Syed Khan – 7 Aug 2021,
Federal Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino met virtually with provincial and territorial
immigration ministers on August 2, to brainstorm ways to speed up processing times of
PR and increase the number of people applying for permanent residence. During their
virtual meeting, the ministers discussed the regional distribution of immigration, the best
ways to leverage the successes of each regional PNP, better settlement services for
permanent and temporary residents, and strategies to bolster francophone immigration
outside of Quebec. Nova Scotia’s minister of immigration was absent from the federal-
provincial-territorial immigration ministers’ meeting because that province is currently in
the lead-up to an election.
Quotes:
“Canada’s immigration system has played a critical role in our response to COVID-19
and will continue to help fuel our economic recovery. Today, we had productive
discussions with the provinces and territories on how to better and more evenly spread
the benefits of immigration across the country. Our ongoing collaboration, further
strengthened today, has contributed to valuable initiatives that will help support
population growth and a modern immigration system. Together, we can build a stronger
and more diverse Canada.” said federal Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino.
“Immigration has never been more critical as we navigate the unprecedented
challenges of the pandemic and work towards economic recovery and prosperity in all
regions of Canada. Today, we recommitted to meaningful partnership and collaboration
between provinces, territories and the federal government to achieve flexible and
responsive immigration programming that supports our diverse and evolving labour
market and population growth needs and priorities,” said Arlene Dunn, co-chair of the
Forum of Ministers responsible for Immigration, last week.
What is the FMRI?
The Forum of Ministers Responsible for Immigration is a decision-making body whose
goal is to support a flexible, timely and effective immigration system for Canada. In
2021, the organization established a vision for immigration to Canada and a mission for
the FMRI: to advance joint immigration priorities and enhance Canada’s immigration
policies and programs.
Canada’s 2021‒2023 Immigration Levels Plan had set immigration targets of about one
percent of the Canadian population for each of three years. The IRCC has responded to
the immigration challenge by slashing the CRS scores in an Express Entry draw that
saw more than five times as many Invitations to Apply (ITAs) issued as usual.
Another step Canada took during the pandemic was the decision to shift to a completely
digital immigration process to speed things up. In March, this was further boosted by
extending the list of occupations deemed essential.
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