Canada Is Offering Permanent Residency To 90,000 Int'l Grads & Workers But Not In Quebec
The federal government has announced a new path to permanent residency in Canada for over 90,000 essential workers and international students across the country — except for those continuing to live in Quebec.
According to a statement by the Canadian government, these special new public policies grant permanent status to temporary essential workers, especially those working in hospitals and long-term care homes, as well as international graduates.
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To be eligible for the program, workers must have at least one year of Canadian work experience in a preapproved essential occupation and they have to reside outside of Quebec.
International graduates who intend to reside outside of Quebec must have completed an eligible Canadian post-secondary program within the last four years, no earlier than January 2017.
According to the statement, as of May 6, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will begin accepting applications under the following three streams:
20,000 applications for temporary workers in health care
30,000 applications for temporary workers in other selected essential occupations
40,000 applications for international students who graduated from a Canadian institution
Applications will remain open until November 5, or until they have reached their limit.
Quebec not included in new pathway
Alexander Cohen, press secretary for the Office of the IRCC, told MTL Blog that Quebec is not included in the new permanent residency program due to the Canada-Quebec Accord, an agreement giving Quebec the authority to select the majority of its own immigrants and determine its annual immigration targets.
"We have always respected Quebec's jurisdiction over immigration, including their decision not to participate in the initiative," said Cohen.
"As such, applicants under these programs must intend to reside in a province or territory other than Quebec."
This article's cover photo was used for illustrative purposes only.