Interest In Canadian Immigration Remains High
In 2020, WES surveyed individuals who had submitted an ECA application to better understand how the coronavirus pandemic impacted Canadian immigration plans. In August 2021, WES repeated the survey to compare responses and to see if the evolving pandemic context has impacted the motivations of respondents to immigrate to Canada . They also felt more optimistic about job prospects in Canada amid the pandemic versus prospects in their home countries. Some 77 percent said they felt COVID-19 would have no impact or a positive impact on jobs in their occupation or sector compared with 69 percent in their home country. Just 23 percent felt it would have a negative impact, a decrease compared to the 28 percent who felt it would negatively impact jobs in their occupation or sector in Canada in 2020. Among those considering delaying immigrating to Canada, the top three reasons cited were travel restrictions, a significant increase in Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) proce...