The Canadian government has announced an acute shortage of manpower and invited Nigerians and other foreign nationals to fill existing vacancies in various sectors of the country’s economy.
In a report by Statistics Canada, the government said the labour shortage has reached an all-time high of one million.
The North American country has an aging population with declining birth rates and immigration remains one of the avenues employers of labour are employing to fill the existing vacancies and support economic growth.
To make it easier for foreign students to remain in the country and gain local work experience, the government allowed the extension of Post-Graduation Work Permits (PGWPs). This allows international students with expiring PGWPs to extend for an additional year and a half (18 months).
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As Express Entry draws paused in September of last year, many international students were worried that their status would expire before they could apply for Permanent Residency.
Extending the status of PGWP holders will allow international students in Canada to seek more opportunities, fill in vacancies, and gain eligibility for Canadian permanent residency.
Express Entry is Canada’s key system to attract foreign talent and manage immigration applications. After pausing Express Entry draws in 2021, the federal government announced that they will resume the draws in July.
Apart from the resumption of Express Entry draws, the federal government also announced that it is currently in the process of approving Bill C-19.
Bill C-19 permits the immigration minister control over who is selected in the Express Entry draws. Instead of drawing candidates based solely on their Comprehensive Ranking Score (CRS), the minister can select candidates based on their ability to meet the country’s economic needs.
This means that the immigration minister can restrict the draws to particular occupations or industries, regardless of CRS score.