If you are keen to Apply for Canada PR Visa from India, then here are the updates for 2024 that you must be aware of:

Steady Immigration Intake Targets

The Government of Canada has to publish its immigration intake in every non-election year. It denotes the number of fresh PR Visa holders that will be accepted to Canada in the year through the 3 immigration categories: Economic, Family, and Humanitarian.  

Canada is seeking to welcome 485,000 fresh PR Visa holders in 2024 and the distribution is as follows:

• Economic Category: 58%
• Family Category: 24%
• Humanitarian Category: 19%

 Addressing the Scarcity of Labor

The Canadian Government is maintaining high immigration intake levels owing to the scarcity of labor, low rate of birth, and an aging population across the nation. Statistics Canada has estimated that nearly 98% of the growth of the population in Canada is due to immigrants. Meanwhile, the nation is also facing a housing, healthcare, and affordability crisis that has influenced public perception about immigration.

For harmonizing these realities supporting a robust economy, high immigration levels will be prioritized by Canada in 2024 as well. However, the focus will be to attract and retain immigrants who have qualifications and skills in demand. These include sectors like Healthcare, Agriculture, Engineering, Manufacturing, Trades and Transportation.

The following measures will be implemented:

• Draws based on categories under the Canada Express Entry System and likely revision of categories announced in 2023
• Develop regional immigration programs that address the needs of the labor market locally such as the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot and the Atlantic Immigration Program 
• Develop unique immigration programs offering PR Visa pathways to individuals possessing precise skills in demand like agricultural or construction workers
• Developing  the REPP - Recognized Employer Pilot Program offering a streamlined approach to employers who frequently  opt for TFWP for filling in-demand roles in precise occupations
• Continued improvement of the SUVP - Start-Up Visa Program through which entrepreneurs and investors arrive in Canada
• Launching fresh initiatives for better transition of overseas students into the workforce
• Collaborating with partners to improve recognition of overseas credentials

Reforms to Overseas Student Program

With effect from 1 January 2024, the living costs financial criterion for Study Permit applicants has been increased. Accordingly, single applicants will have to demonstrate that they possess $20,635 accessible to them excluding tuition and travel costs for the first year. This ceiling will be revised annually from now onwards as and when the LICO – low-income cut-off is updated by Statistics Canada.

The measure aims to ensure that overseas students possess adequate funds for catering to living costs while staying in Canada. However, Canada acknowledges that the change can have diverse impacts based on the applicant. It thus aims to implement targeted pilots in 2024 to assist overseas students of underrepresented cohorts to continue their education in Canada.

Further, prior to the September 2024 Semester, Canada plans to take measures inclusive of curbing Study Visas and implementing the framework of “recognized institution”. The objective is to make sure that Designated Learning Institutions / DLIs offer sufficient support to students’ inclusive of accommodation as a part of the overseas academic experience.

Further, overseas students must also note that:

• Post-secondary DLIs will now have to share the Acceptance Letter of each applicant with IRCC directly for the prevention of fraud
• The 20-hour weekly waiver on the number of hours that overseas students can work off-campus during academic sessions has been extended till 30 April 2024
• The facilitative measure permitting overseas students to include time spent studying online toward the duration of a PGWP in the future till it accounts for less than 50% of the study program will remain effective for students who commence studies prior to 1 September 2024. It will be inapplicable to students commencing studies beyond or on this date.
• The provisional measure that offered an extra 18 months' Work Permit to PGWP holders will not be available in 2024

Priority to Francophone Immigration

The Strategic Report of IRCC outlines that 2024 will witness the implementation of a fresh Policy for Francophone Immigration. The aim is to enhance the vitality of French-speaking minority communities in the nation and work towards restoration and increase of their demographic representation. Accordingly, Canada is keen to accept 26, 100 fresh Francophone PR Visa holders exterior of Quebec Province in 2024.

Further initiatives to enhance immigration of French-speaking individuals include expansion of the FMP – and French-language proficiency category draws in the Express Entry System. It is anticipated that 2024 will witness the launching of more pathways and programs by IRCC to allure Francophone immigrants to every region in Canada.

Enhanced Acceptance of Technology

The Government of Canada is anticipated to continue to increasingly accept technology and various latest advancements in 2024. The aim will be to cut processing delays and enhance the capacity of processing and efficiency for Visa applications.

The estimation is that online applications will fully replace offline applications. Further, IRCC is likely to work towards transforming its administrative abilities like service delivery channels and client-facing tools.

Further, it is likely that IRCC will unveil a fresh digital platform to bring in fresh competencies like an online window into programs for immigration. It could also include digital self-services, enhanced automation, and highly accessible updated information regarding the statuses of the applications that are pending.

Moreover, Immigration Experts expect that IRCC will continue incorporating of latest analytics tools and AI/Artificial Intelligence into decision-making processes for immigration. It includes verification of identity and documents, assessment of risk, prevention of fraud, and streamlined processing for applications.

Overall the dynamic immigration landscape in Canada will continue to evolve influenced by diverse aspects like global events, economic trends, and policy changes.

To remain updated with these changes and to explore the diverse immigration options suitable for you or your business or family, contact Nationwide Visas. To begin with, you can get an assessment of your Eligibility for Canada PR Visa from our CICC-accredited Immigration Experts.