Syed Khan – January 30, 2022
In a conference call on January 31, the Minister responded to questions about immigration priorities and the upcoming Immigration Levels Plan 2022 – 2024.
Minister of Immigration, Sean Fraser, has said that there is no expected date for resuming the Express Entry draws for federal economic programs, as the IRCC currently grapples with an enormous immigration application processing backlog.
The minister has admitted that substantial work needed to be done to reduce the enormous application backlog before Federal Skilled Worker and Canadian Experience Class candidates can be invited.
Economic immigrants have a number of programs aimed at them, including the PNP, Global Talent Stream, and the Atlantic Immigration Program.
Work would also be done to reduce processing times for the Global Talent Stream and Study Permits and to clear the current backlog.
“I know that processing delays have been incredibly frustrating for many individuals. Helping clients come to Canada quickly, with predictable processing times and efficient communication with IRCC, remains a top priority for me.”
The Minister also stated that the IRCC was working on ways for the citizenship applicant to self-administer the oath by signing an attestation to shorten processing times, in addition to the virtual ceremonies where almost 5000 candidates take the oath every week.
The IRCC is also working on expediting the processing of applications by increasing the use of the online portal. By mid-2022, every permanent residence application would be directed towards the online portal while maintaining traditional paper-based application methods.
The Minister said that final decisions regarding the 147,000 permanent residence applications would be made in the first four months of 2021 and candidates would hear from the IRCC in relation to their application soon.
In February, the IRCC will also launch a Permanent Residence Application Tracker to allow spousal and dependent family reunification applicants to track the process of their applications. Currently, spousal reunification applications are being processed in 12 months. This application tracker is expected to be launched for other pathways and programs in the future.
He also stated that extra resources would be deployed to process visitor visas applications to boost the tourism industry.
“We are the best in the world at welcoming large numbers of economic migrants to fill jobs in our communities. But we need to do more. We need to be the best we can be. We need to continue to grow immigration levels.”
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