ISA Global

What the Budget of 2021 brings for Canadian Immigration

On 19 April 2021, the government of Canada has released its first Budget since 2019.
The federal budget of Canada draws a lot of attention domestically as it includes the government’s policy goals, expenditures and revenue forecasts, as well as an overview of the state of the Canadian economy.

Here are the immigration priorities outlined in Budget 2021

 Nearly $430 million to modernize IT infrastructure

According to the Budget, the investment would enable the federal government to respond to higher levels of foreign national arrivals in the future, as well as improve security and improved application processing.

 Reforms to Express Entry

The government wants to grant the minister of immigration more power to “choose those candidates who best suit Canada’s labour market needs.”
However, The Budget does not specify what these changes would mean.
Express Entry is the primary method by which Canada chooses economic class immigrants. It accounts for around one-quarter of all the immigrants Canada welcomes each year.

 Contribution to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP)

The Temporary Foreign Worker Program will receive an additional $110 million in funding for the next three years, according to the budget. The funds will be used to provide information and support to vulnerable foreign workers, increase employer inspections to ensure that foreign workers are treated fairly, and improve service delivery to vulnerable workers so that they can find open work permits.
 Supporting Racialized Newcomer Women

To improve the employment outcomes and career advancement of newcomer women, the budget aims to spend an additional $15 million over the next 2 years.

 Ramping up the Pathways to Permanent Residence

Budget 2021 also included the programs launched last week by IRCC to provide permanent residence.
From 6 May, approximately 90,000 people residing in Canada will be eligible to apply for permanent residency.