In March, the week before the restrictions due to coronavirus swept the country, Canada Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino proposed to parliament an immigration level plan between 2020 and 2022, inviting more than one million new arrivals including 341,000 this year followed by 3, 51,000 and 3, 61,000 in 2021 and 2022 respectively.
Mendicino has consistently said that, in the coming years Canada remains committed to accepting increased immigration numbers.
A tender paper published in June on an official government website a surge in the application was expected to put a 'tremendous demand' on government resources.
In preparation for the post-pandemic scenario, IRCC needs to consider a number of process changes including paper applications, immigration interviews and redesign of a computer system, the document said. Then then can it be able to address the anticipated rise in applications.
IRCC needs to move rapidly to implement revised and new approaches, and processes and digital systems to cope with the rapid change it is experiencing, the 'urgent' tender request said.
How fast does the immigration program of Canada resume?
The resumption of immigration into Canada first depends on how quickly the federal government wants to allow international travel.
Canada's immigration system is constructed in such a way that it can resume operation seamlessly at whatever capacity is required.
Officials will be closely monitoring Canada's economic results, including the unemployment rate, to see how quickly the nation will bounce back from the negative effects of the coronavirus outbreak.
If the rebound is effective, in the second half of 2020, Canada may start accepting increased numbers of immigrants. As officials have already said, the pre-pandemic goal of 341,000 immigrants is unlikely to be attained.
