Ottawa has made it easier for thousands of immigrants living in Canada to become permanent residents, a sign that policy makers are focused on hitting an aggressive target for 2021 after last year’s intake fell way short because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Immigration Canada invited 27,332 people to apply for permanent residency through Express Entry, a system designed to approve applications in six months or less.
Nearly all of those people – 90 per cent – are already living in Canada, the federal government said.
Canada is coming off an exceptionally weak year for immigration.
Roughly 184,000 new permanent residents were added in 2020, the lowest since 1998, and well short of the 341,000 target.
To make up for that setback, the federal government has ramped up its intake goals for the next three years.
First published by The Globe and Mail, https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-morning-update-canada-lowers-threshold-for-immigrants-to-get-permanent/