In April, Canadian provinces continued to invite candidates through the Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP). Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) also held a new draw in Express Entry and invited PNP candidates.
Immigration to Canada via the Express Entry in April 2022
Express Entry regularly issues Invitations to Apply (ITA) both for overseas candidates and those who are already in Canada. On April 13, 2022, IRCC invited 787 candidates in the new PNP-targeted draw. To date, Canada issued 7,257 ITAs to eligible candidates via Express Entry. If you want to live and work in Canada, you can contact our immigration experts to get help with your application.
Immigration to Canada via Provincial Nominee Programs in April 2022
In the first half of April, British Columbia held several draws in the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Tech Program, Skills Immigration and Express Entry British Columbia (EEBC) categories. The province has issued invitations to 58 healthcare workers and assistants and early childhood educators and invited 124 candidates working in the tech sector. British Columbia also held general draws and invited more than 150 candidates working in different occupations. If you are a healthcare worker, an early childhood educator, or work in the tech sector, you can receive your permanent residency through the BC’s targeted draws. Even if you have other occupations, you are still eligible to immigrate to British Columbia. Do not hesitate to contact us to get the best immigration services.
In the first half of April, Manitoba continued to invite more candidates as well as Ukrainian nationals. On April 7, 2022, the province issued invitations to 223 candidates under the province’s three immigration streams. On April 11, Manitoba also invited 20 Ukrainian citizens. This year, the province has already issued invitations to 1,950 applicants, including 406 Express Entry candidates. If you want to immigrate to Manitoba, or you are a Ukrainian national who has been affected by the war in Ukraine, our experts can help you to go through the immigration process.
On April 12, the Government of Alberta updated the inventory of the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP). According to the update, there were 725 Alberta Opportunity Stream applications and 725 Expressions of Interest in the Alberta Express Entry pool. For 2022, the AAIP has not published the nomination limits yet. This year, Alberta has invited 1,700 candidates.
On April 11, New Brunswick announced the intake of 80 internationally educated nurses since the launch of the recruitment program in 2020. The Pilot, which allows the hiring of internationally educated nurses, was created to tackle the labour shortage in New Brunswick. An additional 150 internationally educated nurses have been identified as eligible and will be connected with employers in the next 12 months. Nurses who consider New Brunswick as their final destination in Canada can contact us to get the needed assistance to immigrate under the Pilot.
Canada eased requirements for fully vaccinated travellers and removed the limit on the number of temporary foreign workers
As of April 1, 2022, fully vaccinated travellers are not required to provide a pre-entry COVID-19 test result to enter Canada. However, they still must provide all mandatory information through the ArriveCAN app. Requirements for partially-vaccinated or unvaccinated travellers have not been changed. These travellers must test on arrival and quarantine for 2 weeks.
Since Canada has a huge number of unfilled vacancies, Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) amended the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and removed limits to the number of low-wage positions that employers can hire through the TFWP. The ESDC also increased the maximum duration of these positions from 180 days to 270 days per year and made Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIA) valid for 18 months.
Canada’s latest immigration news for April 2022
On April 5, 2022, IRCC increased application fees for all permanent residence (PR) applications. According to the Government of Canada’s website, application fees are subject to increase every 2 years to adjust for inflation. The last increase in the PR application fees occurred in 2020.
Canada, together with other states, as well as with the United Nations Refugee Agency, the International Organization for Migration, the International Chamber of Commerce, Fragomen, Talent Beyond Boundaries, and RefugePoint held the first meeting of the Global Task Force on Refugee Labour Mobility and launched labour immigration avenues accessible to refugees to help millions of displaced and refugees in need of protection to move to safe areas.
As of April 14, 2022, IRCC received 140,877 applications under the Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel (CUAET) and approved applications of 46,417 Ukrainian nationals. So far, 4,347 Ukrainians have arrived in Canada by land, and 12,250 Ukrainian nationals by air. IRCC also invited Ukrainian nationals who recently applied for the CUAET to participate in a survey to improve program delivery and better understand the CUAET applicants’ future plans in Canada.
Within the last two weeks, IRCC has diminished the number of invitations under the International Experience Canada (IEC) program. If IRCC has been inviting around 5,000 candidates before, this figure has dropped to just above 1,000. In the first half of April, Canada invited 1,909 candidates under the IEC in two draws.
As Abramovich and Tchern Immigration Lawyers, we specialize in assisting foreign nationals, especially families, with immigration to Canada. Contact us today to get information about immigration legal services!
