IRCC to open new immigration streams Thursday May 6 at 12 p.m. EST

IRCC will begin to accept applications for its six new limited-time immigration pathways on Thursday May 6 at 12 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST).

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) revealed this information in a May 4 meeting with the Canadian Bar Association's Immigration Law Section and other associations representing immigration lawyers and consultants.

The CBA's Immigration Law Section has a broad mandate which includes educating immigration lawyers across Canada and providing advice to the federal government on immigration laws and policies. It meets regularly with IRCC and other federal departments and agencies to understand how government changes impact the country's immigration system.

During today's meeting, IRCC provided a sneak peak on what essential workers and international graduates can expect come Thursday.

Once on the application portal, candidates will be greeted by a wizard which will assess their eligibility for the six new streams.

Candidates will need to complete several forms electronically including the IMM 0008 Generic Application Form. Candidates can submit their signatures electronically. They do not need to print the forms, sign them, and then scan them.

Do you live in Canada? Apply for PR under these new pathways!

Each stream will have its own document requirements. Candidates will be prompted on which documents they need to upload.

Once candidates complete their applications, they will be invited to select a blue "Submit your application" button. IRCC will count each submission towards its various quotas for the streams:

Workers in Canada - Stream A for health care workers (20,000 applications)
Workers in Canada - Stream B for essential non-health care workers (30,000 applications)
International graduates (40,000 applications)
Workers in Canada - Stream A for French-speaking health care workers (no cap)
Workers in Canada - Stream B for French-speaking essential non-health care workers (no cap)
French-speaking international graduates (no cap)

Some documents will be mandatory for candidates to submit. However, IRCC will provide guidance to candidates if they are unable to submit certain documents. For example, you will need to provide IRCC evidence you have applied to complete your medical exam and are seeking police clearance certificates. IRCC suggests that you submit your old medical exam if you have it so it can advise you later in the application process whether you will need to submit another one.

IRCC expects to be able to process a total of 40,000 permanent residence applications under the streams in 2021. This means that the majority of applicants can expect to obtain their permanent residence status in 2022.

More information will become available tomorrow when the application guide is revealed. We will learn what documents candidates will need to submit, among other important information. In addition, Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino is set to hold a press conference at 3:45 PM EST tomorrow.

Do you live in Canada? Apply for PR under these new pathways!