The program was developed to acknowledge the contribution and extraordinary role of foreign workers, many of whom have played critical roles as Canada fought against COVID-19.
New Pathways to Canada is applicable for Temporary workers and International Graduates already in Canada. If you are currently in Canada as a temporary worker or a foreign student, this unique opportunity may be for you!
The new pathways are for temporary workers employed in Canadian hospitals and long-term care facilities and those on the front lines in other critical sectors. They also cover international graduates who are the motivating force of tomorrow's economy.
Candidates can submit their applications between May 6, 2021 and November 5, 2021. The program will close accepting candidates if the quota of 90,000 applications is achieved before the November 2021 deadline.
Immigration Canada expects to admit up to 90,000 new permanent residents under the following categories:
- 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 an eligible Canadian institution
Three additional streams with similar eligibility criteria have also been launched for French-speaking and bilingual candidates, but there is no quota for these categories. Canada will accept an unlimited number of French speaking candidates within this stream.
General Eligibility Criteria
- Workers: To be eligible, you must have at least 1 year of Canadian work experience in a health-care sector or another pre-approved essential occupation.
- French-speaking Workers: To be eligible, you must have at least 1 year of Canadian work experience in a health-care sector or another pre-approved essential occupation.
- Graduates: International graduates must have graduated from an approved Canadian post-secondary program within the last four years, and no earlier than January 2017 (or will be graduating in 2021).
- French-speaking Graduates: To be eligible, you must have at least 1 year of Canadian work experience in a health-care sector or another pre-approved essential occupation.
Graduates and workers must also demonstrate proficiency in one of Canada's official languages (English and/or French), meet general eligibility requirements, be in Canada and be authorized to work at the time of application to be eligible.