OTTAWA, Oct 21: Canada will allow 432,000 new permanent residents across all
classes in 2022 and over 451,000 by 2024. Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said
the target may go up to 500,000 new permanent residents in the future. Current
labour shortage is pushing up the numbers. The new plan is expected to benefit a large number of Indian applicants.
In 2022, Canada has already allowed 300,000 new permanent residents in which
most of them were from economic class programs. The upcoming plan is targeting
the economic class immigrants up to 241,850 in 2022, 105,000 from family class
immigrants, and 8,250 from the humanitarian class.
Every year the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issues an
immigration level plan, which acts as a guideline for each year's permitted
number of immigrants to Canada. It includes the breakdown for family class,
economic class and humanitarian class programmes.
November 1 is the deadline to announce the details of the programme as per
the Immigration Refugees Protection Act (IRPA). The new Immigration Level Plan
is the second one in 2022 as another was announced in February 2022.
Meanwhile, an agitation is going on for a comprehensive regularisation programme
for undocumented migrants. On October 16, thousands of migrants demonstrated
in several cities demanding permanent status for undocumented people.
The IRCC claimed it is actively engaging with experts and stakeholders to regularise
the status of undocumented employees. Currently a programme to regularise asylum
seekers employed in the medical field during the pandemic is going on.
Canada removes work hour restrictions for students
Earlier this month, Canada had removed the work hour restrictions for international
students to facilitate the country's economic recovery from the slump created
by the covid pandemic last over two years.
The processing of study permit for a pilot programme will be automated from
this month, said the IRCC.
International students were not permitted to work for more than 20 hours per
week off campus. However, now this rule will change for those working and studying
in Canada.
The Canadian Government believes that the new rule will help the country's
economic growth post-pandemic by making available more employees for work. It
recognises the contribution of over 500,000 international students in resolving
the labour shortage.
However, they are not entitled to off-campus work if they discontinue stydying
or reduce their study to part-time.
At present, more than half of post-secondary international students work while
attending school.
