Foreign workers in Canada are losing legal status, as Immigration Canada delays invitation rounds to process backlogs
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)’s pause on Express Entry invitations to Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates since September is forcing some to quit their jobs and even leave Canada. These candidates have at least one year of Canadian work experience and about 90% are already in Canada. During the pandemic, IRCC issued more invitations to CEC candidates than any other Express Entry-managed program. IRCC invited CEC candidates to apply for Canadian immigration about every two weeks, and in large numbers. In early 2021, the department invited every single CEC candidate in the Express Entry pool to apply. This draw resulted in more than 27,000 invitations and was part of IRCC’s effort to land a record 401,000 newcomers in 2021. Sasha (last name withheld), a marketing professional in Toronto, said she felt certain she would receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) when she put her profile in the Express Entry pool in September. Express Entry works on a points system called the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). IRCC invites the top-scoring candidates to apply for Canadian immigration through bi-weekly Express Entry draws