As long as there are immigration programs in Canada there will always be debate about whether we should be encouraging more or less immigration to this country. How many immigrants should we admit every year and in what program categories? What is the right balance?
I am often approached by people who wish to extend their stay in Canada as visitors, workers or students and have questions about their immigration status that are about to expire.
Canada welcomes tens of thousands of workers every year to become permanent residents under it’s Economic immigration program. These programs focus on attracting the best and the brightest from around the world to bring their skills and experience to Canada. Often, many of these workers already have job offers in Canada in managerial, professional or technical positions. However, there is currently no federal pathway to permanent residence for low or semi-skilled workers other than the Caregiver class. Under Canada’s immigration program, low and semi-skilled workers do not qualify to apply for permanent residence under Canada’s Express Entry System, leaving it to Canada’s provinces and territories to attract and retain these overlooked but important workers.
It has been over two years since June 2014 when the federal government permanently shut down the federal immigrant investor pathway to Canadian permanent residence. Under the former program, foreign investors and entrepreneurs could obtain permanent residence in exchange for a one-time lump sum investment to Canada. The program was finally scrapped over widespread criticism that it was not generating long-term benefits for Canadians and because many viewed the program as a way for immigrants to buy their way to Canadian citizenship. Unsurprisingly, the new immigration Minister, the Honourable John McCallum, has already publicly stated that there are no current plans to restart or reinvent the troubled program.
In January 2016 the BC Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) announced its new immigration application processing system known as the Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS). In its first quarter of operations, the BC PNP conducted two rounds of invitations to apply for provincial nominations for permanent residence, which took place on March 11 and April 8, 2016.
On March 8, 2016, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, the Honourable John McCallum, announced the overall immigration targets for 2016. Ordinarily, the Minister is required to provide his annual report to Parliament on or before November 1 of each year. Given that last year was an election year that resulted in a change of government, a levels plan was not presented to Parliament for 2015.
Beginning on March 15, 2016, foreign nationals from visa-exempt countries who are entering Canada by air will need to obtain an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) to travel to Canada.
The BC Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP) has just announced its skills immigration programs for 2016. On January 27, 2016, the BC PNP revealed the “Skills Immigration Registration System” (SIRS) that fundamentally changes the way that new applications will be processed starting this year.
Attracting and retaining international students has long been a priority for Canada’s immigration program. Every year thousands of students from all over the world enter Canada to seek a quality education. The top source countries of international students in Canada in the past 10 years have been China, India, Korea and France.
For many years it has been possible to submit immigration applications online as an alternative to the traditional method of submitting paper applications. Only recently, however, has Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) begun introducing applications that can only be submitted online. This online trend affects many programs, including CIC’s Express Entry System.
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