Canada has a relentless determination to issue at least 100,000 Express Entry invitations this year. This would be a powerful move considering the Coronavirus pandemic exponential spread in Canada and across the globe. Canada imposed travel restrictions to and from the country in March 2020. Marco Mendicino, Canada’s minister for immigration had earlier confirmed that the country was aiming to admit 341000 permanent residents in 2020. As a matter of fact, Canada hopes to hit its 2020-2022 target of welcoming 91800 immigrants to Canada through Express Entry.
The Immigration Refugees and citizenship Canada (IRCC) relies on Express Entry to manage economic class immigration application. Of the total immigrants who make it to Canada each year, the economic class accounts for approximately 60 percent.
Finding a Way Amid the Pandemic
The coronavirus surge in mid-March was a wake-up call for Canada to introduce and implement special regulations to curb this spread. This involved implementing travel ban in and out of the country which brought major uncertainty to the immigration system. Come April 2020, Canada’s immigration plunged and remain low to date.
Besides, majority of the applicants who had qualified for permanent residence and had already received their COPRs were unable to travel. This was due to numerous reasons including expiry of the Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPRs). Furthermore, applicants who received their COPRs any day past March 18th could not travel owning to the travel bans.
Canada has held its head up high amid the pandemic with the current Express Entry draws that have been taking place on a bi-weekly basis. The process has been smooth and successful despite the anticipation of failure. IRCC has been outdoing itself to keep the invitations going and has shown groundbreaking progress. As a matter of fact, IRCC remains tireless to welcome higher levels of immigration as soon as the pandemic is over.
