Dear Mr Brown,

Canada announced that immigration levels would be raised to 500,000 annually by 2025. My question is how can this be managed in accepting so many new people to Canada? Wouldn’t this be a strain on infrastructure, such as housing and the health-care system?

-BKL

Dear BKL,

I understand the nature of your query. It is a popular misconception that increasing the number of permanent residents necessarily entails applicants from overseas, as opposed to temporary residents already living in Canada.

Temporary residents

I have maintained for years that those applying for permanent residence from within Canada, that is, temporary workers, international students and others already with status living in the country, may have an advantage in the immigration process.

Accordingly, rather than a huge influx of new people looking for housing and services at any given period, many new permanent residents are already living in Canada for years. For example, there are hundreds of thousands of international students in Canada who complete programmes between one and four years in length. They are able to work full-time in Canada on a postgraduate work permit after the completion of their studies for up to three years. When they ultimately apply for permanent residence, they will obtain additional points for their Canada experience (studying and working in a skilled job for at least a year) under Express Entry, which gives them a distinct advantage in obtaining the permanent residence status.

Accompanying family members

It is noted that spouses and children can be included on permanent residence applications, which would allow them to join a principal applicant in Canada, once permanent residence is granted, if they were not already in Canada. However, in most cases, the path to permanent residence includes people already living, working, studying, and paying taxes in Canada.

Please visit JAMAICA2CANADA.COM for additional information on Canadian Permanent Residence programmes, including Express Entry, The Study & Work programme, Visas or Appeals, etc.

Antonn Brown, BA, (Hons), LLB, MSc, RCIC, is an immigration counsel and an accredited Canadian education agent of JAMAICA2CANADA.COM — a Canadian immigration & education firm in Kingston. Send questions/comments to documents.jamaica2canada@gmail.com