Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has created new immigration pathways for essential workers, international students, and Francophones who are currently residing in the country. 

The IRCC plans to launch these new pathways on May 6, opening the doors for 90,000 essential workers and international students who are currently staying in Canada on temporary visas.

These new immigraton pathways were primarily created for eligible residents who are hoping to immigrate to any Canadian province or territory apart from Quebec, and will only be open for a limited amount of time, until November 5, 2021, or until the intake targets are achieved. 

For essential workers on the frontlines of the pandemic, there are over 40 eligible healthcare occupations available. An additional 95 occupations in industries such as agriculture, construction, and sales have been made eligible for other kinds of essential workers.

Three immigration pathways will also be dedicated to an unlimited number of eligible French-speaking applicants. 

Eligible family members may also be included in immigration applications, whether or not they are currently in Canada, as long as all individuals named on the application can meet the criteria needed to enter the country.

For International Student Graduates

A total of 40,000 international student graduates may apply to become permanent residents in Canada. 

In order to be eligible, you must meet the following criteria: 

• You must be a graduate of a post-secondary Designated Learning Institution (DLI) in Canada after January 2017, in a program that must be no less than 8 months long. Your degree may still count if you graduated from a DLI in Quebec. However, you must apply to live in another province or territory. 
• You must be employed in Canada at the time of your application. Self-employment does not count. 
• You must also meet the minimum language requirement, which is a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) of at least 5 in all proficiencies, in English or French.
• You must be applying to settle in any Canadian province or territory outside of Quebec.
• For French-speaking candidates, you must meet the minimum Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadien (NCLC) of 5 in all French language skill areas.

For international students with a Diploma of Vocational Studies (DVS) or an Attestation of Vocational Specialization (AVS), each program of study must be at least 900 hours in length and the combined program of study must be at least 1,800 hours.

For Healthcare Essential Workers

This new immigration pathway is set to admit up to 20,000 essential workers with healthcare occupations. 

In order to be eligible for the temporary stream, you must meet the following criteria: 

• At least one year of Canadian work experience in 40 eligible healthcare or social work occupations. 
• At least one year of eligible full-time work experience within three years leading up to the date of your application. 
• You must also be employed at the time of your application. Self-employment does not count unless you are a medical doctor who charges for services and is affiliated with a health authority.
• You are also required to meet the minimum language requirement, which is a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) of at least 4 in all proficiencies, in English or French.
• You must be applying to settle in any Canadian province or territory outside of Quebec.
• For French-speaking candidates, you must meet the minimum Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadien (NCLC) of 4 in all French language skill areas.

For Essential Workers in Other Occupations

Under this temporary immigration pathway, Canada plans to welcome at least 30,000 new permanent residents with work experience in 95 different essential occupations across all National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill levels, in industries such as retail, agriculture, and construction, among others.

In order to qualify, you must meet the following criteria: 

• At least one year of eligible full-time work experience within three years leading up to the date of your application. 
• You must also be employed at the time of your application. Self-employment does not count.
• You are also required to meet the minimum language requirement, which is a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) of at least 4 in all proficiencies, in English or French.
• Finally, you must be applying to settle in any Canadian province or territory outside of Quebec.
• For French-speaking candidates, you must meet the minimum Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadien (NCLC) of 4 in all French language skill areas.

How to Apply

If you’re interested in learning more about the different immigration pathways to permanent residency in Canada, we’d like to invite you to register for one of our private online discussions. Register to an orientation for free here.

Like and follow our Facebook page or join our LinkedIn community to get the latest updates on immigration news.