New immigration pathway for 90,000 foreign workers and international students in Canada

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada has announced a special, one-time program to grant permanent residence to 90,000 essential workers and international graduates who are currently in Canada.

Out of the 90,000 spots in the program, 20,000 will be allocated to temporary foreign workers in health care; 30,000 to those in other occupations deemed essential; and 40,000 to international students who graduated from a Canadian educational institution.

This new pathway to permanent residence will open on 6 May 2021 and close on 5 November 2021, or until the intake caps are reached.

To be eligible for permanent residence under this program, temporary workers must have at least one year of Canadian work experience in one of 40 different health care jobs or 95 other pre-approved essential jobs across various fields.

International graduates will qualify for this program if they have completed an eligible post-secondary program in Canada within the past 4 years, after January 2017.

All candidates must be proficient in English and/or French and meet general admissibility requirements. These foreign nationals must also be legally working in Canada at the time of their application. Those without status are ineligible to apply for permanent residence under this program. Candidates must also intend to reside outside Quebec.

For French-speaking or bilingual candidates, three additional streams with no intake caps have also been created. As Canada tries to meet its immigration targets, further initiates could be implemented within the following months.

To find out if you qualify under this program, contact Azzi Law.