Canadian immigration minister Sean Fraser and Prime Asia TV business head Deepinder Singh discussed the immigration backlogs and other matters in a TV interview.
The discussion had insights about the current situation and future remediation plans to steer away from the COVID-19 impact. Among other topics, Fraser talked about his perspective on the mandate letter to sustain immigration routes for international students and temporary foreign workers and the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP).
Deepinder started the interview with the pressing concern of a huge backlog at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). They have around 1.8 million applications pending to be attended. He pointed out that the current backlog is more than sufficient to go beyond the annual targets. As per the 2021-23 levels plan, the country is expected to onboard 411,000 new immigrants in 2022. However, the numbers may be impacted when the new goal is released the next month.
Sean stated that the issue could be attributed to the pandemic restrictions. Travel ban and other restrictions compelled the immigration department to focus on the folks already residing locally. He also pointed out that in comparison to usual numbers, last year, they received more applications from people wanting to relocate to the maple country. That resulted in getting around two years’ worth of applications in 2021. However, that does not imply that the country will close the applications for new aspirants.
Pathways for International Students
As there have not been any Express Entry draws for Canadian Experience Class (CEC) applicants, many of the temp permits are expiring, leading to forcing people to resign from their jobs and even leaving the country. For Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) applicants, IRCC has not conducted any draw since December 2020.
Fraser stated that as per the mandate, they are supposed to find a pathway for international students and temp workers. However, he did not specify what streams/programs will be available or if they will help applicants with permit extensions.
For FSWP, the halt is temporary, and the country will resume processing; however, there is no fixed timeline.
He showed his interest in finding ways so that students from other nations could think of their education as a “springboard” to getting permanent residency.
“There’s some work that needs to be done to get there, but I’m committed to doing that work,” Fraser said.
Backlogs in Express Entry
Through an internal document, it was revealed that some applicants might have to wait up to 20 months (almost three years) to get a final say on their application. Fraser replied, “to suggest everyone is going to be waiting three years is not a fair assessment.“
The document clearly stated that the waiting period is about 20 months for FSWP, whereas it is 8 for CEC applicants.
Fraser stated that the department would keep on having Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)-specific draws. He also mentioned that the country would try to accommodate as many new permanents as well as temporary residents. They will also try to provide a smoother transition to PR from Temp residency.
Immigrants needed to fill the labour shortage.
Fraser mentioned that the country is in need of at least a million labourers. Almost 100% of the labour growth is because of overseas workers.
Canada has a budget of $85 million to enhance the immigration system. The budget covers the five key areas, and work-permit processing is one of them. He also believes that the Trusted Employer Stream will aid in hiring more skilled talent by the employers.
Special health care worker streams
Fraser said that additional foreign healthcare employees would be allowed to work in Canada. According to him, the problem is important since there are now just three healthcare employees for every senior in Canada, and the labour shortfall is expected to worsen.
He stated that the maple country is prioritizing the processing of foreign healthcare personnel, a programmer that began during the outbreak.
Working with the PNPs and improving foreign credential recognition are two more solutions, according to Fraser.
Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP)
Fraser described the PGP as his most difficult task as immigration minister.
“One of the things that makes this the most challenging stream is the demand we have given the spaces that are traditionally available,” Fraser said.
According to the minister of immigration, over 200,000 people apply for 10,000 visas each year.
The PGP was again another lottery system in 2020 and 2021. Critics argue that the lottery mechanism is unjust to people who have waited a long time in a pool of hopefuls. In defence of the lottery system, Fraser said, “although it does not work out for everyone, it does put everyone on equal footing.”
Fraser said he’s actively soliciting information from peers, but he didn’t indicate whether the procedure for PGP submissions would alter this year.
