Over the past several weeks we have reviewed BC’s new business immigration program that was re-opened on July 2, 2015. As can be seen, the BC PNP Entrepreneur stream is...
As we learned in our last issue, the new BC PNP Entrepreneur immigration stream now has a scoring system that allows PNP officers to select only the highest scoring applicants and provide them with an Invitation to Apply ( ITA).
On July 2, 2015 the BC PNP program re-opened their business immigration category for entrepreneurial applicants. The new system requires prospective applicants to pre-register with an online profile that will allow the provincial government to quickly assess registrants based upon a number of criteria. A scoring component is used to select those applicants with the highest scores will be given an Invitation to Apply (ITA), which is required to submit a business application to the BC PNP office. Let's review the scoring criteria to see how to get that pivotal ITA!
On July 2, 2015 the provincial government introduced it's new and improved BC PNP business program - the Entrepreneur immigration stream. The BC PNP entrepreneur immigration stream is targeting experienced entrepreneurs who are ready to invest in and actively manage a business in BC. The program now requires applicants to pre-register on line providing general information such as their age, education, proficiency in English, financial ability, business experience and previous travel to BC, for which they will score points. Following the lead of the new federal Express Entry immigration program, only the highest scoring registrants will be provided with an Invitation to Apply (ITA) and will be required to complete their application to the BC PNP within four months. Let's review some of the key features of BC's new business immigration program.
The remaining revisions to Canada's Citizenship laws came into force on June 11, 2015. Last year the government introduced Bill C-24, the Strengthening Canadian Citizenship Act which introduced many changes to the citizenship application process. However, many of those were not implemented until just recently. Most significantly the eligibility period for citizenship has increased and residency requirements have been defined to a strict physical presence in Canada. Prospective citizens must also be resident in Canada for tax purposes and demonstrate that they meet their personal income tax obligations.
One of the greyest areas of immigration law is the concept of the business visitor. The business visitor is not coming for tourism nor are they necessarily a worker performing services in Canada. A business visitor is simply a visitor who is temporarily coming to Canada for a business purpose. A business visitor is granted entry to Canada or the same basis as any other visitor other than they have a business reason for their entry. Let's examine the business visitor criteria more closely.
Once you have gone through the process of becoming a permanent resident of Canada, you are still bound by legislative requirements to maintain your Permanent Residence (PR) status. Many people misunderstand the ongoing residency requirement or confuse it with the residency threshold for Canadian citizenship. Furthermore, there are several exceptions to being physically present in Canada that allow you to still satisfy the residency requirement while being outside of Canada and people have a tendency to interpret these "exceptions" to their own advantage without truly understanding their legal significance. Let's review what it takes to maintain your PR status.
Canadian employers have been challenged to fill pressing labour shortages for many years and the projections are that these shortages will continue for years to come. Notwithstanding all the various opinions as to the best way to resolve our shortage of workers, immigration is universally recognized as being essential to address Canada’s immediate and long term labour force needs. For employers seeking to resolve their labour shortages, it is becoming essential to navigate Canada's immigration programs in order to keep your workforce strong and your business thriving. Here's what you can do to master the immigration game!
Canada's new immigrant selection system for economic immigrants, Express Entry came into effect on January 1, 2015 and has dramatically changed our immigration program. What used to be an immigrant driven self selection model is now a government driven selection model. The government will only choose the very best applicants and offer them an "invitation to apply" - an ITA. Without an ITA, a prospective immigrant can not apply for permanent residence to Canada. The basis upon which Citizenship and Immigration Canada ( CIC) selects which applicants to provide with an ITA, is the information contained in a profile that a potential applicant submits to the government. The higher the score an applicant receives on the ranking of their profile, the more likely they will receive an ITA. Obviously, the temptation to enhance one's profile is very real. Resist that temptation! Inaccurate information that is provided in your profile could result in a finding of misrepresentation and a five year bar to ANY application to Canada - permanent or temporary!
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