Immigration Announcement
What you should know about COVID-19 and Canada immigration in 2020
Canadian immigration has not been unaffected by the emergence of the coronavirus. Canada’s immigration policies have been altered to suit the needs of the current times and control the spread of COVID-19. One of the major steps taken by Canada is that the country has implemented travel restrictions in the period between March 18 and June 30. However, the country has granted permission to certain temporary and permanent residents to enter the country despite the instructions.
How is the IRCC coping?
If you are an aspiring candidate, you will still be able to submit an Express Entry profile and your permanent residence application. The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will continue to organize Express Entry draws. The IRCC held two draws during March that collectively gave invitations to 4000 Express Entry candidates allowing them to apply for permanent residence. Provinces will also hold draws via the Provincial Nominee Program.
The IRCC has reported that it is still processing many permanent residence applications. The process of assessing completed applications according to the normal regulations is still ongoing. Individuals who will not be able to submit completed applications in time will have an extra 90 days to complete the task if they have experienced delays in acquiring the required documents because of the disruptions created by the coronavirus.
The IRCC has released a list specifying who can come to Canada even within the restricted period. However, they have recommended that exempted individuals should monitor the notifications released by the federal government before booking their return tickets. The immediate family of permanent Canadian residents should be able to travel to Canada, but the allowance is restricted to:
- Spouse or common-law partner
- Parent or step-parent
- Guardian or tutor
- Dependent child
- Grandchild
The U.S. and Canada have come to a mutual agreement that the countries will halt all non-essential traffic between them till the situation is under control. However, the Canadians visiting the United States will be able to return home.
