Immigration, next victim of the virus in Canada?

The health crisis has shut down the country's economy and exploding unemployment. This could impact the needs of labour and immigration plans.

border closed, flights suspended, sine die, of the administrations telework, at idle or overrun... The pandemic has affected many of the projects of international mobility. However, in 2020, Canada would be welcome 341 000 immigrants as permanent residents. For its part, Quebec was given this year for target to open its doors to more than 40 000 foreigners wishing to settle in la Belle province.

For temporary workers and foreign students who had obtained their visa before the 18th of march, it is now possible to come to Canada. But they will have to be put in solitary confinement for 14 days, even if they have no symptoms, and most importantly, be able to present "a plan of isolation," convincing - not to get out of the home, including shopping. A time this (delicate) time period has passed, they will be required to conduct remotely all the administrative procedures related to the installation... Same thing for those who have obtained their permanent residence before the 18th of march, and who now have the possibility of entering the canadian territory. Not ideal for the first steps in a country of adoption !

The young people who hoped to leave in the context of International Experience Canada (PVT, internship, co-Op, allowed young professionals) will have them take their evil in patience : rounds of invitations are suspended until further notice.

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For immigrants who were not yet at the end of the process of obtaining permanent residency, the canadian Immigration department wants to be reassuring : "no application will not be closed or denied because of missing documents because of the COVID-19" indicate the authorities on the official website. Applicants will have 90 additional days to submit the certified documents, medical examination or to collect the biometric data. And requests are always processed, assures the ministry.

But for all the people that was developing a project, or had just committed, the situation could well change. Because putting the economy at standstill, the health crisis has caused an historic high unemployment in a country that boasted so far of reach records the drop : in march, the unemployment rate jumped to 7.8% in Canada, and even to 8.1% in Quebec (compared to 4.5% in February, in the Beautiful province). The figures for April should be even higher. "Canada will experience rates of unemployment double-digit in April", to have prevented the analysts from CIBC.

Among the activities most affected, we find the hotel, catering, retail, culture and leisure. Some of the sectors major "consumers" of foreign labour. For its part, the air transport, nailed to the ground, lays off hundreds of pilots.

Tuesday, April 14, during his daily press conference, the Prime minister of Quebec has acknowledged, in response to a question from a journalist, that the government would sooner or later look at the levels of immigration, even if this is not his priority today : "we must reconsider, and, among others, the number of immigrants. With the high unemployment rate that we are going to have the next few months, we could actually reduce the number".

If the confinement extends for too long, it could be that a third of cafes-restaurants of the province put the key under the door : in this case, the employees laid off do not would not their position. And the shortage of labor which required in some areas of the restaurateurs down the curtain, or merchants to close up shop would not be more than a distant memory...

However, things are not so simple. The health crisis has revealed an acute shortage of arms in the health and social sector : for example, the Quebec, the lack of "orderlies" (caregivers). "We do not train enough, and the profession is not sufficiently appreciated", said in substance the Prime minister François Legault. Immigration appears as a way of recruitment among others, to meet needs.

More generally, "the aging of the population will naturally be a downward pressure on the unemployment rate for several more years," declared a recent article in L'actualité magazine Jérôme Lussier, associate director of the Quebec Institute, an institute of research and analysis on public policy.

At the national level, several experts insist on the fact that the country is heavily dependent, from an economic point of view and social, external trade and immigration. Hence, it should not be able to afford to keep too long, its borders closed. "We've done a lot, but economically, this is not sustainable," said Daniel Beland, the director of the Institute of canadian studies at McGill, The Canadian Press.

It is not for nothing that Ottawa has allowed, despite the Covid-19, the arrival on its soil of agricultural workers, temporary foreign : it was necessary to ensure the crops this spring and to ensure the food supply of the population. Beyond agriculture and agro-industry, many other sectors have currently, "large manpower requirements to cope with the crisis, are the specialists of the firm Immetis. This is the case of health care, insurance, transportation, and emergency services".

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