I have received an update with medicals extension (?) last week (on Feb 9th) and a ghost update yesterday evening - although it might as well have been a system glitch.
It feels like they've started looking back into the queue, but I am not sure if they are really going to process outland applications at any reasonable pace anytime soon.
Ok so here is what I know so far. tharu haven’t been doing it for FSW application because they thought the need of the hour was to fill the labour market with your service professionals like truck drivers and healthcare workers.
Which is why those people kept getting PR while we didn’t.
Now things are different, for one, most countries that have the vaccine, have skilled professionals within the economic class. Canada cannot afford to invite more workers and keep the virus at bay.
Secondly, The slow down in economy has had its effect, provinces that didn’t offer PNP, now do, multiple draws. All because there is no money flowing in that comes from FSW applicants.
That is the reason I believe the Canadian government has come up with quarantine at hotels and mandatory 14 day isolation/quarantine along with multiple COVID-19 tests. If you read carefully, people with special skills, i.e drivers and all can skip this, so why have this system? This is for the people who can afford it and are from FSW pools.
If you go on the IRCC webpage, there is a section that tells you if you are eligible to travel to Canada, it clearly states that if you are a PR holder that has no symptoms of COVID and are coming in for work that IS NOT part of the emergency services or transport, You still can enter Canada.
So I think, yes they weren’t doing it till now but they will start processing applications soon. The Canadian economy depends on it, and the signals say so.
But as I said this is my opinion, others might have more info or insight in this.