April 23, 2022

New measures to address Canada’s labour shortage | Some good news for International Students

To support Canada's economic growth and help address labour market shortages, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is making some changes in the coming months. These changes will help ensure Canadian employers have the workers they need to address shortages and grow Canada's labour force. International Student Graduates in Canada will also benefit big time from these changes.


Here are the changes soon to be implemented:

  • IRCC will  end the temporary pause on Express Entry draws will be ended and will resume inviting qualified candidates to apply for permanent residence in July 2022. The last invitation sent for Canadian Experience Class applicants was in September 2021. If you don't have an active Express Entry Profile right now, you must create one NOW.  
  • Starting in mid-June, former international students in Canada whose post-graduation work permits expired or are expiring between Jan 31, 2022 and Dec 31, 2022, will be able to get an additional open work permit of up to 18 months duration.
  • New measures for temporary resident to permanent resident pathway applicants will take effect in June, including: longer duration open work permits (OWP) and OWP eligibility for immediate family members outside of Canada who were included in the PR application.