World Education Services (WES) is a non-profit social enterprise dedicated to helping international students, immigrants, and refugees achieve their educational and career goals in the United States and Canada. The weekly roundup includes research, stories, and events of interest to the Canadian immigration and settlement community. This content has been created by WES and is reproduced here with their permission, in partnership.
Canada to grant a select group of international students permanent residence upon graduation with pilot program (Toronto Star)
On August 26, 2024, Canada announced the launch of a new pilot program, aimed at granting permanent residency to select Francophone international students upon graduation. This initiative is a key part of a broader Francophone immigration strategy designed to boost the French-speaking population outside Quebec, which has been declining. The program will provide Francophone students, particularly those from Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas, with a direct pathway to permanent residency, exempting them from some typical requirements like proving they intend to leave Canada after their studies and adjusting the financial threshold needed for living expenses. Participants will also have access to government-funded settlement services while studying, and their spouses can accompany them. The pilot program is targeted at 2,300 applications in its first year and will be partnered with designated French-language and bilingual post-secondary institutions. Additionally, the government is expanding efforts to attract Francophone newcomers to various communities across Canada, outside of Quebec.
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DeepDive: Who benefits from surging immigration? Hint: it’s not Canadian workers (The Hub)
Canada is currently experiencing a productivity challenge, with output per worker not only stagnating but declining. In contrast, U.S. productivity has rebounded post-COVID, widening the productivity gap between the two countries to 30 percent, resulting in $20,000 less GDP per capita for Canadians. Although Canada’s population is growing rapidly, mainly due to immigration, this growth has not led to increased productivity. The article suggests that the influx of immigrants, particularly non-permanent residents (NPRs), has reduced the capital-labour ratio, as the existing capital stock hasn’t kept up with the expanding workforce, leading to lower productivity. Immigrants, especially recent arrivals, typically earn less than Canadian-born workers due to factors like unrecognized credentials and work experience. While established immigrants eventually close this earnings gap, it can take up to 10 years, temporarily lowering average labour quality in the meantime. The article indicates that if immigration continues at its current pace without corresponding increases in capital investment and policy improvements, it could impact Canada’s productivity and living standards.
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Visitors to Canada with valid visas claim they are being pressured to seek asylum upon arriving — or leave (Toronto Star)
Pranjal Singh, an 18-year-old from Delhi, was unexpectedly pressured to file a refugee claim when he arrived in Montreal, despite holding a valid visa and having no intention or basis to seek asylum. Singh's case reflects an emerging trend where visitors to Canada with valid visas are reportedly being encouraged to claim asylum at Canadian airports, especially since the reopening of borders post-pandemic. According to Immigration, Refugee, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) data, nearly 27,020 people sought asylum at Toronto and Montreal airports between January and June. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) denies coercing anyone into making refugee claims, but immigration consultants and lawyers both in Canada and abroad have raised concerns over increasing cases of visitors being pushed into the asylum process, potentially to avoid deportation or due to CBSA skepticism in visa decisions and wider immigration policy. This practice may place additional pressure on the current backlog in an already strained immigration system.
Further Reading:
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