Will 2020 open an array of opportunities for Immigrants to Canada?

Foreign nationals who wish to settle in Canada have high hopes that the federal government will open ample number of migration opportunities to them in 2020. Canadian Government has promised to adopt measures that will strengthen and improvise the Immigration System.

Here are some of the areas the government is likely to focus upon in 2020:

Plan to boost Immigration levels:

The Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, has planned to increase the annual intake of immigrants every year. Accordingly, the government has set a target to welcome 341,000 newcomers in 2020. Invitations to apply for permanent residence will be issued to the candidates correspondingly. In addition to that, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Marco Mendicino is relied upon to discharge the 2019 Annual Report on Immigration by March. This report will provide details to the government’s 2020-2022 Immigration Levels Plan.

Will the Parents and Grandparents Program show any progress?

Family reunification is the pillar of Canada’s immigration system; the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) is the embodiment of it. The PGP program has faced many challenges in recent years regarding the selection process. The Government of Canada has an annual target to intake 21,000 people through this program. However, back in 2019, when the window was opened for the sponsors to submit an interest to sponsor form on the website, the process lasted merely for 10 minutes, thus inviting a widespread criticism. In 2020, the federal government will possibly come up with new measures to avoid the previous shortcomings. It is expected that the latest plan for the intake of immigrants through the PGP program will be announced by April this year.

Will the government eliminate the Citizenship fees?

In the latest mandate letter, Justin Trudeau, has suggested the Minister of IRCC to eliminate citizenship fees. Presently, the cost to apply for citizenship is $630 per adult. Individuals and families with low income cannot afford such high cost. As a result, the Minister has been recommended to bring “a plan to eliminate fees for citizenship for those who have fulfilled the requirements needed to obtain it” If the policy comes into effect, a 40 percent rise in the citizenship rates by 2024 is assured.

Raising the level of Provincial Nominee Programs:

The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) clearly offers one of the best pathways to settle in a particular province of Canada. As per the 2019-2021 Immigration Levels Plan, the federal government has a clear objective of welcoming 67,800 immigrants through the PNPs. The provinces are also working to improve their respective nominee programs. Lately, some of the provinces have written to the government to grant them more power over the selection of number of immigrants for permanent residence.

Emphasis on launching Pilot Programs:

Canadian government launched Atlantic Immigration Pilot program in the year 2017. This pilot aims to advance the economic growth of four provinces of Atlantic Canada: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island. The Atlantic Immigration Pilot program was given an extension of two years in 2019. However, on account of the recent mandate letter released by the Prime Minister, it is proposed to make the AIP permanent. Further, in 2019, the government launched the much anticipated Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP). A community-driven program, RNIP is dedicated to improving the economic status of the participating communities. 11 communities across Canada have adopted the RNIP. These communities belong to the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Ontario. Additionally, the federal government has urged to launch a new Municipal Nominee Program. The smaller cities of the provinces struggle to fill the labour gaps. Therefore, it is crucial that such cities run immigration programs to attract new immigrants. The Municipal Nominee Program will help the smaller cities to meet the labour market needs and attain high population growth. The Government has also indicated in the mandate letter that a new pilot program could be commenced in order to help rural communities and promote immigration in those communities. During the election campaign, the liberals have promised to improve the immigration system of Canada. In 2020, we can expect that the Government will take measures to improve the Express Entry system, eliminate the citizenship fees, reduce the processing time for applications, accelerate the PGP program and launch new Pilot programs for rural communities.