Annually, Canada welcomes an average of 300,000 immigrants into her territory. This is in itself, one of the highest rates per total population of any given country in the world. The 2021 records show that the total number of people in Canada with permanent residence permits has hit 8 million, which is about 21% of the entire Canadian population. Despite this long history of acceptance of people from different parts of the world and in their substantial numbers, Canada is currently facing a serious challenge of immigrant backlogs. It is true that there have been backlogs in the past, however, the numbers today are record-breaking. The first 5 months of the year 2022 have seen Canada post a record-breaking and rapidly increasing backlog of applicants for either temporary residency permits, permanent permits, or citizenship requests. By the first of June 2022, the backlog was a staggering 2.4 million, a 12.1% spike from the figures recorded just a month before. As the government and immigration agencies struggle to provide a permanent solution to this challenge, the cause of this rise should first be examined.
WHAT IS CAUSING THE RISE IN IMMIGRATION BACKLOG?
The reason for this increase is multifactorial and each has played a significant role in the backlog issues.
- An Aftermath Of Covid-19
It wasn’t only the global supply chain and economic indices that suffered during the peak of the covid 19 pandemic. Human immigration also took a serious hit. It is generally agreed that this was the major reason for the backlogs beginning to sky-rocket. As travel plans were halted globally, many requests were consequently placed on hold, pending the return of flights and movement to normalcy. This ripple effect has since then increased the waiting time of travelers who would need to go through a rigorous process of scrutiny, background checks, and document verification.
- The Russian-Ukrainian War
For the most part, this unplanned-for event has contributed significantly to the increase in backlogs. Places like Ottawa have accepted taking in refugees and people fleeing the Ukraine – Russian war, granting them temporary resident status. To this effect, the government of Ottawa has invested $117 million in the effective implementation of this exercise.
- Seasonal Increase In International Students
Canada remains one of the most preferred places to travel to for educational reasons. Home to some of the best colleges and universities in the world, there is a regular inflow of international students from all over the world to study here. As a result, there are peak seasons for student immigration and this fall is one of them. Students looking to resume or start their sessions this fall constitute a reasonable proportion of these requests, ultimately contributing to the backlogs.
- Transition From Temporary Residency To Permanent Residency
There is a government-initiated plan to help certain groups of people easily transition from temporary residency to permanent residency status. This pathway is beneficial, especially to healthcare workers and international students graduating from Canadian colleges and universities. This initiative applies to all provinces in Canada, except the francophone regions.
WHAT IS IRCC DOING ABOUT THE BACKLOGS?
The government of Canada has assured all awaiting persons that the utmost best is being done to bring down these backlog numbers. Currently, there is a financial commitment of $2.1 billion over the next 5 years to ensure that more people can be taken into the country. Last year, the finance minister, Chrystia Freeland, announced that $85 million had been committed to ensuring that more applications are processed in the shortest possible time. In addition to this, Canada has hired an additional workforce of 500 people into its immigration system. With these measures in place, slowly but steadily, the numbers in backlogs are expected to see a reduction in the coming months.
At Axima Healthcare, we are committed to helping our candidates receive the right consultation, and immigration support to help candidates meet their immigration needs efficiently and professionally. In July, we had new Legal support and a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant join our team. We are honored and excited to provide our expertise to you in your journey in working within North America. Please reach out to us via email or phone to start your journey today!
