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Statistics Canada: CEC and PNP immigrants are better in Canadian job market

According to a study conducted by Statistics Canada & IRCC, CEC  and PNP immigrants are fare better than FSWP and QSWP in the job market as they have an edge due to Canadian work experience and pre-arranged employment from working as temporary foreign workers before obtaining permanent residency in Canada.

Economic immigration consists of numerous programs, including the Federal Skilled Worker program (FSWP), Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) and Canadian Experience Class (CEC). These programs help to select permanent residents based on the candidate’s potential ability to perform in the labour market. These programs are administered differently, have separate processes and selection criteria. During the initial years after immigration CEC and PNP immigrants have higher employment rates and earnings than FSWP immigrants although after five years of immigration PNP immigrants have lower earnings than CEC or FSWP immigrants.

Reason why PNP and CEC candidates fair better in Canadian job market?

The temporary foreign workers get a taste of real life in Canada before committing themselves and their families towards moving to Canada permanently by uprooting their lives in their home countries. This helps them to acclimatize in Canadian culture and perform better than other economic immigrants in the country.

In addition, immigrants with Canadian experience have significant benefits in labour market outcomes over immigrants without Canadian work experience, especially when it comes to high earning positions as many temporary foreign workers were international students in Canada who obtained a Post-Graduate Work Permit (PGWP) and have lived in the country for quite a few years before becoming a permanent resident. During this time, they not only improve their language proficiency but also develop the skills the Canadian employers are looking for.

The benefits of studying in Canada are endless, including obtaining a high-quality education, gaining Canadian work experience as well as having improved outcomes after becoming permanent residents of Canada as opposed to candidates from FSWP or QSWP. This is evident as 93% of immigrants selected from the PNP and 95% of immigrants selected from the CEC found employment in the first full year after becoming Canadian permanent residents, while only 80% for candidates under FSWP were employed for the first full year.

After becoming permanent residents in the first full year CEC immigrants earned 56 per cent more than FSWP candidates and this gap diminished over time as in the fifth year CEC immigrants earned 30% more than FSWP  immigrants. Similarly, PNP immigrants also earned higher than FSWP in the first year while by the fifth year their earnings substantially decreased. This is because PNP immigrants tend to have slow earnings growth as they are more likely to be selected for low-skilled or medium-skilled jobs. Nevertheless, FSWP immigrants easily get integrated into the Canadian labour market as they possess essential traits such as high language proficiency and education levels.

Labour market outcomes of Canadian work experience as opposed to pre-arranged jobs

Pre-arranged employment and work experience are among the valuable assets for new immigrants as both are considered as an essential criterion in Canada’s Express Entry system of economic immigration selection. On one hand, pre-arranged employment reflects the employer’s preference more clearly than Canadian work experience. On the other hand, Canadian work experience can better capture the recognized market values of skills than pre-arranged employment.

During the first two years after becoming permanent residents, immigrants with pre-arranged jobs earned 15% more than those without as they had comparative higher income in Canada before becoming permanent residents which is almost double of what immigrants with Canadian work experience earn. Even under Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) immigration applicants who have a pre-arranged job offer avail 50 to 200 additional points depending on the NOC and seniority of the position offered.

To conclude, prior to immigration, Canadian work experience is a better predictor of immigrant earnings after becoming permanent residents as opposed to having a pre-arranged job.

Canada : Life Science leadership during COVID-19 pandemic

COVID-19 has disrupted the world and has slowed down the global economy. Canadian government has done a commendable job by focusing on COVID-19 containment and immediate relief by collaborating with health organizations and other authorities. IRCC has stated that Canada’s priority has been one of protection and preparation: protecting people’s health and safety while preparing business for a smooth transition to recovery. This successful response to coronavirus has showcased the strong relation among life science and professional health care management in the country.

The Canadian life sciences sector is a vital contributor to Canada’s innovation economy, and one of the country’s fastest growing industries participating towards medical innovations that will enhance the health-care delivery and patient care in Canada and around the globe. This Canadian sector comprises occupations within research, development, and manufacturing. This sector includes small and medium-sized companies developing diagnostics, bio pharmaceuticals, pharmaceuticals, and medical appliances, as well as international companies with research, development, and production operations in Canada, serving both domestic and international markets.

British Columbia has one of the largest bio technologies and life sciences sectors in Canada. The province plays an important role in the growing global life sciences industry. There are 310 life sciences organizations in British Columbia with estimated employment of 14,000 people contributing $1.03 billion to provincial GDP growth. The BC life sciences sector includes a broad range of companies, government agencies, healthcare research organizations and academic partners.

In parallel with Canadian government initiatives, there are various companies contributing towards development of products and services to curb COVID-19 pandemic. Some of these companies are:

Thornhill Medical is a medical device innovator company based in Toronto. This company has been producing and delivering revolutionary portable ventilator systems in large quantities to health care facilities across Canada.

Roche is a global company pioneering in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics of advanced science. They are the world’s largest biotech company focused on personalized healthcare. This company created a COVID-19 antibody test which will help determine if a patient has been exposed to coronavirus and if the patient has developed antibodies. This test is supporting the country’s economic recovery and is recognized as a significant contributor to Canada’s testing capability.

Hexoskin is a smart shirt company based in Montreal. Since the advent of the coronavirus pandemic this company has been working with the government and health systems in the US, UK, and Canada to support health care services. They have been successful in developing a high-tech shirt that monitors COVID-19 patient’s vital signs from the comfort of their home. Hexoskin supports hospitals by freeing up space and easing the burden on staff via installing patient-monitoring systems in hospitals and setting up own telehealth teams.

Medicago is a company rooted with a long track record of innovation and perseverance. They are situated in Quebec and have successfully created a nominee for a coronavirus vaccine using their innovative plant-based technology. They were the pioneer in Canadian clinical trials of any COVID-19 vaccine.

Sona Nanotech Inc. is a medical device company based in Halifax. Sona has been awarded a $4.1 Million grant by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as per the NGen Initiative to accelerate COVID-19 test development. They are creating a ground-breaking antigen test to detect the presence of COVID-19 beforehand, rather than detecting antibodies after infection which can be used at point of care and deliver results in as little as 10 minutes.

Quantum Silicon Inc. is an Alberta based company, applying nanotechnology in electronics to develop faster and more energy-efficient technologies by manipulating matter at the atomic scale. Their CEO states the importance of government incentives in building a stronger industry.

Although there are hundreds of jobs available in the Canadian life science sector, Canada is struggling to meet labour demand needs and requires highly skilled foreign individuals and innovative entrepreneurs in search of investment opportunities or ways to expand their existing business abroad.

Canadian government is trying to help bridge the labour gap by providing pathways for skilled foreign workers to live and work in Canada. Two of these pathways include the Express Entry System and the Provincial Nominee Programs which not only made the immigration process easier but also fast-tracks the visa process, allowing newcomers to immigrate to Canada with their families in as little as 6 months.

Incentives provided by the Government

The government implemented various incentives to support Life science development in Canada, such as:

  • Canada’s Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF), which provides funding to large projects with an objective to stimulate innovation for a better tomorrow in Canada. SIF brought forward projects to fight against COVID-19 and this program was expanded by additional funding to support the clinical trials for COVID-19 related vaccines and therapies.
  • The Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED), which gives tax credits and refunds to eligible companies in Canada and is the country’s largest R&D tax credit program. Some examples include operations research, data collection, engineering, testing, psychological research, or design.
  • The Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI), which funds research in universities, colleges, research hospitals and non-profit research institutions.
  • Genome Canada, which is responsible for providing large scale investment to help develop new tech and create solutions to challenges faced on a national scale.
  • Mitacs is a non-profit research organisation that funds technology-specific internships and fellowships through Canadian universities by partnering with Canadian academia, private industry, and the government.
  • Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), a funding agency supporting innovative improvements in the health care sector.
  • Canada Brain Fund (CRF), which supports and funds Canadian brain science.

Along with these strategies, comes the Global Skills Strategy, which allows Canada to enrich its skilled workforce by bringing in highly skilled individuals from abroad. This strategy was developed by IRCC to help employers find highly skilled workers faster and bring them to the country within 2 weeks.

The Start-up Visa Program gives foreign investors the opportunity to start or invest in a business anywhere in Canada. Through this program applicants are also able to get permanent residency in Canada, provided they meet government requirements.

Canada is an ideal place for nanotech companies to invest and expand as life science sector is supported by a booming group of academia, world-class talent, government support and investors from around the world. Innovation in life sciences requires a collaborative ecosystem of partners such as hospitals, research centres, universities, technology incubators, start-ups, scientists as well as multinationals – and every day they are collaborating in Canada.

Canada’s life sciences businesses are among the most lucrative sectors where companies with global footprint are investing. This is because Canada offers a qualified workforce and is globally rated at the top for having the most educated workforce in the world, with over 55 per cent of its population possessing a tertiary qualification. Along with this Canada is the only country in the world, able to trade freely with every G7 nation. This free trade boosts opportunities to increase investment revenue by offering preferential market access to more than 1.5 billion consumers in 51 countries.

Common Canadian immigration mistakes

Many immigration applications are refused every year because of common mistakes in the application. More than 3,000,00 people migrate to Canada every year, regardless of the reason whether they choose to immigrate for better education, job opportunities or better quality of life, they need to be cautious while filing their application as it will determine the success of the application and eventually probability of their future in Canada.

Canada has many immigration programs, each different set of rules, regulations, and assessment criteria. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) facilitates the arrival of immigrants to Canada and provides clarity with reference to immigration program requirements. Despite the transparency, it is evident that applicants make mistakes which result in application rejection or return.

Most common mistakes made by applicants for their Canadian immigration application:

Mistakes in gathering documents

Proper documentation plays an important role in immigration process. With many documents to be submitted in the application, it takes a lot of attention to detail to avoid mistake of forgetting some necessary documentation/information or missing the deadline. Document collection requires good organization skills and attention to detail regarding deadline and criteria. A simple mistake and unmentioned details in the documents can delay the application process. All information you provide in your immigration process to Canada must be accompanied by evidence, which includes income tax, payment receipts, proof of employment, marriage and birth certificates, passports, school transcripts and many more. All information provided at the express entry profile stage for the purpose of generating a CRS score is self-reported and must be supported with appropriate documentation from the applicant at the application stage or the application could be refused.

The documents which are not in Canada’s official language (English or French) must be translated by a certified translator before being sent to the IRCC.

In paper-based applications, applicants have an option of sending copies of the required documents, but sometimes an original document (e.g. Police Clearance Certificate, IELTS or CELPIP certificate etc.) and a certified copy is required.

Insufficient language test scores

Proof of language proficiency in English or French is required by various permanent and temporary residency programs. Language proficiency is defined according to the Canadian Level Benchmark (CLB) system. The applicants are assessed for proof of language ability under reading, writing, speaking, listening, or a combination of the four. The candidates must meet minimum CLB levels in all language abilities being evaluated for a program. Depending on the immigration program (e.g. Study Visa, Work Visa, Provincial Nomination Programs, Permanent Residency Visa etc.), different standardized tests (General or Academic) are accepted as a language aptitude verification.

Language requirements for specific program must be double checked and make sure that you meet or exceed the minimum levels in each language ability. Language test results (IELTS or CELPIP) are valid only for two years. You must assure that language test results are valid throughout the application process especially after submitting the electronic application for permanent residency.

Language tests results that have expired will trigger the rejection of the profile from the Express Entry pool. The candidate will be informed by a letter sent to his/her MyCIC account. Once the profile is rejected/expired, the candidate needs to create a new profile from the start.

You should be aware of when the language test results will expire and should make necessary arrangements to re-take the test and update the Express Entry profile with new test results, as required.

Police Certificate is not as per IRCC guidelines

Applicant and his/her family members (18 or older) need to provide a police certificate in their permanent residency application. Police certificate is required from every country where the applicant or family member stayed during the last 10 years for 6 months or more in a row. Police certificates are different in each country and territory. They may be called police clearance certificates, good conduct certificates, judicial record extracts or may have other names.

If police certificate is in a language other than English or French, provide the original police certificate along with a translation from a certified translator. If you are unable to get a police certificate from a country you should write a letter explaining all the efforts you have taken to get one, and also include proof that you requested a police certificate from the correct authorities.

For an example, applicants applying for permanent residency and had lived in Australia need to provide Australian National Police Certificate (Standard Disclosure – name check only), traffic history (if lived in Queensland) and full licence history search (if lived in Victoria). It is advisable to apply at embassy or consulate for obtaining police certificate of home country.

Not proving intention to reside outside of Quebec

As a Canadian permanent resident, your right to live and work anywhere in Canada is protected under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. However, you should ideally apply for a Quebec immigration program if you are currently living or working in Quebec and intend to stay in Quebec after the successful completion of your immigration application.

If you are currently living and working in Quebec and applying for permanent residency through federal program, you should state a sworn declaration of your intent to reside outside of Quebec after the successful completion of your immigration application. You can also provide a detailed explanation to the officer with documentary evidences (e.g. proof of family ties, job offer, letter of acceptance for higher studies etc.)  that although you may be working or living in Quebec now, upon approval of your immigration application, you will move outside the province of Quebec.

Employment letter do not meet requirements

Employment letter is an important document required in various immigration programs to demonstrate work experience. The reference letter must include position held, hours, salary and working conditions, description of job duties, employer’s signature and must be printed on company letterhead along with company information such as address and contact information. Non-detailed or missing information in an employment letter may result in it not being recognized as a proof of work experience.

The companies/employers usually have their own set of templates/standards for issuing experience/reference letter and may not complying with immigration requirements. Providing a basic template to the employer/company outlining the requirements can also help. In case, your employer/company is not able to issue the job letter meeting all requirements because of their standards and/or policies, you may still use the same document. However, you should state a sworn declaration describing all circumstances and include a reference letter from co-worker/supervisor/manager.

Listing ineligible dependents

The principal applicant can list dependents as only spouses, common-law partners, and/or eligible biological or legally adopted children for their Canadian permanent residency applications. Parents and siblings are not considered as legal dependents of the candidate. The mistake of including them in the application may slow down the immigration process.

Make sure that only your eligible dependents are listed as dependents in the application.

Inconsistencies in personal history

Individuals are required to list a detailed travel history, personal history, employment history, and/or educational history for applications like permanent residency and temporary residency. The history should not account for any gaps with unexplained details, no matter the length of the gap.

You should also include short vacations/travels under travel history section. For personal history, periods of time when you were unemployed or were applying for higher studies should still be accounted for. You should make sure that dates align properly with no overlapping.

Less than one year of continuous full-time experience

Most of the federal immigration programs for permanent residency require to have at least one year of skilled full-time or equivalent work experience in last 3 or 10 years. Experience that does not fall under NOC 0, A, or B, will not be considered and the application will be eventually refused. Caution must be taken while indicating a primary NOC code on your Express Entry profile.

It is advisable to indicate only the primary NOC code that you can prove you have at least one year (full-time or equivalent) of skilled experience in last 3 or 10 years. Points are awarded for skilled work experience and therefore, experience gained in different NOC’s can also be considered. Primary NOC code does not affect the employment prospects in Canada. Once you are a Canadian permanent resident, you are free to work in any position or industry you wish.

Misrepresentation

Presenting incorrect or misleading information to the Canadian government may lead to delay in application or even cause it to be rejected. Applicant could also be barred from applying for Canadian immigration for several years. So be extremely careful with providing information and documents.

It is advisable to be honest about the details of your application, including employment history and any medical or criminality issues with the principle applicant or accompanying family members. Not all the medical or criminal issues are a barrier for Canadian immigration. If you are not sure about mentioning these issues, you can consult with a professional or simply list anything of concern and leave it to the discretion of the visa officer.

Believing express entry is the only solution

According to the candidate’s immigration objective and profile, there are many ways to migrate to Canada. This includes not only Express Entry programs but also Provincial Nomination Programs, global stream, start-up visa, and family sponsorship, business class, self employed, humanitarian and compassionate programs.

It is of utmost importance to determine the right program according to your immigration needs.

Not planning ahead

Immigration process is not quick and easy. It requires thorough research and expertise for meeting the criteria set by the Canadian Government. Applicants should plan well ahead and collect necessary documents like proof of work experience, educational transcripts, proof of funds and their translations, an English proficiency test score, educational credential assessment, a document that validates your diploma and its equivalence in Canada.

The best time to apply for Canadian immigration is once you qualify and meet the requirements. Do not wait too long to put your plan to immigrate to Canada in action as age is one of the factors that influences your points under express entry, and in addition, language proficiency, educational credential assessment, and other documents have an expiration date.

Disobeying conditions of the permit or immigration status

Whether you are a visitor, worker, or student, you should be aware about the conditions described in your status/permit. Disobeying the conditions (e.g. stay longer than allowed, or work or study without the proper permits) on the permit/status might lead to grounds for rejection, inadmissible and/or invalidation of the permit/status.

International students can only work part-time (20 h per week) during their full-time studies (Government’s current temporary policy allows students to work full-time who are working in essential occupation/services). An employer specific or LMIA based work permit allows only to work with the employer(s) mentioned on their work permit.

Dismissing the help of professional

To minimize mistakes like those above, many individuals choose to hire a representative to assist them with their application. Candidates should be vigilant and keep a check that the representative chosen must be a lawyer or immigration consultant authorized by the government to assist Canadian immigration applicants.

If you are looking for a representative, do not hesitate to ask for their professional credentials. An immigration lawyer must be registered with the law society in their province of residence and an Immigration Consultant by the ICCRC (Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulation Council).

Immigrating to Canada is exiting but, sometime may be a daunting process, filled with challenges and complexities. Canadian immigration is a life-changing opportunity for applicants and their families. The decision on most of the application is based on the information and/or documents provided during submission and therefore, it is of the utmost importance that applicants complete their immigration applications with due diligence and care. You should make your dream into reality by avoiding easy mistakes through attention to detail and careful planning.

Toronto becoming the fastest growing tech hub as immigrants choose Canada over the U.S.

Over the years, Toronto has proven it has more offer than its commercial and cultural attractions. It has quietly become the world’s fastest-growing destination for technology jobs, leveraging an immigration policy that is friendly to tech talent.

Silicon Valley has served as a global hub for technology and innovation in the past, but United States restrictive immigration laws are hampering its growth. While Canada’s immigration policy has especially been generous to high-skilled workers in technology.

Toronto and other parts of Canada have been feasting on tech talent as immigrants are diverting from the U.S. due to stringent immigration policies like temporary suspension of H1B1 Visa which facilitated immigration for thousands of skilled immigrant workers every year. Even during coronavirus outbreak, immigrants in the U.S. faced unusual threat to employment, where in the U.S. is closing doors for immigrants while Canada is attracting an impressive flow of technology jobs and investment.

Tech companies with global footprint are setting up hubs and expanding operations in Toronto. The number of tech jobs in Toronto has risen steeply with an increase of 54% from about 148,000 to 228,000 in the past since 2013. Toronto certainly displays compelling potential with its mix of talent, technology, and universities together with highly skilled immigrants possessing STEM degrees even before arrival into the country.

Canada’s evolution over the years as a fount of technology is mirrored by the growth of the Tech sector in Toronto, as nearly 40% or 350,000 Canadian tech workforce comprises immigrants along with 25% of immigrants in the overall workforce.

Immigrants are choosing Canada over the U.S. as these people work in the same time zone, get quick flight for travel, rely on generous Canadian laws, and benefit of Canadian dollar salaries. Canada is attempting to attract highly skilled foreign professionals through visa programs like the Global Talent Stream with fast processing time where you move to Canada as quickly as a month as well as provincial tech programs that offer an expedited immigration pathway for people with tech skills .

Expert talent, high-speed communication, industry-leading research, and development have made Toronto a global hub for IT.  This region has had the fastest growing tech talent pool out of all major North American tech hubs. Between 2,100 and 4,100 active tech start-ups are in the ecosystem, according to a TechToronto report, beating both New York and San Francisco combined. It has even been identified as “the new Silicon Valley”.

Toronto’s technology industry is growing, and it is drawing some of the world’s biggest and brightest technological minds to the city — and many are choosing to stay. Toronto houses numerous innovation centers, start-up accelerators and industry giants including Google, Twitter, and Microsoft. Here is a list of different sectors where plethora of Tech companies are contributing towards turning Toronto into technology epicenter.

Finance

Under this sector companies like FLYBITS are leading contextual customer experience platform for financial sector, retail sector, wealth management and insurance sector. Other companies focused on Fintech sector include SENSIBILL which facilitates a digital receipts ecosystem that allows customers to access receipts directly from their bank accounts which creates stronger relationships among customers and financial institutes.

Education

Company like TOP HAT are focused on Edtech sector, they create higher education teaching app that makes active learning come to life with real time classes. They engage and motivates learners with captivating virtual classroom features, interactive course content and built-in assessment capabilities, partnering with more than 750 universities across North America.

Health

This sector has one of the fastest growing start-ups in Canada, like CAREGUIDE and MAVENCARE which aims at bringing high quality care providers to matching families in need. Careguide matches care seeker sand care providers through websites like CanadianNanny.ca, HeartPayroll.com, Sitter.com, Housekeeper.com, PetSitter.com, ElderCare.com, HouseSitter.com. Other companies like THINK RESEARCH create healthcare software to empower clinics by integrating machine learning with expertise of physicians, pharmacists, nurses, and other medicine practitioners.

Software

Plethora of companies like ACHIEVERS, EVENTMOBI, TAPLYTICS, RUBIKLOUD TECHNOLOGIES, LOOPIO and INFLUITIVE are focused on providing exceptional services by driving profits of global brands with technological assistance and knowledge-based tools to manage big data along with integration with Internet of things and Industry 4.0

Automotive

TRADEREV facilitates an online automotive re marketing system where dealers can launch and participate in real-time vehicle auctions. This company was acquired by KAR Global in 2017 and aims to reinvent the auto industry with its revolutionary vehicle appraisal and auctioning system.

Home Electronics

Canadian home automation company like ECOBEE creates cost effective and energy conservative products like smart thermostats, temperature and occupancy sensors, smart light switches, smart cameras, and contact sensors. Consumers uses thermostat through built-in touchscreen, web portal, or app available for iOS, Android, and the Apple Watch.

Biotech

DEEP GENOMICS is a company working in biotech sector towards transforming AI, biology, and automation in medicine. They are primarily focused on development of oligonucleotide therapies targeting genetic determinants of diseases at RNA and DNA level.

Retail

Retail sector is not left untouched by technology, companies like TULIP are developing platforms to empower retailers by providing a modernize in-store experience for retailers with global footprint like Kate Spade, Bonobos and Saks Fifth Avenue. Another company focused on providing next generation shopping marketplace is FLIPP which empowers users and transforms retail brand businesses.

Expired COPR and PR visa holders may travel to Canada

Canada’s immigration department has issued new guidelines that allow individuals with expired Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) and Permanent Resident Visas to travel into the country. Immigration, Refugees & Citizenship Canada (IRCC) have issued different policies for holders of expired visas depending on whether they are traveling from the U.S. or other countries.

In order to qualify for the new guidelines, individuals outside the U.S. should have obtained their visa on or before March 18, while U.S. visa holders qualify irrespective of when they received their visa. Individuals intending to travel to Canada temporarily for optional or discretionary purposes, such as tourism, recreation and entertainment are not permitted under the exemptions. At the moment, only those individuals who wish to stay and settle as permanent residents in Canada are exempted from travel restrictions.

Group 1: Travelers from any country other than the U.S. with Valid COPR and PRV

The applicants who were issued COPR and PRV on or before March 18 fall under this category. They are exempted from travel restrictions, allowed to travel to Canada for non-discretionary reasons even with expired documentations and have to follow the mandatory 14-day quarantine plan.

Group 2: Travelers from the U.S. with Valid COPR and PRV

This group includes applicants from the U.S. who wish to travel to Canada for non-discretionary purposes; to settle and dwell in Canada. These travelers should have approved application status, with valid COPR and PRV, and should have an appropriate plan to quarantine for 14 days.

Group 3: Travelers from any other country other than the U.S. with Expired COPR and PRV

Group 3 comprises applicants who are ready to travel to Canada for permanent residence with possession of an expired COPR and PRV.  These applicants are required to contact IRCC using a web form where they need to provide expiry date of COPR and legitimate non-discretionary reasons for travel. Candidates will be directed to the suitable processing network after the web forms are received.

Group 4: Travelers from the U.S. with Expired COPR and PRV

This group consists of people travelling from the U.S. to Canada for non-discretionary reasons and wish to settle as permanent residents with expired COPR. The candidates need to submit a proof of approved application, and an acceptable quarantine plan for 14 days along with COPR and PRV documents.

Things to do for holders of expired COPR and PR visas

IRCC will prioritize clients with a detailed proposed or confirmed travel plan, or clients who show a willingness to book and confirm travel plans as soon as they are approved. Applicant and accompanying family member must meet the following eligibility criteria:

  • A valid COPR and PRV on or before March 18, 2020 and no specific date for U.S. based applicants or an expired COPR and PRV
  • A persuasive travel reason like need to tend to non-discretionary family matters, family reunification, need of immediate medical care, expiring status in the U.S. for economic reasons such as to support economic services and supply chains, critical infrastructure support
  • The country where you reside is not subject to exit controls that limit your ability to travel to Canada

Applicants should provide proof of the following:

  • An acceptable plan to quarantine for 14 days in Canada including proof of funds for purchasing groceries, medical care among other essential services;
  • An acceptable plan to settle such as documents to support your living situation in Canada (address, lease agreement, home ownership document) or employment plans in Canada (location of work, letter from employer);
  • A proposed travel itinerary, including pre-purchased travel tickets

Processing of new permanent residence applications 

New applications for permanent residence are currently accepted in Canada. New files with missing documents or are incomplete will be retained and reviewed within 90 days. Nevertheless, an explanation should be added to the application referencing service interruptions due to coronavirus-related travel restrictions if a new application lacks supporting documentation. If the explanation is vital, it may result in the application being promoted and reviewed within 90 days. New applications will be processed in the receiving order. normal procedures will be followed for new completed applications for permanent residence.