Why foreign recruits won’t solve Canada’s military staffing problems

Yet another ill-advised boutique program as Banerjee notes:

…Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada in February announced said it is expanding its Express Entry immigration program, adding three new permanent residency streams that cover professions the Liberal government says are needed to fill critical labour gaps, including “highly skilled foreign military applicants” recruited by the Canadian Armed Forces in roles such as military doctors, pilots and nurses.

Ottawa did not specify how many permanent residents it aims to recruit under the new immigration stream. 

The expansion will effectively move applicants in these professions to the front of the line for permanent residency.

The changes essentially placed a few select professions with Canadian work experience at the head of the queue for permanent residency via Express Entry, a stream of economic migrants introduced designed to get immigrants into jobs faster without long delays. 

Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab said the decision to have a new category for skilled foreign military applicants “supports Canada’s defence industrial strategy,” and aims to “strengthen our armed forces, defend our sovereignty and to keep Canadians safe.”…

Canada’s shift toward a category-based “boutique” immigration system that prioritizes certain professions over other immigrants is concerning, said Rupa Banerjee, an associate professor at Toronto Metropolitan University and Canada Research Chair in economic inclusion, employment and entrepreneurship of immigrants.

Labour market needs can shift quickly, and it’s difficult to accurately predict which jobs are in demand now and how that may change in the future, she said.

Banerjee pointed to the 1990s dot-com boom which saw Canada actively recruit IT and computer science professionals, anticipating massive demand. Following the subsequent tech bubble burst, many of these skilled immigrants faced unemployment, highlighting the volatility of relying on specific, fast-changing industries for economic growth and immigration planning.

“We’ve seen that labour market needs change before we are able to respond … and there’s always this lag,” Banerjee said. “It’s very short-sighted.”

Source: Why foreign recruits won’t solve Canada’s military staffing problems