Canada seeks to welcome graduates and essential workers who are already in Canada and have the skills and experience needed to work against the COVID-19
Canada seeks to welcome graduates and essential workers who are already in Canada and have the skills and experience needed to work against the COVID-19 pandemic and bring the Canadian economy to full recovery.
However, this pathway is time-based, and applications are only accepted from May 6, 2021, to November 5, 2021. Although there is a deadline, no more applications will be accepted if the Canadian government receives up to 90,000 applications before November 5, 2021.
Foreign nationals who have proficiency in either English or French can apply. There is no limit to the number of applications that French-speaking foreigners will welcome.
Eligibility Criteria for Essential Workers
A. Eligibility Criteria For Principal Applicants
- You must have one year of full-time work experience or the equivalent of part-time experience (a total of 1,560 hours) under an employer in Canada, in an eligible occupation in the three years preceding the date of your application. There are two streams:
Stream A: For temporary residents with work experience in one of the health-related occupations listed as follows(cannot be combined with occupations in list B):
List A:
3011 Nursing co-ordinators and supervisors
3012 Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
3111 Specialist physicians
3112 General practitioners and family physicians
3113 Dentists
3121 Optometrists
3122 Chiropractors
3124 Allied primary health practitioners
3125 Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating
3131 Pharmacists
3132 Dietitians and nutritionists
3141 Audiologists and speech-language pathologists
3142 Physiotherapists
3143 Occupational therapists
3144 Other professional occupations in therapy and assessment
3211 Medical laboratory technologists
3212 Medical laboratory technicians and pathologists’ assistants
3214 Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists
3215 Medical radiation technologists
3216 Medical sonographers
3217 Cardiology technologists and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists, n.e.c.
3219 Other medical technologists and technicians (except dental health)
3221 Denturists
3222 Dental hygienists and dental therapists
3223 Dental technologists, technicians and laboratory assistants
3231 Opticians
3232 Practitioners of natural healing
3233 Licensed practical nurses
3234 Paramedical occupations
3236 Massage therapists
3237 Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment
3411 Dental assistants
3413 Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates
3414 Other assisting occupations in support of health services
4151 Psychologists
4152 Social workers
4153 Family, marriage and other related counsellors
4165 Health policy researchers, consultants and program officers
4212 Social and community service workers
4412 Home support workers, housekeepers and related occupations occupations
The above-listed occupations are mostly in healthcare but do not include veterinary job positions. The listed occupations are organised by National Occupational Classification(NOC) code.
Stream B: For temporary residents with work experience in one of the other essential occupations listed below(Can be a combination of Lists A and B occupations):
List B:
The other essential job positions are organised into three groups and are listed by the NOC code according to the broad occupational category in which they fall.
A. Major unit groups
1. Sales and support occupations
6611 Cashiers
6621 Home support workers, housekeepers and related occupations
6622 Store shelf stockers, clerks and order fillers
6623 Other sales-related occupations
6621 Home support workers, housekeepers and related occupations
2. Industrial, electrical and construction trades
7201 Contractors and supervisor, machining, metal forming, shaping and erecting trades and related occupations
7202 Contractors and supervisors, electrical trades and telecommunications occupations
7203 Contractors and supervisors, pipefitting trades
7204 Contractors and supervisors, carpentry trades
7205 Contractors and supervisors, other construction trades, installers, repairers and servicers
7231 Machinists and machining and tooling inspectors
7232 Tool and die makers
7233 Sheet metal workers
7234 Boilermakers
7235 Structural metal and plate work fabricators and fitters
7236 Ironworkers
7237 Welders and related machine operators
7241 Electricians (except industrial and power system)
7242 Industrial electricians
7243 Power system electricians
7244 Electrical power line and cable workers
7245 Telecommunications line and cable workers
7246 Telecommunications installation and repair workers
7247 Cable television service and maintenance technicians
7251 Plumbers
7252 Steamfitters, pipefitters and sprinkler system installers
7253 Gasfitters
7271 Carpenters
7272 Cabinetmakers
7281 Bricklayers
7282 Concrete finishers
7283 Tilesetters
7284 Plasterers, drywall installers and finishers and lathers
7291 Roofers and shinglers
7292 Glaziers
7293 Insulators
7294 Painters and decorators (except interior decorators)
7295 Floor covering installers
3. Other installers, repairers and servicers and material handlers
7441 Residential and commercial installers and servicers
7442 Waterworks and gas maintenance workers
7444 Pest controllers and fumigators
7445 Other repairers and servicers
7451 Longshore workers
7452 Material handlers
4. Transport and heavy equipment operation and related maintenance occupations
7511 Transport truck drivers
7512 Bus drivers, subway operators and other transit operators
7513 Taxi and limousine drivers and chauffeurs
7514 Delivery and courier service drivers
7521 Heavy equipment operators (except crane)
7522 Public works maintenance equipment operators and related workers
7531 Railway yard and truck maintenance workers
7532 Water transport deck and engine room crew
7533 Boat and cable ferry operators and related occupations
7534 Air transport ramp attendants
7535 Other automotive mechanical installers and servicers
5. Trades helpers, construction labourers and related occupations
7611 Construction trades helpers and labourers
7612 Other trades helpers and labourers
7621 Public works and maintenance labourers
7622 Railway and motor transport labourers
6. Harvesting, landscaping and natural resources labourers
8611 harvesting labourers
8612 Landscaping and grounds maintenance labourers
8613 Aquaculture and marine harvest labourers
8614 Mine labourers
8615 Oil and gas drilling, servicing and related labourers
8616 Logging and forestry labourers
B. Minor unit groups
1. Mail and message distribution occupations
1511 Mail, postal and related workers
1512 Letter carriers
1513 Couriers, messengers and door-to-door distributors
2. Retail salesperson
6421 Retail salespersons
3. Cleaners
6731 Light duty cleaners
6732 Specialized cleaners
6733 Janitors, caretakers and building superintendents
4. Agriculture and horticulture workers
8431 General farmworkers
8432 Nursery and greenhouse workers
5. Other workers in fishing and trapping and hunting occupations
8441 Fishing vessel deckhands
8442 Trappers and hunters
6. Machine operators and related workers in food, beverage and associated products processing
9461 Process control and machine operators, food and beverage processing
9462 Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers
9463 Fish and seafood plant workers
9465 Testers and graders, food and beverage processing
C. Specific 4-digit unit groups
0821 Managers in agriculture
0822 Managers in horticulture
4031 French and French immersion secondary school teachers (the language of instruction must be French)
4032 French and French immersion elementary school and kindergarten teachers (the language of instruction must be French)
4411 Home child care providers
4413 Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants
6331 Retail butchers
6523 Airline ticket and service agents
6524 Ground and water transport ticket agents, cargo service representatives and related clerks
6541 Security guards and related security service occupations
6551 Customer services representatives – financial institutions
6552 Other customer and information services representatives
8252 Agricultural service contractors, farm supervisors and specialised livestock workers
8255 Contractors and supervisors, landscaping, grounds maintenance and horticulture services
9617 Labourers in food and beverage processing
9618 Labourers in fish and seafood processing.
- You must be employed in Canada in any occupation at the time you are applying.
- You cannot be self-employed unless you are working as a physician in a fee-for-service with a health authority, and as such, get paid for each unit of service you render
- You must have a Canadian Language Benchmarks(CLB) score of at least 4 in English or French in all aspects of the language.
- You must be residing in Canada on a valid temporary status or be eligible for restoration of status if your temporary residency status has expired.
- You must intend to reside in a province or territory other than Quebec
- You must have submitted an application using the appropriate forms provided by IRCC
- You must apply online, and
- You must meet the admissibility requirements.
B. Eligibility Criteria for Family Members of Principal Applicants Living Outside Canada:
- You must be included as an accompanying family member in an application for permanent residence under this policy
- You must meet the definition of a “family member”, which includes any of the following:
- The spouse or common-law partner of the principal applicant
2. A dependent child of the principal applicant or the principal applicant’s spouse or common-law partner
3. A dependent child of a dependent child
- You must meet the admissibility requirements, and
- A delegated IRCC officer must approve you.
Suppose you are a family member of a principal applicant living in Canada, in addition to the above requirements for “family members of principal attendants living outside Canada”. In that case, you must also be residing within Canada.
Eligibility Criteria For Graduates
A. Eligibility Criteria for Principal Applicants
- You must have completed a program of study at a Canadian designated learning institution (DLI)in or after January 2017.
Designated Learning Institutions, by definition, include:
- A public post-secondary institution such as a college, trade/technical school, university, or a Quebec CEGEP
2. A private post-secondary school in Quebec that operates under the same rules and regulations as public institutions in Quebec
3. A private or public post-secondary institution in Quebec that offers qualifying programs of at least 900 hours duration that give a diploma of vocational studies (DVS) or an attestation of vocational specialisation (AVS)
4. A Canadian private institution authorised under a provincial statute to confer degrees under provincial law, but only if the program of study completed was a degree as authorised by the province.
- You must have been granted one of the following credentials after completing the required program in Canada:
- A degree (Associate, Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Doctorate) which was issued to you after you must have completed the program of at least eight months in duration
2. Or, a degree, diploma, certificate, or attestation issued to you after you must have completed a program of any duration leading to occupation in a skilled trade.
3. Or, one or more diplomas/certificates/attestations where the following conditions have been met:
a) For diplomas/certificates/attestations, each program of study must be at least eight months in duration, and the combined duration of the credentials must be the equivalent to a two-year credential (at least 16 months in duration)
b) For a Diploma of Vocational Studies (DVS) or an Attestation of Vocational Specialization (AVS), each program of study must be at least 900 hours duration, and the combined program of study must cumulatively be at least 1,800 hours duration.
- You must be employed in Canada with a valid permit or work authorisation when the application is received.
- Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) score of at least 5 in either English or French, in all the language abilities.
- You must be residing in Canada on valid temporary status or be eligible for restoration of status if your temporary residency status has expired.
- You must intend to reside in a province or territory other than Quebec
- You must have submitted an application using the appropriate forms provided by IRCC
- You must apply online and
- You must meet the admissibility requirements.
The criteria for family members of principal applicants living outside Canada and those living in Canada are the same as those listed for the same category under “Essential Workers”.
For foreign nationals from Francophone countries, the requirements that apply to their Anglophone counterparts apply to them. However, instead of a CLB score of at least four (4), the criterion is that you must have Niveaux de Compétence Linguistique Canadiens (NCLC) of at least 4 in French for each of the four language abilities.
All applications will be attended to and processed on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you are eligible for more than one stream, you may submit multiple applications in the streams where you are eligible, but note that you will still pay the application fee twice.
If you are not currently employed, you are ineligible to apply, even if you are on leave. You must be gainfully employed; if you are not being paid for your work or are self-employed, you are not eligible to apply, except you are a physician in a fee-for-service in a health institution. Your work experience may not be continuous but must cumulatively amount to 1,560 hours and must be acquired in the last three years preceding the date of your application.
For more information and enquiries, please visit the IRCC website.