Recently, the provincial governments of Alberta, Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan signed a joint letter calling on the federal government to fix our immigration system. The letter asks that the federal government allow the provinces more autonomy in the selection process and that more certificates for foreign workers be allocated to meet demand. This is a key ask of the AHLA’s advocacy efforts, and we are happy to see some movement on this file.
On August 2, the federal government made some important changes to post-graduation work permits. They have announced an 18-month extension for foreign nationals whose post-graduation work permit expired or will expire from September 20, 2021 to December 31, 2022. This means nearly 100,000 international graduates can continue working or return to work in key sectors across the country, helping to address acute labour shortages. While more certainly needs to be done to improve the immigration system, the AHLA is pleased to see these important changes.