

These new immigration pathways were introduced via special public policies and aim to grant permanent status to temporary workers and international graduates who are in Canada and who possess the sought-after skills and experience needed to accelerate Canada’s economic recovery following the COVID 19 pandemic.
Within these announcements, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada published 4 special public policies, introducing these new pathways to Canadian permanent residence. These are:
To qualify under the new immigration programs targeting international students, applicants must demonstrate that they have the following:
In addition to the above criteria, all applicants (and dependent family members) must pass medical and criminal background checks and must not be inadmissible to Canada.
To qualify under the new immigration programs targeting essential occupations, applicants must demonstrate that they have the following:
In addition to the above criteria, all applicants (and dependent family members) must pass medical and criminal background checks and must not be inadmissible to Canada.
To qualify under one of the public policies targeting Essential Workers, applicants must have at least 1 year of Canadian work experience in the last 3 years in one of the targeted occupations. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada have identified around 100 occupations that are considered essential. A full list of these occupations can be found here.
To qualify under one of the public policies targeting Health-Care Workers, applicants must have at least 1 year of Canadian work experience in the last 3 years in one of the following occupations:
3011 Nursing co-ordinators and supervisors
3012 Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
3111 Specialist physicians
3112 General practitioners and family physicians
3113 Dentists
3121 Optometrists
3122 Chiropractors
3124 Allied primary health practitioners
3125 Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating
3131 Pharmacists
3132 Dietitians and nutritionists
3141 Audiologists and speech-language pathologists
3142 Physiotherapists
3143 Occupational therapists
3144 Other professional occupations in therapy and assessment
3211 Medical laboratory technologists
3212 Medical laboratory technicians and pathologists’ assistants
3214 Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists
3215 Medical radiation technologists
3216 Medical sonographers
3217 Cardiology technologists and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists, n.e.c.
3219 Other medical technologists and technicians (except dental health)
3221 Denturists
3222 Dental hygienists and dental therapists
3223 Dental technologists, technicians and laboratory assistants
3231 Opticians
3232 Practitioners of natural healing
3233 Licensed practical nurses
3234 Paramedical occupations
3236 Massage therapists
3237 Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment
3411 Dental assistants
3413 Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates
3414 Other assisting occupations in support of health services
4151 Psychologists
4152 Social workers
4153 Family, marriage and other related counsellors
4165 Health policy researchers, consultants and program officers
4212 Social and community service workers
4412 Home support workers, housekeepers and related occupations
All applications must be submitted electronically with reference to the appropriate public policy the applicant qualifies under. We can expect more information on the application process when the programs are released on May 6, 2021.
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada are yet to issue a documents checklist outlining all the required documentation, but applicants can expect to submit the following documents as part of their application:
All supporting documentation requested is necessary to assess whether a foreign national meets the conditions of the public policies must be included at the time of application.
Unlike other immigration programs to Canada, the applicant is not required to demonstrate settlement funds when applying under one of these new immigration programs.
Applicants will need to pay total processing fee of $1050CAD when they submit their application under one of these permanent residency programs.
If an accompanying spouse or common-law partner is also included in the application, the applicant will also need to pay the processing fee for an accompanying spouse and dependent children.
Applicants do not need a job offer from a Canadian company to apply under one of these new programs. Eligibility under these programs focuses on the applicant’s previous education or work experience in Canada, not future employment offers.
The public policies targeting Essential and Health-Care Workers require the applicant to have at least one year of Canadian work experience in the last 3 years.
The public policies targeting International Graduates require the applicant to be currently working in Canada. Under these policies, there are no requirements on the type of Canadian work experience.
The public policies give no indication as to how long Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada will take to process these applications however these programs are referred to as ‘accelerated’ pathways to Canadian immigration. The objective behind these public policies is to allow foreign nationals and International Graduates the ability to become permanent residents of Canada to contribute to the countries economic recovery. With this in mind, it is likely that Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada will prioritize and expedite the processing of these applications.
Under all 4 public policies, eligible spouses or common-law partners, as well as dependent children, can be included in an application for permanent residence as accompanying dependents. This means that they will also be granted permanent residency status under these new programs.
The special public policies for Essential Workers and International Graduates both have a limit on the number of applications that will be accepted per stream. These limits are:
No intake limit has been set for the special public policies available for French-speaking Essential Workers and International Graduates. This means that Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada will process all eligible applications submitted under these 2 public policies.
All 4 of these immigration programs are aimed at immigrants who wish to settle in Canada but not in the province of Quebec.
Anyone who satisfies the program criteria may apply under these new immigration programs. This includes residents of Quebec. If the applicant is residing in Quebec at the time of the application, as part of the application process, they should demonstrate their intent to reside outside of Quebec.
All 4 special public policies governing these new Immigration programs will come into effect May 6, 2021, and will close on November 5, 2021, or once the intake cap of the applicable stream has been reached, whichever occurs first. Any application submitted after November 5, 2021, will not be processed.
If you’re interested in beginning your Canadian immigration journey through one of these new immigration programs, contact us today to register for a free consultation!
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