Canada Welcomes Over 108,000 Permanent Residents in First Quarter of 2022

Canada immigration news: Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada IRCC recently announced that 108,000 people were welcomed as Canadian permanent residents in 2022.

Not only has IRCC surpassed its expectation, but it's doubled the number of Invitations to Apply (ITAs) for permanent residency issued in 2021.

These applicants were invited through Provincial Nominee Program streams under the Express Entry System. To date, 6,470 applicants were issued ITAs via the seven Express Entry Draws held in the first three months of 2022.

The greatest number of ITAs ever issued through a PNP happened in a draw held on February 16, 2022, where 1,082 applicants were invited as newcomers to Canada.

This comes shortly after an announcement was made that IRCC would be investing $85 million to speed up visa processing and help alleviate the backlog in visa applications due to the effects of COVID.

New measures were implemented by IRCC to help streamline the visa application process, including:

  • hiring 500 visa processing staff members;
  • digitizing visa applications;
  • reallocating work globally.

This backlog resulted in IRCC temporarily putting a hold on new applications via other Express Entry programs, namely: 

  • Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), 
  • Federal Skilled Trade Program (FSTP), and 
  • Canadian Experience Class (CEC). 

Although it is yet to be confirmed, it's been estimated that, at this rate, the visa application processing backlog should be processed as early as this spring.

Canada has also exceeded its goals in terms of citizenship, by inviting over 210,000 people to become Canadian citizens for 2021-2022.

In 2021, 405,000 people were welcomed to apply for Canadian permanent residency; the highest number of ITAs issued in Canada’s immigration history.

Canada also welcomed 169,000 international students in 2021, which is a 32 percent increase from 2019.

Another initiative introduced in February 2022 by IRCC, is the digital case status tracker, which allows applicants applying for PR status under certain family class immigration programs to track their application status online with ease.

“While navigating unprecedented challenges in Canada’s immigration system, we have kept client experience as our focus, leading to record levels of newcomers in Canada. Helping clients come to Canada quickly, with predictable processing times and efficient communication, remains a top priority for me. Canada is proud to be a destination of choice for so many people around the world, and we will continue to work hard to provide the best experience possible for them.”

Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

For more information about the results of ITA for permanent residency issued in the first quarter of 2022, visit the IRCC website here, or subscribe to our mailing list to keep up-to-date on the latest Canada immigration news.