The Canadian Government’s 2015 immigration plan was unveiled and sets a target of 285,000 new permanent residents over the next year, with a heavy focus on the economic class.
Last month Citizenship and Immigration Canada announced how many immigrants it aims to attract for the coming year. They also revealed a breakdown of how many immigrants will be granted entry under each of the various Canadian immigration programs. For the coming year, the economic category will account for the largest segment of overall admissions at almost 65%. The new Express Entry system will be the platform used to manage applications in the Economic Immigration stream.
At SYMY Immigration Consultants and Recruitment we are experts in Economic Class Immigration Programs and Express Entry.
Of the targeted 285,000 immigrants to be selected for permanent residence in Canada in 2015, roughly 185,00 are expected to be economic immigrants. By focusing on economic immigration, the government hopes to attract workers who will succeed in the Canadian economy and who will be able to integrate smoothly into Canadian society.
“We are recruiting a higher calibre of economic immigrants than we have ever seen before,” stated federal Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Chris Alexander. Express Entry to be launched in January 2015, will help the government attract the skilled immigrants who are the most likely to succeed. Not only benefitting the foreign national, but the Canadian workforce and economy as well.
Economic Immigration is segmented into different classes all of which will be managed by the new online platform called Express Entry. The 4 main economic immigration programs for Permanent Residence (PR); are:
- the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP),
- the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP),
- Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and
- parts of the Province’s and Territories’ PNP programs.
To see if you qualify under any of the 4 economic streams fill out our free assessment. For more information on Express Entry, download our informational PDF.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) estimates that around 51,000 federal skilled workers will be selected in 2015. The Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs), like the AINP have received a modest boost in allocation numbers under the new immigration plan. PNPs allow provinces to nominate individuals who wish to immigrate based on local labour market needs. The Canadian Experience Class is for those who are currently in Canada working or studying and would like to stay permanently. Other economic immigrants targeted for Canadian permanent residence in Canada include the various federal and provincial business and investor programs. You can read more about the business investor programs in our coming blogs.
Economic Immigration is not the sole focus of Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Family reunification and refugee cases remain a priority. Canada’s stated intention to reunite permanent residents in Canada with their families abroad remains intact under the 2015 immigration plan, as will cases made by individuals seeking permanent residence as refugees.
Family sponsorship is expected to result in 68,000 new permanent residents next year. This figure covers: (Insert Hyperlinks)spousal sponsorships, parent and grandparents, and sponsoring dependant children. As Minister Alexander states: “through the 2015 immigration plan we will welcome a record number of individuals who will contribute to our economy and labour market, while also ensuring that we reunite more families and continue to provide assistance to the world’s most vulnerable populations,” said Minister Alexander.