Canadian Experience Class to be introduced in 2008

Thursday, 01 November 2007

As of next year, a new stream of Canadian immigration will be available to certain temporary foreign workers and international students with Canadian degrees and Canadian work experience. First announced in the 2007 budget, the Canadian Experience Class will help address the country’s labour force needs by better focusing on these candidates for Canadian Permanent Residency. A report by the Canadian Bureau for International Education states that the international student talent pool could add up to 30,000 skilled immigrants every year if Canada were to implement a national strategy on international students.

The Canadian Experience Class will add to other initiatives to alleviate Canada’s labour force shortages. The Provincial Nominee Programs, in which Canadian immigration applicants are nominated for priority processing by the province in which they plan to live, have been expanded for next year.  Also, the Foreign Credential Referral Office (FCRO) services have increased and the Temporary Foreign Worker Program has been improved.

These were highlighted in the Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration that Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) tabled this week.  The report provided a detailed analysis of immigration to Canada in 2006, an update on 2007, and plans for 2008.  In 2006, Citizenship and Immigration Canada admitted 251,649 Permanent Residents (more than half under the economic class) and over 1.2 million Temporary Residents.  Canadian citizenship was granted to 259,802 Permanent Residents. The 2007 update showed CIC on track to meeting its goals for the year and highlighted the $1.3 billion in settlement funding to help newcomers over five years.  It also focused on improved Federal-Provincial-Territorial collaboration on immigration.  In 2008, the government plans to welcome between 240,000 and 265,000 new Permanent Residents, which is consistent with this year’s targets.  The 2008 immigration plan focuses on Canada’s labour market needs, family reunification, and the humanitarian principles of refugee protection.