When the new temporary resident to permanent resident pathways opened May 6th, 2021, no one was surprised when the stream targeting international graduates reached its cap of 40,000 applications in just over 24 hours.
Whilst many saw their dreams come true on applying, thousands and thousands of eligible applicants were unable to apply, and have been left frustrated by the limited cap.
But Canada’s Immigration Minister, Marco Mendicino offered a little sliver of hope in a recent interview with the Globe and Mail in which he suggested reopening the program to allow more applicants to apply.
“I’m open to discussion on whether or not to review the current caps.”
He however cautioned his remark by explaining the importance of reviewing the quality of the current applicants.
“At that point, I will certainly have a much greater line of sight on whether or not there may be a need to revisit the caps.”
Canada’s Immigration Minister, Marco Mendicino
Who Would Benefit from a Revision of the Caps?
The temporary resident to permanent resident pathways are to admit in total, 90,000 applicants across 3 streams. 40,000 spots were allocated to the Recent international graduates from a Canadian institution stream, 30,000 to the Workers in Canada: essential, non-healthcare stream, and 20,000 to the Workers in Canada: health care stream. At the time of writing, only the international graduate’s stream has closed, with the non-healthcare stream receiving only 28% of its quota and the health care stream receiving only 6% of the quota.
The cap revision will most likely affect the international graduates, perhaps increasing the stream intake whilst taking spots away from the non-healthcare and healthcare streams, collectively referred to as the Essential Occupations stream.
An increase to the international graduate’s stream would allow those who previously missed out on the program to apply. This will include those who have only just graduated this Spring/ Summer and those waiting for language results.
What Impact will This Have on the Essential Occupations Stream?
By taking from one and giving to the other, less people will inevitably be able to submit an application under the stream targeting essential occupations. However, all is not lost for applicants eligible under the essential occupations stream, with the majority being able to submit an application to Canada’s Express Entry system, and the remainder still able to apply under the essential occupations stream.
Nadia Bhuptani
