Canada Immigration Blog by Attorney David Cohen 2020: The Year | Canada Immigration News

Canada Immigration Blog by Attorney David Cohen
2020: The Year That Was, Perspectives and Prospects

The end of 2020 quickly approaches. This year has been unlike any other. The coronavirus has upended the best-laid plans and brought with it unexpected and unprecedented challenge, upheaval, and suffering to Canadians and those wishing to become them. But the same circumstances have also brought out remarkable acts of creativity, compassion, and kindness. I want to take this opportunity to reflect on these events, and what they may tell us about the year to come.
The year 2020 began with Canada’s economy thriving, thanks to immigration. Coronavirus had already broken out in parts of the world but it was not yet considered a pandemic. The Government of Canada, in line with international organizations such as the WHO and other countries, implemented, beginning in late January, a series of warning and monitoring protocols, and extended and intensified these measures through February. Already, a relatively small but noticeable drop in immigration to Canada was occurring. However, life went on more or less apace.

Then came March. On March 4, the federal government announced the creation of a new, cabinet-based COVID-19 Response Committee, with Chrystia Freeland, the powerful Deputy Prime Minister, as chair. One week later, on March 11, the federal government announced a billion-dollar rescue, research, and relief package to alleviate the consequences of the virus and also find therapeutics. The federal government had also released its 2020-2022 Immigration Levels Plan, calling for 341,000 newcomers in 2020. Later that week and throughout March, the impact virus reached crisis levels across Canada, as it already had across much of the world. In Quebec for example, public gatherings, restaurants, daycares, schools, and non-essential businesses, were all ordered to close. Life as we knew it changed rapidly and radically.

Canada was also forced to extensively alter its border, travel, and immigration policies. On March 16, Canada announced that it was restricting entry to most people who were not Canadian citizens or permanent residents, and their close relatives. There were exceptions for airline staff, and those engaged in cross-border deliveries. Later that week, most international travel was restricted to only four Canadian airports: Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal. On March 20, Canada and the United States agreed to restrict most travel between their two countries. On March 26, federal minister of health, Patty Hajdu, invoked the Quarantine Act, requiring incoming travellers to self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival. Certain essential workers were exempt from the quarantine requirement, but those who broke the new rules could face a fine or even imprisonment.

Obviously, these events had a dramatic and catastrophic impact on all aspects of Canadian life. Thousands of businesses closed, some permanently. Millions of workers saw their hours reduced or jobs eliminated altogether. Virtually all Canadians saw their day-to-day lives change tremendously. And of course, thousands got infected with the virus. While most people had light or no symptoms and recovered without issue, tragically, some were infected grievously and even died.

Likewise, the damage to Canada’s immigration flows was enormous. In April, Canada only welcomed some 4,000 new immigrants, which may be its lowest monthly total since the Second World War.

We have also seen acts of generosity, courage, and love. Many asylum-seekers awaiting determinations on their status began caring for the vulnerable and sick, particularly in hospitals and care homes. This has been the case especially in Quebec, which is arguably the province worst-hit by the virus. A movement arose in the province to grant permanent stat[...]