From: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Canada remains a top destination for individuals seeking opportunities to work, study, and start a new life. To enhance this experience, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is advancing a modernized, digital immigration system. This initiative aims to speed up processing times, offering newcomers the seamless service they deserve.<\/p>\n On September 1, 2022, the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, visited an IRCC processing centre in New Waterford, Nova Scotia. He announced new online services designed to enhance client experiences and alleviate processing backlogs.<\/p>\n To further diminish wait times, IRCC is exempting certain permanent and temporary residence applicants from the immigration medical examination requirement. This change will affect approximately 180,000 clients, saving them time and money. Additionally, IRCC will continue offering virtual interviews for family reunification applications, ensuring flexibility and accessibility for clients worldwide.<\/p>\n As of September 23, IRCC will transition to fully digital applications for most permanent residence programs, with accommodations available for those who need them. This move aims to streamline the application process significantly.<\/p>\n IRCC launched a new application status tracker in February 2022, allowing applicants to monitor their progress easily. By spring 2023, this tool will include seven additional residence programs. Furthermore, improvements to the online processing times tool will provide applicants with more accurate timeline predictions.<\/p>\n Since the pandemic, IRCC has introduced several online services for citizenship, including virtual ceremonies and tests. A new tool launched in August 2021 now allows online applications for most adults, with plans to include minors by the end of the year.<\/p>\n \u201cImmigration is about people. It\u2019s about starting a new job, reuniting a family, and creating a new life in this beautiful country we call home. As we look to strengthen our immigration system by updating our technology, people\u2014our clients\u2014must be at the centre of all that we do. By adding resources where they are needed, and leveraging technology to make processing faster and applying easier for our clients, we can give newcomers and new citizens the welcoming experience they deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2013 The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Aidan Strickland<\/strong> Media Relations<\/strong> IRCC is exempting certain in-Canada applicants from medical exams, impacting around 180,000 clients by saving them time and costs.<\/p>\n IRCC is transitioning to 100% digital applications for most permanent residence programs, starting September 23, 2022.<\/p>\n IRCC offers online applications for adults, with plans to include minors by year-end, alongside virtual ceremonies and tests.<\/p>\n A new status tracker allows applicants and representatives to monitor their application progress online, expanding to more programs by spring 2023.<\/p>\n The program helps skilled newcomers apply for permanent residence with business endorsements from Atlantic Canada, promoting regional growth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Canada continues to be a destination of choice for people looking for a new place to work, study, and build their lives. That\u2019s why Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is striving toward a modernized and digitalized immigration system to further expedite processing and give newcomers the experience they expect and deserve. … <\/i>Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":4872,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[89],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4874","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-immigration"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/applytocanada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4874","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/applytocanada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/applytocanada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/applytocanada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/applytocanada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4874"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/applytocanada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4874\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/applytocanada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4872"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/applytocanada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4874"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/applytocanada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4874"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/applytocanada.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4874"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Canada’s Commitment to a Modern Immigration System<\/h2>\n
Ministerial Visit and New Initiatives<\/h3>\n
Reducing Processing Wait Times<\/h3>\n
Enhancing Permanent Residence and Citizenship Processes<\/h2>\n
Digital Applications for Permanent Residence<\/h3>\n
Improving Client Communication<\/h3>\n
Modernizing the Citizenship Process<\/h3>\n
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Key Milestones and Facts<\/h2>\n
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Additional Resources<\/h2>\n
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Contact Information for Media<\/h2>\n
Press Secretary
Minister\u2019s Office
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
aidan.strickland@cic.gc.ca<\/a><\/p>\n
Communications Branch
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
613-952-1650
IRCC.COMMMediaRelations-RelationsmediasCOMM.IRCC@cic.gc.ca<\/a><\/p>\nFrequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n
What changes have been made to the immigration medical examination requirement?<\/h3>\n
How is IRCC improving the permanent residence application process?<\/h3>\n
What improvements are being made to the citizenship application process?<\/h3>\n
How can applicants track their application status?<\/h3>\n
What is the Atlantic Immigration Program?<\/h3>\n