Migration News now also on Facebook!

16th of September

Migration News goes social! The new Migration News Facebook-page is now up and running and waiting for you the join the discussion. The Facebook-page will feature news, events, pictures and current information about Canada so don't miss out and "like" the page today.

The Facebook-page can be accessed from here.

Caps Put On Canadian Immigration - Apply Now So You Don't Miss Out!

1st July 2011

Canada’s Immigration Minister, Jason Kenney, has announced important changes to three of the country's federal immigration programs, effective 1st July 2011, aimed at further reducing the backlog of economic applications, while focussing on Canada's labour market needs. “If we don't keep putting reasonable limits on new applications, backlogs and wait times will grow,” said Minister Kenney.

Federal Skilled Worker Program - Citizenship & Immigration Canada (CIC) has confirmed that the list of 29 eligible occupations will remain the same for the coming 12 months, however as of 1st July 2011, only 500 applications will be accepted for processing per occupation and only 10,000 applications will be considered in total over the coming year. Applicants with a validated job offer from a Canadian employer will not be affected by these caps.

John Lironi, Certified Canadian Immigration Consultant (ICCRC) of the Migration Bureau advises that "these new caps mean that candidates for Canadian immigration should lodge their applications as soon as possible to avoid disappointment, as quotas for some of the 29 occupations will fill up quite quickly. Applicants should also ensure the accuracy and correctness of their visa application because errors could result in lengthy delays or outright rejection".

Investor and Entrepreneur Categories - Also from 1st July 2011, there will be a cap on the number of applications accepted for processing under the Federal Immigrant Investor Program. Only 700 will be accepted over the next 12 months. Applicants under the Investor class must possess a total net worth of at least C$1.6 million and invest C$800,000 of this amount with the Canadian Receiver General for 5 years. Again, there is likely to be a rush to beat the new cap, so potential business migrants are recommended to lodge their application sooner rather than later.

The CIC has advised that as of 1st July 2011, they will not be accepting any new applications under the Federal Entrepreneur Program, although there will be a review of this program in the near future.

Potential new applicants should remember that the province of Quebec may offer some additional opportunities, for skilled workers or business migrants, beyond those offered at the federal level.

For details of all these new changes and for comprehensive assistance with your Canadian visa application, please contact us

Tougher rules governing immigration consultants enacted and new regulator announced

28 June 2011

Canada’s immigration Minister, Jason Kenney, has announced the launch of measures designed to protect prospective immigrants. Regulation of the country’s immigration consultants will now be the responsibility of the ICCRC (Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council) and there are now new rules (and penalties) aimed against non-accredited consultants or those who act contrary to the regulator’s code of conduct.

Immigration Consultants who were members of the previous regulator, CSIC, will now be able to register with the ICCRC. A 120-day transitional period will be put in place to ensure a smooth transition and continuity of service for both CSIC members currently in good standing and their clients during the transition to the ICCRC. The transition period will end on October 28, 2011.

 “The ICCRC has committed to accountability, transparency and good governance and has pledged to work to protect the interests of consumers,” added Minister Kenney. “Their efforts, backed by strong new legislation, will allow us to better serve people through our immigration processes and protect potential immigrants, all while improving the integrity of Canada’s immigration system.”

For information on Canadian immigration, plus a FREE initial test of your eligibility, please contact the Migration Bureau

High Quality of Life Ranking for Canada

30 May 2011

Canada has been judged by an OECD report to have the second highest level of quality of life among industrialized countries, just one ranking behind Australia.

Canada scored at or near the top in areas such as housing, education, health and life satisfaction among the 34 major industrialized countries that make up the OECD. Sweden ranked third, the U.S. was seventh and Turkey was dead last. The Better Life Initiative survey marks an attempt by the OECD - an economic and social policy think-tank funded by its members -- to provide a broader measure of a country's success than gross domestic product.

A key finding indicating people in Canada feel they have it pretty good was that 78% of Canadians surveyed said they're satisfied with life, well ahead of the OECD average of 59%. Canada also beat the top-ranked Australia on this question, where 75% expressed a general contentment with their circumstances.
 
It was found that 87% of Canadians have a high school diploma, or the equivalent, compared to the OECD average of 73%. Australia was below the overall average on this front with 70 % of it residents having attained this level of education. Life expectancy in Canada is 80.7 years of age, the study found, compared to the OECD average of 79. The Australians did somewhat better at 81.5 years, and Japan was tops at 82.7 years.
 
Source: Vancouver Sun, May 2011
 
Such positive news about Canada is no doubt one factor behind the high number of people seeking (and gaining) permanent residency in the country during the past few years.

For more information on emigrating to Canada, contact the Migration Bureau

Canada Welcomes A Record Number of New Settlers

14/02/11

Canada's Ministry of Immigration and Citizenship has announced that the country welcomed "the highest number of legal immigrants in 50 years" during 2010 - or in other words, 280,636 permanent residents.

At the same time, the Canadian Government is keen to emphasise the measures that it has taken over the past year or two to both improve visa processing times and reduce the numbers of illegal immigrants. Better "policing" of Canada's immigration system is seen as vital to ensuring that the country receive a higher standard of incomers who will benefit the national and provincial economies.

The Government is happy that its "Action Plan" has resulted in a growth in skilled economic migrants. "The high number of economic immigrants in 2010 has helped CIC decrease application backlogs in the federal skilled worker category, reduce wait times under the Action Plan for Faster Immigration, and better meet labour market needs".

For details of how you can move to a new life in Canada, please contact the Migration Bureau

 
Survey shows that new Canadian settlers doing well

10/02/11

New emigrants selected by the federal government under the current skilled worker program are contributing to Canada's economy, a new evaluation has found. The evaluation measured whether the current federal skilled worker program is selecting immigrants who are more likely to succeed economically in Canada.

“The evaluation showed that skilled immigrants are doing well in Canada and filling gaps in our work force,” said Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Jason Kenney.

Skilled workers who already had a job offer when they applied for permanent residence fared best of all, earning on average CA$79,200 three years after arriving in Canada. Recent government initiatives to significantly reduce visa processing times have helped spark greater interest in emigrating to Canada, either through the federal program or one of the provincial nominee routes.

For more information on emigrating to Canada, contact the Migration Bureau
 

Canadian Cities Amongst the World's Cleanest

01/02/10

In a recent MSN travel survey, Calgary and Ottawa were rated in the list of Top 10 Cleanest Cities.

For details, click here.

Canada Re-opens Its Doors To Investors


10 November 2010

The Canadian Government has announced that from 1st December 2010, it will once again accept applications under the federal Immigrant Investor Program. Applications had been suspended from June 2010, in order to give the Government time to finalise its new policy changes and to avoid a flood of applications prior to the re-opening. One of the factors behind the changes was the large number of outstanding applications and thus long processing times.

Under the new program criteria, investor applicants will need to have a personal net worth of C$1.6 million, (up from C$800,000), and make an investment of C$800,000, up from the previous requirement of C$400,000.

Minister Kenney explained that the changes were necessary to bring the country in to line with its immigrant “competitors”, such as Australia and New Zealand.
“Raising the requirements will help reduce the flow of applications while ensuring we attract experienced businesspeople who can make a more substantial contribution to the economy. Higher personal net worth criteria mean the program is now better positioned to attract investors with valuable business links and the resources to make secondary investments in the Canadian economy.  Higher investment amounts mean provinces and territories will receive more investment capital to put toward job creation and economic development projects,” added the Minister. 

Canada’s Immigrant Investor Program offers several benefits to international investors, including permanent resident status up front and guaranteed repayment of the investment. 

For more details of the new Canadian Investor Program, please contact the Migration Bureau.
Our dedicated Business Migration team can provide personalised assistance, as well as years of experience in processing Investor Class visa applications.

 

Faster Visa Processing and High Prosperity Ranking For Canada

1st November 2010

During the ongoing global downturn, the Canadian Government has focussed on improving its system for processing residence visa applications in order to both reduce the previous backlog and make Canada a more attractive option for potential settlers.

Canada has been one of the few Western countries to actually increase its immigration intake during the recession. "We believe that immigration fuels the prosperity of the future", says Immigration Minister Jason Kenney. "When we hit the forthcoming growth cycle in the economy we are going to need newcomers here to fill the jobs of the future".

John Lironi, Certified Canadian Immigration Consultant of the Migration Bureau, believes that recent improvements in visa processing times have greatly helped new settlers to move to Canada. Our clients are receiving a decision from Citizenship & Immigration Canada (CIC) in a matter of months rather than years as was previously the case. However he stresses - due to the new 'quota system' CIC has implemented - that prospective migrants act quickly to take advantage of these new rules. "If you are committed to immigrating to Canada, waiting in no way improves your chances of success, and in fact can be detrimental to your position.

Canada's increasingly attractive economic and social environment has been recognised in a noted international survey. This comes at a time when the Canadian Government has brought in improvements designed to increase the numbers of new settlers and the speed with which their visa applications are processed.

The London-based Legatum Institute has published its latest rankings of world prosperity. Canada is ranked as the 7th most prosperous country out of 110 countries studied. In particular, Canada rated very highly in terms of social freedom, governance and general economic standards. The Institute’s Prosperity Index seeks to “understand how economic fundamentals, health, freedom, governance, safety, education, entrepreneurial opportunity and social capital influence a country's economic growth and the happiness of its citizens”.

For information on emigrating to Canada, please contact Migration Bureau or visit www.migrationbureau.com


Government of Canada will welcome more economic immigrants in 2010 

28/06/10

The Canadian Government has made further amendments to its immigration system, aiming to both reduce the backlog of pending visa applications in order to improve processing times, at the same time as putting more emphasis on its intake of skilled economic migrants.

Jason Kenney, Minister for Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism has announced that Canada’s skilled occupation list has been reduced from 38 to 29 occupations in order to increase its selectivity, and in turn shorten the processing time for eligible applications. Effective immediately, to be eligible to apply as a federal skilled worker, applicants must either have a job offer, or they must have minimum one year of continuous full-time experience in one of following 29 in-demand occupations;-

0631 Restaurant and Food Service Managers 0811 Primary Production Managers (Except Agriculture) 1122 Professional Occupations in Business Services to Management 1233 Insurance Adjusters and Claims Examiners 2121 Biologists and Related Scientists 2151 Architects 3111 Specialist Physicians 3112 General Practitioners and Family Physicians 3113 Dentists 3131 Pharmacists 3142 Physiotherapists 3152 Registered Nurses 3215 Medical Radiation Technologists 3222 Dental Hygienists & Dental Therapists

3233 Licensed Practical Nurses 4151 Psychologists 4152 Social Workers 6241 Chefs 6242 Cooks 7215 Contractors and Supervisors, Carpentry Trades 7216 Contractors and Supervisors, Mechanic Trades 7241 Electricians (Except Industrial & Power System) 7242 Industrial Electricians 7251 Plumbers 7265 Welders & Related Machine Operators 7312 Heavy-Duty Equipment Mechanics 7371 Crane Operators 7372 Drillers & Blasters - Surface Mining, Quarrying & Construction 8222 Supervisors, Oil and Gas Drilling and Service

For those applying under this occupation list, the number of applications considered for processing will be limited to 20,000 per year and within the 20,000 limit, a maximum of 1,000 applications per occupation will be considered. These limits do not apply to applicants with a job offer.

In addition, all federal skilled worker and Canadian Experience Class applicants must submit the results of an independent language test before they will be considered. Other than the language test result requirement, these changes apply only to the federal skilled worker immigration category. The authority for the changes, known as ministerial instructions, comes from amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act approved by Parliament in 2008 as part of the Action Plan for Faster Immigration.

The instructions are meant as a flexible tool to allow the government to keep the intake of applications for economic immigration in line with the number and types of jobs available in Canada, as well as reduce application backlogs and processing times.

Mr Kenney highlighted that previous changes (in 2008) had already helped reduce the backlog of “in-process” federal skilled worker applicants from 640,000 to 380,000. The majority of decisions on new applications are being made in six to 12 months, compared with up to six years prior to the changes. The current changes are aimed at further refining the application system to ensure processing times remained manageable.

Mr Kenney also reconfirmed Canada’s planned immigration quota for 2010, as a total of 240,000 – 265,000 immigrants and advised that CIC anticipates achieving the upper end of this range, allowing Canada to welcome more immigrants in the economic category than originally planned. This includes federal skilled workers and record-level numbers of provincial nominees, without reducing the number in the family or humanitarian immigration categories.

Minister Kenney noted that some of his provincial colleagues expect the need will grow further in the years ahead. “This is something we will need to take into consideration when we consult more broadly on plans for future years,” he said.

“These changes bring Canada in line with the practices of the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, our main competitors for skilled immigrants,” said Minister Kenney. “They help match the supply of applicants to our processing capacity and today’s post-recession job market needs. This is the only responsible way to manage our immigration system.”

The Government is also proposing new eligibility criteria for the immigrant investor program so it makes an even greater contribution to the Canadian economy. Proposed regulatory changes will require new investors to have a personal net worth of $1.6M, up from $800,000, and make an investment of $800,000, up from $400,000.
These proposals were pre-published today in the Canada Gazette for a 30-day public comment period.

Canada’s current criteria for investors are the lowest in the world, and have not been changed since 1999. As a result the program draws a larger number of applicants than can be admitted every year under the immigration plan, and processing times are increasing.

Until the changes are finalized, the Government will stop accepting new investor applications to prevent a flood of applications before the new criteria take effect, which would stretch processing times even further. When the new criteria are in place, new applications will be processed alongside the old ones. In this way, Canada can begin to realize the benefits of the changes immediately.
“Canada needs investor immigrants,” said Minister Kenney. “These changes are necessary to keep Canada’s program competitive with that of other countries, and keep pace with the changing economy.”

For a free, no obligation test of your eligibility to emigrate to Canada, please click here.


Big Drop in the Canadian Unemployment Rate

16/07/10

Statistics Canada recently announced that the country's employment environment had improved significantly. Canada's employment level surged by 93,200 in June 2010, more than six times the amount that most analysts had expected. The unemployment rate fell from 8.1% to 7.9% as a result.

Since June 2009, employment has increased by 403,000 and the gains offset "nearly all" the job losses during the downturn that began in the autumn of 2008.

Source: Statistics Canada July 2010

For a free, no-obligation test (5-10 mins) of your eligibility to emigrate to Canada, please click here

The Canadian Government's "Action Plan" seems to be working!   

1st May 2010

Recent indications from migration consultants working on Canadian visa applications are that new improvements to the official immigration system are resulting in much shorter processing times.

"In other words", explained Rob Clark, Canadian visa specialist of the Migration Bureau, "our clients can now emigrate to Canada much faster than was the case a few years ago."

One of the first tasks set out in the "Action Plan" by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) had been to greatly reduce the backlog of pre-2008 applications, (by nearly 40% in some cases). More recently, they have been concentrating on keeping processing times for new applications within the government's target deadlines. These efforts seem to have been successful with many visas being granted between 6-12 months.

The Provincial Nominee Program has also been extended so that there are more regional opportunities for immigration, as well as the national ones. A new National Occupation Categories (NOC) List is expected soon which will be used to streamline the assessment of future skilled worker applications.

"With these new faster application procedures, and over 260,000 annual places", Rob Clark continued, "it's an excellent time to choose to emigrate to Canada."

For details of Canadian opportunities, please contact the Migration Bureau.

Migration Bureau hosts sold-out Canadian Emigration Seminar

10/03/10

The first in a series of seminars focussing on recent changes in Canadian immigration policies got off to a flying start recently with a full house at Migration Bureau’s London offices. Frances Wolfe, official representative of the Nova Scotia provincial government, gave the audience an excellent view of that region’s attractions, as well its specific immigration requirements. The growing importance of the Provincial Nominee Program and the Canadian Government’s attempts to streamline visa application processing were also highlighted during this very informative evening. Client Services staff of the Migration Bureau were given detailed training on the range of Canadian visa classes and application procedures.
Further Emigration Seminars are scheduled throughout 2010.

For further information about emigrating to Nova Scotia, please visit www.gov.ns.ca

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Residency Applications: High Failure Rate reported. Up to 50% FAIL.....

Industry feedback has indicated that an estimated 30% of applicants under some visa classes who lodge their application online and directly with the immigration authorities get it WRONG AND FAIL because they did not use a registered migration agent to compile and double check their application and immigration eligibility first.

It is estimated that a further 20% of applicants who do not use an agent become confused and frustrated with the application process and find it difficult or impossible to get answers to their specific concerns or questions from the immigration authorities. As a result, they unnecessarily drop out of the application process.

Overall, this equates to an estimated up to 50% FAILURE RATE for "do-it-yourself" applicants applying directly to the immigration authorities under some visa classes.

This compares with a SUCCESS RATE OF 98.5% for applicants that apply through officially-recognised migration agencies such as the Migration Bureau.

Grant King of the Migration Bureau, one of the largest international immigration agencies, commented that "We believe this failure and drop out rate is unacceptably high. Every day we receive many concerning phone calls from applicants who have tried to apply online or directly with the immigration authorities and have got it wrong. Many fail outright. They are generally very stressed and are frustrated by the delays and problems that this causes, not to mention left out of pocket. We are able to assist at this late stage, but it is more difficult and time-consuming to correct an incomplete or incorrect application. Additionally, it is difficult to go back to re-lodge or change an application after an original submission has already been made to the authorities. It is also more expensive".

"We want to protect applicants from these risks and ensure that applicants secure the right of residence that they are entitled to in the quickest possible time. To do so, the key is for new settlers to use an officially -recognised agent BEFORE applying and to instruct the agent to compile, double-check and lodge your online or physical residence visa application on your behalf - this will avoid unnecessary delays and risk, and means that you will receive your visas as soon as possible, and not be one of the thousands of applicants who are unnecessarily refused every year. So the moral of the story is to get it right the first time" said Mr King.

Are you eligible to emigrate?  Find out now.  Click here for a FREE initial eligibility assessment provided by the Migration Bureau (officially recognised immigration and visa consultants).  For information on the Migration Bureau Click here.

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More Migrants now Using Agents

According to the latest Emigrate Canada reader survey, 52.1% of migrants to Canada are using an immigration consultant for their applications.

The Emigrate Canada reader survey looked at various issues of the immigration process including demographics, family factors, motivations and the immigration process. Other significant trends for Canada include Alberta taking out a clear victory as the favourite destination, lifestyle remaining the main decision making motivator and waiting times increasing for application processing with over half of readers attempting to speed the process up.

Most respondents indicated that the WAITING was the most difficult part of the process.  Therefore, there is a strong case for using an immigration consultant, who can help the applicant AVOID DELAYS and assist with QUICKER PROCESSING by presenting a 100% correct and complete application.

Secondly, the application process and preparing paperwork was also perceived to be a difficult part of the process. Again, there is a strong case for IMMIGRATION CONSULTANTS who can make the application process smoother and clearer and provide personalised assistance and representation in this bureaucratic process.

The vast majority of readers indicated the more appealing lifestyle and safer place to bring up children, with climate being a major factor for emigration to Canada.

Are you eligible to emigrate?  Find out now.  Click here for a FREE initial eligibility assessment provided by the Migration Bureau (officially recognised immigration and visa consultants).  For information on the Migration Bureau Click here.

Source: Emigrate Canada January 07, Outbound Publishing

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Are you eligible to emigrate?  Find out now.  Click here for a FREE initial eligibility assessment provided by the Migration Bureau (officially recognised immigration and visa consultants).  For information on the Migration Bureau Click here.

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Canada Pass Mark Watch – current points tested visa pass mark update

To apply for a visa under skilled and business categories, potential migrants are required to meet certain conditions. In addition, applicants require a certain number of points to meet the Pass Mark.

If you would like to find out the current points system pass mark please click here.

If you would like to know if you meet these pass marks, we will work it out for you for FREE. Please Click here to complete a free initial eligibility assessment provided by the Migration Bureau (officially recognised immigration and visa consultants).  

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