What Makes October Such An Important Month For Canadian immigration?

Certainly, October is likely to be the busiest one for Canada’s immigration sector. Numerous end-of-year developments are expected in the upcoming weeks that will strengthen the foundation for immigration trends for the next year and beyond. Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is set to announce for the PGP 2022 in late October, and the Immigration Levels Plan 2023-2025 will be released by November 1. Moreover, Statistics Canada will release the census data on immigration from 2021, the first time in five years.

It is also likely the minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score for the newly resumed all-program Express Entry draws will continue to fall until it is below 500, as was the norm before the pandemic.

Parents and Grandparents Program 2022

According to the latest update, the application intake for the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) will be available in the coming week. Under this program, candidates may sponsor their parents or grandparents for immigration to Canada. Last year, IRCC has decided which parents and grandparents will qualify for a visa by lottery. Although, it remains unverified whether it will also be the case this year and IRCC will make an announcement.

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A Sponsor is required to be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident over the age of 18 years and able to showcase that they exceed the minimum necessary income for sponsorship. They will also need to offer an undertaking, a document that states they are ready to support their parents or grandparents for 20 years (or 10 years in case the sponsors live in Quebec).

Census Report 2021

Every five years Statistics Canada releases detailed data on immigration. The last data was released in October 2017. The regulatory body collects all the data from all Canadians each year to thoroughly understand how Canadians live. For instance, the income brackets, how many people live together, language spoken, among other factors. This specific data is utilized by the federal government to better assess the living conditions of Canadians to understand their requirements.

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Express Entry CRS score to drop below 500

Canada resumed the all-program Express Entry draws after a pause of 18 months. The initial draw was conducted on July 6, inviting 1500 applicants to apply for permanent residence with a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System score of 557. Since the July 6 draw, the minimum CRS score has been declining with each Express Entry draw. The first five draws saw a fall of 8 or 9 points and the two most recent draws held on September 14 and 28 had seen a decrease of only 6 points in each draw. While the CRS score is gradually declining, compared to the previous draws before the pandemic. A typical draw before the pandemic would have a CRS score between 450 and 500 points. As the CRS score continues to fall, the number of ITAs has also been rising with each draw.

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Immigration Levels Plan 2023-2025

Every year IRCC releases an Immigration Levels Plan to act as the parameter for the number of immigrants who will be permitted to come to Canada. It involves the breakdown of immigrants from economic class, family class, and humanitarian class programs for the next three years. This year looks like IRCC is all set to make record-breaking targets. The target for 2022 is approximately 432000 new permanent residents and over 451000 by 2024. Immigration Minister, Sean Fraser said in an interview that “Canada is foreseeing higher targets in the coming years, more than 500,000 new permanent residents will be invited.” However, the minister did not mention when what would happen. It is unlikely the immigration target would decrease given Canada’s current labour shortage and a high number of vacancies.

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