Canada Is Working On A New Process To Help People Become Permanent Residents Sooner
The new immigration program will be laid out later this year. 🇨🇦
The federal government is reportedly working on a new program that would fast track the process of newcomers becoming permanent residents in Canada.
Canada's Immigration Minister Sean Fraser told CBC that officials are "looking right now at the best path forward to create a permanent pathway for temporary residents."
He says the government is preparing to create a program that would allow those in Canada on temporary permits to become permanent residents at a much faster rate.
Last year, after the COVID-19 pandemic blocked newcomers from entering the country, a program called the temporary resident to permanent resident pathway (TR2PR) came into effect.
It expedited 90,000 essential workers to permanent residency in Canada, including front-line healthcare workers and international students.
The new version is expected to be similar to the TR2PR program, which ended after eight months in November 2021.
Fraser says the feds are drafting a more sustainable version of the policy that is not led by an emergency. Instead, it will be a "clear path" for those looking to to make Canada their long-term home.
It's unlikely to be long before further details are announced, as the immigration minister is working under a tight deadline of just 120 days to firm up and announce details of the new program.
The timeframe was established in a motion passed in the House of Commons. It orders the government to develop "a comprehensive plan" to simplify the existing process for gaining permanent residency in Canada.
"That actually puts me on a clock to come up with a framework to establish this new permanent residency pathway, not just for international students, but also for temporary foreign workers," Fraser told CBC.
He says officials are now in the "depths of planning." Further details can be expected in September.
In April, the government increased the cost of becoming a permanent resident, which means those applying now have to fork out more money for fees associated with their application.
The increase applies to economic, permit holder, family and humanitarian classes of applications.
