Extend your stay in Canada as an essential worker

Cashiers, cleaners, and healthcare workers are among the many essential occupations that are eligible for Canada's new immigration programs.

Starting May 6, temporary foreign workers in 135 essential occupations can apply for the new permanent residency pathways. If you are working outside of Quebec, you could be one of the 50,000 new immigrants that are expected to gain permanent residency status through the new PR pathway for temporary foreign workers in essential occupations.

Do you live in Canada? Apply for PR under these news pathways!

This program will be open until November 5, or until the 20,000 spots for healthcare workers and 30,000 for other essential workers are filled, whichever comes first.

If you speak French, you could be eligible for the PR pathway for French-speaking temporary foreign workers in essential occupations. This program has an unlimited number of openings since Canada has historically had trouble attracting French-speaking immigrants out of Quebec.

See if you're eligible

In order to be eligible, you need at least one year of work experience within the past three years in an essential occupation. There are 40 eligible occupations for the healthcare stream, and 95 for the other essential workers stream. You may also be eligible if you have the equivalent part-time experience, or 1,560 hours working in an essential occupation.

Both streams require you to be employed in Canada in any occupation at the time of your application. You cannot be self employed unless you are a medical doctor in a fee-for-service with a health authority.

You have to be living in Canada on valid temporary status, or eligible for restoration. Also, you have to intend to immigrate to any province other than Quebec.

You need a Canadian Language Benchmark of at least 4 in all language abilities in English or French. The stream for French speakers requires an NCLC of at least 4 in order to be eligible.

You also cannot be deemed inadmissible to Canada for criminal or medical reasons.

Do you live in Canada? Apply for PR under these news pathways!

Eligible occupations

The Canadian immigration department, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), has divided the new programs for essential workers into two streams: Stream A and Stream B.

Stream A is for healthcare workers. Temporary residents who work in health-related occupations cannot use any work experience in other essential occupations toward their application.

Stream B is for essential workers in other occupations, and they can combine any work experience in a healthcare occupation toward their work experience requirement.

Stream A occupations

Here are the eligible healthcare occupations listed by National Occupational Classification (NOC):

3011 Nursing co-ordinators and supervisors
3012 Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
3111 Specialist physicians
3112 General practitioners and family physicians
3113 Dentists
3121 Optometrists
3122 Chiropractors
3124 Allied primary health practitioners
3125 Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating
3131 Pharmacists
3132 Dieticians and nutritionists
3141 Audiologists and speech-language pathologists
3142 Physiotherapists
3143 Occupational therapists
3144 Other professional occupations in therapy and assessment
3211 Medical laboratory technologists
3212 Medical laboratory technicians and pathologists’ assistants
3214 Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists
3215 Medical radiation technologists
3216 Medical sonographers
3217 Cardiology technologists and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists, n.e.c.
3219 Other medical technologists and technicians (except dental health)
3221 Denturists
3222 Dental hygienists and dental therapists
3223 Dental technologists, technicians and laboratory assistants
3231 Opticians
3232 Practitioners of natural healing
3233 Licensed practical nurses
3234 Paramedical occupations
3236 Massage therapists
3237 Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment
3411 Dental assistants
3413 Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates
3414 Other assisting occupations in support of health services
4151 Psychologists
4152 Social workers
4153 Family, marriage and other related counsellors
4165 Health policy researchers, consultants and program officers
4212 Social and community service workers
4412 Home support workers, housekeepers and related occupations

Stream B occupations

IRCC sorted Stream B occupations into units and sub-units. They are listed here by NOC code:

Major unit groups

Sales and support occupations

6611 Cashiers
6621 Service station attendants
6622 Store shelf stockers, clerks and order fillers
6623 Other sales related occupations

Industrial, electrical and construction trades

7201 Contractors and supervisor, machining, metal forming, shaping and erecting trades and related occupations
7202 Contractors and supervisors, electrical trades and telecommunications occupations
7203 Contractors and supervisors, pipefitting trades
7204 Contractors and supervisors, carpentry trades
7205 Contractors and supervisors, other construction trades, installers, repairers and servicers
7231 Machinists and machining and tooling inspectors
7232 Tool and die makers
7233 Sheet metal workers
7234 Boilermakers
7235 Structural metal and platework fabricators and fitters
7236 Ironworkers
7237 Welders and related machine operators
7241 Electricians (except industrial and power system)
7242 Industrial electricians
7243 Power system electricians
7244 Electrical power line and cable workers
7245 Telecommunications line and cable workers
7246 Telecommunications installation and repair workers
7247 Cable television service and maintenance technicians
7251 Plumbers
7252 Steamfitters, pipefitters and sprinkler system installers
7253 Gas fitters
7271 Carpenters
7272 Cabinetmakers
7281 Bricklayers
7282 Concrete finishers
7283 Tilesetters
7284 Plasterers, drywall installers and finishers and lathers
7291 Roofers and shinglers
7292 Glaziers
7293 Insulators
7294 Painters and decorators (except interior decorators)
7295 Floor covering installers

Other installers, repairers and servicers and material handlers

7441 Residential and commercial installers and servicers
7442 Waterworks and gas maintenance workers
7444 Pest controllers and fumigators
7445 Other repairers and servicers
7451 Longshore workers
7452 Material handlers

Transport and heavy equipment operation and related maintenance occupations

7511 Transport truck drivers
7512 Bus drivers, subway operators and other transit operators
7513 Taxi and limousine drivers and chauffeurs
7514 Delivery and courier service drivers
7521 Heavy equipment operators (except crane)
7522 Public works maintenance equipment operators and related workers
7531 Railway yard and truck maintenance workers
7532 Water transport deck and engine room crew
7533 Boat and cable ferry operators and related occupations
7534 Air transport ramp attendants
7535 Other automotive mechanical installers and servicers

Trades helpers, construction labourers and related occupations

7611 Construction trades helpers and labourers
7612 Other trades helpers and labourers
7621 Public works and maintenance labourers
7622 Railway and motor transport labourers

Harvesting, landscaping and natural resources labourers

8611 Harvesting labourers
8612 Landscaping and grounds maintenance labourers
8613 Aquaculture and marine harvest labourers
8614 Mine labourers
8615 Oil and gas drilling, servicing and related labourers
8616 Logging and forestry labourers

Minor unit groups

Mail and message distribution occupations

1511 Mail, postal and related workers
1512 Letter carriers
1513 Couriers, messengers and door-to-door distributors

Retail salesperson

6421 Retail salespersons

Cleaners

6731 Light duty cleaners
6732 Specialized cleaners
6733 Janitors, caretakers and building superintendents

Agriculture and horticulture workers

8431 General farm workers
8432 Nursery and greenhouse workers

Other workers in fishing and trapping and hunting occupations

8441 Fishing vessel deckhands
8442 Trappers and hunters

Machine operators and related workers in food, beverage and associated products processing

9461 Process control and machine operators, food and beverage processing
9462 Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers
9463 Fish and seafood plant workers
9465 Testers and graders, food and beverage processing

Specific 4-digit unit groups

0821 Managers in agriculture
0822 Managers in horticulture
4031 French and French immersion secondary school teachers (language of instruction must be French)
4032 French and French immersion elementary school and kindergarten teachers (language of instruction must be French)
4411 Home child care providers
4413 Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants
6331 Retail butchers
6523 Airline ticket and service agents
6524 Ground and water transport ticket agents, cargo service representatives and related clerks
6541 Security guards and related security service occupations
6551 Customer services representatives – financial institutions
6552 Other customer and information services representatives
8252 Agricultural service contractors, farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers
8255 Contractors and supervisors, landscaping, grounds maintenance and horticulture services
9617 Labourers in food and beverage processing
9618 Labourers in fish and seafood processing

Do you live in Canada? Apply for PR under these news pathways!