While that would be good news for many stuck in the significant backlog of applicants seeking permanent residency, those who spoke to CTVNews.ca say the long pause and wait times have led to uncertainty and inconvenience in their lives.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has announced that it is restarting the Express Entry (EE) lotteries for eligible applicants starting July 6.
The draws for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) have been suspended since September of last year.  The Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), meanwhile, have been on hold since December 2020, more than 18 months ago.
Canada’s Immigration Minister Sean Fraser tweeted: “Newcomers continue to play a critical role in the success of the Canadian economy and we look forward to continuing this important program.”
The decision comes at a time when Canada’s current immigration backlog is 2.4 million people and the country is facing a labor shortage.
“I think people have waited a long time, so the resumption of these draws is welcome—especially for Federal Skilled Workers and especially for the Canadian Experience Class,” Rick Lamanna, director of Fragomen Canada, an immigration services provider, told CTV News.  a Zoom interview.
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Many employers in Canada rely on Express Entry, which was introduced in 2015 and was designed to attract highly skilled foreign workers through its programs that lead to permanent residence (PR).
Programs under EE include: the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), and a portion of the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).
Of all the economic migration programs, employers rely most on Global Talent Stream, FSWP and CEC, according to a recent survey of major employers by the Business Council of Canada.
But with the discontinuation of Express Entry programs like FSWP and CEC, many employers have struggled to fill job vacancies.
Four out of five survey respondents said they face labor shortages, and processing delays remained the top barrier for two-thirds of Canadian employers looking to hire newcomers.

A HISTORIC WEEKEND DRAW AND A SUDDEN BREAK

Before the program was suspended, IRCC invited over 27,000 economic migrants to apply under the CEC on February 13, 2021, a weekend (Saturday) in the largest draw ever in the history of the Express Entry system.
Invitations to Apply (ITAs) were issued to those with a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score as low as 75—the lowest score ever accepted.  The CRS is a points-based system where eligible applicants are given a score based on factors such as age, education level, language skills and work experience.
A few months later, in September 2021, the CEC and FSWP lotteries ceased and the PNP would become the primary target for all future lotteries, leaving other Express Entry program applicants in limbo.
In a statement emailed to CTVNews.ca, IRCC media relations adviser Rémi Larivière said travel restrictions in 2020 and 2021 delayed the processing of overseas applications, which led to a backlog processing.
“To manage this stockpile, in September 2021 there was a temporary pause of ITAs under the federal highly skilled streams, while the execution of invitation rounds for the PNP continued.  This pause was temporary,” Larivière said.
In Express Entry, one must first be selected and invited, and only then can they apply.
But the hiatus meant that IRCC stopped selecting people from certain programs for a period of time.  Thus, individuals within Canada were invited through PNP as these applicants resided within the country.
Part of the Express Entry system is designed to reduce or discontinue ITAs to manage growing backlogs, IRCC said.  By resuming ITAs now, the department expects the processing backlog to decrease enough to process new applications within the six-month service standard.
When looking at backlogs, one of the issues is that the longer it takes someone to get a PR, the more applications they have to make to stay in status, Lamanna said.
An example is students on the Post Graduation Work Permit Program (PGWP) who are expiring.  To maintain their current status in Canada, they should extend it instead of just awarding their PR application.
“So it becomes more important to continue these sweepstakes,” Lamanna said.  “It’s a good sign that the government is committed to doing it this summer.”

LIVES AFFECTED BY UNEXPECTED STOP

The September 2021 hiatus affected those who planned their lives within specific timelines.  As of January 8, 2020, PNP accounts for 52 percent of the total Express Entry draws and CEC makes up only 29 percent of the total draws.
The temporary pause has left many struggling to maintain their legal status in the country, with some losing their jobs and struggling to extend their temporary work permits.
As the draw resumes, some remain uncertain about what it means to secure a future in a country they have come to love.  Others believe that they may not be able to meet the final score that they estimate is too high.

“THE DELAY IN DRAWINGS MADE ME DO MY JOB”

Mikita Arlous came to Canada from Belarus in 2019 and graduated from Humber College during the pandemic in 2020. With a valid one-year PGWP—an open work permit that allows international graduates to work in Canada—his path to the PR seemed clear and manageable The hour.
But today, without a job, Arlous is relying on his savings and has yet to hear about his application for a work permit extension.
His 90-day interim period expires in mid-July and allows him to restore his status in Canada.  If his status is not restored within those 90 days, it would mean he cannot live or work in the country and may have to return to Belarus – an option he said he does not want to make.
Without employment, Arlous also has no access to health care.  As a cancer survivor, she needs annual check-ups which she can’t do now.
“I’ve been waiting for the work permit extension promised by Immigration Minister Sean Fraser two months ago, but there’s been no update on how or when to apply,” he told CTVNews.ca in a Zoom call.
Mikita Arlous came to Canada in 2019 and after months of waiting, he has yet to hear about his work permit extension application.  Fraser had said the immigration department was going to extend work permits for people affected by the CEC draw, but applications for the extensions were never opened.
As recently as June 24, Fraser tweeted about PGWP application extensions for those whose work permits have expired or will expire between September 20, 2021 and December 31, 2022.
But for Arlou, those timelines are tight and news comes slowly.
“I’m in a dead end right now, without a job.  I spend days in bed, doing nothing and thinking about the future,” he said.

“THE LAST EIGHT MONTHS HAVE BEEN HELL”

Like Arlou, Joshua Addis also has his life on hold after the September hiatus.
He first came to Canada from the UK in February 2020 after securing an open work permit for 2 years under International Experience Canada (IEC) – a path leading to CEC and eventually PR.
But the abrupt suspension of Express Entry interrupted Addis’ plans to secure a future in Canada.
“Immigrating to Canada was the most stressful experience I’ve ever endured, so much so that I sought professional help,” Andis told CTVNews.ca on a Zoom call.
Joshua Addis with his partner, Rosie.  Addis said he applied for a work permit extension in January this year to maintain his work status, but it took five months for IRCC to reject it.
He said he has invested time and effort to obtain a license and has gained experience, paid taxes and contributed to the local economy and integrated into the community and culture.
Addis said he applied for a work permit extension in January this year to maintain his work status, but it took five months for IRCC to reject it.
Now without a job extension, he is currently unemployed—without income, insurance or benefits.
With a visitor visa, he is not allowed to work or study under it.  While the announcement of the resumption of Express Entry draws has brought some relief, Addis is still doubtful that he will meet the CRS cut-off.
“It’s hard to deal with uncertainty,” Andis said.  “It was hard not being able to sleep and not knowing where I would be for the next few months.”
But, with the uncertainty, it does not rule out other options, such as common law sponsorship.
“I wouldn’t get a PR for another year and I wouldn’t be able to work in Canada while I wait,” he said.  “At least with the family sponsorship I might be able to get an open work permit in 4-5 months.”
“I really don’t want to have to leave my partner, my job and my home behind, but this situation has taken away our human rights,” she said.

“THIS WHOLE SITUATION IS INCREDIBLE FOR US”

Pedro Carvalho came to Canada from Brazil with his wife in 2017. After graduating in 2019, the couple lives and works in Toronto.
“Our lives have stopped.  We cannot plan the future.  Immigration was just a nightmare,” Carvalho told CTVNews.ca in a Zoom.
The couple applied for the Express Entry program and received an ITA on July 22, 2021.
But the application never arrived on time due to technical issues in the online portal.
After repeated failed attempts, filling out online forms and not getting any helpful help, he canceled his application near…