TR to PR Pathway Immigration Program for Canada

Part of the Canadian government’s current immigration strategy is to provide a faster pathway to permanent residence for temporary workers here.

A new program aims to build on the previous TR to PR Pathway program, which was announced in April 2021 and received more than 80,000 applications before closing in November 2021.

The TR to PR Pathway program allowed individuals working in essential occupations and international graduates working in any occupation, to apply for Canadian permanent residence.

However, a backlog of applications has meant that many foreign workers in Canada were left without an option to remain in the country permanently in the past 12 months or so.

The new immigration program, announced in September 2022, builds on the current program by focusing on creating new immigration options for international students and temporary foreign workers

Immigration, Refugee, Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has outlined five pillars to improve transitions from temporary residency to permanent residency and, in this post, we take a look at what this means for you if you’re looking to find a way for permanent residency here in British Columbia.

Canada is working on a program that will help temporary residents remain in Canada permanently, according to the immigration minister, Sean Fraser.

According to Fraser, the new plan, which is still being developed, expands on the previous TR to PR Pathway and addresses the following six key points:

1. Giving more weight to Canadian work experience under economic immigration programs and expanding eligible occupational categories.
2. Incorporating data on the labour market and skills shortages to base immigrant selection on persistent labour gaps.
3. Examining information from other federal immigration programs.
4. Encouraging immigrant retention in smaller communities and Francophone immigration outside Quebec.
5. Identifying mechanisms to reach quicker changes in labour market needs and regional economic priorities.
6. Specifically considering occupations and essential services such as health services, trades, transportation, caregivers, agriculture, and manufacturing.

Canada is facing a major labour shortage and the government is keen to provide more options for essential workers to remain in the country permanently.

Under the present system, Express Entry requires candidates to have work experience in skill types 0, A, or B. Candidates with work experience in skill types C or D have fewer opportunities for permanent residency.

However, it is anticipated that the new immigration program will provide permanent residency opportunities for a broader range of candidates working in Canada.

All-program Express Entry draws resumed in early July and recent comments from the immigration minister suggest that some requirements may be relaxed.

Candidates for the TR to PR pathway program must fall into one of the following categories:

• Temporary workers in the healthcare sector.
• Temporary workers in other essential occupations (which includes a wide variety of jobs).
• Recent graduates from a Canadian post-secondary institution.

Workers under the first two categories must have at least one year’s Canadian work experience before applying for permanent residency.

Graduates must have completed an eligible post-secondary course within the last four years (no earlier than January 2017).

The Canadian government’s plan to expand the ways for temporary foreign workers and international students to transition from temporary residents to permanent residents is based on the following five pillars:

If you need assistance with permanent residency or any other immigration issue, the lawyers at Canadian Currents Immigration in Vancouver can help you during an initial consultation. Contact us directly online or call us at 778-331-1164 to schedule.

We’ll be happy to answer your questions and provide legal guidance on any immigration matter you face.