(Montreal) Canada plans to meet its goal of welcoming more than 431,000 new permanent residents this year, beating the record set in 2021, says Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
Last year, that number reached 405,000, representing “the largest number of immigrants in a single year” in the country’s history, according to Ottawa.
Overall, 2022 promises to be another record year in the processing of immigration applications, according to IRCC, which is seeing a catch-up in files delayed due to the pandemic.
As of the end of November, about 4.8 million files had been processed, almost twice as many as the same period last year, the federal ministry confirmed on Monday.
This number includes more students and temporary workers. The department reports the analysis of more than 670,000 study permit applications and nearly 700,000 work permits.
IRCC says it has also picked up the pace for visitor visas. For the last month, more than 260,000 requests had been studied against approximately a monthly average of 180,000 files in 2019.
Ottawa also expects to exceed the number of new citizens compared to last year. Between April and November, approximately 251,000 people obtained their Canadian citizenship, which gives access to the right to vote and a passport.
The health crisis has caused significant delays and delays in the processing of immigration files in the country. Ottawa ensures to remedy the situation, while the arrears linked to the pandemic have decreased by nearly half a million in four months.
In order to improve the efficiency of its system, IRCC lists having notably hired and trained new employees, simplified processes and taken advantage of automation technologies.
“Our interventions ensure that we can continue to welcome and support newcomers who come to Canada to work, study, visit loved ones, or settle,” said Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Sean Fraser.
80% of new applications are processed within government wait times, according to IRCC. For example, the standard for study permits is 60 days, while the processing of spousal sponsorship applications should not exceed 12 months.