On April 14, 2021 it was announced by Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship that temporary workers in the healthcare sector as well as international graduates will be eligible for permanent residency through a new pathway. Up to 90,000 new permanent residents will be admitted under the following 3 streams:

– 20,000 applications for temporary workers in health care

– 30,000 applications for temporary workers in other selected essential occupations

– 40,000 applications for international students who graduated from a Canadian institution

The new pathway to permanent residency comes into effect on May 6, 2021 and will remain open until November 5, 2021 or until they have reached their limit. This new pathway comes as a result of the extended border closures and challenges in admitting new permanent residents because of COVID-19. In addition, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada also states that this is a response to the extraordinary contributions that foreign workers have made to Canada throughout the pandemic.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible, workers must have at least 1 year of Canadian work experience in a health-care profession or another pre-approved essential occupation. What counts as a health-care profession includes many different positions from physicians and nurses to social workers and counsellors. Pre-approved essential occupations include positions such as cashiers and service station attendants to ironworkers, transport truck drivers and other positions within the trades.Follow the links provided to see if your job might make you eligible

To be eligible, international graduates must have completed an eligible Canadian post-secondary program within the last 4 years, and no earlier than January 2017. Further details regarding eligibility requirements for international graduates can be found here.

E&T Legal is here to help

If you are a healthcare worker in Canada or an international graduate, you may be eligible for permanent residency through this new pathway. E&T Legal has the experience and knowledge to help guide you through this process.

Get started by contacting our office here.

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