New pathway to residency for 90,000 essential workers and graduates: Marco Mendicino
Ottawa is creating a new pathway to permanent residency for 90,000 essential workers and international graduates who are currently in Canada, Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino said Wednesday.
The new policy will grant permanent status to temporary workers and graduates who possess the skills and experience the country needs to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and achieve an economic recovery, Mendicino said.
“Canada’s path to prosperity lies through immigration because newcomers ... will come and roll up their sleeves and contribute and give back in our health care sector and in many other vital areas of the economy,” he said at a news conference.
Mendicino said health care and other eligible essential workers must have at least one year of Canadian work experience to apply, while international graduates must have completed an eligible Canadian post-secondary program within the last four years.
On May 6, the immigration department will start accepting up to 50,000 applications from health care and other essential workers and 40,000 applications from international students who graduated from a Canadian institution.
Goldy Hyder, president of the Business Council of Canada, said the new program will strengthen Canada’s economic recovery by ensuring that everyone who wishes to participate in the labour force has the ability to do so.
“Immigrants have long played a critical role in supporting Canadians’ high standard of living and building vibrant communities,” he said in a statement.
“They fill labour market shortages, offset our aging population and broaden the tax base, thereby helping fund social and public services.”
Hyder said COVID-19-related restrictions have hit Canada’s immigration system hard, significantly reducing the number of newcomers entering the country.
The Immigration department said the new policy will help the government meet its goal to accept 401,000 new permanent residents this year.