I came into Canada in 2018 and applied for PR in 2019. I didn't get it until recently, I faced a lot of delays in and with the system.

A lot changed post-COVID that made it easier to get in, such as:

• increasing the number of folks admitted for PR (as per https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/april-2022/immigration-increase-pandemic/ ) meaning that you could get in more easily with a lower score

• post graduate work permits becoming renewable

• a new policy to allow some students to apply straight for PR - those lucky enough to apply fast enough anyways (you might remember that this is the one that became full on the first day it was open)

Not to mention US-focused changes like opening the door for H1b visa holders, https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/work-canada/permit/h1b.html

There were provincial changes too, like Ontario dropping the three month waiting period so you could get OHIP right away as soon as you met other eligibility requirements.

Had these changes been implemented during orange voldemort's term, instead of Biden's, I recon we'd have seen the same increase. (Why the wait by Canada on doing this? Well it always takes time to get a new policy off the ground, and with COVID becoming a serious threat in March 2020 and the vaccine only making it to Canada in April 2021, if anything these changes seem to have come in absurdly fast.)