In this episode, we cover three major immigration news updates from Canada: BCPNP Makes Entrepreneur Immigration Regional Pilot a Permanent Stream - As of May 27, 2024, the Entrepreneur Immigration Regional Pilot has become a permanent immigration stream under the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP) - Part of the StrongerBC initiative to strengthen regional economies - Allows entrepreneurs to immigrate to establish businesses in rural, interior and coastal areas of British Columbia - Aims to attract international talent and investment to boost the provincial economy Statistics Canada Reports Decrease in Overqualified Immigrants - 2021 census data shows only 26.7% of recent immigrants were overqualified for their jobs, down from 31.1% in 2016 44.4% of immigrants had jobs matching their qualifications, up from 40% - Suggests higher education increases economic integration as immigrants are more adaptable - Improvement attributed to job growth in high-skilled fields and changes to immigrant selection favoring qualifications - However, many highly educated immigrants remain underutilized Immigration Backlogs and Inventory Update from IRCC - As of May 27, 2024, there were 2.22 million total applications across PR, TR and citizenship inventories - 44.4% of applications exceeded service standards - 45% of temporary residence and 40% of permanent residence applications were backlogged - 18% of citizenship applications also exceeded service standards Canada Expands Humanitarian Measures for Gaza - Application cap for Palestinian extended family members in Gaza increased from 1,000 to 5,000 - Aims to assist more people amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis - Preparing for potential changes to facilitate safe exit from Gaza - Working with Israel and Egypt on the situation