Immigration practice encompasses a broad range of services such as submitting applications to the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and Service Canada (ESDC). However, there are complimentary...
As a part of the Trudeau government’s 2022 Budget, Parliament passed new legislation prohibiting non-Canadians from purchasing residential property in Canada. The Prohibition on the Purchase of Residential Property by Non-Canadians Act received royal assent on June 23, 2022 and will come into effect on January 1, 2023, lasting for a period of two years. The introduction of the bill is in keeping with one of the Federal Government’s primary goals for this year’s budget which was to stabilize the housing market and provide more affordable housing to Canadians amidst record-high inflation rates and sky-rocketing housing prices.
On October 7, 2022 the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, the Honourable Sean Fraser, announced that international students will soon be able to work off-campus for an unlimited number of hours. Previously, international students were capped at working only up to 20 hours per week during the academic year. The Minister’s new policy will take effect from November 15, 2022 until December 31, 2023 and it is expected to apply to about 500,000 international students in Canada. While this policy is intended to benefit the Canadian economy during this period of economic recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the policy is unlikely to benefit international students for two main reasons that I discuss below.
Canada’s international student program has long been a cornerstone of our immigration strategy to address Canada’s long-term labour shortages. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has made it much more difficult for recent graduates to make the transition from being temporary residents to becoming Canadian permanent residents, and many of them feel that they are being left behind in a rapidly changing immigration environment.
In an effort to both modernize and expedite the processing of immigration applications, Canada’s department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is transitioning to online processing of most permanent resident applications. On September 1, 2022, IRCC Minister Sean Fraser announced that starting from September 23, 2022, permanent residence applications will be going digital with a staggered implementation schedule. This announcement has both positive and negative implications.
Less than a year since his assuming the Office of the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, the Honourable Sean Fraser is continuing to make waves in the Canadian immigration world through his various speaking engagements and official Twitter account. Over the past few months, Minister Fraser has been hard at work and regularly teasing new and important policy changes that are currently being developed and implemented. Although details are still scarce, here are the major updates you need to be aware of for the second half of 2022!
As an immigration lawyer I regularly speak with clients who are interested in applying for visas and permits to come to Canada. For many clients the first step of arriving in Canada represents an exciting new chapter; however, after arriving in Canada many clients are not fully aware about the conditions that are imposed on their stay, which can jeopardize their long-term future in Canada if they run afoul of Canadian immigration laws. In this article I will explore some of the ways that both immigration applicants and the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) can reduce the likelihood that a person in Canada will unintentionally break immigration laws.
As immigration lawyers we are often consulted by individuals for a wide array of immigration processes where their current status is expiring imminently - like today or tomorrow! There are also people who come to us AFTER their status has already expired. There are ways of fixing most things, but not all things. Which raises the question….When is the best time to apply to renew my status?
The BC Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) is operated by the provincial government of British Columbia in partnership with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to address the labour market needs of the province. The program was originally established in 2001 and allows the province to nominate foreign workers, international students and entrepreneurs in British Columbia to apply for permanent residence through IRCC.
On February 24, 2022, the world witnessed a full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces - an aggression of this magnitude not seen in Europe since World War II. With the world's third largest population of Ukrainians, Canada is home to over 1.4 million people of Ukrainian ancestry. Given Canada’s significant connections to Ukraine, it was not surprising that the Government of Canada, through the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (“IRCC”), took immediate steps to facilitate the entry of Ukrainian citizens to Canada.
Sas and Ing Immigration Law Centre LLP
A partnership between Catherine Sas Law Corporation and Victor Ing Law Corporation
Copyright © sasanding 2021
