HomeAuthor Catherine Sas, K.C.

Humanitarian and Compassionate (“H&C”) applications are often the last resort for persons left with no other means of immigrating or remaining in Canada due to their personal circumstances. Under s.25(1) of the Immigration, Refugee and Protection Act (“IRPA”), H&C applications can be made from inside or outside Canada as an alternative to meeting the usual criteria for immigration. Individuals who are otherwise inadmissible to Canada may also be able to apply for special consideration based on H&C grounds.

Canadian work experience is often the key necessity to qualifying for permanent residence in Canada. While several other features are important – such as foreign education and foreign work experience along with language proficiency, Canadian work experience is highly significant. Having practiced immigration law for over 30 years and employed many new and aspiring Canadian immigrants, I would like to share my observations. Currently, many Canadian businesses are struggling to find workers and our office is no exception. We are frequently searching for office administrators and/or legal assistants – two occupations that are amongst the most common as the basis for applying for permanent residence. As an employer and immigration lawyer, I would like to provide some insights to securing that vital Canadian employment on your immigration journey.

Canada’s National Occupational Classification (NOC) coding system was first published in the 1990s to classify all the occupations in the Canadian labour market and has been used for decades to evaluate prospective immigrant’s work experience. It has been updated every few years such as the minor changes introduced with NOC 2016, but the newest update that the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is rolling out on November 16, 2022 is something to be on the lookout for.

It comes as no surprise to most Canadians that we are facing an extreme shortage of doctors across Canada.  Many people have been lacking a family doctor for years.  With a view to alleviating this problem, this past Friday, September 23, 2022, Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, the Honourable Sean Fraser, announced significant changes to the way that doctors are assessed for permanent residence to Canada under the Express Entry selection program. 

As the pandemic slowly winds down and life aims to resume to normalcy, there are lingering reminders of its ongoing effect and one of the most noticeable recent consequences are the world-wide delays of passport renewals. There are news reports from around the globe lamenting the delays in passport issuance not only from Canada but from many leading economic nations including the US, UK, France, Germany and Australia. While the lack of a passport clearly limits the ability to travel internationally, it also has considerable significance in the Canadian immigration realm.