IRCC temporary public policy to facilitate the granting of permanent residence for foreign nationals in Canada, outside of Quebec, with recent Canadian work experience in essential occupations
Eligibility Requirements
Based on public policy considerations, delegated officers may grant permanent resident status to foreign nationals who meet the following conditions.
The foreign national must:
- Have accumulated at least one (1) year of full-time work experience, or the equivalent in part-time experience (1,560 hours), in Canada, in an eligible occupation listed in Annex A or Annex B in the three (3) years preceding the date when the application for permanent residence is received. The one year of work experience must be obtained in one or more of the eligible occupations as follows:
- Stream A: the one year of work experience must have been acquired in one or more occupations listed in Annex A. Experience cannot be combined with Annex B occupations.
- Stream B: the one year of work experience must have been acquired in one or more occupations listed in Annex B, or a combination of occupations in Annexes A and B.
- Be employed in Canada in any occupation at the time that the application for permanent residence is received;
- The employment described in both a) and b) must meet the definition of work under subsection 73(2) of the Regulations, must have been authorized pursuant to the Act and Regulations and must not have been self-employed, unless working as a medical doctor in a fee-for-service arrangement with a health authority;
- Have attained a level of proficiency of at least benchmark 4 in either official language for each of the four language skill areas, as set out in the Canadian Language Benchmarks or the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens. This must be demonstrated by the results of an evaluation by an organization or institution designated by the Minister for the purpose of evaluating language proficiency under subsection 74(3) of the Regulations; and the evaluation must be less than two (2) years old when the permanent residence application is received;
- Reside in Canada with valid temporary resident status (or be eligible to restore their status) and be physically present in Canada at the time the application for permanent residence is received and when the application is approved;
- Intend to reside in a province or territory other than Quebec;
- Have submitted an application for permanent residence using the forms provided by the Department for this public policy and which must include at the time of application all proof necessary to satisfy an officer that the applicant meets the conditions (eligibility requirements) of this public policy, except for evidence required to demonstrate physical presence in Canada at the time of application approval;
- Have submitted their application for permanent residence under this public policy using electronic means (apply online). Foreign nationals who, because of a disability are unable to meet the requirement to make an application, submit any document or provide a signature or information using electronic means may submit this application by any other means that is made available or specified by the Minister for that purpose; and
- The foreign national is not inadmissible under the Act and Regulations.
Distinct intake caps will apply to each stream of the public policy:
- Stream A – a maximum of 20,000 applications will be accepted for processing;
- Stream B – a maximum of 30,000 applications will be accepted for processing.
For greater clarity, applications will continue to be accepted in one stream even if the cap has been reached in the other stream.
Start and end dates
This public policy comes into effect on May 6, 2021 and will end on November 5, 2021 or once the intake cap of the applicable stream (20,000 applications received under stream A and 30,000 applications received under stream B) has been reached, whichever comes first. As with all public policies, this public policy may be revoked by the Minister, without prior notice.
Applications received pursuant to this public policy on or after May 6, 2021 up until November 5, 2021, or the date of revocation, if applicable, will be processed under this temporary public policy, subject to the applicable intake cap. Any applications received after the intake cap for the respective stream has been reached, will not be processed.
Annex A – Eligible Health-Related Occupations
Eligible health care occupations include all broad occupational category 3 occupations (Health occupations) from the National Occupational Classification (NOC) with the exception of Veterinarians (NOC 3114) and Animal health technologists and veterinary technicians (NOC 3213). Five occupations from broad occupational category 4 (Occupations in education, law and social, community and government services) are also eligible occupations.
Eligible Occupations:
NOC Occupation
3011 Nursing co-ordinators and supervisors
3012 Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
3111 Specialist physicians
3112 General practitioners and family physicians
3113 Dentists
3121 Optometrists
3122 Chiropractors
3124 Allied primary health practitioners
3125 Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating
3131 Pharmacists
3132 Dietitians and nutritionists
3141 Audiologists and speech-language pathologists
3142 Physiotherapists
3143 Occupational therapists
3144 Other professional occupations in therapy and assessment
3211 Medical laboratory technologists
3212 Medical laboratory technicians and pathologists' assistants
3214 Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists
3215 Medical radiation technologists
3216 Medical sonographers
3217 Cardiology technologists and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists, n.e.c.
3219 Other medical technologists and technicians (except dental health)
3221 Denturists
3222 Dental hygienists and dental therapists
3223 Dental technologists, technicians and laboratory assistants
3231 Opticians
3232 Practitioners of natural healing
3233 Licensed practical nurses
3234 Paramedical occupations
3236 Massage therapists
3237 Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment
3411 Dental assistants
3413 Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates
3414 Other assisting occupations in support of health services
4151 Psychologists
4152 Social workers
4153 Family, marriage and other related counsellors
4165 Health policy researchers, consultants and program officers
4212 Social and community service workers
4412 Home support workers, housekeepers and related occupations
ANNEX B – Other Eligible Essential Occupations