The world has been waiting for normalcy to return for quite some time. Despite new variants, it’s probably safe to say that 2022 will be the year when life returns to normal.

However, this does not mean your immigration challenges will vanish. Chances are high that the new normalcy will bring a new set of problems and challenges that you will have to tackle to make your dream of working and settling in Canada come true.

Here are three problems that can have a huge impact on your future study and career plans.

Processing Delays

There have been regular federal and provincial immigration draws, which means applicants have been responding to ITAs and filing applications despite all the disruptions. The fact that Canada has met its 2021 immigration target despite the pandemic is clear proof of its pro-immigration stance.

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However, this has led to a huge backlog of pending applications and this issue is likely to become worse as international travel resumes. There have been no FSWP draws for more than12 months now and provinces too have focused on temporary workers already in Canada.

As normalcy resumes, there will be a surge in applications from those living outside Canada and this is likely to lead to even more processing delays. Since Canada does not offer premium processing, this issue is going to impact everybody, and you may have no option but to wait for the backlog of applications to be processed.

Back to Normal or Focus on Special Draws and Programs

• A massive CEC draw that saw everybody in the pool get an ITA.
• A six-month TR to PR stream for English and French-speaking applicants.
• New PNP streams with easier eligibility requirements.

These one-off measures were great news for anybody all those who managed to qualify.

However, what about the future? Should you hold hope that such one-offs may happen in the future as well? Or should you just focus on the standard immigration options and plan your strategy accordingly?

Ignoring conventional options and waiting for a special draw or a new program that may never come can result in unnecessary waste of time and loss of opportunities. Conversely, ignoring this option altogether too does not make sense.

Add the issue of long processing times and you have a perfect problem that has no clear black-and-white solution.

Will the Job Market Settle?

From struggling to find jobs, job seekers in Canada are getting higher wages and even joining bonuses from employers. The sharp rise in unemployment at the beginning of the pandemic has become a huge shortage of workers by the end. But such churn is not beneficial for employers as well as workers over the long run.

Will things go back to normal after the pandemic or will the world see a shift to remote working, more automation, and loss of job positions?

This problem needs a multi-pronged approach where you focus on improving your skills even as you work with an experienced immigration professional to find the best way to proceed.

Expert Advice 1—New Skills are a Must

Developing new skills need not always be related to your profession or occupation. Simply learning French and becoming proficient in this language can open up newer Canada immigration options for you.

Francophone immigration is something that Canada has been actively targeting for many years now. The best part is that this new skill will look good on your resume even if you manage to work and settle in Canada without having to rely on your French skills.

Expert Advice 2—Be Prepared… Always

What’s stopping you from always keeping your documents in perfect order? Detailed reference letters, updated bank statements, valid language test results—having these documents ready in hand can make a huge difference when one-off immigration opportunities open up.

Instead of an either/or approach, why not plan your strategy in such a way that you can explore conventional and new immigration options simultaneously?

Retaking the language test and having results that fall within the required two-year validity period can help you avoid a lot of problems. Proper documentation that’s vetted by an expert can help you avoid holdups and delays, especially with processing delays likely to be a major issue in 2022.

To focus on things that you can control and to rely on expert guidance is the best way to ensure your immigration strategy stays on track through 2022.