Maple News reports a landmark week in Canadian immigration, marked by major announcements and activity. The Canadian government has launched six new immigration programs designed to help essential workers, recent international graduates, and French-speaking individuals gain permanent residency. These programs open for applications on May 6, 2021, and will remain available until November 5, 2021.
Three of the newly introduced streams are capped and aim to welcome up to 90,000 applicants in total. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will accept:
– 20,000 applications from temporary workers in healthcare,
– 30,000 from workers in other essential occupations like caregiving and food services,
– 40,000 from international graduates from eligible Canadian institutions.
The three other programs are dedicated to French-speaking applicants working in essential roles. Notably, these French-language streams do not have admission caps, reflecting Canada’s commitment to enhancing Francophone immigration outside Quebec.
To qualify, applicants must meet specific language proficiency standards. Temporary workers must demonstrate Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 4, while international graduates are required to meet CLB level 5. As a result of these requirements, demand surged for English language tests, causing the websites of IELTS and CELPIP to crash shortly after the announcement. Both are now operational again, and candidates can continue booking their tests.
In related immigration news, IRCC held two Express Entry draws this week. One targeted candidates with Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) nominations, and the other focused on candidates under the Canadian Experience Class (CEC). These regular draws continue to be a key pathway for skilled workers to obtain permanent residency, alongside the new streams.
This multi-faceted approach to immigration highlights Canada’s continued efforts to attract and retain essential talent, support economic recovery, and promote linguistic diversity. As application intake begins in early May, prospective residents are encouraged to prepare their documentation and language tests well in advance.
According to Maple News, these developments reveal both the Canadian government’s responsiveness to labor shortages and its adaptive immigration policies geared toward both urgent and long-term needs.