Canada’s June 2020 immigrant data, shows a growth curve

IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) released data on August 10, 2020, on the number of new permanent residents (PR) in Canada. The data reveals that in June 2020, Canada welcomed close to 19,200 new permanent residents.

Comparing with the number of new PRs in May 2020, which was 11,000, the June count is quite high. When the data over 3 months, including April 2020 with 4,000 new PRs, is looked at, the trend of Canada immigration is clearly going up.

The June 2020 numbers are also the highest in a month since the COVID-19 pandemic was officially declared a pandemic. That happened in March 2020.

But when compared to June 2019, when there were over 34,000 new immigrants in Canada, the June 2020 numbers are pretty low. The pandemic is to blame for this as it triggered preventive measures like travel restrictions since March 18, 2020. Challenges like bringing in COPR (Confirmation of Permanent Residence) holders permitted to travel to and live in Canada also were factors that reduced the number of new immigrants in Canada in June 2020. Besides, IRCC’s system of processing applications was affected by measures like social distancing. It forced the IRCC to work at far less capacity.

The top 10 countries that contributed to the new immigrant population in Canada in June 2020 were:

Country	Immigrant count
India	6,760
China	2,010
Philippines	900
USA	740
Pakistan	595
Brazil	560
United Kingdom	535
Nigeria	530
Iran	390
South Korea	355

The rankings above have not changed for the recent years and months. The new immigrants who came in June had applied for permanent residence many months ago and hence indicates that the source countries have not had any significant impact of the pandemic so far.

Looking into the rest of the year, a normalizing tendency to whatever extent possible have been shown by Canada immigration during the pandemic. This could be hinting at more successful efforts to overcome the challenges of the pandemic in the days to come.

As Canada’s PR levels tend to spike in the summer, the upcoming summer months could well have the same immigration levels as seen in June 2020. Nevertheless, the disruptions and restrictions caused by COVID-19 could keep the immigration numbers to stay low compared to similar periods in 2019.

But all these have not deterred Canada from inviting successful immigration candidates in more numbers to put in PR applications. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada’s Express Entry draws conducted once in 2 weeks have stayed constant. Over 3,900 ITAs (Invitations to Apply) for PR have been issued bi-weekly.

Earlier in August 2020, Canada conducted 2 Express Entry draws that included candidates from FSWP (Federal Skilled Worker Program) in one of them. Between March and July 2020, FSWP candidates were not included in Express Entry draws. In that period, IRCC gave priority to inviting candidates who were more likely residing in Canada at that time. This would have kept candidates away from COVID-19 related travel restrictions.

Now, Express Entry draws include FSWP candidates along with ongoing Canada PNP (Provincial Nominee Program) draws. This shows that Canada is staying committed to its immigration policies it devised prior to the pandemic.

Canada’s IRCC and immigration minister have emphasized on this fact. They have also stated more than once that the welcoming of more immigrants after the pandemic will be a key factor in maintaining the health of the Canadian economy.

If you are looking to Study, Work, Visit, Invest or Migrate to Canada, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Company.

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