A new survey conducted on more than 13,000 potential immigrants indicated that Canadian immigration among prospective candidates has not changed amid the pandemic.
World Education Services (WES) Canada conducted this survey. WES is a designated Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) provider to the candidates applying for immigration to Canada.
In 2020, WES surveyed candidates who submitted their ECA applications to learn more about how the coronavirus pandemic was affecting their plans to immigrate to Canada.
WES conducted a follow-up survey in August 2021 to compare responses and evaluate if the changing pandemic circumstances have anyhow affected the motivation and plans of the respondents to consider immigrating to Canada.
On the basis of the follow-up survey, WES reports that the number of respondents interested in immigrating to Canada has not changed since 2020. As per the survey, around 52 percent of the respondents said that the COVID pandemic would create “no impact” on their immigration plans. Moreover, about 93 percent of the individuals in the survey responded that the evolving pandemic situation would either make them “more interested” or have “no impact” on their Canadian immigration plans.
In the 2021 survey, the percent of respondents who said they feel that there would be a negative impact on job availability in Canada due to pandemic decreased to 33 percent from 45 percent (recorded in the 2020 survey). On the other hand, the percentage of respondents who said they feel that there would be a positive impact on job availability in Canada due to pandemic increased to 35 percent (in the 2021 survey) from 27 percent, as recorded in the 2020 survey.
In addition, about 58 percent of the respondents stated that they were more interested in immigrating to Canada now, considering the ability of the government of Canada and the country’s health care system to handle the pandemic and care offered for COVID-19 patients.
In the 2021 survey, only 21 percent of the respondents stated that there would be a delay in their Canadian immigration plans due to the pandemic, compared to 35 percent in 2020.
In contrast, as per the recent survey, the percent of respondents who are interested in moving to a country other than Canada increased to 22 percent from 13 percent (recorded in the 2020 survey).
According to the survey, respondents indicated a strong desire to obtain permanent residence in Canada even if they come across difficult economic or personal circumstances. For example, 74 percent responded that an economic recession in Canada would either have no effect or strengthen their desire to become permanent residents, compared to 69 percent in the 2020 survey.
The respondents also suggested that they felt more optimistic about potential job opportunities in Canada compared to prospects available in their home country. About 77 percent of the respondents said that they felt the pandemic would not make any impact or lead to a positive impact on their job or sector, while only 69 percent of the respondents felt the same for their home country. Furthermore, the percent of the respondents who felt there would be a negative impact of the pandemic on their occupation or job in Canada decreased to 23 percent in 2021 from 28 percent (recorded in the 2020 survey).
In addition, among the candidates who are considering delaying their Canadian immigration plans, the top reasons were travel restrictions, increased applications processing times by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), and a reduction in the job prospects in their sector in Canada.
Prior to the pandemic, the country was planning to welcome another 341,000 new immigrants to the country in 2020. However, as a result of the travel restrictions imposed to reduce the spread of coronavirus, the immigrant landings decreased to 184,000 in 2020.
Most of the travel restrictions have been lifted now; however, due to the pandemic, the applications backlog of IRCC has increased to 1.8 million, which in turn has led to slowed processing times. Canada’s economy saw growth last year, and at present, the country has its maximum job vacancy rate with almost 1 million vacant job positions.
Last year, Canada had a goal to land 401,000 new immigrants, and the country was able to achieve its goal, primarily by transitioning temporary residents to permanent residents who were already in Canada. By February 14, the federal government will make an announcement related to the new Immigration Levels Plan 2022-2024. The new Immigration Levels Plan will also indicate the number of new immigrants the country is planning to welcome in 2022 and the category the candidates will fall under.
According to the current plan, Canada has a goal to welcome 411,000 new immigrants in 2022, out of which around 60 percent will fall under the economic class.
