HomeAuthorVictor Ing, Author at Immigration Lawyer Vancouver, Canada | Sas & Ing Immigration Law Centre - Page 4 of 10

We live in a world where almost any information is right at our fingertips. With a click of a few buttons on the internet we can learn about any subject matter that interests us. Despite these modern conveniences, the ease with which we can access information comes at a cost: information is so readily accessible that we aren’t sure what information is real and reliable and what isn’t. When it comes to Canadian immigration law, readers of the official government immigration website should take a cautious approach when reviewing the information that is made available.

For years, my colleague Catherine Sas, Q.C. and I have written blogs to warn the public about the serious consequences of committing a misrepresentation in immigration matters, which carries a five-year ban from making any future immigration applications. Unfortunately, misrepresentation continues to be a serious problem in the realm of immigration practice. That is why I’d like to explore the reasons why people choose to commit misrepresentations and explain why you should not fall into this trap. Read on if you want to learn more about two of the most common reasons that lead people to commit misrepresentations.

At the beginning of this year, I wrote a blog predicting a significant drop in the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points needed to receive an invitation to apply (ITA) for permanent residence under Canada’s Express Entry system. Since then, we have seen an unprecedented drop in CRS points and, as a result, many Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates became eligible to apply for permanent residence even though they would not have scored enough CRS points to receive an ITA before the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent trends, however, show that the CRS points needed to receive an ITA may be shifting back to pre-pandemic levels.

On July 19, 2021 the Public Health Agency of Canada announced plans to fully reopen Canada’s borders to international travellers by September 7, 2021. This inspiring news reflects the fact that more than 75% of our adult population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and over 50% are fully vaccinated.

One of the challenges that prospective immigrants to Canada face is to secure employment in Canada prior to applying for permanent residence. In the Express Entry (EE) program’s Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scoring criteria, after education and language proficiency, the factor that garners the most point is Canadian work experience. How does one qualify for a job in Canada from abroad? It is indeed challenging for prospective workers abroad to obtain a work permit in Canada without first being offered a position by a Canadian employer.

Starting July 5, 2021, fully vaccinated travellers will be exempt from the requirement to quarantine upon arrival to Canada. This exciting news, which was announced on June 21, 2021, represents the first phase of a gradual plan to lift border restrictions currently applicable to international travellers. As vaccination rates in Canada continue to rise over the summer, we can expect that further announcements will be made to facilitate international travel and to re-open immigration streams that have been suspended over the past year.

This year 2021 has already been a busy year in the immigration world. A couple of months back, we predicted that significant changes were likely coming to Canada’s immigration programs to address the challenges created by the global pandemic and to reach the high immigration targets set by the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

Working in Canada has long been one of the most reliable pathways to qualify for Canadian permanent residency. Canada’s economic immigration programs favour candidates who have earned Canadian work experience, particularly those with coveted job offers from Canadian employers, because they have shown that they have skills and experience that are needed in Canada and can therefore successfully establish themselves and their family members.

The federal government has recently announced that starting February 22, 2021, new rules and regulations will affect international travellers coming to Canada. With few exceptions such as for travellers offering essential services, air and land travellers to Canada must now present both a negative COVID-19 test and a suitable post-arrival quarantine plan for their trip.