Canada immigration news: Immigration to Canada from the Philippines is almost back up to its pre-COVID-19 levels with the number of new permanent residents nudging up slightly over the comparable period last year.
That newfound stability in Filipino immigration reverses a downward trend that had been persisting for years since 2015.
In the first six months of this year, 12,630 Filipinos became new permanent residents of Canada or two-thirds of a percentage point more than the 12,545 who arrived during the comparable period last year.
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The Philippines remains Canada’s third most important source of new permanent residents after only India and China.
That renewed stability in Filipino immigration, which is now up 83 per cent from where it stood in the first half of 2020 when border closures and public health restrictions made international travel difficult at best, represents a welcome change from the downward trend of immigration from the Philippines since 2015.
In 2015, 50,840 Filipinos became new permanent residents of Canada, almost a fifth of the 271,840 immigrants that year.
Then came a downward trend in Filipino immigration to Canada. In 2016, the number of new permanent residents to Canada from the Philippines dropped almost 17.7 per cent to 41,850. The following year, that tapered off again with the number of new permanent residents nudging down to 40,905.
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There was another big drop of 14.3 per cent, to 35,050 in 2018 – and yet another downturn of 20.6 per cent, to 27,820 in 2019, the last full year before the pandemic.
The strength of the Filipino economy during those years undoubtedly contributed at least somewhat to the downturn in immigration from the Philippines to Canada.
At a time when Canada’s own GDP growth rate was hovering between three-thirds of a per cent in 2015 to a high of 3.04 per cent two years later and then slowing down again for the next two years, the Philippines were booming, Macrotrends data reveals.
The research platform for investors pegs the Filipino GDP growth rate during the years from 2015 through to 2019 as hovering between 6.12 and 7.15 per cent annually, or more than twice the growth rate of the Canadian economy.
That means there were a lot of jobs in the Philippines during those years.
Caregiver Programs Were Revamped To Make Them More Effective In 2019
Another likely factor in the dwindling immigration from the Philippines in those years was likely the relative ineffectiveness of the former Caregiver pilot programs for immigration to Canada.
These were replaced by the Home Child Care Provider Pilot and the Home Support Worker Pilot in 2019.
Under those programs, in-home caregivers can become permanent residents once they have two years of eligible work experience in Canada. The programs also let their family members come to Canada to work or study while they get that work experience.
Last year, Canada welcomed 2,800 new permanent residents under the Caregiver programs and then another 2,735 in the first six months of this year alone, representing an almost doubling of the number of immigrants coming here under those programs this year, if the current trend holds, over 2021, data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) reveals.
Then-Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino pledged last year to fast-track Caregiver permanent residency applications.
“Immigrant caregivers, who take care of our families and elders, are often separated from their own families, and the pandemic has significantly slowed down permanent residence application processing, keeping them apart from their families longer than we would have hoped,” said Mendicino in September last year.
“With today’s announcement, we’re getting caregiver immigration back on track which will help reunite front-line heroes with their loved ones.”
Source Of New Permanent Residents To Canada
| Ranking | Country | Number of new permanent residents to Canada in first six months of 2022 |
| 1 | India | 68,280 |
| 2 | China | 16,540 |
| 3 | Philippines | 12,630 |
| 4 | Afghanistan | 11,415 |
| 5 | Nigeria | 10,080 |
| 6 | Iran | 6,425 |
| 7 | France | 6,280 |
| 8 | USA | 6,025 |
| 9 | Pakistan | 5,505 |
| 10 | Brazil | 4,810 |
Filipinos looking to immigrate to Canada can gain their permanent residency in one of six main classes of programs and strategies:
- federal economic class;
- provincial economic class;
- Quebec immigration;
- business immigration, including the Start-Up Visa (SUV) program.
- temporary residence first, then transition to permanent, and;
- family class sponsorship.
Most immigrants come to Canada come under one of these three federal economic class programs:
Canada operates its federal economic class immigration system using Express Entry. Many provinces also follow a similar approach.
Applicants For Express Entry Create Profiles Online Before Submitting Applications
Express Entry requires candidates to submit a profile, with the highest-scoring profiles issued an Invitation to Apply (ITA) to one of the immigration programs. Candidates then get 60 days to submit a full application.
Under Express Entry, candidates score Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points for core factors such as age, education, work experience and language ability.
One of the best ways to increase a CRS score is with a job offer, which can be worth 200 or 50 points depending on the skill level.
Several of Canada’s provinces also operate Express Entry streams, allowing them to tap skilled workers from the pool. These provincial nominations are worth 600 points and effectively guarantee an ITA.
Canada’s Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) are:
- Ontario Immigration
- Quebec Immigration
- Alberta Immigration
- British Columbia Immigration
- Manitoba Immigration
- New Brunswick Immigration
- Newfoundland Immigration
- Nova Scotia Immigration
- Saskatchewan Immigration
- Prince Edward Island Immigration
Quebec has autonomy over its economic immigration system, with the right to set its own immigration levels and the power to operate its own programs.
Start-Up Visa Helps Immigrant Entrepreneurs Get Their Permanent Residency
Canada also aims to attract entrepreneurs and investors. The SUV offers Canadian permanent residence to qualified immigrant entrepreneurs.
The program targets innovative entrepreneurs and links them with private sector investors in Canada who will help establish their start-up business.
Candidates can initially come to Canada on a work permit supported by their designated Canada-based investor, before qualifying for permanent residence once their business is up and running.
There are three types of private-sector investor:
- angel investor;
- venture capital fund, and;
- business incubator.
One of Canada’s most popular business programs is the Quebec Immigrant Investor Program. The francophone province also runs Immigrant Entrepreneur and Self-Employed programs.
Temporary To Permanent Resident Route Growing In Popularity
Increasingly, immigrants are coming to Canada as temporary residents and transitioning to permanent residents. Time spent in Canada as a temporary resident then counts towards a permanent residence application.
Work permits are issued through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, International Mobility Program and International Experience Canada Program.
Those with family members who are already permanent residents or citizens can apply through Family Class Sponsorship immigration for their:
- spouse;
- common-law partner;
- conjugal partner;
- dependent children;
- parents;
- grandparents;
- brothers or sisters, nephews or nieces, granddaughters or grandsons who are orphaned, under 18 years of age and not married or in a common-law relationship;
- another relative of any age or relationship but only under specific conditions, and;
- accompanying relatives of the above (for example, spouse, partner and dependent children).
Sponsors have to be at least 18 years old and sign a sponsorship agreement which commits them to provide financial support for their relatives.