For international students and temporary foreign workers, Immigration minister Sean Fraser was given a 120-day deadline to introduce a plan to expand permanent residence pathways. To publish a plan to expand pathways to permanent residence for temporary residents a parliamentary motion called for Immigration Minister Sean Fraser. 

Fraser was given 120 days to respond on May 11, a deadline which falls outside of the House of Commons’ sitting calendar. Heather Bradley from the office of the speaker has written, if the government chooses to develop a plan as suggested in motion M-44, and if these changes to expand immigration pathways for temporary residents in Canada were to take form into a bill. It is within the House’s rules and practice to wait for the bill’s introduction and first reading before its content is being made public and to introduce such legislation.

Jasraj singh hallan from the Conservative Party, says he expects to see the plan tabled as soon as the House resumes next week. Hallan said on the phone to CIC News we are waiting for the House to sit and we want the plan tabled on the first day. Who wants to come here and become Canadian citizens, it is a plan that’s actually going to make a difference in the lives of people. 

According to the sitting calendar on September 15, the House of Commons is scheduled to resume. According to member of Parliament Jenny Kwan, they are expecting Fraser’s response to be tabled during routine proceedings. 

As per an IRCC spokesperson, work on the government of Canada’s response to the private member’s motion 44 (M-44) is ongoing. He  also said that they look forward to help speed up the process of turning newcomers into permanent residents to meet Canada’s economic needs. 

According to Andrew Griffith, a former director general at IRCC, it’s in a politician’s best interest to meet their deadlines because it’s embarrassing not to. The motion was put forward by a Liberal. It is the same political party as Fraser; all the secondaries to the motion are also from the Liberal Party. There is nothing substantially different in the motion. 

Six points raised in the motion that Fraser is expected to address to give more weight to in-Canada work experience under economic immigration programs and expanding eligible occupational categories, to examine evidence from other federal immigration programs and to incorporate data on labor market and skills shortages to base immigrant selection on persistent labor gaps. 

To encourage immigrant retention in smaller communities and Francophone immigration outside Quebec, identify mechanisms to reach quicker to changes in labor market needs and regional economic priorities and specifically consider occupations and essential services such as health services, caregivers, agriculture, manufacturing, service, trades, and many more.