Opportunities and Cracks in Canada's Two-Step Migration Model During the Pandemic: Lessons from Chinese Migrant...

Canada's migration management has been evolving into a two-step model since the 1990s, creating pathways for temporary residents to apply for permanent status through federal and provincial programs. The COVID-19 pandemic brought with it unprecedented challenges but also holds the potential to be a key policy moment to re-imagine Canada's migration future. In this paper, we draw on semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 16 Chinese temporary residents, to reveal some of the successes, opportunities, as well as challenges, limitations, and conspicuous cracks in these new policies intended to maintain high levels of immigration during the pandemic and through Canada's post-pandemic recovery. We review some of the recent pandemic-related policy measures that strengthen Canada's current two-step migration model, which created more opportunities for temporary residents within Canadian borders to transition to permanent resident status, while restricting the eligibility of overseas applicants. The lived experiences of Chinese temporary residents can provide useful lessons as Canada determines which pandemic measures to make permanent.