Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has proposed an amendment to the Immigration and Refugees Protection Act (IRPA) that would create a new permanent economic immigration class for workers with Training, Education, Experience, and Responsibilities for Teer-4 and Teer-5 Semi Skill Workers in Canada.
According to the government, the program will "support the modernization of the economic immigration system by expanding the selection of permanent residents to candidates with a more diverse range of skills and experience."
According to IRCC, ministerial instructions detailing the new class and any potential paths will be published in the Canada Gazette this fall.
Canada's TEER program:
In 2022, Canada launched the TEER system as part of the advancement of the National Occupation Classification (NOC) system. The system categorizes vocations as "TEERS," which replaced the "Skill Levels" in NOC 2016.
TEERs 0-3 are for vocations that normally need postsecondary education or an apprenticeship for a set period of time. TEERS 4 and 5 cover those who only need a high school diploma, on-the-job training, or, in the case of TEER 5, no formal education but some occupations that typically require short-term work demonstration.
Currently, TEERs 4 and 5 are not generally eligible for federal economic immigration programs such as Express Entry, which means that newcomers who come to Canada to work in one of those occupations face more challenges in becoming permanent residents and contribute to Canada's temporary resident population.
Many newcomers to Canada arrive as temporary residents, and due to the present job environment, some end up in what Statistics Canada characterizes as "low-skilled" positions. Statistics Canada reported earlier this year that "there has been a shift in the employment of temporary foreign workers (TWFs) and international students toward low-skilled industrial sectors." These include the hotel and food services sector, as well as the retail trade sector."
It went on to speculate that "these shifts could potentially result in a higher proportion of low-skilled TFWs among new immigrants."
This also means that TFWs and international students face low salaries and poor earnings growth, delaying their incorporation into the Canadian economy.
Temporary residency levels:
The establishment of new permanent resident paths for TEER 4 and 5 entrants is another example of how IRCC is working to reduce the number of temporary residents in Canada. The government indicated earlier this year that it is working to stabilize these numbers, which peaked at more than 2 million in 2023.
The agency stated that these levels were no longer sustainable for the Canadian economy. According to a statement issued at the time by Immigration Minister Marc Miller, Canada has recovered 138% of the employment lost during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Traditionally, temporary inhabitants such as workers, students, and visitors were not subject to a cap. This year, IRCC modified its policy and set a hard cap on the amount of international student applications it will process. It is also adding temporary resident levels to the 2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan, which is set to be announced on or around November 1.
Another way IRCC will limit the number of temporary residents is by increasing the number of "domestic draws." This means that IRCC has been attempting to convert temporary residents already in Canada into permanent residents before considering bringing in more foreign nationals from other countries.
The number of Express Entry drawings for applicants with a provincial nomination and those in the Canadian Experience Class has recently increased. Typically, these applicants are already living and working in Canada as temporary residents. In July alone, IRCC sent out 14,575 invitations to apply to these applicants.
These methods have the dual effect of assisting IRCC in meeting its annual objective of permanent residents for this year and the following year, while also reducing the temporary resident population.
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