Canada is making rapid progress in clearing its immigration backlog. Over the last two and a half months, more skilled work visas have been processed than in the entire year of 2021. The Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) inventory decreased by over 9,000 applicants between December 15, 2021 and February 28, 2022, according to data released by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
It means that IRCC processed more FSWP applicants in two and a half months than it did in the entire year of 2021. IRCC processed about 600 FSWP applications per month in the second half of 2021. More than 12,000 applicants for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) are no longer on the waiting list. According to the Express Entry pathway as a whole, almost 24,000 visas were processed.
There are 3 immigration programs that are managed through Express Entry:
- Canadian Experience Class
- Federal Skilled Worker Program
- Federal Skilled Trades Program
The Canadian government decided to shift focus at the beginning of 2021, slowing the processing of FSWP applications, and transferring more temporary residents into permanent residence holders, mainly through the CEC, to increase the likelihood of achieving its 401,000 immigrants target. Nearly half of successful Express Entry candidates came from the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) before the pandemic.
There are three skilled worker programs in Canada, including the FSWP, that use the Express Entry application management system. Applicants who haven’t lived in Canada before or aren’t skilled trades professionals will be better off applying through the FSWP under Express Entry.
Canada’s Immigration Minister, Sean Fraser, reaffirmed his earlier pledge to improve work permit processing times in a February meeting with the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration. IRCC will use its $85 million budget to reduce processing times – a problem made worse by the pandemic. Canada has been steadily emerging as a popular destination among Indians seeking opportunities abroad- both for study and for work after graduation.
According to a recent study by the National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP), the number of Indians who became permanent residents in Canada increased by 115% between 2016 and 2020 and 2021. Last month, Canada was sitting on an immigration backlog of 1.8 million – including applications from future citizens, permanent residents, international students, temporary workers, and visitors.
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