Maple News reports that the official websites for both IELTS and CELPIP temporarily crashed following an unprecedented surge in traffic triggered by Canada’s announcement of new immigration programs. The outage left many aspiring immigrants unable to book mandatory English language exams that are crucial for immigration applications.
The technical issues occurred on April 15, just one day after Canadian Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino introduced six new limited-time immigration pathways aimed at essential workers, international graduates, and French-speaking applicants. Notably, three of the new streams are open to English-speaking applicants, which caused a rapid spike in demand for recognized language tests.
Canada’s immigration system mandates proof of language proficiency through approved tests, and currently only accepts results from two English-language testing providers: IELTS and CELPIP. Both companies confirmed that technical difficulties were a result of the massive influx of users attempting to register.
CELPIP issued a public notice noting that the situation was due to “an unprecedented volume of demand for test registrations,” which simultaneously overwhelmed both their online and offline channels. Bookings could not be made through test centers or offices, further frustrating applicants.
Betty Chan, Vice-President of Operations at Paragon Testing Enterprises, which administers CELPIP, acknowledged the situation and assured prospective test takers that operations are being scaled up to meet demand. “We are eager to assist this new group of workers on their journey to permanent residency in Canada. Our teams are working diligently to stabilize the platform and expand test availability,” she stated.
While the websites have since resumed functionality, prospective immigrants are advised to remain patient and monitor official social media channels for real-time updates on test registration availability.
This surge in activity reflects the growing interest and opportunity for immigration to Canada, especially under the newly announced programs which together will admit up to 90,000 new permanent residents in 2021. The clear message from Canadian authorities is that now is a prime window for qualifying residents in Canada to transition to permanent status.
Maple News will continue to monitor developments and provide timely updates as language testing providers ramp up capacity in response to this unprecedented demand.