The way people immigrate to Canada is changing

According to an immigration consultant, there are far fewer immigrants coming into Canada in 2021 than originally stated by the government.

Rosanna Pancotto is the president of Prairie Sky Immigration in Winnipeg, which offers an all-inclusive, efficient and effective service to help people cope with the Canadian Immigration system.

"Immigration is impacted a great deal because overseas offices are being totally reduced if not completely closed to processing for applicants that are not in Canada. The government has moved towards processing only folks that are inside Canada."

In November 2020, the Canadian government announced they would bring in 400,000 immigrants in 2021. In February, Pancotto says immigration was at an all-time low, roughly the same amount as 1994.

"It's been chaotic. There are no delivery options, like program delivery is not where it was. They are processing applications with no rhyme or reason at this time."

While fewer immigrants are coming into Canada due to the pandemic, it's actually more work for Pancotto and her team. 

"People in Canada have been in a panic. They've been separated from loved ones, if it's a spousal or family reunification, they've been apart for a year. On top of everything, workers that were planned to come to Canada to work, like agriculture, there was an announcement this week, they're going to make them quarantine."

To quarantine one person can cost thousands of dollars per person, according to Pancotto, and this fact has a part in people not coming to Canada to work.

"We've been busy because we've been on top of all the policy changes and we're working diligently with anyone that comes to our office and finding what's the best process along the way."

Immigrants who had work visas but were let go due to the pandemic are one type of person that Prairie Sky Immigration helps and works with. 

"We are voicing our concerns with the department and all levels of government on how we can best help those that are already here, those that were planning on coming, and those impacted with their industries," she says.

Pancotto believes that the way immigration was done in the past will no longer be the way forward.