Canada supports immigration as a way to help businesses find workers with the right skills in key sectors, such as health care, skilled trades, manufacturing, transportation, and technology, so that we can deal with the social and economic problems we will face in the coming decades.
Here are some steps taken by IRCC to that effect:
Providing work permits to all spouses and dependents of temporary foreign workers. Expanding work permit eligibility to accompanying family members will help firms fill labour shortages.
Temporarily lifting the 20-hour-per-week cap on off-campus work for post-secondary students. This temporary modification highlights the essential role international students can play in meeting Canada's labour demands while finishing their education.
Foreign nationals whose post-graduation work permit expired or will expire between September 20, 2021 and December 31, 2022 can work in Canada for an additional 18 months by extending or applying for a new permit.
IRCC allocated increased cash to expand Canada's Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP) to more skilled refugees and is implementing a new, more flexible application procedure with trusted partners.
The waiting period for obtaining a work permit for persons seeking asylum in Canada will be reduced from twenty months to one month.
Utilizing economic immigration programs to assist bring workers to the regions of Canada that need them the most, including a new permanent Atlantic Immigration Program, an enlarged Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot, and a new work permit stream for Quebec-selected skilled immigrants.
Exempting from present regulations physicians who work on a fee-for-service basis for public health authority. This modification makes it easier for physicians born outside of Canada to qualify for permanent residence, allowing them to continue practicing medicine and bolstering our health care system.
IRCC announced additional funding in Budget 2022 of $115 million over 5 years, starting in 2022–2023, and $30 million in ongoing funding to expand the Foreign Credential Recognition Program, with a focus on supporting labour market integration of skilled newcomers into the health sector.
Implementation of the National Occupational Classification 2021 for immigration programs administered through the Express Entry system. As a result, sixteen additional occupations are now eligible for Express Entry programs.
Planned modifications to focus on new category-based selection from the Express Entry pool of application from Jan 2023 onwards.