Recently, Ryerson University conducted a study that recommends that Canada should create more permanent residence opportunities for low-skilled workers.
CERC (Canada Excellence Research Chair) in Migration and Integration released the results of the study. The CERC is a platform that awards up to $10 million to well-known researchers so that they can conduct their research.
Low-skilled immigrants have fewer opportunities
Canada welcomes around 350,000 new permanent residents annually. And around 70 percent of them are temporary residents who get Confirmation of Permanent Residence while living in Canada. Also, nearly 60,000 temporary residents come to Canada every year. However, mostly those people secure a permanent residence who work in highly skilled occupations. So, immigrants working in low-skilled occupations do not have many opportunities to transition to permanent resident status.
Canada depends on immigrants for low-skilled work and the COVID-19 pandemic has magnified the need for low-skilled workers for the Canadian economy. The demand for people who work in grocery stores, farms, and hospitals has increased.
Further, the sectors that are projected to show growth over the next decade include childcare, food services, construction, family services, and commercial transportation. So, Canada can expect the demand for low-skilled workers to increase in the coming times as the aging population is rising and there are no Canadians available for such jobs. In fact, many high skilled immigrants end up doing low-skilled jobs because of the immense demand.
Immigration programs for low-skilled workers
- The province of British Columbia invites low-skilled workers through the regular BC PNP draws. The province invites people for nominations through the Entry level and Semi-skilled worker immigration streams of the PNP program.
- The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program also invites low-skilled candidates through the In-demand skills stream.
- The Atlantic Immigration Pilot allows low-skilled workers to settle in four Atlantic Canadian provinces.
- The Agri-Food Immigration Pilot has been successful in providing permanent residence to 2,750 people working in agri-food industries.
Provide more pathways for lower-skilled workers
The report published by the researchers of Ryerson University suggests that Canada should create more permanent residence pathways for low-skilled workers. And at least 10 to 20 percent of low-skilled workers should immigrate to Canada through economic class programs.
Further, Canada should invest in providing settlement services to temporary residents. And, the country must appreciate the economic contribution of low-skilled workers to prevent the spread of anti-immigration sentiment.
