New Pathway to Permanent Residence for International Students and Foreign Workers, opening May 6th, 2021

April 15, 2021

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IRCC has surprised us with yet another update for the new permanent residence immigration intake, for international graduates and foreign workers, who have contributed to Canada’s economy.  In today’s post, we will be sharing how the new public policy would work and the qualification criteria for the permanent residence program. 

As you must have known, yesterday on April 14, 2021, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced an innovative pathway to accept 90,000 essential workers and international graduates, who completed their study in Canada and are currently contributing to Canada’s economy.

This means, temporary foreign workers and international graduates, possessing the right skills and experience, who have contributed to the economy, will be granted a permanent residence status, and IRCC will be accepting applications for the following four categories. 

Basic Eligibility Criteria for Foreign Workers (Non-French Speaking) 

Foreign nationals working in Canada, with eligible work experience in the selection occupation can qualify for the program and can be granted permanent residence.

• Foreign nationals must have accumulated at least one 1 year of full-time work experience, or an equivalent part-time experience of 1,560 hours in Canada, in one of the eligible occupations
• Must be employed in Canada in any of the occupations at the time that the application is  received
• Obtained language proficiency of benchmark of at least 4 in either of the Official Language and the results must be less than 2 years old
• Must reside in Canada with a valid temporary resident status or is eligible to restore the status, and must be present in Canada, at the time the application is received
• Intend to reside in a province or territory other than Quebec

Basic Eligibility Criteria for International Graduates (Non-French Speaking)

This public policy targets foreign nationals with eligible Canadian credentials and is currently employed in Canada. The government of Canada acknowledges the ongoing need for talented individuals during this post-pandemic situation. 

International graduates with the following requirements may be eligible for the program and can be granted permanent residence.

• Students have completed a study program no earlier than January 2017 from a Designated Learning Institutions
• Must have received a degree (Associate, Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Doctorate) of at least 8 months in duration
• a degree, diploma, certificate, or attestation issued after the completion of a program of any duration leading to an occupation in a skilled trade, listed in Annex A;

OR

• one or more diploma/certificate/attestation, where the following conditions are met:

o For diplomas/certificates/attestations, each program of study must be at least 8 months in duration and the combined length must be equivalent to a two-year credential (at least 16 months in duration)

o For Diploma of Vocational Studies (DVS) and Attestation of Vocational Studies(AVS), each program of study must be at least 900 hours in duration and the combined program of study must be at least 1,800 hours in duration.

• Have complied with the acts and regulations throughout the study period
• Must be employed in Canada with a valid work permit or work authorization at the time of permanent residence application
• Obtained a proficiency level of at least benchmark 5 in either of the Official language test and must be less than 2 years old
• Be physically present in Canada at the time of application and must reside in Canada with a valid resident status
• Intend to reside in a province other than Quebec

Basic Eligibility Criteria for French-speaking Foreign Workers

French-speaking Foreign workers, who have gained qualifying work experience with language proficiency in the French language can qualify and granted a permanent residence, having met the other eligibility criteria.

• Have completed at least one 1 year of full-time work experience, or an equivalent part-time experience of 1,560 hours in Canada, in one of the eligible occupations
• Must be employed in Canada in any of the occupations at the time that the application is received
• Obtained language proficiency of benchmark of at least 4 in French for each of the four language skill areas, as set out in the Niveaux de compétence Linguistique Canadiens, and the results must be less than 2 years old
• Must reside in Canada with a valid temporary resident status or is eligible to restore the status, and must be present in Canada, at the time the application is received
• Intend to reside in a province or territory other than Quebec

Basic Eligibility Criteria for French-speaking International Graduates

French-speaking Foreign nationals, who have completed their study programs, with language proficiency in the French language can qualify and granted a permanent residence, having met the other eligibility criteria.

• Students have completed a study program no earlier than January 2017 from a Designated Learning Institutions 
• Must have received a degree (Associate, Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Doctorate) of at least 8 months in duration
• a degree, diploma, certificate, or attestation issued after the completion of a program of any duration leading to an occupation in a skilled trade, listed in Annex A

OR

• one or more diploma/certificate/attestation, where the following conditions are met:

o For diplomas/certificates/attestations, each program of study must be at least 8 months in duration and the combined length must be equivalent to a two-year credential (at least 16 months in duration)

o For Diploma of Vocational Studies (DVS) and Attestation of Vocational Studies(AVS), each program of study must be at least 900 hours in duration and the combined program of study must be at least 1,800 hours in duration.

• Have complied with the acts and regulations throughout the study period
• Must be employed in Canada with a valid work permit or work authorization at the time of permanent residence application
• Obtained language proficiency of benchmark of at least 5 in French for each of the four language skill areas, as set out in the Niveaux de compétence Linguistique Canadiens, and the results must be less than 2 years old
• Be physically present in Canada at the time of application and must reside in Canada with a valid resident status
• Intend to reside in a province other than Quebec
• For detailed information in the eligibility criteria, check IRCC’s public policy

Public Policy Effective Date

The public policy will come into effect on May 6th, 2021, and IRCC will start accepting applications for three streams with limitations on the intake numbers. 

• 20,000 applications will be accepted for temporary workers in health care
• 30,000 applications will be accepted for temporary workers in other selected essential occupations
• 40,000 applications will be accepted for international students who graduated from a Canadian institution

These streams will open till date November 5th, 2021, or until the limit is reached, and up to 90,000 permanent residents will be admitted under these streams.

Canada may revoke the public policy without prior notice as with all public policies.

It is important to understand that this public policy comes in effect to align with the 2021 Immigration-level plans to welcome 401,000 new permanent residents. This policy would help create jobs and welcome skilled individuals to drive long-term economic growth in Canada.

The new pathway to permanent residence opens opportunities for many international graduates and foreign workers and values their skills and talents.

Do you want to be amongst the 90,000 candidates and secure your Permanent Residence? 

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