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Government of Canada will welcome more economic immigrants in 2010 28/06/10 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;-
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. 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. Big Drop in the Canadian Unemployment Rate 16/07/10 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. For further information about emigrating to Nova Scotia, please visit www.gov.ns.ca
Canadian Government aims to maintain immigration level 30/10/09 Canadian Immigration Minister, Jason Kenney, has announced that Canada will not be cutting back immigration in response to the global recession. “Canada plans to welcome between 240,000 and 265,000 new permanent residents in 2010, the same number of immigrants as in recent years. In 2010, Canada will again welcome more new permanent residents than the average annual intake during the 1990s,” said Minister Kenney. “The focus of the 2010 plan is on economic immigration to support Canada’s economy during and beyond the current economic recovery.” In fact, the Canadian Government is aiming to increase regionally-nominated immigration, considering that the provinces and territories are in the best position to understand how Canada’s intake can be aligned to their labour market needs. Although the Action Plan has been in place for less than a year, early indications are that it is paying off. “People applying now under the federal skilled worker program can expect to receive a decision within six to twelve months, compared to up to six years under the old system,” said Minister Kenney. “We’ve also brought the backlog of federal skilled worker applicants down from over 630,000 to 425,000—a reduction of more than 30%.” The Canadian Government’s approach underlines the importance of seeking professional advice when preparing a visa application for Canada. For details and an initial test of your eligibility, please click here. Source: Canadian Ministry for Immigration and Citizenship CANADA TIGHTENS IMMIGRATION POLICY IN RESPONSE TO RECESSION - Minister Kenney issues instructions on processing federal skilled workers. 27 Feb 2008
The list of 38 occupations was developed after consultations with the provinces and territories, business, labour and other stakeholders. New federal skilled worker applications that do not meet the eligibility criteria outlined above will not be processed, and the application fee will be fully refunded. This, along with funds set aside in the 2008 Budget to improve the immigration system, will stop the backlog from growing and will start to draw it down. “The eligibility criteria apply only to new federal skilled worker applicants and will not affect Canada’s family reunification or refugee protection goals,” said Minister Kenney. “Applicants who aren’t eligible for the federal skilled worker category may qualify under another category, such as the Provincial Nominee Program, or as temporary foreign workers, which could then put them on a path to permanent residency through the new Canadian Experience Class. There are many ways to immigrate to Canada.” “We expect new federal skilled worker applicants, including those with arranged employment, to receive a decision within six to 12 months compared with up to six years under the old system,” said Minister Kenney. “All other economic class applications—including applicants chosen by Quebec, provincial nominees, the Canadian Experience Class, and live-in caregivers—will continue to be given priority.” These improvements, coupled with a number of recent initiatives that include the introduction of the Canadian Experience Class, bring Canada in line with two of its main competitors for highly skilled labour: Australia and New Zealand. Both of these countries have eliminated their backlogs and have systems that deliver final decisions for economic applicants within a year. “The recent steps this Government has taken to improve our immigration system will help ensure that Canada remains competitive internationally and responsive to labour market needs domestically,” said Minister Kenney. 38 high-demand occupations · 0111 Financial Managers Source: http://www.cic.gc.ca/ 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. 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. More Migrants now Using Agents 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 Immigrants streaming to smaller centres July 24, 2008 Canada's mid-sized cities are enjoying an immigration boom while the stream of newcomers flatlines or even declines in the large urban centres that typically act as magnets, according to new figures from Citizenship and Immigration Canada. The change reflects shifting economic and employment prospects across the country and the successful efforts of smaller centres to woo newcomers, experts say. "Immigration (in Canada) has been extremely concentrated, and I think it's possible to argue perhaps too much so," says Larry Bourne, a professor of geography and planning with the University of Toronto's Cities Centre. "One trend the recent figures seem to suggest is that immigrants are indeed spreading out or dispersing a bit more to medium-sized cities." Toronto, whose share of Canada's immigrants slipped to 37 per cent last year from 50 per cent in 2001, welcomed 87,136 immigrants last year - down almost 26,000 from two years earlier. In Vancouver, immigrant newcomers those same two years dropped to 32,920 in 2007 from 39,498 in 2005. The flow of new arrivals to Montreal has virtually stagnated at about 38,000 per year. At the same time, the country's smaller centres are enjoying major boosts. Saskatoon more than doubled its immigrant intake between 2003 and 2007, to 1,618 people from 631, while the number of newcomers to Halifax jumped to 1,926 from 1,101 in the same period. Charlottetown's immigrant intake shot up to 801 from 110 over the last five years. "In very short periods of time, some of these areas which have really been making efforts to try to recruit more immigrants are actually enjoying some success," says Jack Jedwab, executive director of the Association for Canadian Studies. "Toronto's loss has been the gain of other cities." He also notes that in 2007, Quebec took in its largest share of Canada's immigrants in the last decade - 19 per cent - suggesting that the province's reasonable accommodation debate has not cooled its desire or ability to attract newcomers. One reason for slowing immigration to Toronto and Montreal is the decline of the manufacturing sector due to the strong Canadian dollar and faltering U.S. economy, says Charles Beach, an economics professor at Queen's University. "Traditionally, the big absorber of immigrants was manufacturing jobs because if your English or French was not as fluent as it might be, you could still learn to run a machine pretty well," he says. "That means the loss of manufacturing jobs is hurting places that were manufacturing centres of Canada in their absorption of immigrants." That also helps explain an immigration boom across the west as Alberta's economy heats up the Prairies and newcomers follow the jobs, Bourne says. With immigration levels rising to 8,472 last year from 5,144 in 2003, Winnipeg appears to be benefiting from a provincial nominee program that enables Manitoba to nominate immigrants whose skills match the province's labour and economic needs, he says, and other provinces will likely take note. Source: www.canada.com 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. 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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