When Canada's new immigration program, Express Entry, was introduced on January 1, 2015, it completely transformed Canada's economic immigration stream. Gone were the days where an applicant controlled their own destiny!
The Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC) has been busy making changes to Canada’s family reunification programs in December. In consecutive weeks during this holiday season the Minister has announced important changes to how sponsorship applications for spouses and parents and grandparents will be made in the new year. These changes will affect many families, since the Minister has already announced earlier in October this year that his department expects to admit 84,000 new family members to Canada as permanent residents in 2017.
Many travellers to Canada find themselves turned away at the border when a CBSA officer finds they have a criminal record. In the post 9/11 world of continuously enhanced border security, CBSA officers are able to access an individual's criminal history with a swipe of a passport. How can you be permitted to Canada if you have a criminal conviction in your past? The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) provides both permanent and temporary solutions.
With every changeover in the United States of its administration, there is a spike in interest from Americans for ‘Immigrating to Canada’. From the Bush and Obama electoral victories through to the now pending Trump presidency, this desire to move north has become expected given the passion each election evokes.
Last week was full of announcements on the Immigration front for the Liberal government. On Monday, October 31, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Minister John McCallum, tabled his annual report to Parliament setting immigration levels for the year ahead. The next day, Minister of Finance Bill Morneau introduced his Global Skills Strategy to make it easier and faster for companies to bring foreign workers to Canada. Let's see what the future holds!
The eTA program is an online pre-screening requirement that was initially announced in 2015. This requirement makes it mandatory for travelers who are visa-exempt to Canada to make an online application through Canada’s eTA system before they will be allowed to board a flight bound for Canada. Affected travelers will include those from Australia, Japan, Korea, Spain, France and the UK, among others. Once issued, an eTA will be valid for a period of five years.
Victor Ing will present at Business Immigration Law Fundamentals 2016—Show Me The Money at the Pan Pacific Hotel in Vancouver.
Often the clients that come to see us have previously worked with other immigration professionals. In many cases they have not been advised according to best practices and/or have placed misguided trust in those professionals. One of the most blatant misguided practices is to have applicants sign blank immigration application forms and then rely on the immigration professional to complete the application on their behalf. If an immigration professional asks you to do this, warning bells should go off immediately and you should find another professional to work with.
We are frequently approached by self employed business people who are interested in establishing Canadian operations and would like to immigrate to Canada as well. You would think that Canada would be welcoming of the entrepreneurial spirit that business self starters bring to the economy in terms of both tax revenue and job creation. Yet Canada's current immigration program is very limited in options for self-employed business people. Let's review what immigration options are available for the business person.
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.
Sas and Ing Immigration Law Centre LLP
A partnership between Catherine Sas Law Corporation and Victor Ing Law Corporation
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