In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino expressed that Canada was on track to achieve the ambitious immigration goals set for 2021.
According to Mendicino, 26,600 new permanent residents were recently welcomed into the country last January. Compared to last year’s admissions, even prior to the lockdown, these recent immigration admission numbers are an increase of about ten percent.
Accounting for additional admissions approved in February, Canada is almost 40 percent ahead of the pace needed to meet the 2021 immigration goals.
Last February 13, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) invited a whopping 27,332 Express Entry candidates to apply for permanent residency in a historic draw. Candidates in the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) were targeted, with the draw inviting nearly every single applicant in the category.
The IRCC’s current trend of holding Express Entry draws targeting candidates who have already settled in Canada is likely to speed up the process of applying for and approving permanent residency applications in order to meet this year’s immigration targets. According to reports, about 90 percent of candidates in the CEC were presently in Canada at the time of the draw.
Travel restrictions and other safety measures to combat the spread of COVID-19 heavily affected the IRCC’s ability to process permanent residency applications. In 2020, Canada was only able to welcome 184,370 new permanent residents compared with 341,175 in 2019, a 50 percent decrease.
The decrease in immigrants also hampered Canada’s population growth as well as its labor force, as immigrants tend to account for 80% of the country’s population growth and are counted on to supplement its aging workforce.
The new immigration targets outlined in the recent Levels Plan intends to make up for the low number of new immigrants welcomed in 2020.
At present, Canada is still restricting international travel as the coronavirus continues to remain a threat. However, this has not impeded the country’s plans to welcome new immigrants this year.
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