Blockbuster news! Canada is about to issue a maple leaf card again!
According to the English-language toronto Star, the Canadian federal government is developing a plan to address the "underground economy" and allow undocumented workers, commonly known as "black workers," to obtain permanent residency.
Image source: Toronto Star
This will be a turning point for some of Canada's 500,000 undocumented residents. Many people work in precarious and often exploitative jobs in areas such as construction, cleaning, caregiving, food processing, and agriculture. Once this plan is executed, it means that these people will be able to obtain a PR card.
Moreover, these undocumented residents face a range of difficulties, including poor physical and mental health due to social isolation and abusive working conditions.
At present, it is unclear how many undocumented workers can obtain permanent residency under the new program.
Image source: CTV News
According to earlier reports, as early as June this year, Canadian Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said that the federal government is working on plans to help Canadian residents with temporary permits accelerate their transition to permanent residents. "We are looking for ways to create permanent access for temporary residents."
Aidan Strickland, press secretary for Canada's immigration minister, Sean Fraser, did not answer specific questions about the regularization program.
But Strickland said the government was considering "inclusive" measures to help these undocumented workers after a series of "bold and innovative" programs that enabled 90,000 temporary workers and international students to gain permanent residency during the pandemic.
Source: CBC News
According to a report by Statistics Canada, the number of temporary foreign workers in the country jumped from 66,000 in 2000 to 429,000 in 2018, an increase of 550 per cent. The study also found that more and more permanent residents are standing out from those in Canada who hold temporary work permits.
Sheila Block, a senior economist at the Ontario office of Canada's Policy Alternative Centre, said it would affect the entire labor market.
Sheila Block notes that undocumented workers are more likely to suffer low wages, injuries or even deaths at work and have little ability to defend themselves. "It also depresses the wages and working conditions of other low-wage workers, because someone will accept the job for less money and more insecure conditions."
In fact, as early as 2020, the government and the Canadian Labor Conference (CLC) launched a small-scale program to grant permanent residency to 500 undocumented construction workers, mainly in GTAs.
Immigration Canada has a serious backlog
Speaking in Vancouver recently, Canada's Immigration Minister Sean Fraser spoke about the ongoing work of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to reduce the backlog of applications, improve the customer experience and address labor shortages.
The IRCC welcomed 405,000 new permanent residents in 2021 and aims to be 431,000 in 2022 under the Immigration Levels Program. Between 1 January and 31 July 2022, 275,000 new migrants arrived, and 349,000 new work permits were issued during the same period, including 220,000 open work permits (OVPs).
Source: CIC News
At the same time, applications for study permits have also increased, with 360,000 study permits issued to date, an increase of 31% over the total number of study permits issued in the same period in 2021.
During the pandemic, the backlog of IRCC almost tripled. The latest IRCC data obtained by CIC News shows a backlog of nearly 2.7 million applications in mid-July. As of July 31, the backlog of applications had fallen to 2.4 million.
According to the IRCC's official website, 639,500 applications for permanent residence are currently being processed, 47% of which meet its service standards. At the same time, of the approximately 1.4 million applications for temporary residence, 41% met the service standards. Of the approximately 379,000 citizenship applications heard, about 65 percent met IRCC's service standards.
Canada's Immigration Minister Announces Update to Immigration System: Domestic Applicants Are Exempt from Medical Examination!
On September 1, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser introduced a new online service to Canada's immigration system aimed at improving the customer experience and reducing backlogs.
Source: CIC News
To reduce waiting times, Fraser is waiving the immigration medical examination requirements for applicants already in Canada for permanent and temporary residency. This measure is only for people who meet certain criteria. The press release did not specify the criteria or when the measure would enter into force.
The IRCC expects it to affect about 180,000 new immigrants.
Canada previously waived the medical examination requirement between June 2021 and March 2022.
IrCC will begin the transition to 100% digital applications for most permanent residency programs on September 23.
The USCIS has pledged to digitize immigration applications in January this year. The IRCC previously said in an email that it expects online applications to be fully implemented in the spring or summer of 2022.
By spring 2023, another 7 permanent and temporary residency programs will have trackers for application status inquiries, such as those launched in February for spouse, partner and child sponsorship applicants. In addition, IRCC is improving its online working time tool to provide more accurate information.
In August 2021, IRCC launched a tool that allows applications for certain citizens to be submitted online. The tool is open and allows groups of adults aged 18 and over to apply together. IRCC intends to expand this tool by the end of the year to provide online applications for adults under the age of 18.