Canada's immigration system for high-skilled workers is so overwhelmed, that the government is suspending new invitations even amid labour shortages. This is mainly because the department simply can't process applications fast enough, a briefing document shows.
Immigration attorney Steven Meurrens, obtained the document and provided it to the National Post. In the memo, department officials outlined that an "estimated 76,000" applicants are on the federal list of high-skilled workers, which turns out to be more than the government needs to meet its 2023 target. Canada's immigration programs come in a number of different categories, including skilled worker, provincial nominee, family reunification and refugee. The government continues to process applicants nominated by the provinces, but other economic immigration has stalled since last fall.
Applications for highly skilled workers from overseas have been on hold since September 2021, as the travel ban came into effect. However, the government still managed to achieve record immigration targets last year. This was done mainly by inviting people who already held temporary permits in Canada or they were students who were going to become permanent, through the new Temporary Resident to Permanent Resident Program (TR2PR) resident.
Conservative MP Jasraj Singh Hallan, the party’s immigration critic, said the delays are unacceptable.
“The massive backlog the Liberal government has created at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is not only hurting hard-working newcomers, families, immigrants and business owners, it also threatens billions of dollars of much-needed economic growth in Canada.”
While there are many Canadian employers desperate for skilled workers, especially industry sectors like construction, it’s believed the crisis will be diverted and the CIC will be able to process all applications as soon as possible.
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