CIMM – Current and Future Pathways to Permanent Residence – November 07, 2023

Key Messages

Current Pathways to Permanent Residence:

A number of economic immigration pathways are available across a range of skill levels.

• Express Entry is Canada’s flagship application management system for the Federal High Skilled Programs (the Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program), and a portion of the Provincial Nominee Program.
• Regional economic programs are playing an increasing role in annual admissions, and address the goal for the benefits of immigration to be shared across Canada.
  
  • The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) provides provinces and territories (PTs) a means to address their economic development needs and distributes the benefits of immigration across Canada.
  • The Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) is a pathway to permanent residence for skilled foreign workers and international graduates from an Atlantic Canadian institution who want to work and live in one of Canada’s Atlantic provinces – New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island or Newfoundland and Labrador.
  • The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot, introduced in 2019, uses a community-based economic development approach with the aim to support 11 partnered rural or remote communities located in northern Ontario and western Canada.
• The Agri-Food Pilot, a pathway for full-time, non-seasonal workers in specific agri-food industries and occupations, has been extended to May 2025 with several changes to be implemented by year-end.
• The Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker pilots provide a clear and direct pathway to permanent residence for in-home foreign national caregivers and their families.
• In 2021, IRCC created a time-limited Temporary Resident to Permanent Resident Pathway (TR to PR Pathway), which targeted over 130 occupations, including in areas such as healthcare, caregiving, agriculture, manufacturing, service industry, trades, and transportation. To date, over 90,000 people have been admitted through this pathway, with the remaining applications to be processed by the end of 2023.

Development on future pathways to permanent residence:

• Canada benefits immensely from the contributions of workers from abroad and will continue to rely on their work – in all jobs and skill levels – in the future.
• Work is ongoing to explore the future of economic immigration in Canada, including potential pathways to permanent residence for workers in essential, lower-skilled occupations.