Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government had targeted big numbers for immigration in 2020 wherein according to Statistics Canada data released by the Government, 2020 got the lowest intake since 1990. Target was to bring 341,000 Immigrants whereas only 184,370 got the opportunity.
Immigration into Canada fell by almost half, hitting its lowest level in more than two decades as the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted travel across borders. Canada’s borders are still closed for non-essential travel. After travel restrictions went into place in March 2020, the number of permanent residents fell, about 50 percent. The year ended with Canada admitting just 184,370 new permanent residents compared with 341,175 in 2019.
Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino in October announced he'll try to make up the losses in 2020 by ramping up targets over the next three years, in part by converting more temporary residents like foreign workers and international students to permanent residency. Mr. Mendicino’s goal is to attract 401,000 new permanent residents in 2021.
Mr. Mendocino is putting all efforts to cover up the losses. On February 13, 2021, in the latest round of invitations issued to candidates in the Express Entry pool, 27,332 applicants were surprised with the highly coveted Invitation to Apply. To put this in perspective, a usual number of invitations ranges from 3,500 - 5,000 per draw. The cumulative score required for a successful candidate is usually somewhere in the high 400s. On February 13, the lowest-ranked candidate invited had a score of 75.
Please log in to read the full article.