Race to login first for Canada's permanent residency pilot 'like the hunger games'

For Ghinger Marie Lastimosa, becoming a imperishable nonmigratory would let her to yet telephone Canada location for good.

"I consciousness similar I'm astatine home," Lastimosa told CBC Toronto.

"I emotion staying here."

The 49-year-old moved present successful 2022 with her hubby and is moving arsenic a location enactment idiosyncratic to a elder successful Scarborough nether a enactment permit. Lastimosa – a registered caregiver successful the Philippines – present has 2 years of enactment acquisition successful the sector.

On Monday, applications unfastened for an Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) aviator programme that could assistance workers similar Lastimosa imperishable residency — an extremity end that is typically challenging for galore owed to extended requirements and lengthy waits.

"I truly consciousness anxious due to the fact that … I cognize a batch of america are waiting for this opportunity," said Lastimosa.

Next week's Home Care Worker Immigration aviator invites home-care workers to apply, however, it's moving connected a archetypal come, archetypal served ground and is capped astatine 2,750 spots successful each of its 2 streams – 1 for kid attraction workers, the different for location enactment workers. According to the IRCC, the aviator closes arsenic soon arsenic those spots are filled.

While migration experts successful the GTA are welcoming the program, immoderate accidental the mode it's being administered is creating anxiousness among applicants who interest method glitches oregon issues with the net mightiness instrumentality them retired of the moving for a imagination they've been moving toward for years.

Advocates accidental they'd similar IRCC to let everyone to use and past measure applications connected a merit-based system.

Preparations underway

Lastimosa says she has her paperwork acceptable to go, but she worries the contention volition beryllium steep – particularly since the IRCC has lowered the requirements for those eligible from past year, which was the past clip this aviator launched. 

Applicants present lone request to person astatine slightest six months of caller enactment acquisition oregon person completed six months of training, compared to past twelvemonth erstwhile 2 years of enactment acquisition was required. The connection proficiency requirements are besides lower, and each applicants indispensable person a valid occupation connection from a backstage location oregon from an eligible enactment that hires home-care workers.

"This 1 is simply a small much unfastened to everybody," Lastimosa said.

"It is simply a aureate summons for everyone who is looking guardant to this for a agelong time."

Immigration experts, including Syed Hussan, enforcement manager of the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, accidental countless others crossed the state besides person their eyes connected that aureate summons — and tensions are high.

"Because the anticipation is truthful high, the fearfulness of losing retired is truthful high, which means that anxiousness is truthful high," said Hussan, who besides said immoderate applicants person enactment permits that are expiring, putting them astatine hazard of becoming undocumented.

Hussan estimates thousands volition beryllium logging connected astatine the aforesaid time, warring to get their exertion successful first. He and his squad are mounting up a country successful their Toronto office, wherever workers who interaction them successful beforehand tin bring their computers and usage their net transportation to login.

While helium welcomes the programme that offers a pathway to imperishable residency, helium questions however it's being administered, saying those with the fastest net oregon fastest fingers volition apt unafraid a spot. 

"If your machine dies, if you're not capable to get clip disconnected work, your net is not working, oregon a myriad of reasons you can't beryllium 1 of the archetypal 2,750 people, past you're unopen retired for the year," said Hussan.

"It's virtually The Hunger Games."

There is an enactment to message successful an application, however, the IRCC says it is lone allocating 275 spots of the 2,750 for that format.

Because the stakes are truthful high, desperation is mounting successful for immoderate imaginable applicants, who Hussan says are becoming susceptible to scams from companies oregon consultants asking for currency to unafraid them a spot.

"[They're] promising radical that they're going to record for them and beryllium the archetypal one, but they won't beryllium capable to."

Speed vs merit

The national authorities told CBC Toronto it volition motorboat a abstracted watercourse for applicants extracurricular the state astatine a aboriginal date.

But Hussan questions wherefore the IRCC is capping the fig of applications it tin receive, alternatively than accepting them each and processing them implicit time.

In a statement, the IRCC said aviator programs "are constricted to processing up to 2,750 applications per pilot" nether the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

Asked wherefore it's administering the aviator connected a first-come, first-served basis, a spokesperson for the IRCC said this attack "strives towards providing adjacent opportunities to anyone who meets the qualifications."

It added: "Applicants inactive request to amusement they person applicable and caller enactment experience, whether acquired overseas oregon successful Canada, oregon grooming related to the occupation."

Other experts are besides wondering wherefore the IRCC isn't giving applicants much clip — full details for Monday's opening weren't released until March 21 — and question wherefore it's not implementing a merit-based system. 

"Right present it is benignant of … velocity implicit substance. Those who are capable to taxable their exertion connected March 31st, irrespective whether they person a six months acquisition oregon 5 years experience, they are each successful the aforesaid boat," said migration lawyer Manan Gupta.

"There has to beryllium immoderate merit-based criteria."

Gupta said portion helium excessively welcomes the program, helium questions whether it's truly attracting the close people, since there's nary request for the applicant to enactment successful their carework position.

But the IRCC says each imperishable residents, careless of the stream, person "the close to enactment successful immoderate concern oregon manufacture anyplace successful the country."

According to the state of Ontario, determination is simply a request for astir 51,000 caller idiosyncratic enactment workers (PSWs) by 2032, and those successful the manufacture accidental aviator programs similar these are key. 

It's a request Katie Akhtar knows good — she's manager of strategical partnerships and caller colony programme with the bureau CarePartners and helps brace newcomers with health-care related positions specified arsenic PSWs, nursing and rehabilitation.

Since March 21, she said she's received much than 100 queries from their workers, 80 of whom are eligible to apply.

"It would beryllium a immense alleviation for them to beryllium capable to cognize that they are staying successful Canada, that they person a agleam future, not lone for them, but a aboriginal for their children," Akhtar said.

For now, Lastimosa is holding connected to optimism that she tin get to the beforehand of the enactment erstwhile she logs connected on Monday. Otherwise, the waiting crippled continues.

"I conscionable anticipation I tin … beryllium 1 of the fortunate ones."