Prospective immigrants to Canada unaffected by Coronavirus

A survey conducted by the World Education Services (WES) says that the Coronavirus has not changed a large percentage of potential immigrants’ plans to migrate to Canada. Most of them believe that the pandemic will have less of an impact in their own country than in Canada.

Survey findings

The WES survey was conducted between April 15 and 21 to understand how far the Coronavirus pandemic is influencing the intention of prospective migrants to move to Canada. The participants in the survey were in the process of immigrating to Canada and were outside the country at the time of the survey.

Most of the respondents said they would not be affected by the immigration processing delays by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) due to the pandemic or the travel restrictions or reduction in immigration targets.

Only a third of the respondents are thinking of delaying their immigration process to Canada and the reason is the fear of getting infected with COVID-19.

The survey is a clear indication that immigration candidates to Canada are keen to migrate to the country once the pandemic is over and the travel restrictions are lifted.

Canada continues its immigration processing

Canada too is keen to continue its immigration process despite the restrictions posed by the Coronavirus.

The imposition of travel restrictions has no doubt had an impact on the immigration figures, the number of permanent resident applications in April was only 4,140 compared to the compared to 25,930 issued in February before the restrictions were imposed.

Immigration draws however continue but the arrival of PR visa holders has been delayed due to the travel restrictions. Since the imposition of restrictions on March 18, the IRCC has conducted 14 draws targeting candidates in the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) with seven draws for each category.

These candidates were targeted because they are most likely to be in Canada at this time.

The total number of ITAS issued was 27,320 with 3,256 going to PNP candidates and 20,064 to CEC candidates.

The Express Entry invitations for 2020 till date are 46,000 which is ahead of the previous two years for the same period.

Best time to apply for PR visa

There is no doubt that the number of applications due to the Coronavirus pandemic has decreased slightly. But there is expected to be an increase in applications once the pandemic is over. The sooner you start the process of applying, the better your chances of getting an ITA for your PR visa are. Make the most of the situation, and now apply for a visa for Canada.

The results of the WES survey are testimony that prospective immigrants continue to consider Canada as a top destination to migrate to even in the current situation.  So, make your Canada visa application now.

The WES intends to conduct two more surveys on immigration, one is expected this month and another in August. It is most likely that they too will have the same findings.