According to CIC News, The IRCC has recently launched six new pathways to grant permanent residence to temporary workers and international graduates in Canada within these four special public policies which are:

• International Graduates in Canada
• French-speaking International Graduates in Canada
• Foreign nationals in Canada with recent Canadian work experience in essential occupations
• French-speaking foreign nationals in Canada with Canadian work experience in essential occupations

These policies guide the new six immigration pathways which include:

• Workers in Canada – this is stream A for health care workers and it requires a maximum of 20,000 applications.
• Workers in Canada –  this is stream B for basic non-healthcare workers and it requires 30,000 applications.
• International graduates requiring 40,000 applications.
• Workers in Canada – this is stream A for French-speaking health care workers (no cap)
• Workers in Canada – this is the stream B for French-speaking essential non-healthcare workers (no cap)
• French-speaking international graduates (no cap)

Also read: How to Migrate to Canada Through Express Entry

Eligibility requirements for the new IRCC immigration pathways

Each of these streams has its different document requirements as well as other requirements. In this article, you will learn the general eligibility requirements for these IRCC immigration pathways.

Generally, applicants in either of the six new immigration pathways must meet all of the following criteria:

You must have a legal entry into Canada and status as a temporary resident:

You must already be a temporary resident in Canada with valid temporary residence status to apply for permanent residence (PR) under the new six PR streams.

You must have attained the official language proficiency:

Essential workers are required to prove that they have attained the Canadian Language Benchmark score of at least, 4 on a language test approved for the IRCC application. For the international graduates, they are required to score 5 or over in the following test options:

English:

IELTS – International English Language Testing System

CELPIP – Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program

French:

TEF Canada – Test d’évaluation de français

TCF – Test de connaissance du français

You must have current work experience as well as qualifying work experiences:

You are required to have been working in Canada and the established employment must be the following:

• In Canada
• Legal
• In any occupation
• Paid in wages or commission
• Not self-employed work unless you are being paid as a medical doctor for a health authority.

The essential workers are required to meet the aforementioned requirements as well as the following:

• Must have earned work experience in a competent National Occupation Classification(NOC) code of at least, 1,560 hours in the three years before application.
• Authorised to work in Canada temporary

Must demonstrate your intent to reside outside of Quebec

The new pathways are specifically designed for applicants who intend to reside outside the province of Quebec if not, the application is refused.

Must meet the education requirements

International graduates are required to meet the following education requirements:

• The program of study must have been completed at a Canadian Designated Learning Institution (DLI) no earlier than January 2017
• The applicant must have held had a study permit while studying at the DLI
• The applicant must have received a qualifying credential such as a degree (associate, bachelor, masters or doctorate), a diploma, certificate or attention from a program geared towards a job in a skilful trade. 
• The applicant is required to have one or more credentials if the study in Canada equals a 2-year credential or at least, 16 months in duration.

How to apply for the new IRCC Immpigration Pathways

To apply for any of the six new immigration pathways, applicants must have to submit their applications electronically with relation to the specific public policy they qualify under. Also, applicants will be required to submit several other forms electronically, including the IMM 0008 Generic Application Form and their signatures. All they need to do is to sign on the forms, scan and submit.

Although the IRCC is yet to officially provide a document checklist for all required documentation, applicants can be required to provide the following requirements:

• Completed application forms
• Proof of language proficiency
• Copies of education credential and transcripts of Canadian education
• Civil status documents
• Police clearances
• Medical examination results
• Work reference letters from Canadian employer/employers
• Passport copy
• Copies of all Canadian immigration permits
• Digital photo of applicants. 

Applicants are required to pay the total processing fee of $1050CAD under either of the new pathways. If the applicant has an accompanying spouse or children, the applicant is required to pay an equivalent processing fee for them. These accompanying spouses or children must also pass the medical and criminal background checks and must not be admissible to Canada.

Also, the application does not require that applicants provide proof of settlement funds during the application process. 

Although the public policies have given no official information on the duration the IRCC process will take, keep in mind that these programs are inferred to as ‘accelerated’ pathways to Canadian immigration, the IRCC may prioritise immigration the processing of applications. This is also because the main objective of these programs is to invite foreign nationals and international graduates to become permanent residents of the country and contribute to the country’s economic recovery.

Finally…

It is important to note that applicants do not need job offers from any Canadian company to be eligible to apply under either of the six new immigration pathways. Eligibility is primarily focused on the applicant’s previous work and education experiences in Canada. 

Although these are general criteria for applicants applying under either of the new pathways, application processes differ for each of the six new immigration pathways. All you need to do is to recognize which public policy you are under and follow the required information to ensure you meet all of them before you begin on your application.

Do you live in Canada? You can apply for PR under these new pathways!