Mohanad Moetaz - 15 December, 2020
Here is a summary of the most important headlines from this week.
Canada approves COVID-19 vaccine
Health Canada has approved a coronavirus vaccine on December 9, 2020, paving the way for the largest vaccination campaign in the history of the country.
Canada has the highest amount of vaccines on a per-capita basis, with 414 million doses of vaccines secured, according to CTV News.
New Express Entry draw invites 5,000 candidates
Canada has issued 5,000 invitations to apply for permanent residence in its latest Express Entry draw. This means that the total number of invitations issued this year has surpassed 100,000, bringing the total up to 102,350.
Candidates needed to have a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 469 in order to receive an invitation.
Canada welcomed 15,000 new immigrants in October
Just under 15,100 new immigrants were welcomed in the month of October. Even though this is less than pre-pandemic levels, October was the second highest month since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
Prior to the pandemic, Canada aimed to welcome 341,000 immigrants in 2020. In the first 10 months of the year, Canada had welcomed 158,600.
Canada still aims to welcome high levels of immigration despite the pandemic. The country's new 2021-2023 Immigration Levels Plan shows that it plans to welcome over 400,000 new immigrants every year.
New immigration programs for refugees in healthcare
Asylum seekers who worked in the healthcare sector during the COVID-19 pandemic will now be able to apply for permanent residence. There will be two programs: one for asylum seekers in Quebec, and one for those in other Canadian provinces.
The programs are available to orderlies, nurses and service aides. Applications will remain open until August 31, 2021.
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