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More than 250 Mexicans pursuing the dream of working in Canada fell victim to labour fraud after losing their money for an opportunity that never came. A network of scammers attracts their victims with attractive labour proposals in Latin countries, mainly Mexico, as Canada is one of the most popular destinations for those seeking new job opportunities. Latin consulates in Canada and Immigration offices of all involved areas have started campaigns to sound the alert on these unfortunate incidents. Applicants are encouraged to verify a job offer through official government authorities like IRCC or ESDC.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada’s population growth decreased twice due to the increasing numbers of Covid-19-related deaths. According to Statistics Canada’s Population Estimates report released on September 29, 2021, immigration drove almost three-quarters of Canada’s population growth during the past year despite all pandemic-related border restrictions and travel bans. The statistical analysis shows that during the last year the Canadian population grew by only about 208,900, twice less compared to the previous year. Immigration also fell by 56.8 percent (around 156,500) but was enough to keep Canada’s population growth.

Starting from July 22, 2021, the City of Greater Sudbury started to consider all eligible applicants who meet the minimum cut-off under the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP). For candidates applying with a spouse or common-law partner, the minimum cut-off is 95 points. Those applying without a spouse or common-law partner must have at least 75 points to be considered eligible. In 2020, Sudbury invited 42 candidates, and in total, 54 individuals were recommended by the city since the launch of the program. In 2021, in total, 71 applicants have already been invited.

Within two years, the Federal government will implement a facial recognition system for all 25 million Canadian passport holders. This was reported by Blacklock’s Reporter. The government would build a huge database with the faces of millions of Canadians. In a notice titled Facial Recognition Solution, the IRCC said that “the department must have facial recognition system support capabilities in place no later than October 2023.” The cost of the program was not detailed. Canadian citizens who apply for passports will automatically consent to have their personal photos stored in a federal database: “Applicants consent to their photos being used to confirm identity through the passport program’s facial recognition system.” The program is rationalized on the basis of preventing identity fraud, despite little proof that identity fraud is an issue.

Employers have been facing labour shortages for the previous 18 months since the COVID-19 epidemic began. Wednesday’s study adds to the evidence, with over 60% of Canadian businesses reporting that widespread labour shortages are restricting their development. The study, released by the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), is based on two polls: one that polled 1,251 Canadian businesses in May 2021 and another of 3,000 Canadian workers conducted in June 2021. According to the BDC’s chief economist, COVID-19 certainly disrupted the Canadian labour market by temporarily shutting off immigration and prompting some employees to quit rather than risk catching the virus on the job.

Canada received the first direct Air Canada flight from India after the Government lifted the travel ban on direct flights from India that were in place from April 22, 2021. According to Mark Galardo, Air Canada’s senior vice president of network planning and revenue management, ‘people are eager to reunite with family and friends since the air company is the leading carrier between the two countries offering flights from Toronto and Vancouver to Delhi and Mumbai since 2015. The travel restrictions impacted Indian international students and foreign workers as they had to travel to Canada via a third country.

The Royal Bank report shows that 700,000 skilled workers are expected to retire in Canada by 2028. Inability to replace them may trigger a crisis of shortage of skilled workers. For a long time, skilled workers have been regarded as “blue-collar” jobs, requiring a lot of manual labour and heavy work. However, with appropriate health and safety standards, the median income of these types of jobs may reach between $80,000 and $100,000, or even more. According to the report, the technical field failed to attract minorities and women to enter. In addition, the author believes that Canada cannot bring 3,000 skilled workers through immigration every year, and only 2,365 new immigrants meet the requirements of the federal technology industry category.

According to a tweet of Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino, the Government of Canada decided to accept twice as many Afghan refugees in Canada. “Canada announced we will double our humanitarian resettlement commitment from 20,000 to 40,000 Afghan refugees,” tweeted Mendicino. Through the Government policies, Canada “will offer a new home for Afghan refugees while upholding democracy and human rights around the world.” Canada was one of the first countries in the world to launch pathways focusing on women, girls, LGBTI, and targeted minorities.

On September 29, 2021, the Government of Canada introduced a program delivery update for family class applications. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) launched a permanent residence (PR) online intake portal that enabled applicants who apply for certain PR programs to submit their applications online, including some family class applications. The new instructions are applicable for online applications. Now, FC1 or FCC cases processed within Canada or overseas under the spouse or common-law partner in Canada class, as well as FCH cases processed within Canada under the spousal public policy can be submitted online.

On September 28, 2021, British Columbia conducted two draws in the Skills Immigration (SI) and Express Entry British Columbia (EEBC) categories of the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP). In the general draw, the province issued 386 invitations.

• Skills Immigration – Skilled Worker 90
• Skills Immigration – International Graduate 77
• Skills Immigration – Entry Level and Semi-Skilled 69
• Express Entry British Columbia – Skilled Worker 86
• Express Entry British Columbia – International Graduate 75

The second round of the day targeted only candidates in NOC 0621 – Retail and Wholesale Trade Managers and NOC 0631 – Restaurant and Food Service Managers. BCPNP invited 36 such candidates. Both NOCs have a high number of registrants within the BC PNP Skills Immigration Registration System. The lowest score of those candidates was 105 points, the same as it was in the previous draw for these NOCs. In total, British Columbia issued 9,087 ITAs under the BCPNP in 2021.