In a Q&A session with the Canadian Bar Association’s Immigration Law Section, the immigration minister of Canada Mr. Marco Mendicino shared various important updates on how the coronavirus will affect Canada’s immigration system in the coming months & years.
The immigration minister discussed various topics such as immigration levels, temporary foreign workers, and international students.
The important topics highlighted by the immigration minister:
- Canada will keep inviting immigrants after COVID-19
- IRCC is taking number of steps to facilitate processing of applications as hassle-free as possible
- Canada continues inviting Temporary Foreign Workers
- Offering more flexibility to international Students
Mendicino observed that immigration will absolutely be the main key to Canada’s success and economic recovery.
The country will continue to need immigrants to drive economic growth after COVID-19. Therefore, Canada will remain open to immigrants!!
“We continue to rely on immigration, it will be an economic driver and this will be the North Star of our policy going forward,” Mendicino said.
The minister also asserted that the federal government will consult stakeholders & discuss the future of Canada’s intake levels in advance of its annual immigration levels plan announcement, which will be made this fall.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has setup remote operations and provided its staff access to additional tolls to enable them facilitate processing of immigration applications smoothly. This has also helped IRCC to innovate and improve its processing in some regards.
IRCC is working closely with agricultural sector and seafood sector employers in support of the Canadian government’s efforts to strengthen Canada’s food supply.
The department is supporting them by creating some additional flexibility around work permits and removing any barriers that exist abroad.
In order to help international students meet the challenges presented by COVID-19, IRCC recently reformed Post-Graduation Work Permit which enables international students who take online courses to remain eligible for the PGWP.
Moreover, IRCC has also temporarily removed the regulation that limits international students from working more than 20 hours per week while classes are in session. They are now be allowed to work full time if they are employed in an essential service.
IRCC is also planning ways in which it can help international students that will be enrolling in Canadian institutions the September intake period. IRCC will share more information on this in coming times.
At a time when uncertainty, panic and misinformation surrounding the immigration amidst the current global health challenge; all the commendable efforts and measures the Canadian government is taking to accommodate immigrants surely prove why Canada is considered the most immigrant-friendly country in the world.