Roughly 72,000 people made refugee claims at Canadian airports between 2019 and 2023, with a sharp uptick in the number of claims made at two of Canada’s largest airports, new data from the Immigration Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) shows.
While the Montreal Trudeau International Airport has witnessed a nearly 10-fold increase in refugee claims between 2022 and 2023, Toronto’s Pearson Airport has seen claims more than triple during that same time-frame.
On top of that, the government continues to struggle to process cases and remove people whose claims are rejected, as per new numbers from the Canada Border Services Agency.
The CBSA issued upwards of 28,000 “active warrants” to “failed refugee claimants” as of last month, and the government of Canada continues to struggle to deport those found inadmissible to the country on national security grounds, according to Global News.
While many refugee claimants are left in a limbo for years due to the massive application backlog, the ones who are deemed inadmissible are not deported immediately.
The reason for this uptick can be largely associated to the closure of Roxham Road, which was an unofficial border crossing used by more than 100,000 migrants to come from New York State into the province of Quebec.
The crossing was shut down in late March after the US and Canada closed a loophole in the 2004 Safe Third Country Agreement to make the deal apply to the 8,900 kilometres of shared border between the states, instead of just at official border crossings, as per Global News.
There were 3,325 refugee claims made at Montreal’s airport in 2022. Next year, when Roxham Road was shut down, that number went up to 29,500, which was the highest number of refugee claims made at Canada’s airports between 2019 and 2023, primarily by Mexican nationals.
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More than 90 per cent of refugee claimants who came to Montreal by plane in 2023 were classified as “still waiting” for answer on whether they could continue their stay in Canada.
“There have often been huge backlogs. That’s why throwing more money at this particular problem isn’t a straightforward solution,” according to Michael Barutciski, a professor at York University’s Glendon College, who responded to Global News.
Ottawa re-introduced the visa requirement for Mexican nationals last month to control the exponential growth of asylum claims from Mexico – a majority of which were being rejected.
The visa helped Ukrainians work and live in Canada for up to three years through an expedited process. According to Ottawa, 960,000 people made use of it to come to Canada before it stopped taking applicants last July.
Almost 250,000 Ukrainians have arrived in Canada till now, as per CBC. Thousands are expected to come before March 31, which is the deadline for visa recipients to come.
Those living in Canada and wishing to extending their stay need to apply for it by the same deadline, without which they would lose government support services, including financial support and language courses.
This could make it harder for them to stay and work in Canada.
Other options to continue their stay would be to apply for a work/study permit, which is a longer and trickier process overall.
To apply, one has to meet the following eligibility criteria:
Be a Ukrainian national
Be a family member of Ukrainian nationals (can be any nationality)
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Family members are defined as
the spouse or common-law partner of a Ukrainian national
their dependent child
the dependent child of their spouse / common-law partner or
a dependent child of their dependent child
Hotline To Help Ukrainians With Legal Services
This year, Ottawa upped its offering of help to Ukrainians by pumping $475,788 into a trilingual hotline to help them access the legal services they need for the coming three years.
The money was for Pro Bono Ontario’s Ukrainian Refugee Legal Relief Initiative to allow displaced Ukrainians access to legal information and advice, including the toll-free hotline that is accessible nationally and abroad.
The hotline provides Ukrainians in Canada with access to Canadian lawyers so they can ask immigration-related questions on such things as sponsorship, refugee claims and work permits or be referred to provincial pro bono organizations or community groups across Canada
“Our government is grateful to be able to count on organizations, such as Pro Bono Ontario, that improve access to justice, a fundamental Canadian value and an integral part of a fair and effective justice system,” said Justice Minister Arif Virani.
“This investment shows how our government continues to stand with Ukraine, and that we will continue to support Ukrainians forced to flee their homes because of Russia’s illegal invasion.”
With CUAET no longer taking applications from overseas, Ukrainians wishing to come to Canada from abroad can still apply for a visa or a work or study permit through the IRCC’s existing temporary resident programs but are now subject to fees and standard requirements.
Canada is moving up the previously announced date of Post-Graduation Work Permits (PGWP) ineligibility from September 1 to May 15 for certain international students.
The change affects those hoping to start a study program that is part of a curriculum licensing arrangement this summer.
“This change will take effect on May 15, 2024, rather than the previously announced date of Sept. 1, 2024,” says Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
“This means that international students who begin this type of program on May 15, 2024 or later will not be eligible for a post-graduation work permit when they graduate.”
The IRCC moved up the date of ineligibility for the PGWP for those international students on March 22.
“The change in post-graduation work permit criteria does not prevent a graduate of one of these programs from applying for a different type of work permit upon graduation,” notes the IRCC.
“For occupations that face a labour shortage in Canada, a graduate could apply for a work permit supported by an employer’s approved Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), for example.”
Under curriculum licensing agreements, students physically attend a private college that has been licensed to deliver the curriculum of an associated public college. Canadian immigration officials have come to consider that these programs have less oversight than public colleges and so have acted as a loophole with regards to post-graduation work permit eligibility.
Ottawa’s move to close that loophole will effectively limit the number of international students who will qualify for the PGWP.
But graduates of master’s and other short graduate-level programs are getting a break under the new criteria. They will soon be eligible to apply for a three-year work permit.
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“Under current criteria, the length of a post-graduation work permit is based solely on the length of an individual’s study program, hindering master’s graduates by limiting the amount of time they have to gain work experience and potentially transition to permanent residence.”
Spouses of international students in undergraduate and college programs, though, will soon no longer be eligible for open work permits.
“In the weeks ahead, open work permits will only be available to spouses of international students in master’s and doctoral programs,” states the IRCC.
Study Permits Allows International Students To Work On Campus While In Canada
are full-time students at a post-secondary public school (college or university, or CEGEP in Quebec), or at a private college-level school in Quebec that operates under the same rules as public schools and is at least 50 per cent funded by government grants, or at a Canadian private school that can legally award degrees under provincial law, and;
have a Social Insurance Number.
International students are also usually able to work off-campus without a work permit while completing their studies – when the current liftin of the 20-hour rule is not in effect – if:
are full-time students in a designated learning institution (a post-secondary program, or in Quebec at a vocational program at the secondary level as well);
their study program is academic, vocational or professional, it lasts at least six months and leads to a degree, diploma or certificate;
they are only working up to a maximum of 20 hours per week during regular academic sessions, and full time during scheduled breaks (for example, winter and summer holidays or spring break).
Certain study programs include work requirements such as co-op or internships. In such cases, a work permit is required in order for the foreign student to be able to complete the work.
International students are able to travel and work in Canada for up to one year through the International Experience Canada if:
they are between the ages of 18 and 35 and;
their country of origin has an agreement with Canada.
The latest data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) shows temporary immigration to Canada more than tripled in the years since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic as far more temporary workers and international students chose to come here.
In 2019, the last full year before the Covid-19 pandemic, Canada issued a little more than half a million new study permits and work visas, welcoming a total of 522,110 temporary residents.
Jump ahead four years and the number of temporary residents with these permits has skyrocketed, hitting more than 1.6 million as of the end of last year.
The number of work permits approved under the International Mobility Program (IMP) increased by 136.9 per cent during that time, rising from 323,495 in 2019 to 766,520 last year.
Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) work permit numbers rose by 87.9 per cent during the same period, going from 98,025 in 2019 to 184,235 last year.
The 70.6 per cent spike in international students in Canada during the pandemic years only exacerbated the situation, as the number of study permits rose from 400,590 in 2019 to 683,585 last year.
Although the growth of international students was the slowest of any of these groups of temporary residents during the pandemic years, they were the first group to be targeted for limits to temporary immigration as Ottawa wrestles with a housing crisis and these international students are blamed for the rise in demand for apartments.
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In January, Immigration Minister Marc Miller put a cap of 606,250 on new study permit applications this year, a move which is expected o reduce the number of new study permits issued this year by 40 per cent.
“The intent of these Instructions is to ensure the number of study permit applications accepted into processing by the Department of Citizenship and Immigration … within the scope of the instructions does not exceed 606,250 study permit applications for one year beginning on the date of signature,” the Canada Gazette reported on Feb. 3.
Then, on March 21, the immigration minister announced Ottawa will be taking further steps to limit temporary immigration with the first temporary immigration levels plan to be unveiled in September.
That move is expected to reduce the number of temporary residents by five over the coming three years.
Miller has said he will be meeting with provincial and territorial immigration ministers in May to determine the specifics of these temporary immigration levels.
“Provinces and territories know their unique labour needs and capacity and need to assume responsibility for the people that they bring in as well,” said Miller.
The immigration minister has admitted that Canada has become addicted to rising numbers of temporary workers and international students and needs to make changes so the immigration system can be more sustainable.
Economist Warns Lower Temporary Immigration Could Drag Down The Canadian Economy
“There should be an honest conversation about what the rise in international migration means for Canada as we plan ahead,” Miller said.
But others warn that limiting temporary residents to Canada may lead to an economic downturn.
In Temporary Workers, Temporary Growth? How a Slowdown in the Recent Migration Surge Could Exacerbate Canada’s Downturn, Desjardins principal economist Marc Desormeaux warns that the record numbers of temporary residents could soon ease off.
Since temporary residents are the primary drivers of population growth in Canada, a significant drop in their numbers could lead to a stalling of the Canadian economy.
“History suggests the recent surge (in the number of temporary residents in Canada) could ease significantly, exacerbating a nascent economic slowdown,” cautions Desormeaux.
“That could have significant consequences nationwide, most notably in the largest provinces.”
In their most recent fiscal plans, British Columbia and Ontario have already included contingencies for the possibility of a downturn in temporary residents in an attempt to create buffers to the accompanying downturn in tax revenues to provincial coffers and a more sluggish economy should there be a drop in temporary residents.
“We must nonetheless consider downside demographic scenarios, particularly when potentially higherforlonger interest rates pose risks for economic growth, borrowing costs and debt sustainability over time,” wrote Desormeaux.
British Columbia, Ontario Already Planning For Lower Temporary Immigration
In British Columbia and Ontario, he predicted a downturn in temporary residents could create a 0.8 to 1.9 percentage point drag on economic growth next year.
He recommends Canada beef up its data collection on the numbers of temporary residents in the country.
“We also reiterate our call for more and better data on temporary migration. For the foreseeable future, Canada and all its provinces will continue to grapple with the immense challenges of a rapidly aging population and a lack of affordable housing supply. To meet these challenges, we’ll need clear information about the individuals who can help address them.”
Canada already sets levels for permanent immigration and is set to welcome 485,000 new permanent residents this year under the Immigration Levels Plan for 2023 – 2025.
The country is planning to welcome an additional 500,000 new permanent residents in each of the subsequent years.
Newfoundland and Labrador will stop holding asylum seekers and other immigrants in provincial jails, which it now does under an agreement with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), becoming the last remaining Canadian province to stop the practice.
Human rights activists are ecstatic.
“Newfoundland and Labrador’s decision is a momentous human rights victory that upholds the dignity and rights of people who come to Canada in search of safety or a better life,” says Human Rights Watch acting disability rights deputy director Samer Muscati.
“With all 10 provinces now having cancelled their immigration detention agreements and arrangements, the federal government should finally guarantee through a policy directive or legislative amendment that the border agency will stop using jails for immigration detention once and for all.”
The Atlantic Canadian province served up notice to the CBSA on March 12 that as of the end of March next year its provincial jails will no longer hold people detained under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA).
The border agency’s latest data reveals Newfoundland and Labrador only had two detainees under the IRPA in its provincial jails during the last quarter of 2023.
Detained Migrants By Province in 2022 – 2023
Province
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Alberta
63
53
61
65
British Columbia
223
283
309
390
Manitoba
8
4
9
14
New Brunswick
7
3
10
6
Newfoundland and Labrador
2
0
4
2
Northwest Territories
0
0
0
0
Nova Scotia
1
1
2
3
Ontario
644
574
786
744
Prince Edward Island
0
0
0
0
Quebec
435
525
490
477
Saskatchewan
13
2
5
5
Yukon
0
0
0
1
The greatest number of detainees in provincial jails during that last quarter of the CBSA’s fiscal year 2022 – 2023 were in Ontario, British Columbia, and Quebec. At that time, Quebec was holding 477 detainees, Ontario 744, and British Columbia 390.
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“Our detention applies across the entire immigration spectrum. It’s not just refugees. It’s not just people applying for asylum. It’s anybody in the immigration continuum,” CBSA vice-president of intelligence and enforcement Aaron McCrorie reportedly told CBC News earlier this year.
“We do not detain asylum seekers at all unless we don’t know who they are, unless they pose a risk to the public.”
Most Detainees Considered Unlikely To Appear
Grounds for detention
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Danger to the public
7
7
12
15
Examination
98
85
75
178
Identity
68
140
154
112
Security certificate
0
0
0
0
Suspected inadmissibility on grounds of human/international rights violation
1
0
0
0
Suspected inadmissibility on grounds of security
2
1
4
2
Suspected inadmissibility on grounds of serious criminality / criminality / organized criminality
31
40
45
32
Unlikely to appear / danger to the public
90
104
152
168
Unlikely to appear
1,102
1,065
1,175
1,161
British Columbia became the first Canadian province to take steps to stop the practice of housing migrants in provincial jails for the CBSA in 2022.
Amnesty International Called Holding Migrants In Provincial Jails Outrageous
Human rights activists had been calling on Ottawa to end the housing of IRPA detainees in provincial jails across Canada for years, saying the practice is both discriminatory and harmful.
Amnesty International reported one person died in immigration detention on Dec 25, 2022.
Under the IRPA, migrants can be and are kept in these provincial jails across Canada even when they are not accused of a crime.
That led Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International to team up to fight the detention of newcomers in provincial jails across Canada through the #WelcometoCanada campaign.
These people were held in small spaces and were under constant surveillance and, in provincial jails, many are confined in dangerous environments where they might be subjected to violence, the campaign claims.
“It’s extremely shocking, it’s even outrageous that we can treat human beings this way in a country like Canada,” France-Isabelle Langlois, executive director of Amnesty International Canada’s francophone branch, reportedly told the CBC.
Prince Edward Island has conducted a new provincial draw, issuing invitations to apply to 85 skilled worker and entrepreneur Canada immigration candidates.
PEI launched its Expression of Interest system at the start of 2018, and has made monthly draws ever since, with some disruption due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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PEI issued 2,423 invites in 2023, up from 1,853 during 2022.
Of the 2023 invites, 2,359 went to Labour Impact and Express Entry candidates, with the remaining 64 going to Business Impact candidates.
Prince Edward Island Express Entry Stream
PEI’s Express Entry category operates by considering candidates already in the federal Express Entry Pool for a provincial nomination.
The PEI Express Entry Category features two pathways to Canadian permanent residence, one for candidates with a job offer and one for those without.
Prince Edward Island Labour Impact Category
1) Skilled Worker Stream
This employer driven stream allows skilled workers with an employment offer in PEI to be nominated for Canadian Permanent residence if they meet the following criteria:
A full time employment offer from a Prince Edward Island business in an occupation classified as TEER category 0, 1, 2 or 3 of the National Occupational Classification (NOC);
Completion of a post-secondary education, with a minimum of 14 years of formal education;
Between 21 and 55 years of age;
At least 2 years of full time work experience in the past 5 years;
Sufficient proficiency in English or French to occupy the employment offered;
Sufficient settlement funds;
Demonstrated intention to settle in Prince Edward Island.
2) Critical Worker Stream
This category is designed to resolve labour shortages and is open to foreign workers already in PEI with employment in specific critical demand occupations. The primary criteria for nomination are:
A full time offer of employment from a Prince Edward Island business in one of the following occupations:
Truck driver;
Customer service representative;
Labourer;
Food & beverage server;
Housekeeping attendant.
6 months of work experience with the Prince Edward Island business offering employment;
Current valid Canadian work permit;
High school diploma and minimum of 12 years of formal education;
Between 21 and 55 years of age;
At least 2 years of full-time work experience in the past 5 years;
Demonstrate basic proficiency in English or French language;
Sufficient settlement funds;
Demonstrated intention to settle in Prince Edward Island.
Prince Edward Island Business Impact Category
Work Permit Stream
Individuals applying under the P.E.I. Work Permit Stream must obtain a Canadian work permit and work for a P.E.I. business for a certain amount of time as designated in a Performance Agreement.
After the Performance Agreement is fulfilled, the applicant must make a minimum $150,000 investment in the business and commit to managing the business on a daily basis from within P.E.I.
Previously, Prince Edward Island operated direct permanent residence business streams, but these were closed in September 2018 over immigration fraud concerns.
Ontario has issued 2,281 invitations targeting tech occupations for Canada immigration in a new draw through its Express Entry Human Capital Priorities stream.
The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) draw took place on March 21 and invited candidates with Comprehensive Ranking System scores between 468 and 480.
The draw targeted the following occupations:
NOC 20012 – Computer and information systems managers
NOC 21211 – Data Scientists
NOC 21220 – Cybersecurity specialists
NOC 21221 – Business systems specialists
NOC 21222 – Information systems specialists
NOC 21223 – Database analysts and data administrators
NOC 21230 – Computer systems developers and programmers
NOC 21231 – Software engineers and designers
NOC 21232 – Software developers and programmers
NOC 21233 – Web designers
NOC 21234 – Web developers and programmers
NOC 21311 – Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers)
NOC 22220 – Computer network technicians
NOC 22221 – User support technicians
NOC 22222 – Information systems testing technicians
Candidates selected from the Express Entry pool receive a Notification of Interest via their Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) account.
They then have 45 days to submit a full application.
What Are The Requirements For the Ontario Express Entry: Human Capital Priorities Stream?
To qualify applicants must have:
Ongoing profile under the Federal Express Entry system and be qualified for either the FSWP or the CEC.
Hold a minimum of 1 year of full-time, or full-time equivalent work experience under NOC TEER Category 0, 1, 2 or 3 in the past five years if applying under the FSWP or in the past three years if applying under CEC.
Hold the equivalent of a Canadian bachelor degree or higher.
Show language proficiency of minimum CLB/NCLC level 7 in English or in French.
Intention to reside in the province of Ontario.
Residing with legal status in Canada, if applicable.
Proof of required settlement funds.
Minimum Express Entry Comprehensive Ranking System score as determined by director under periodic draws.
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.
Statistics Canada figures show the number of jobs up for grabs in Canada fell for the sixth consecutive quarter as last year came to an end with more workers landing paying jobs.
“Job vacancies fell by 25,400, down 3.6 per cent to 678,500, in the fourth quarter of 2023, marking the sixth straight quarterly decline from the record high reached in the second quarter of 2022,” reports the statistical and demographic services agency.
Halfway through 2022, there were a record 983,600 job vacancies in Canada, a situation which put pressure on employers to hike wages.
Since then, the rate of pay increases has slowed down.
Although the average offered hourly wage for vacant positions rose by 6.4 per cent to $26.50 in the fourth quarter of last year, that’s not as much a reflection of pay raises for individual jobs as it is of a shift in the type of jobs now being offered by employers.
“Recent increases in average offered hourly wages for vacant positions were partly due to a shift in the relative composition of job vacancies from lower- to higher-offered-wage occupations,” reports Statistics Canada.
“Using a method that holds the composition of job vacancies by occupation at the fourth quarter of 2022 average, offered hourly wages grew by 4.3 per cent on a year-over-year basis in the fourth quarter of 2023, up from 3.5 per cent in the third quarter, and from three per cent in the second quarter.”
Canada’s job vacancy rate, the number of vacant positions as a proportion of total labour demand, fell a tenth of a percentage point to 3.8 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2023, the lowest it has been since the first quarter of 2021.
Across the country, job vacancies fell in five of the 10 Canadian provinces in the fourth quarter of last year.
Five Provinces Saw Job Vacancies Fall In Q4 Of 2023
Prince Edward Island saw job vacancies fall 18.5 per cent to 2,400. Nova Scotia recorded a 10 per cent drop to 15,900. Ontario lost 6.4 per cent of its job vacancies, bringing them to 230,700. Alberta’s job vacancies fell 4.4 per cent to 81,600. And Quebec’s job vacancies nudged down 2.5 per cent to 164,600.
Ontario did see an uptick in some parts of the province, including the Stratford–Bruce Peninsula and the northwest but bigger declines in Toronto and Ottawa drove the overall decline in the province.
“The number of job vacancies was little changed in the other five provinces in the fourth quarter,” reports Statistics Canada. “Year over year, job vacancies fell in nine provinces and were little changed in Newfoundland and Labrador.”
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Sales and service occupations, the manufacturing and utilities sector, and natural resources, agriculture and related production jobs bore the brunt of the downturn in job vacancies in the fourth quarter of last year.
“The year-over-year drop in sales and service occupations in the fourth quarter was driven by declines in vacancies for food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupations … retail salespersons and visual merchandisers … and cooks,” notes Statistics Canada.
The healthcare sector saw little change in its labour market situation in the fourth quarter with employers still desperate for nurses and nurse aides and orderlies.
In the fourth quarter of 2023, the number of vacant positions within health occupations continued to be the highest for registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses at 28,700, nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates at 20,900, and licensed practical nurses at 13,300,” reports Statistics Canada.
Most Job Vacancies In Healthcare Sector Are For Nurses, Nurse Aides And Orderlies
“Together, these three occupations accounted for 70 per cent of the total vacancies in health occupations,” notes Statistics Canada.
In the manufacturing sector, the number of available jobs fell by another 4,700 in the fourth quarter, bringing the drop in job vacancies to 48.7 per cent year over year.
“The largest year-over-year declines in the number of job vacancies were in labourers in food and beverage processing occupations … and process control and machine operators, food and beverage processing occupations,” reports Statistics Canada.
As the workplace demands increasingly-higher levels of education from employees, those with only a high school diploma or less are seeing opportunities dry up the fastest.
“Positions requiring a high school diploma or less, which are down by 31.1 per cent … saw the largest year-over-year decline in vacancies,” notes Statistics Canada.
“In comparison, the number of vacancies for positions requiring a bachelor’s degree or higher fell 16.1 per cent … over the same period.”
In the fourth quarter of last year, the average offered hourly wage for job vacancies requiring a bachelor’s degree or higher was $40.50, almost twice that for vacancies requiring a high school diploma or less at $20.75.Foreign nationals can gain their permanent residency in Canada by immigrating through the country’s many economic immigration programs.
PNPs Offer Route To Economic Immigration For Skilled Workers
Candidates’ profiles then are ranked against each other according to a points-based system called the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). The highest-ranked candidates will be considered for an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence. Those receiving an ITA must quickly submit a full application and pay processing fees, within a delay of 90-days.
Through a network of Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP), almost all of Canada’s ten provinces and three territories can also nominate skilled worker candidates for admission to Canada when they have the specific skills required by local economies. Successful candidates who receive a provincial or territorial nomination can then apply for Canadian permanent residence through federal immigration authorities.
The Global Talent Stream (GTS), a part of the TFWP, can under normal processing situations lead to the granting of Canadian work permits and processing of visa applications within two weeks.
Points are awarded based on the following attributes:
Level and field of education and where they completed their studies.
Proficiency in English or French.
Intention to settle outside of the Greater Toronto Area.
Skill and work experience level, earnings history, other factors relevant to prospects in Ontario job market.
Labour market needs in the province or region of the province.
Masters Graduate Stream
This stream offers an opportunity to obtain permanent residence to international students who obtained a masters degree in Ontario without requiring a job offer.
To be eligible to apply, a candidate must meet the following criteria:
Graduated from a Master’s degree program from an eligible institution in Ontario, that was at least one-year full-time.
Obtained minimum language CLB/NCLC level 7 or above in English or in French.
Resided legally in Ontario for at least one year in the last two.
Have sufficient settlement funds.
Intend to live and work in Ontario.
Must have legal status in Ontario or abroad.
Applications from elsewhere in Canada will not be accepted.
Application must be submitted within two years of completing the requirements to graduate from the master’s degree.
PhD Graduate Stream
This stream offers international students an opportunity to become a permanent resident for who hold a PhD degree from Ontario without requiring a job offer.
To be eligible to apply, a candidate must meet the following criteria:
Graduated from a PhD degree program in an eligible institution in Ontario, and have completed at least two-years full-time.
Resided legally in Ontario for at least one year in the last two.
Have sufficient settlement funds.
Intend to live and work in Ontario.
Application must be submitted within two years of completing the requirements to graduate from the PhD degree.
British Columbia is introducing three new streams – the Bachelor’s stream, the Master’s stream, and the Doctorate stream – in an update to the BC Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) in January, replacing the current International Graduate and International Post-Graduate Streams.
The updates are being made so that prospective applicants will be made aware of the level of education and language skills they will need to have a chance of being nominated up-front.
Newcomers with higher education and language skills in French or English strengthen B.C.’s economy by being more likely to be successful at work, earning a higher income and staying in jobs that B.C. needs to fill.
The updates, according to the Ministry, are also in alignment with the new measures from the Ministry of Post-secondary Education and Future Skills to protect international students from predatory institutions and recruitment officers.
The Bachelor’s Stream: This stream will be for recent graduates with bachelor’s degrees from eligible post-secondary institutions. Graduates with an indeterminate full-time job offer can register for this stream.
The Master’s Stream: This stream will be for recent graduates with master’s degrees from eligible post-secondary institutions, in any field of study. Graduates with a minimum one-year full-time job offer in a skilled occupation can register for this stream.
The Doctorate Stream: This will be for graduates and candidates of doctoral level programs from eligible post-secondary institutions. Graduates and PhD candidates can apply directly to this stream.
Students who complete diploma or certificate programs in Canada (who will not be eligible for these new graduate streams) can still qualify for other BC PNP streams.
The minimum language proficiency level will be upped program-wide, except for the Health Authority stream, which has already undergone adjustment.
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A minimum Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 8 is currently planned for the new graduate streams.
The changes are aimed at achieving better outcomes for nominees and creating clearer pathways for them, BC said.
This will ensure that people identified by the BC PNP will be set up for career success, and that prospective applicants are less exposed to bad actors in the Canada immigration system that represent the BC PNP as an “easy pathway” to permanent residency.
The BC PNP is one of many immigration programs available for people who wish to come to BC.
It provides a pathway to Canada PR for international workers and entrepreneurs who bring the greatest benefit to the provincial economy.
A detailed summary of the updates detailed herein will be available in late 2024, and the criteria will be published in the BC PNP Skills Immigration Program Guide in January 2025.
