First Few Months Of 2024 To See Thousands Of Ukrainians Come To Canada

Colin Singer
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First Few Months Of 2024 To See Thousands Of Ukrainians Come To Canada

Before the end of March, tens of thousands of Ukrainians are expected to enter Canada. This is the deadline for those looking to escape the violence stemming from the Russian invasion to come to Canada on temporary emergency visas.

Ottawa has issued 936,293 such visas since March 2022 for Ukrainians who want to work or study in Canada for the duration of the war.

As of November 28, 210,178 individuals had actually made it to Canada.

More than 90,000 emergency visa holders are considering coming to Canada before the deadline, as per pre-arrival surveys by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and Operation Ukraine Safe Haven.

CBC wrote that thousands of Ukrainians are expected to fly to Manitoba alone before the March-end expiry date.

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The province has accepted more than 20,000 Ukrainians since the beginning of the war, as per Joanne Lewandosky, resident of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress Manitoba Provincial Council.

“They’re running from a war. It’s traumatic … They’re leaving their friends, they’re leaving their home,” she said.

“We must work with integrating them and making them feel that they are at home.”

The Operation Ukraine Safe Haven project was created as a “national and coordinated communications initiative to bridge and link communications and resources with key stakeholders involved with supporting Ukrainians coming to Canada.”

“A National Secretariat was established under OUSH-OHPU to focus on post arrival planning phase for Displaced Ukrainians coming to Canada,” reads the program’s website.

“This includes national communication objectives, including referrals for housing offers, donations, volunteers, jobs, and other key orientation resources and communications from provinces and territories.”

Sarosh Rizvi, the organization’s executive director, believes that the next few months will witness a significant increase in the number of Ukrainians coming to Canada in comparison to previous months.

IRCC has been proactive in bringing Ukrainians to Canada temporarily and permanently. It has introduced new immigration streams for them, and will expand settlement services for Ukrainians moving to Canada. The various pathways for this travel include the Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel (CUAET).

Support services for new Ukrainians were primarily derived from community members, who donated clothes and furniture, and businesses, which offered people jobs. Some people even allowed refugees to stay with them at their homes.

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However, people still struggled – despite all these support mechanisms – to find a place for their families to stay while they recovered to their feet.

The support has weakened as the second anniversary of the Russian invasion comes around the corner, wrote The Canadian Press.

“We don’t have the level of public interest that we did two years ago,” Rizvi said in an interview.

The founder of Pathfinder for Ukraine, which is another group dedicated to helping Ukrainians with Canadian immigration, said that “it’s a resource-intensive, costly, emotionally distressing decision to make that move across an ocean.”

“”For many people, Canada is the right choice, but for many of them it’s not,” further added Randall Baran-Chong.

According to him, success in Canada is heavily dependent on adaptability, family ties to Canada, language ability, willingness and ability to work, and financial support.

People holding the special visa who arrive after March 31 can still come to Canada, but will be ineligible for the three-year work or study permit under the program, and will not be entitled to any financial or settlement supports.

Immigration Behind Montreal’s 5.3% Population Surge 

Colin Singer
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Immigration Behind Montreal’s 5.3% Population Surge 

The post-pandemic resumption of immigration is behind Montreal’s 5.3 per cent population increase in the last year.

These estimates have been proposed by the Institut de la statistique du Quebec (ISQ), which is the governmental statistics agency for the French-Canadian province.

The city – with a 100,000 boost in its population – grown more than any other major city or province, including its suburbs.  The Quebec government’s population decree for 2024 put Montreal’s population at 1,895,211.

This data includes all people on the territory except tourists, according to CityNews Everywhere. 

It is not just Montreal, however; Quebec municipalities with more than 100,000 people have seen their population rise by an average 3.5 per cent, and those with populations between 10,000 and 100,000 have seen their numbers boost by 0.7 per cent between 2022 and 2023.

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As per ISQ experts, downtown Montreal (the Ville-Marie borough) had a 14 per cent rise in population between 2022 and 2023. While it had 117,823 inhabitants on July 1, 2023, it had only boasted 103,017 a year before.

Côte-des-Neiges-NDG and Montreal North would also have seen significant growth.

Just in November of last year, Quebec had tabled documents in its legislature that laid out plans for the admission of more than 60 thousand immigrants to the French-Canadian province in 2024.

Speaking to reporters in Quebec City then, Legault had said that he did not want to raise the annual immigration rate as that would threaten the French language in the province.

“We chose … to keep the thresholds, so the total number of permanent immigrants accepted per year at 50,000,” he had said, as per CTV News. “We had evaluated the possibility of increasing it to 60,000, but it’s important for us, to stop, to reverse the decline of French.”

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The 2024 immigration plan, however, indicates that Quebec wants to take in more than 12,000 more immigrants per year than Legault’s stated target of 50,000.

The document had said that Quebec – through “regular admission” programs – would welcome around 50,000 people, which will include skilled workers, refugees and people reunited with family already in the province.

It would also accept another estimated 6,500 graduates from French-language university programs, and around 6,000 people who had applied through a stream for investors, entrepreneurs and self-employed workers, reported CTV News in November.

Statistics Canada Report Shows Rise In Job Vacancy Numbers

Colin Singer
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Statistics Canada Report Shows Rise In Job Vacancy Numbers

Are you a candidate with skills and qualifications in one of Canada’s 82 jobs for occupation-specific Express Entry draws? We want to help you move to Canada. Please submit your CV here.

Job vacancies edged up to 653,000 in November of last year, after little change was observed in the months of October and five consecutive monthly declines from May to September 2023.

The number of vacancies in November was down by 211,100 (-24.4%) compared to January 2023, and 350,200 (-34.9%) from the peak in May 2022.

Meanwhile, total labor demand, which is the sum of filled and unfilled positions, observed little change to 17,811 in November 2023 compared to October, but was down 0.2% (-29,000) from January.

The industries that were struck the worst were accommodation and food services (+9,300; +12.6%), retail trade (+7,500; +12.2%), and manufacturing (+2,800; +7.1%) and manufacturing of companies and enterprises (+800; +32.9%).

At the same time, job vacancies fell in public administration (-2,700; -16.9%) and observed little change in 13 other sectors.

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The job vacancy rate, which is the number of vacant positions as a proportion of total labor demand, was up by 0.1 percent to 3.7% in November.

This was the first rise since January 2023 but was down 4.8% from the same month.

There were 1.9 unemployment persons for every November job vacancy, which held steady from September and October.

The unemployment-to-job vacancy ratio in November was up from 1.2 in Jan 2023, due to few job vacancies (-211, 100; -24.4%) and an increase in the number of unemployed persons (+194,400; +18.6%).

Job Vacancies Went Up in Accommodation and Food Services

November witnessed a rise in job vacancies in accommodation and food services by 9,300 (+12.6%) to 82,800. Despite the monthly hike, job vacancies in the sector went down by 38,400 (-31.7%) compared with November 2022.

This was the largest year-on-year decrease across all sectors.

The job vacancy rate in the sector was 6.0% in November of last year, up from 5.4% in October but down from 8.8% a year before that.

Job Vacancies Went Up in Retail Trade and Manufacturing

The number of open positions in retail went up by 7,500 (+12.2%) in November, mostly resulting in an offset of the net decrease from August to October (-8,200; -11.7%).

The job vacancy rate climbed by 0.3% to 3.3% in November, but remained down from 4.6% in January 2023.

Manufacturing observed a job vacancy hike of 2,800 (+7.1%) to 41,800 in November, after decrease in October (-7,100; -15.4%) and little change in September.

The manufacturing job vacancy rate was 2.6% in November, up from 2.4% in October but down from 2.9% in August and September.

Job Vacancies Unchanged in Health Care and Social Assistance

Health care and social assistance vacancies remained largely unchanged in November (127,100) for the third month in a row.

However, they were down by 24,500 (-16.2%) from April, when the number of vacancies (151,600) was close to the record high that was reached in July 2022 (152,800).

On a year-to-year basis, total labor demand was up by 3.7% in November 2023, as payroll employment showed a rise of 4.4% and job vacancies dropped by 7.3% (-10,000) over this frame.

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Job Vacancies Up in Ontario

Ontario job vacancies rose by 21,200 (+9.8%) to 237,100 in November, after little change in October and a decrease in September (-21,700; -8.8%).

The number of vacancies was little changed in the rest of the provinces.

November witnessed the highest job vacancy rate in British Columbia (4.2%), and lowest in Prince Edward Island (2.5%).

Private Colleges In British Columbia Banned From Enrolling International Students  

Colin Singer
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Private Colleges In British Columbia Banned From Enrolling International Students  

British Columbia has placed a provincial ban on new colleges enrolling international students for two years.

It follows the federal government’s introduction of a temporary two-year cap on the number of Canada study permit issuances.

This is being done with the aim of eliminating “exploitative practices” in the field, as per the BC post-secondary education minister Selina Robinson.

The province is also setting minimum language requirements at private institutions so that international students would be “better prepared” before entering BC.

Schools would be inspected more frequently so that standards are confirmed to be met, and private colleges and universities will need to be more transparent with tuition fees and prove that the new programs meet labor market demands.

These new policy announcements are a mode of scrutinizing the “diploma mills” that collect high fees from international students while being the source of poor education.

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“That’s why we’re introducing more stringent requirements for institutions and robust safeguards to protect international students against bad actors, provide them with a better path to success, and make sure B.C. continues to attract the talented students we need to fill significant gaps in the labour market and drive our economy forward,” said Robinson.

Just last week, Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced that his department was capping the number of undergraduate study permit approvals for two years at 360,000 a year – a 35 per cent reduction from last year.

This comes after the student program had grown to reach more than 800,000 students in 2022, putting – according to some experts – strain on housing and affordability.

BC would have the power to dictate how many international students can be enrolled at each college and university, regardless of whether they are public or private.

Ottawa has been allotted a number of international students to BC that it is allowed to accept. Premier David Eby told CBC’s Rosemary Barton that the number – undisclosed to the public at the moment – concerns him.

Him and Robinson said they have been talking to Miller about excluding certain programs that train people for in-demand professions from the caps.

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The Vancouver Sun reported that Eby told reporters that “I do think that there’s a role for the province to play here in supporting the federal government’s goal, which we share, of reducing the overall numbers.”

However, he added that the reductions should be done “in a way that minimizes harm to the overall provincial economy, post secondary institutions, to international students themselves and maximizes the benefits of why we’ve always supported a strong international student program in British Columbia.”

New maximum enrolment numbers for international students will also be set for public post-secondary institutions.

Natalia Tola, national deputy chair of the Canadian Federation of Students, said to Postmedia News that the cap may cause a scramble to make up for financial losses from chopped international tuition, resulting in a possible uptick in tuition for both international and domestic students.

Manitoba PNP Draw: Province Issues 275 Canada Immigration Invitations

Colin Singer
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Manitoba PNP Draw: Province Issues 275 Canada Immigration Invitations

Manitoba has issued 275 letters of advice to apply in a new draw the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program.

The January 25 draw saw LAAs issued through three MPNP streams.

Skilled Workers in Manitoba candidates who had completed post-secondary studies in the province received 156 LAAs, with a minimum score of 772 points.

International Education Stream candidates received 78 LAAs.

The remaining 41 LAAs went to Skilled Workers Overseas candidates through a Strategic Recruitment Initiative, with a minimum score of 713.

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Manitoba stated that 29 of the 275 candidates invited had valid Express Entry IDs and job seeker validation codes.

For detailed requirements of all the streams featured in this draw, please see below.

Latest Manitoba Draw

Stream Sub-Stream Letters of Advice to Apply Score of Lowest Ranked Candidate
1) Skilled Workers in Manitoba Completed Post-Secondary Study in Manitoba 156 772
2) International Education Stream 78 –
3) Skilled Workers Overseas Strategic Recruitment Initiative 41 713

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How Do I Qualify For The Skilled Worker in Manitoba Stream?

The Skilled Worker in Manitoba Stream (SWM) is based on the specific needs of Manitoba employers. SWM selects foreign-trained workers with the required skills and nominates them for Canada permanent residence. The stream prioritizes candidates with a strong attachment to Manitoba, with two pathways to Manitoba immigration.

  1. a) Manitoba Work Experience Pathway

For applicants currently working in Manitoba on temporary work permits, through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program or as international graduates from any province. Candidates do not need to be working in In-Demand Occupations.

  1. b) Employer Direct Recruitment Pathway

For applicants from overseas with job offers from approved Manitoba employers.

How Do I Qualify For The Skilled Worker Overseas Stream?

The Skilled Worker Overseas Stream (SWO) includes both a dedicated Canada Express Entry Pathway and a direct provincial pathway.

It is aimed at international skilled workers with skills and training in Manitoba’s In-Demand Occupations. Priority is given to applicants and spouses with close family connections, plus the language proficiency, training and experience to find jobs quickly.

  1. a) Manitoba Express Entry Pathway

For international candidates eligible under another MPNP stream, who also meet Express Entry criteria and have an active Express Entry profile. Candidates need skills, training and experience in one of Manitoba’s In-Demand Occupations, and a strong family connection to the province.

  1. b) Human Capital Pathway

For international skilled workers with skills, training and experience in one of Manitoba’s In-Demand Occupations. Candidates must demonstrate potential to find employment soon after they arrive in Manitoba.

What Are The Requirements For the International Education Stream?

The International Education Stream (IES) is dedicated to international graduates from Manitoba colleges and universities. Under IES, candidates are no longer required to work for six months in their field before applying for an MPNP nomination. It has three pathways:

1) Career Employment Pathway  

Eligibility requirements include:

  • Completed a one-year or longer course from an eligible post-secondary Manitoba institution within three years of submission of application.
  • Have a full-time job offer in a Manitoba In-Demand occupation related to the completed degree
  • Resident of Manitoba

2) Graduate Internship Pathway

Masters and Doctoral degree holders who have completed Mitacs Accelerate or Elevate internships can apply for nomination through internships even without a job offer in the province.

3) Student Entrepreneur Pathway

Eligibility requirements include:

  • Completed a two-year or longer course from an eligible post-secondary Manitoba institution
  • Six months business operation experience in Manitoba
  • Resident of Manitoba since graduation.
  • No specific minimum personal net worth requirement

Spousal Sponsorship Immigration On Track To Rise In 2023

Colin Singer
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Spousal Sponsorship Immigration On Track To Rise In 2023

The latest data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) reveals spousal sponsorship arrivals slumped by 14.8 per cent in November from the immigration program’s strong performance the previous month.

In October, the number of new permanent residents to the country through spousal sponsorship had rebounded by 8.7 per cent and hit 5,155 after the September slump which saw only 4,710 spouses and common-law partners rejoin their loved ones in Canada that month.

But in November, the spousal sponsorship program again saw a dip in the number of new arrivals as only 4,390 spouses and common-law partners became new permanent residents of Canada during a month in which overall immigration to the country also fell.

November saw overall monthly immigration to the country softened by 12.4 per cent with only 29,430 new permanent residents that month.

Despite the slowdown in monthly spousal sponsorship arrivals to Canada in November, the country was still on track at that time to see a 17.6-per cent increase in spousal sponsorships for 2023 compared to the previous year with 75,458 new permanent residents under that program in 2023 compared to 64,145 in 2022.

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Canada’s most populous province, Ontario, saw the greatest number of arrivals under the spousal sponsorship program with 36,905 spouses making it their home in the first 11 months of this year.

The other provinces and territories attracted the following number of new permanent residents under the spousal sponsorship program during that period:

  • Newfoundland and Labrador – 180
  • Prince Edward Island – 120
  • Nova Scotia – 835
  • New Brunswick – 460
  • Quebec – 6,540
  • Manitoba – 1,925
  • Saskatchewan – 1,250
  • Alberta – 9,335
  • British Columbia – 11,475
  • Yukon – 80
  • Northwest Territories – 50
  • Nunavut – 15

When a Canadian citizen or permanent resident chooses to sponsor a spouse or common-law partner to immigrate to Canada, the sponsor must sign an undertaking, promising to give financial support for the sponsored person’s basic needs, including:

  • food, clothing, shelter and their needs for everyday living, and;
  • dental care, eye care and other health needs not covered by public health services.

This agreement cannot be cancelled, even if:

  • the person sponsored becomes a Canadian citizen;
  • the couple divorces, separates or the relationship breaks down;
  • either the sponsor or the sponsored spouse or common-law partner moves to another province or country, or;
  • the sponsor experiences financial problems.

EI Payments Considered Income For Sponsor Of Spouse

Maternity, parental and sickness benefits paid under the Employment Insurance Act in Canada are all considered income and contribute to allowing a person to sponsor a spouse or common-law partner but other payments from the government, such as employment insurance and federal training allowances, are not considered income.

On its website, IRCC provides estimates of the current processing times for various types of applications, including spousal sponsorships.

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According to that website, the current processing time for sponsorship applications for spouses or common-law partners currently outside the country and planning to live outside of Quebec is now down to 12 months, a considerable improvement over the 20-month processing time in 2022.

That estimated processing time includes:

  • the time needed to provide biometrics;
  • the assessment of the sponsor and the person being sponsored, and;

the time immigration officials need to ensure the sponsor and his or her spouse or common-law partner meet the eligibility requirements.

Report Says Two-Step Canada Immigrants Earn More Than One-Step Newcomers

Colin Singer
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Report Says Two-Step Canada Immigrants Earn More Than One-Step Newcomers

The earnings of one-step and two-step economic immigrants in comparison to their year of arrival in Canada has been evaluated in Statistics Canada’s latest Economic and Social Reports publication.

The January 24 report found that two-step immigrants have consistently higher annual earnings than one-step immigrants within the same admission class when the comparison started from their initial arrival year rather than the year they became permanent residents.

These earnings differences, albeit reduced, remained substantial after sociodemographic differences between the two groups and after 10 years of initial arrival were accounted for.

The analysis compares one- and two-step immigrants in the same admission class, in particular the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) and Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).

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What is the Two-Step Immigration Process?

In the two-step immigration process, economic immigrants are chosen from the pool of temporary foreign workers (TFWs) and international students with some Canada work experience.

One-step immigrants are economic immigrants without any Canadian work or study experience before obtaining permanent residency.

The percentage of economic principal applicants who were selected with pre-landing Canadian work experience went from 12% in 2000 to roughly 60% in the late 2010s, going up to 78% in 2021 due to COVID-19.

StatsCan called the expansion of this process a major development in the way economic immigrants are selected in Canada, as it was the driving factor behind the improvement in immigrant economic outcomes at landing since 2000.

Two-Step Immigrants Have Better Labor Market Outcomes Than One-Step Counterparts

Immigrants who had high-paying/high-skilled jobs during their time as TFWs (two-step immigrants) had superior post-migration labor market outcomes than comparable immigrants selected directly from abroad (one-step immigrants).

The same result is not applicable to low-wage or low-skilled two-step immigrants.

StatsCan wrote that two reasons are behind two-step immigrants outperforming one-step immigrants who have otherwise similar characteristics such as education, official language ability, and source region.

The first explanation is the concept of a multiple selection process. Two-step selection can improve the match between immigrant skills and labor market demands as employers can “directly assess TFWs’ skills and intangible qualities.”

According to Statscan, the adjusted earnings difference observed in the study is consistent with this hypothesis.

These foreign workers can experience life in Canada before actually making the commitment to become Canada permanent residents (PRs). Those who excel as TFWs have a lower likelihood of encountering challenges pertaining to skill transferability, which is an issue one-step immigrants may face.

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The second explanation is the advantage gained by getting a head start in Canada work experience, which is a strong potential of immigrants’ earnings.

Two-step immigrants have already gained such experience before securing permanent residency, allowing them to hold an advantage over one-step immigrants without prior exposure to working in Canada.

Two-Step Immigrants Earn More Than One-Step Immigrants

When in the same admissions program, two-step immigrants had higher earnings than one-step immigrants, both in the first few years and a decade after arrival.

This pattern remained true for the FSWP, PNP, and other economic programs; furthermore, the result held for unadjusted (actual) and adjusted earnings when sociodemographic differences between the groups are considered.

The earnings gaps somewhat narrowed across many successive arrival cohorts. From the 2000-to-2009 cohort to the 2010-to-2014 cohort, the earnings gaps between two- and one-step immigrants in the initial years following arrival narrowed in the FSWP and PNP.

This change is due to a shift in the types of programs through which two-step immigrants were admitted.

The earnings differences between two- and one-step immigrants in the FSWP diminished further from the 2010-to-2014 cohort to the 2015-to-2019 cohort. This reduction was due to the introduction of a mandatory pre-migration educational credential assessment in 2013, which caused a significant improvement in one-step immigrants’ earning potential.

The authors wrote that while two-step immigrants have better earning potential than one-step immigrants with similar human capital factors, the sustained success of the two-step selection process is contingent on the skill level of immigrants from the pool of TFWs.

Previous research says that TFWs working in low-skilled or low-paying jobs generally have lower earnings and slower earnings growth than one-step immigrants.

Moreover, the rising presence of TFWs and international students in the labor force poses challenges, such as vulnerability to substandard working conditions.

A large TFW supply could also push down the wages of domestic workers and reduce incentives for employers to enhance productivity through technology and capital investment.

“Employers seeking low-cost labour may prioritize short-term demand over long-term competitiveness. Consequently, employer-sponsored programs may not effectively address the long-term needs of the labour market and the broader economy.”

“These considerations suggest the need for a careful examination of the benefits and potential challenges of two-step immigration selection.”

The analysis uses the Longitudinal Immigration Database and focuses on economic principal applicants aged 25 to 54 in the year of arrival.

Colleges And Universities Face Improved Provincial Oversight After International Student Cap

Colin Singer
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Colleges And Universities Face Improved Provincial Oversight After International Student Cap

Canada’s provinces pledged to improve their oversight of the treatment of international students but also warned Ottawa’s proposed cap on study permits could lead to the closure of some colleges and universities.

Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced earlier this week he is going to slap the provinces and territories in Canada with a two-year cap on international students that is expected to reduce the number of study permits by more than a third.

“The cap is expected to result in approximately 364,000 approved study permits, a decrease of 35 per cent from 2023,” Miller reportedly said. “In the spirit of fairness, we are also allocating the cap space by province, based on population.”

Under the proposed cap on study permits, the provinces and territories will each have a limit on their ability to welcome new international students.

Those proposed limits will allow some provinces to increase their international student population while dramatically cutting it in other provinces, including Ontario.

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The proposed cap on study permits was announced the same week as the eligibility requirements for Post-Graduation Work Permits (PGWP) were changed. Under the new criteria, students attending some private colleges might not qualify for PGWPs upon graduation.

“Starting Sept. 1, international students who begin a study program that is part of a curriculum licensing arrangement will no longer be eligible for a post-graduation work permit upon graduation,” notes Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

“Under curriculum licensing agreements, students physically attend a private college that has been licensed to deliver the curriculum of an associated public college. These programs have seen significant growth in attracting international students in recent years, though they have less oversight than public colleges and they act as a loophole with regards to post-graduation work permit eligibility.”

The immigration minister reiterated this week that international students are vital to Canada and enrich communities but insisted Ottawa has an obligation to ensure that they have access to the resources they need for an enriching academic experience.

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“In Canada, today, this isn’t always the case,” he said. “Today, we are announcing additional measures to protect a system that has become so lucrative that it has opened a path for its abuse.

“Enough is enough. Through the decisive measures announced today, we are striking the right balance for Canada and ensuring the integrity of our immigration system while setting students up for the success they hope for.”

The immigration minister first indicated his displeasure with the current treatment of international students last year when he asked the provinces to look into private colleges and their quality of education.

This week, Miller said the provinces have not taken action quickly enough.

With the proposed caps on study permits looming, though, the provinces are now taking the immigration very seriously.

British Columbia’s minister of post-secondary education, Selina Robinson is among those provincial politicians vowing to take a suite of actions to improve quality controls for international students. She has told CBC Radio she is appalled by the actions of some of the province’s post-secondary institutions who recruit students with promises of guaranteed housing and in-class instruction.

Private Colleges Worry About Financial Hit Of Fewer International Students

“The student does all the right things and they arrive and there is no housing, there are no supports, and in fact I’ve heard cases where there is no classroom,” Robinson reportedly said.

“We’re going to be requiring much more accountability by these private institutions.”

Ontario’s advanced education minister, Jill Dunlop, agrees.

“We know some bad actors are taking advantage of these students with false promises of guaranteed employment, residency, and Canadian citizenship,” she reportedly said. “We’ve been engaging with the federal government on ways to crack down on these practices.”

Across the country, some colleges and universities are bracing for an economic blow as the number of international students, all of whom pay higher tuition fees than Canadian students, drops.

Colleges and Institutes Canada (CIC) is worried about how the caps on study permits will affect post-secondary institutions.

“This approach, characterized by Minister Miller as a ‘blunt instrument,’ will have far-reaching consequences across the sector, especially in key regions, including the possibility of layoffs, closures and increased tuition fees – all of which will inevitably affect both Canadian and international students,” the CIC reportedly stated.

“Chronic public underinvestment in post-secondary education puts Canada’s world-class system at risk. Without significant reinvestment, we risk compounding the challenges facing Canada’s economy and society, especially in the context of fierce global competition.”

Immigrate To Canada As A Respiratory Therapist: All You Need To Know

Colin Singer
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Immigrate To Canada As A Respiratory Therapist: All You Need To Know

Are you a candidate with skills and qualifications in one of Canada’s 82 jobs for occupation-specific Express Entry draws? We want to help you move to Canada. Please submit your CV here.

A growing shortage of respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists in Canada is expected to provide even more opportunities for foreign nationals to gain their permanent residence here through occupation-targeted Express Entry system draws.

The Canadian Occupational Projection System (COPS) website is projecting the shortage of these healthcare workers to grow by another 700 positions across the country by 2031.

“Over the period 2022 – 2031, the number of job openings arising from expansion demand and replacement demand for respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists, medical radiation technologists and medical sonographers are expected to total 20,100, while the number of job seekers arising from school leavers, immigration and mobility is expected to total 19,400,” notes the COPS website.

“As job openings and job seekers are projected to be relatively similar over the 2022 – 2031 period, the labour shortage conditions seen in recent years are expected to continue over the projection period.”

Aging Baby Boomers will drive much of that demand for these healthcare workers.

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“This strong growth is mostly due to the aging population. The growing number of seniors is anticipated to lead to an increase in the demand for diagnostic services related to respiratory and cardiovascular health conditions,” notes the COPS website.

“Additionally, respiratory therapists will continue to play a key role in the rehabilitation of individuals who suffered acutely from COVID-19. Moreover, the arrival of new medical technologies and techniques, as well as the introduction of more advanced equipment, will increase the demand for technologists.”

With Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) changing Canada’s Express Entry system to allow it to target 82 jobs in healthcare, technology, trades, transport and agriculture this summer – including respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists – it opened the door to a new pathway to immigration for them.

Job Bank, the federal government’s job-hunting and career-planning website, listed 50 jobs for respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists in Canada in early November.

The job prospects of respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists, categorized under the National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 system with the code 32103, are ranked as very good, Job Bank’s highest rating, in New Brunswick over the coming three years and good throughout the rest of the country.

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In May this year, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) made all of these workers eligible for immigration to Canada Express Entry occupation-targeted draws.

The flagship Express Entry selection system had previously only conducted draws based on immigration programs, not by targeting specific occupations.

“Everywhere I go, I’ve heard loud and clear from employers across the country who are experiencing chronic labour shortages,” said then-Immigration Minister Sean Fraser.

“These changes to the Express Entry system will ensure that they have the skilled workers they need to grow and succeed.  We can also grow our economy and help businesses with labour shortages while also increasing the number of French-proficient candidates to help ensure the vitality of French-speaking communities.”

In Canada, the median hourly wage for respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists is  $37 but that varies from a low of $26 right up to $48.08, reveals Job Bank.

Respiratory Therapists Can Earn Up To $93,756 Annually In Canada

Based on a 37.5-hour work week, that means respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists can expect to earn up to $93,756 annually in Canada.

Candidates hoping to immigrate through Express Entry occupation-targeted draws need at least six months of continuous work experience in Canada or abroad within the past three years in one of these occupations to be eligible, experience that can have been gained while working in Canada as temporary foreign workers with a work permits or as an international student with a student visa.

Under the changes announced at the end of May, the Express Entry streams, including the Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) program, Federal Skilled Trades (FST) program and Canadian Experience Class (CEC), as well as parts of the Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) are now more responsive to labour market needs.

Canada first signalled its intention to start occupation-specific draws through Express Entry in June last year, when changes were made to the Immigration, Refugee and Protection Act to allow invitations based on occupations and other attributes, such as language ability.

The majority of Canada’s provinces have been issuing occupation-specific invitations for several years.

Under the changes to the act, the immigration minister is required to consult provinces and territories, members of industry, unions, employers, workers, worker advocacy groups, settlement provider organizations, and immigration researchers and practitioners, before announcing new categories.

IRCC must also report to parliament each year on the categories that were chosen and the reason for the choices.

Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) says the number of occupations facing shortages doubled between 2019 and 2021. From 2018 to 2022, federal high skilled admissions accounted for between 34 and 40 per cent of overall French-speaking admissions outside Quebec, which manages its own immigration intake.

Figures Show 355,000 International Students In Three Years Got Canadian Permanent Residence

Colin Singer
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Figures Show 355,000 International Students In Three Years Got Canadian Permanent Residence

The latest reports by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) show more than 355,000 international students in Canada gained their permanent resident status in 2021 to 2023.

This is part of a larger set of figures. Blacklock’s Reporter talked about the Immigration Department’s communication with the House of Commons public accounts committee, in which it said that in the past three years, more than 627,000 former temporary residents gained their Canada permanent residence (PR).

IRCC further said that it is stepping up processing the PR claims of foreigners in Canada after there was a fall in immigration during the pandemic lockdowns.

In 2020, less than half the current number of immigrants were allowed into Canada, at 184,370.

Last year, Canada’s record Immigration Levels Plan set quotas at 485,000 for 2024 and 500,000 for 2025, despite some Canadians calling those numbers too high, said Postmedia News.

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The main issue taken up by locals was the feasibility of housing half-million immigrants ever year in the midst of the well-documented housing crisis that the country is currently suffering from.

“We’re in this housing crisis,” said one respondent to Postmedia News.

Another said that “people are living on the street because there’s no housing.”

“We need to get our own house in order before we welcome anybody else in,” said a third.

The research was done by Quorus Consulting Group on 18 nationwide focus groups, resultant of a $119,723 payment made by the Department.

Understanding a Canada Permanent Resident Status

Canada PRs are those who have been granted PR status by immigrating to Canada, but are not Canadian citizens. They are usually citizens of other countries, while some are stateless persons.

When refugees resettle in Canada from abroad, they become PRs through the Government-Assisted Refugee Program or the Private Sponsorship of Refugee Program.

IRCC, however, must first approve someone’s refugee claim before they can make PR. They can then apply for and obtain PR status.

Those in Canada for only a short time, such as students or foreign workers, are not PRs.

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The Permanent Resident (PR) Card

The PR card proves that someone has PR status in Canada. If they travel outside Canada and return on a commercial vehicle (bus, train, boat, etc.), they must show

  • Their PR card and
  • Their passport or refugee travel document

If they are travelling outside Canada without a valid PR card with them, they must apply for a permanent resident travel document (PRTD) before returning to Canada by commercial vehicle.

For those with a lost/stolen/damaged PR card, a replacement PR card needs to be applied for.

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