According to a Ryerson University study, there should be more immigration for lower-skilled workers in Canada. The study recommends introducing more permanent residency pathways for lower-skilled workers seeking to immigrate to Canada. The research urges the government to expand ways to permanence for lower-skill temporary workers in Canada.

The study said that Canada welcomes over 350,000 permanent residents annually and approximately 600,000 temporary residents, including international students and temporary workers across various fields. Since 2008, about two-third of newcomers arriving in Canada PR visa holders were already living in the country as temporary residents. But in multiple incidents, permanent residence pathways are only available for high-skilled workers.

It states that low-skilled workers have been given limited opportunities to migrate to Canada permanently. As a result, their transition from temporary to permanent status is restricted. Though the government has introduced some small pilot programs and provincial nominee streams to permit low-skilled workers to move to Canada permanently, not every program attained success.

As Canada moves towards the post-pandemic economic recovery phase, the country will need workers across several sectors and occupations. The Covid-19 pandemic, followed by the aging population, has increased seniors’ health care and social services. Childcare, family services, commercial transportation, food services, and building construction are also expected to grow in the next ten years.

Though most job openings will be in high-skilled occupations, it is projected that low-skilled jobs will also get their due share in the upcoming years.

Once more Canadians retire, there will be 656,020 job openings per year, and that 211,020 of these will be under low-skilled occupations.

Canadian-born workers are reluctant to fill these gaps, mainly because of the steady rise in the educational attainment of Canadians. Canada’s economic immigration programs target only high-skilled workers and introduce them to the labor market. Unfortunately, many of them end up taking low-skilled jobs in the country.

Immigration programs targeting lower-skill workers

There are several pilot programs through which lower-skill workers can apply to immigrate to Canada.

• The British Columbia Nominee Program allows fewer lower-skill workers to apply through the Entry Level and Semi-skilled Worker category and the Northeast Pilot Project.
• In Ontario, the In-Demand Skills Stream program provides pathways for individuals working in specific high-need occupations.
• The Atlantic Immigration Pilot allows lower-skill workers to apply for immigration in of the Atlantic Provinces. 
• The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot provides foreign workers with a full-time, lower-skill position in one of 11 smaller municipalities across Canada.
• The Agri-Food Pilot program provides up to 2,750 individuals a pathway to permanent residence. The program was launched in 2020 and will run until 2023. To be eligible, applicants must have worked in Canada, with a temporary work permit, in a designated occupation in an agricultural or food processing industry, in a non-seasonal job. They must also have attained at least a high school education and meet CLB Level 4.

Recently, the government of Canada also announced six new immigration pathways for temporary foreign workers, including workers in health care, workers in essential sectors, international graduates, and French-speakers workers and graduates. For more information you can contact with our immigration Experts at 8595338595 or [email protected]