Canada Announces New Pathway to Permanent Residency for Workers in Essential Positions and Recent International Graduates

On April 14, the Government of Canada announced they would be accepting 90,000 applications for Permanent Residency for individuals currently living in Canada who fall into one of two categories. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will be accepting applications between May 6, 2021 and November 5, 2021. However, the program may close sooner if the maximum number of applications is reached before November 5.

Essential Worker Category
The first category targets temporary residents who have worked for at least one (1) year full-time in an eligible essential occupation, or in a combination of eligible occupations, within the last three years. The applicant does not have to be working in a qualifying position at the time their application is made, but they must be working in Canada. One subset of eligible occupations includes a large variety of health-based positions. The other subset includes jobs in sales support, various skilled trades, transportation jobs, agricultural jobs, and food processing jobs. 50,000 applications in this category will be accepted by IRCC.

Recent International Graduates Category
The second stream targets international students who have recently graduated from a post-secondary program in Canada. Applicants in this category must have completed a qualifying program no earlier than January 2017 and be legally employed in Canada when they submit their application. To qualify, the applicant must have completed one of the following kinds of programs:

1) A degree program (associate, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate) totaling at least eight months
2) A program of any length for an occupation in a skilled trade (e.g. industrial trades, cooks, butchers, etc.)
3) One or more diploma/certificate programs of at least eight months each, totaling at least 16 months (two academic years)

40,000 applications in this category will be accepted by IRCC.

In both these cases, spouses and dependent children are able to be included in the application, regardless of whether they live in Canada or in a foreign country.

If you believe you qualify under this new public policy and would like assistance with your application, please reach out to our lawyers at [email protected] or schedule a consultation through our website.