Canada Immigration Opportunities Archives - Immigration Lawyer Vancouver, Canada | Sas & Ing Immigration Law Centre
 

HomeTagCanada Immigration Opportunities Archives - Immigration Lawyer Vancouver, Canada | Sas & Ing Immigration Law Centre

Predictability for obtaining permanent residency status in Canada changed dramatically on January 1, 2015 with the introduction of the Express Entry (EE) selection system for permanent residence to Canada. EE introduced a new points based Comprehensive Ranking Score (CRS) measurement for selecting the “best and brightest” applicants. Prospective immigrants need to register a profile which goes into a pool of applicants enabling the government to set a standard for selection and control their intake. This model has been replicated throughout Federal, Provincial and Territorial selection systems. Intake control is central to output management and has become the norm for immigration selection.

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.

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.

This past weekend Canada’s Minister of Immigration Chris Alexander formally changed what was previously known as the Live-In Caregiver Program to the new Caregiver Program. Speculation had been circulating for years that the program might be drastically changed including eliminating the Permanent Resident component. Fortunately the residency component has been maintained and the program has been modified to eliminate the need for caregivers to reside with their employers and to allow for speedier processing of permanent resident applications.

Last week Canada's Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Chris Alexander tabled his Annual Report to Parliament presenting an immigration action plan that will continue to maintain an overall high level of immigration with an increased focus on economic immigration. In 2014 Canada plans to welcome between 240,000 to 265,000 new permanent residents, continuing the highest level of sustained immigration in Canada's history. Two key components of the economic immigration program, the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), are slated to achieve their highest levels of admissions ever. The 2014 immigration plan is targeted to achieve continued economic growth for 2014 and the coming years ahead.

The start of each new school term brings exciting opportunities for international students. In addition to experiencing a new country and obtaining an international education, international students have numerous opportunities to work and live in Canada both during and after their studies. Yet, nearly every month I am consulted by international students facing removal from Canada without being allowed to complete their studies. What can international students do to maximize their opportunities not only from an educational perspective but also for immigration purposes?

Over the past five months, Canada's Minister of Immigration has either created, modified or re-opened 5 separate categories for immigration to Canada in the economic program. This signals a strong message to the world that the doors are open for immigrants to Canada and also demonstrates the Canadian government's recognition of the significance that immigrants play in Canada's overall economic growth.

People often ask me what the most serious immigration infraction is. They expect that I will say something like, “working illegally, living underground without status, or being deported” but actually it’s the consequences for misrepresentation. The Immigration Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) sets out the criteria for misrepresentation as well as the penalties which are significant and can include loss of status, permanent separation from family members, fines and even jail time. Furthermore the trend in the past few years for Canada Immigration is a zero tolerance policy towards misrepresentation with penalties likely to increase.

On January 24, 2013, Minister Kenney awakened the sleeping business immigrant program with the introduction of the New Start-Up Visa, the first of its kind in the world! The Start-Up Visa program seeks to connect immigrant entrepreneurs with private sector organizations who will provide the business and financial support necessary to enhance the chances of success of the new start up business venture.

Sas and Ing Immigration Law Centre LLP

A partnership between Catherine Sas Law Corporation and Victor Ing Law Corporation

Copyright © sasanding 2021