HomeCanadian Immigration Lawyer Blog | Page 18

As September marks the start of another school year, it also marks the arrival of many of Canada’s international students. Often for international students, coming to study in Canada is not just to obtain an education but is the start of a path to permanent residence.

In meeting with prospective Canadian immigrants, we are often asked what will help them succeed in the Express Entry selection system. While there is no one specific factor for consideration, there is a combination of skills and experience that will enhance your ability to qualify for Canadian permanent residence and earn that vital Invitation to Apply (ITA). Let’s see how you can enhance your chances for selection under Express Entry.

Families hoping to reunite with their parents and grandparents in Canada will be ecstatic to learn that their chances of helping their loved ones immigrate have drastically improved. Effective July 28, 2018, the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship has increased the cap on the number of sponsorship applications for parents and grandparents that will be processed each year by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (“IRCC”) from 10,000 to 17,000.

Once upon a time, prospective Canadian immigrants were masters of their own destiny. They could make an application for permanent residence as a skilled worker and so long as they paid the application fee, it would be processed - eventually. And so long as they met the selection criteria, they would become immigrants. But over many years, there developed a huge backlog of applicants. This led to the introduction of the Express Entry selection system where applicants are no longer in charge of their immigration destinies. The government ranks applicants based upon such factors as education, age, work experience and language proficiency in English and French and those with the highest scores are given an Invitation to Apply (ITA). Without an ITA, a person cannot apply for permanent residence to Canada. What alternatives are there for prospective applicants?

As a Vancouver immigration lawyer, I am often struck by the frequency with which clients come seeking help with an immigration matter that has arisen because of a lack of truthfulness in the application process. I am further surprised at the number of times that clients advise that they were told not be truthful by a former immigration professional.

Canada’s government firmly believes that immigration plays a vital role in our society and its economy. In the past few years, Canada has made clear that we want to grow our immigration levels to offset our aging population and has introduced new program initiatives to attract more skilled talent from across the globe. With unprecedented levels of immigration inevitably come growing pains.

It is a sad reality that when business people come to consult with our Vancouver immigration lawyers for Canadian immigration opportunities, we have very few options to provide them with. The Federal Investor and Entrepreneur programs were terminated in 2014. The current Start Up Visa category requires securing a Canadian financier to invest in a prospective business concept.

In the past several years, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) have set ambitious immigration targets to attract newcomers to Canada. The majority of these newcomers are economic immigrants who bring human capital to our country and enrich our communities by sharing their unique set of skills, knowledge and experiences from abroad.

Canada’s Express Entry selection system can be a challenge for prospective immigrants who must score enough Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points in order to garner an Invitation to Apply (ITA). Now mid way through the fourth year of Express Entry, applicant scores earning an ITA have ranged from a high of 886 to a low of 413 but have recently settled in the mid 400’s over the past year. However, the bulk of prospective applicants in the pool, hover around the 400-point score range. How does a prospective Canadian immigrant increase their CRS score to be able to apply for permanent residence under Express Entry? Here are some tips to increase your CRS point score from the point of view of a Vancouver immigration lawyer.