On April 5, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced on its website that Canada had increased fees for all permanent residency (PR) applications, including economics, licensure, family and humanities courses. The change will take effect on April 30, which means that those hoping to move to this country after that date will have to pay extra for the process.
What is PR and who can apply?
A Permanent Resident (PR) is someone who is not a Canadian citizen but has the right to live and work in this country without a residence permit. The story goes on under the ad Such a person has most of the same rights as a Canadian citizen – they receive many of the same social benefits, including becoming a contributor to the Canadian Retirement Plan and receiving coverage from the universal health care system in their province or territory. 2:05 The migration process slowed down in the middle of COVID-19 leaving excluded aspiring residents The migration process slowed down in the middle of COVID-19 leaving excluded aspiring residents – October 8, 2020 What they do not enjoy, however, is the right to vote in the Canadian elections. They can also not run for office at any level of government. Nor can they hold public or private sector jobs that require a high level of security certification – for national security issues. They are also not eligible to join the Canadian Armed Forces or the police. To become a permanent resident of Canada, you must apply to the IRCC under one of the many programs available to foreign nationals. Programs include Express Entry, Provincial Nominee Program and Quebec Skilled Workers, Atlantic Immigration Class, Economic Pilots, Live-in Caregiver Program and Caregivers Pilots, Business (Federal and Quebec), Family Reunification, Protected Persons, Humanitarian and Compassionate, among others. The story goes on under the ad
Why is Canada raising fees?
The move to increase fees is not new. These cost increases are intended to ensure that Canada remains on par with the fees charged by other host countries with somewhat similar immigration systems, such as Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, among others. It also makes a huge contribution to Canada’s economy, according to Canada’s Minister of Immigration. Successive Canadian governments have relied on immigration to drive economic growth in the face of declining fertility, which hit a record low in 2020. With the pandemic triggering early retirement for older Canadians, attracting immigrants has become more important. The country also targets highly skilled migrants who tend to bring in money and earn enough to compete for the desired housing. “Canada needs immigration to create jobs and drive our economic recovery,” Canadian Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said in December last year. “Not only is one in three Canadian businesses owned by an immigrant, but newcomers are helping to address labor shortages.” Trending Stories
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The story goes on under the ad 3:14 “Keeping Families Together Important”: Fed’s Immigration Plan in House of Commons “Keeping Families Together Important”: Fed’s Immigration Program in House of Commons – October 30, 2020 From 2020, Canada increases the permanent residence fee every two years. At that time, it was announced that the fees would be raised once every two years to take into account inflation. According to the IRCC website, the Canadian government “supports a cost-effective approach to funding government programs.” These increases, therefore, “are the responsibility of those who receive the services and benefit directly from them” and do not in any way affect taxpayers. The next increase in fees at the federal level can be expected in 2024.
What is the difference?
The current right of permanent residence fee for the principal applicant and accompanying spouse or common law partner is $ 500. This is set to become $ 515 as of April 30th. The story goes on under the ad For the Federal High Skills Program, Provincial Candidate and Skilled Workers Program in Quebec, the Atlantic Migration Class, and most economical pilots, including Rural and Agri-Food, the new fee for top applicants will be $ 850 instead of $ 850. Accompanying spouses or common law partners will also now pay $ 850. For an accompanying dependent child, the cost will be $ 230 as opposed to the previous $ 225. 1:37 Canada to Reduce Immigration Waiting Time in an Effort to Boost Economy Canada to Reduce Immigration Waiting Time to Boost Economy – March 8, 2016 For those who belong to the Live-in Caregiver and Caregivers Pilots Program, the lead applicant will be asked to pay $ 570 instead of $ 550, as will their spouse or co-partner. The fee for a dependent child will be $ 155, up from the previous $ 150. More details can be found on the IRCC website. For permanent resident cards, permanent resident travel documents and certificates or replacement of immigration documents, the fees will remain the same.
What is Canada doing to support the process?
As part of Canada’s Immigration Levels Plan, the federal government has committed $ 2.1 billion over five years and $ 317.6 million in ongoing new funding in the 2022 budget to support the processing and resettlement of new residents in the country. The story goes on under the ad In 2021 – despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global migration – Canada was able to accommodate more than 405,000 new permanent residents, the largest number of newcomers in a single year in Canadian history, according to the IRRC. In an email to Global News, the IRCC confirmed that they had exceeded “their goal of making 147,000 final permanent residence decisions in the first quarter of 2022 – doubling the number of final decisions in the same period in 2021”. Canada needs thousands of other skilled migrants to boost economy: consultants Canada needs thousands of other skilled migrants to boost economy: consultants – October 20, 2016 “From January 1, 2022 to March 31, 2022, we made more than 156,000 final decisions on permanent resident applications,” an IRCC spokesman told Global News. Canada welcomed at least 113,000 new permanent residents in the first quarter of 2022, he said, adding that the IRCC was aiming for a “more integrated, up-to-date and centralized work environment to speed up application processing worldwide.” The story goes on under the ad “Supported by additional $ 85 million in financial and fiscal briefing for 2021, we are continuing our efforts to reduce the stock of applications that have accumulated during the pandemic.” Government funding helps build on “work already done to reduce downtime, such as hiring new processing staff, digitizing applications and redistributing work between our offices around the world,” he said. – with files from Reuters © 2022 Global News, part of Corus Entertainment Inc.
