Last month, the Honourable Marco E. L. Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced an innovative pathway to permanent residence for over 90,000 essential workers and international graduates of a Canadian institution who are actively contributing to Canada’s economy.

This special public policy will grant permanent status to temporary workers and international graduates of a Canadian institution who are already in Canada and who possess the skills and experience we need to fight the pandemic and accelerate our economic recovery.

Eligible applicants can submit their applications through IRCC’s online portal starting May 6, 2021, at 12:00 p.m. EDT time. To be eligible, workers must have at least 1 year of Canadian work experience in a health care profession or another pre-approved essential occupation. International graduates must have completed an eligible post-secondary program in Canada within the last 4 years, and no earlier than January 2017.

The portal will remain open until November 5, 2021, or until IRCC has reached the maximum number of applications:

• • 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 maximum number of applications.

Under all streams of this temporary pathway, applicants must intend to reside in a province or territory other than Quebec to qualify.

This new pathway to permanent residence recognizes Canada’s need for educated and experienced workers as we work toward our economic recovery. It also acknowledges the extraordinary service of so many essential workers during the pandemic, many of whom are newcomers to our country and have played critical roles as we fight COVID-19.

(Source: IRCC)