Monthly Archives: July 2024

Immigration has become a pressing issue in Canada, with even the immigrant community urging a temporary halt. In a recent interview, opposition leader Pierre Poilievre highlighted that immigration levels have surged under the Liberal government, from 271,000 in 2015 to a projected 500,000 by 2025. Additionally, unmonitored temporary residents, including international students and asylum seekers, have swelled to 2.8 million as of early 2024. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Immigration Minister Marc Miller have acknowledged that the number of temporary residents is unsustainable, emphasizing the need for immediate action to reduce these figures.

On July 23, 2024, the Government of British Columbia held new invitation draws under the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP) and issued invitations to apply to skilled candidates in the general draw and to candidates with work experience in healthcare, childcare, construction and veterinary care occupations. In the general draw, the province invited 35 candidates. The minimum score for candidates invited in this draw was 110 points. BC issued 37 ITAs to candidates under the childcare-targeted draw for early childhood educators (NOC 42202). In the Healthcare-targeted draw, British Columbia invited 19 candidates who scored 104 points. The province also issued 17 invitations to candidates working in the construction sector and up to five invitations to candidates working in veterinary care occupations. In total, British Columbia issued up to 113 ITAs in this draw. This year, British Columbia has already invited up to 3,867 candidates.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) updated the data on immigration inventories and backlogs. According to the last update, there were 2,292,400 applications for permanent residence, temporary residence, and citizenship approvals in all IRCC inventories. According to the update, 59.1% of applications in the inventory are within service standards. IRCC aims to process 80% of applications within their service standard, though some complex cases may require a comprehensive assessment. Currently, 46% of temporary residence requests – including ones for visiting, studying, or working and 40% of permanent residency applications are in backlog. Additionally, 17% of citizenship applications also exceed service standards.