The year 2020 was quite impressive when it comes to immigration to Canada. The best part is that the positive trends show no sign of losing pace even in 2021.
The Immigration Agenda for 2021 has already created much buzz. The Government of Canada has vowed to rise immigration intake and offer Canada PR Visa to 1.2 Million plus immigrants in the next 3 years.
If you are also aspiring to immigrate to Canada, here is a brief review of the top immigration trends for 2021:
Highest ever immigration targets via Multi-year levels plan
Marco Mendicino the Immigration Minister of Canada declared the Multi-year levels plan in October 2020. Accordingly, 401, 000 fresh Canada PR Visas are to be offered in 2021. This is the highest number so far in the history of Canada.
The number of immigrants moving to Canada in 2020 declined due to the COVID-19 virus outbreak. This has prompted the Government to set high immigration targets for 2021. It is to assist in the financial recovery and coping up with the lowered numbers of immigrants in 2020.
Express Entry allotting all-time highest number of ITAs
The year 2020 surpassed all records for the Express Entry system despite the travel curbs and diverse challenges. The Canada PR Visa application management system for economic immigrants offered the highest number of ITAs this year.
The Government of Canada offered a total of 184,000 fresh ITAs for PR Visa through Express Entry. It is the highest figure of total ITAs offered in a year via the Express Entry system of Canada.
We can expect that the same trend will be carried through in 2021. Thus, more overseas citizens will be able to move to Canada through the Express Entry system.
Overseas students familiarize with Virtual Learning
The Government of Canada has put forth severe efforts for ensuring that overseas students studying through virtual mode access similar opportunities with those studying in Canada. In normal circumstances, the following can disqualify overseas students from getting the Post-Graduation Work Permit upon graduation:
- Attending virtual classes too often
- Missing a term at the School
- Studying part-time
Overseas students outside Canada can now count the online classes’ time for their application for PGWP: Post-Graduate Work Permit. It is applicable for all overseas students who commenced their online studies via a DLI – Designated Learning Institution in Canada. This holds good till at least 2021 spring.
Canada invests in upgrading immigration system
Canada plans to make an investment of 750.3 Million CAD in the next 5 years for modernizing the immigration system. The extra funds are for supporting the historic immigration targets through which 1.2 Million immigrants will be accepted in the next 3 years.
The nation will upgrade the outdated and cumbersome Global Case Management System that is paper-based for achieving this goal. The updating will be to an advanced online platform. The new platform will as per the Government enhance:
- Client service
- Operational efficiency
- Program integrity
Overseas citizens can thus anticipate quicker processing times in the near future. The process of submitting documents will also be further simplified.
Canada will continue seeking overseas candidates
As a skilled overseas worker, you must not overlook the fact that Express Entry and PNPs continue to process immigration applications from overseas. These programs also continue to offer fresh ITAs for Canada PR Visa to overseas candidates. It is because these candidates possess skills and other factors sought by Canada for supporting its social and economic objectives.
If you are residing overseas, you must now move forward with submitting your Canada PR Visa application. You can thus immigrate to Canada at the earliest. IRCC had resumed ITAs for overseas candidates in 2020 without prior notice. It will mostly continue this in 2021 and thus you must not miss an opportunity by opting for a delayed application.
Just some years back, IRCC processed 25,000 applications from refugees in Syria in a mere 100 days. Likewise, it can achieve the target of 401,000 for 2021 if determined.
Overall, 2021 appears to be a remarkable year for moving to Canada. Now is the most favorable time for exploring the possibility of making Canada your permanent home!