Canada\u2019s immigration strategy underpins Carney\u2019s ambitious plan to spearhead the development of a new global economic order.<\/p>\n
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In an acclaimed speech<\/a> at the World Economic Forum at Davos on Tuesday, the Canadian prime minister called out the recent \u201crupture\u201d of the \u201crules-based international order\u201d that was established after the second world war and had largely informed international relations up until January 2025.<\/p>\n In this new era, according to Carney, the world\u2019s great powers have abandoned the pretence of diplomacy, instead relying on strength, intimidation, and protectionist policies, while approaching international relations as a zero-sum game in which they ruthlessly exploit their greater bargaining power in pursuit of their own national economic and geopolitical ends.<\/p>\n Other nations, including the \u201cmiddle powers,\u201d according to Carney, have three options:<\/p>\n Kowtow to the greater powers, attempting to curry favour by offering up as much as possible in a race to the bottom, essentially resigning themselves to economic servitude of the greater powers; This \u201cthird path\u201d of mutual cooperation is the most attractive path forward for the middle powers, according to Carney.<\/p>\n The federal government\u2019s pursuit of this third path relies in part on its immigration strategies, which provide expanding opportunities for newcomers along two fronts: nation-building projects, and free trade deals.<\/p>\n Nation-building projects<\/p>\n Newcomers can take advantage of both temporary and permanent residence pathways, which are prioritizing skilled workers capable of supporting Carney’s ambitious nation-building program, which has slated massive investments in roads, mines, ports, and residential homes.<\/p>\n The Temporary Foreign Worker Program<\/a> (TFWP), for example, is prioritizing workers with in-demand occupations in fields such as trades, natural resources, and healthcare by enabling spouses of these workers to obtain open work permits<\/a>.<\/p>\n For most lower-paid workers, the issuance of TFWP work permits is currently limited to jobs in areas with low unemployment<\/a>, but higher-paid workers, including many who work in priority, in-demand jobs, can obtain TFWP work permits in any region.<\/p>\n International student graduates of Canadian bachelor\u2019s, master\u2019s, and doctoral programs can stay and work in Canada for up to three years after graduation, through Canada\u2019s post-graduation work permit<\/a> (PGWP) program.<\/p>\n Schedule a Free Work Permit Consultation with the Cohen Immigration Law Firm And graduates of other Canadian post-secondary programs, such as trade and vocational programs, can obtain PGWPs upon graduating from over 1000 different study programs<\/a> leading to careers in in-demand jobs in fields such as agriculture, trades, education, healthcare, and STEM.<\/p>\n Employees of multinational corporations transferring from abroad can obtain special Intra-Company Transferee<\/a> work permits to establish Canadian branches of their global businesses.<\/p>\n Canada\u2019s immigration department is also currently working on establishing a new work permit specifically for workers in agriculture and fish processing<\/a>.<\/p>\n On the permanent residence front, Canada\u2019s flagship pathway to permanent residence, Express Entry<\/a>, is set to prioritize workers<\/a> with roles that contribute directly to critical infrastructure, including trades workers such as mechanics, welders, and roofers, as well as healthcare and social services workers such as nurses, massage therapists, and social workers.<\/p>\n The federal government has also unveiled that this year it\u2019s considering launching new permanent residence pathways targeting scientists, researchers, senior managers, and military personnel.<\/a><\/p>\n International agreements<\/p>\n Carney\u2019s third path also involves working with nations around the world to establish a network of mutually-beneficial free-trade agreements, many of which are expected to provide for special work permits for citizens of participating countries.<\/p>\n For example, free trade agreements such as the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement<\/a> (CETA) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership<\/a> (CPTPP) provide special work permits for workers in select professional and technical occupations.<\/p>\n Canada already has in place 15 free trade agreements (FTAs) encompassing 51 nations, and is in the process of developing additional FTAs<\/a>, such as those with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Mercosur bloc, and Ecuador.<\/p>\n Canada has also established bilateral youth mobility agreements with 36 countries around the world, making available special work permits for workers aged 18-30 or 18-35 through International Experience Canada<\/a>.<\/p>\n As Canada continues to make major investments in both its domestic economy and in international agreements with nations across the globe, it is all but certain that additional opportunities will continue to emerge for people seeking to build new lives in a free and prosperous nation ambitiously charting the third path for the world\u2019s middle powers.<\/p>\n
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\nAdopt their own protectionist stances in an every-nation-for-itself scramble, resulting in a world of fortresses and decreased economic prosperity; or
\nPursue a \u201cthird path\u201d that Carney calls \u201cvariable geometry\u201d: forging \u201cdifferent coalitions for different issues based on common values and interests.\u201d<\/p>\n
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