reasons to begin with FSWP and CEC applications is to eliminate the issue of losing Canadian status among the workers.
He said in the interview that the government will put its maximum efforts into retaining the immigrants who aim to work, reside and benefit the country.
Also, the government is trying its best possible to eliminate the shortage of labor by inviting more workers from abroad.
