Temporary public policy to facilitate the granting of permanent residence for foreign nationals in Canada, outside of Quebec, with recent Canadian work experience in essential occupations
In November 2020, Canada announced a target of 401,000 admissions of new permanent residents in 2021 as part of its 2021-2023 Immigration Levels Plan. In light of the extended border closures and challenges in admitting new permanent residents from overseas, it is important to further consider temporary residents currently in Canada who could contribute to economic immigration objectives. These foreign nationals are already employed in Canada and are contributing to the labour market, consistent with the goals of Canada’s economic immigration programming. In granting permanent residence to these individuals who have work experience in critical occupations, Canada will benefit from their skills and abilities over the long-term. In the absence of this public policy, it is unlikely that Canada would be in a position to attain the ambitious level of newcomers necessary to help support the country’s economic recovery and growth.
As a result of the pandemic, attention has been placed on the ongoing need to fill certain essential occupations. By granting permanent resident status to those with experience in these occupations, Canada will be leveraging immigration, including Francophone immigration outside of Quebec, to help stabilize this workforce both for pandemic recovery and into the future. In addition, these existing temporary foreign workers have made extraordinary contributions to Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic and in some cases face difficulty in qualifying and applying for permanent residence. The public policy responds directly to this contribution and these challenges by implementing measures that create a temporary pathway to permanent residence.
Public Policy Considerations
The pandemic has highlighted the contribution of foreign nationals in Canada, across all sectors and skill levels. During the global COVID-19 pandemic, there is an increased need to ensure that Canada has the necessary workforce to support the physical health and wellbeing of individuals, as well as the economic recovery. The public policy targets foreign nationals with at least one year of work experience in Canada in an essential occupation, in recognition of their economic contribution and in acknowledgement of the ongoing need that Canada has for these professionals. In addition, the public policy helps retain French and French immersion teachers to address the shortage of French-language teachers in Canada outside of Quebec and by doing so, supports the Government of Canada’s objectives on official languages.
While applications for permanent residence have been accepted and processed throughout the pandemic, the global travel restrictions and capacity constraints have led to a shortfall in admissions in 2020. The 401,000 new admissions announced for 2021 in the 2021-2023 Immigration Levels Plan are key to ensuring Canada has the workers it needs to fill key essential positions and remain competitive in attracting global talent.
As such, I hereby establish that, pursuant to my authority under section 25.2 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Act), there are sufficient public policy considerations that justify the granting of permanent resident status or an exemption from certain requirements of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (Regulations), to foreign nationals who meet the conditions (eligibility requirements) listed below website.
Get more information about Temporary public policy, visit here.
