What is M-44 and how will it impact Canadian immigration?

The full text of M-44 is as follows:

That, in the opinion of the House, the government should develop and publicly release within 120 days following the adoption of this motion a comprehensive plan to expand the economic immigration stream to allow workers of all skill levels to meet the full range of labour needs and pathways to permanent residency for temporary foreign workers, including international students, with significant Canadian work experience in sectors with persistent labour shortages, and such plan should incorporate the following elements:

(a) amending eligibility criteria under economic immigration programs to give more weight to significant in-Canada work experience and expand the eligible occupational categories and work experience at various skills levels;
(b) examining evidence and data gathered from recent programs such as Temporary Resident to Permanent Resident Pathway, Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP), Rural and Northern Immigration Program (RNIP), and Agri-Food Pilot, and Provincial Nominee Process (PNP);
(c) incorporating data on labour market and skills shortages to align policy on immigrant-selection with persistent labour gaps;
(d) assessing ways to increase geographic distribution of immigration and encourage immigrant retention in smaller communities, as well as increase Francophone immigration outside Quebec;
(e) identifying mechanisms for ensuring flexibility in immigration-selection tools to react quicker to changes in labour market needs and regional economic priorities; and
(f) specifically considering occupations and essential sectors that are underrepresented in current economic immigration programs, such as health services, caregivers, agriculture, manufacturing, service industry, trades, and transportation.

Based on the 120-day timeline, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser has until September 8th, 2022, to develop a new program which will provide a pathway to permanent residence for temporary foreign workers, including international students, with significant Canadian work experience.

On April 14th, 2022, briefing note “Introduction of Public Policy Measures Related to the Temporary Pathway to Permanent Residence Pathway” was sent to Immigration Minister Sean Fraser for signature. The details of this briefing note are not publicly available. This is, however, a sign that work has already started on the program.

While details are not yet available, the text of M-44 makes it clear that the new program will be looking to target those with Canadian work experience in health services, caregiving, agriculture, manufacturing, the service industry, trades, and transportation.

At this time, it is unknown what Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada will use as their baseline for “significant Canadian work experience.” If we look at last year’s TR to PR pathway, it required certain applicants to have 1 year of work experience (at least 1,560 hours) in the past 3 years. Recent international graduates were only required to be employed at the time of their application.

Like last year’s TR to PR pathway, French speakers will be targeted. The TR to PR pathway had separate quotas for applicants who spoke French vs those who spoke English. The English programs filled up well before the French programs, giving French speakers the advantage of having more time to complete their applications.

At this time, no NOC codes have yet been specified. The previous TR to PR pathway targeted health services, caregiving, agriculture, manufacturing, the service industry, trades, and transportation as well. Under that program, the following NOC codes were targeted:

Another concern at this stage is where will the quota for this program come from? Will applicants under this program takes spots away from economic programs that use the Express Entry system likes last year’s TR to PR program did? This year’s immigration target for programs that use the Express Entry system is already half of its normal levels. If this new program comes into effect later this year, it could reduce the number of Invitations to Apply issued through Express Entry.

If you’re looking for professional guidance on navigating Canada’s many different pathways to permanent residence, Moving2Canada is happy to recommend the services of Deanne Acres-Lans, a regulated Canadian immigration consultant and founder of Canada Abroad. You can get started with Canada Abroad by completing a free eligibility assessment for Canadian immigration:

Deanne Acres-Lans is a regulated Canadian immigration consultant (R#508363) and founder of Canada Abroad, an Ottawa-based immigration consultancy. She was born and raised in British Columbia, Canada and previously lived in South Africa for 8 years. Deanne has over twelve years of immigration experience, both working for the Canadian Government and in her own private practice.