Canada has created many major immigration changes in the year 2020, especially due to the outbreak of the COVID -19 pandemic. Nonetheless, most visas are still being applied for and Canadian immigration continues to grow. Below, we explain the most important events in Canadian immigration that have happened in the last year.
Canadian Visa Updates 2020
Changes to Canadian Citizenship
the Canadian government ruled a change in the definition of “parent” under the Citizenship Act. This is especially good news for couples who have had fertility issues or couples of the same sex.
Before this ruling, the Citizenship Act only allowed for foreign-born children to be automatically recognized as citizens if they shared a genetic link to a Canadian parent.
Now, the government will allow non-biological Canadian parents who are a child’s legal parent at birth to pass down their citizenship.
Canada Extends Time for Temporary Residents Stay
Due to the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic, Canada announced an extension of the time temporary residents are allowed to stay in the country.
This new policy also allows for previous work-permit holders applying for an employer-specific work permit to work while their new application is being looked over.
Home Childcare Provider Pilot Closed
The Home Child Care Provider pilot received it’s total yearly cap of applications and remains closed for the rest of 2020. The Home Child Care Provider pilot will reopen for the new year on January 1st, 2021.
2020 Policy Changes
Travel Restrictions
Starting in April of 2020, travel bans and restrictions were instated in Canada due to the outbreak of Coronavirus. These restrictions have been pushed back multiple times throughout the entire year as Canada waits for the pandemic to come to a halt.
Processing Times Increase
Canada’s travel restrictions affected immigration, refugees, citizenship and passport applications and differentiate by the situation. Each visa has a different processing time and application process, and some visas may take longer to process due to the travel restrictions on those visas.
Canada Increases Immigration Plan
On October 30th, Canada’s Immigration Minister announced that Canada wants to attract 401,000 new permanent residents by next year. This is part of Canada’s plan to better the economy by focusing on foreign workers. The previous immigration plan had a goal of 351,000 immigrants but now that COVID-19 hit, Canada wants to invite 50,000 more immigrants to boost the economy. These immigrants will be highly skilled workers and entrepreneurs with goals to stimulate the economy through working and opening businesses.
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