IRCC Update: New pathway to permanent residency for 40,000 international graduates
On April 14, 2021, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Marco Mendicino announced a new pathway to permanent residency for essential workers and recent international graduates in Canada, outside of Quebec.
In light of the extended border closures and challenges in admitting new permanent residents from overseas, these new measures recognize that international graduates of Canadian universities are a key source of talent to drive Canada’s economic recovery.
Effective May 6, 2021, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will begin accepting 40,000 applications for international students who graduated from a Canadian institution no earlier than January 2017. To help meet the federal government’s francophone immigration goals, an additional stream with no intake caps has also been launched for French-speaking or bilingual candidates. The streams will remain open until November 5, 2021, or until they have reached their limit.
For more information on eligibility requirements for international graduates, please refer to the temporary public policy.
Video of the announcement is available here.
The announcement underscores the critical role that international graduates have played in supporting Canada’s economy throughout the pandemic. Universities Canada continues to engage with senior officials at IRCC, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) and other departments to ensure that international students are welcomed to Canada in a timely and safe manner and to strengthen Canada’s brand as a welcoming country for international study
