WHATSAPP
The Parliament Committee report on the impact of immigration in Canada made innovative and practical suggestions like making Canadian immigration all-inclusive, digitising the intake system, newer PR pathways for essential workers and more, to implement in the coming term.
The report was presented in the House of Commons on May 13 by Salma Zahid, the committee’s Chair. It is a compilation of the findings of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration from the testimonies of immigrants, lawyers, interest groups and other stakeholders.
Further, the liberal party government at the federal level is supposed to table a response on the report within 120 days. Interestingly, some of the recommendations made in the report to improve Canadian immigration are already in place to a certain extent.
All-Inclusive Approach Towards Immigration
The committee report calls for publishing anonymous processing and application data for all immigration streams, disaggregated by applicants’ race, religion, gender, age, source-country, and parental status.
This is to build an all-inclusive intake system that allows entry into Canada purely based on merits.
The report also suggests the government come up with real-time tracking of immigration applications and provide realistic processing times for individual applicants. Further, officers are also expected to release full records for any application refusal. It will help boost immigration intakes.
The committee has also forwarded a proposal to create an immigration ombudsperson to oversee IRCC and receive complaints.
Recommends Digitalization Of Immigration Intake
Six of the report recommendations call for the digitalization of the immigration system.
The committee believes in digitizing the immigration intake system alongside paper applications fully. The main intent behind this is to make applicants submit all the required documents and signatures online at once, rather than waiting for officials to ask for credentials after applying. It will result in a significant reduction in overall processing times.
The report also recommended holding immigration interviews virtually and issuing visas electronically. Having a scannable barcode for Permanent residency (PR) visas instead of being affixed to physical passports was also one of its recommendations.
Surprisingly, the Canadian government announced $430 million to modernize the immigration system in its latest budget estimates. Such recommendations could be well accommodated within the estimates.
International Student Immigration To Increase
Canada is expected to continue its efforts to welcome and retain more foreign talent in the coming years. The committee has made a strong suggestion to start welcoming International students to enter Canada and study in person.
Get in touch with our overseas education counsellors to know your prospects.
Prioritizing Family Immigration
Despite the concept of dual intent, foreign nationals can apply for both a temporary residence and permanent residence visa; immigration officers have been known to refuse applicants. This is because they are not satisfied that the applicant will leave at the end of their authorized stay.
As a result, many are separated from their spouses for the entire duration of the PR process.
The Parliamentary committee has made an innovative suggestion to create a Super Visa for spousal sponsorship applicants, like Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) applicants.
The report had called for adjusting the minimum financial requirements in the wake of the economic impact of the pandemic for PGP applicants.
Canada is definitely strengthening its approach towards welcoming more foreign talents in the coming years. If you wish to migrate for better career opportunities and high living standards, Canada can be your first choice!
Take this free assessment online to determine your eligibility for various Canadian immigration streams, or call our consultants today!
