Toronto, November 16, 2012 — Federal, provincial and territorial (FPT) immigration ministers pledged today to create a fast and flexible immigration system designed to advance Canada’s economic growth and competitiveness, and respond to regional labour market needs.

read more»

“Our system had been terribly mismanaged, to the point where we had over a million people waiting up to nine years for decisions on their immigration applications,” he says.

“We are moving towards a fast immigration system which will allow us to do [a] much better job of selecting people likely to succeed in Canada’s economy [and] likely to integrate quickly and successfully.”

In 2011, Canada accepted about 240,000 permanent residents and 8,000 refugees — numbers that are among the highest per-capita level in the developed world.

Kenney says that’s a level of immigration that he’d like to maintain in the years ahead.

“Most employers would like to see bigger [immigration] numbers but only about 10 or 15 per cent of Canadians want us to raise immigration levels,” he said.

“They’re already very high and our focus is on improving the outcome [and] the experience of immigrants before increasing the numbers.”

read more»

Even if you were accepted to come to Canada because you were trained in one of the priority occupations you will need to verify that you are qualified to work in that occupation in Canada.
Immigrating to Canada, having your educational credentials recognized, qualifying to work in a particular occupation and finding employment are each separate processes.
When you apply to immigrate to Canada, your educational credentials and work experience will not be assessed or evaluated while your immigration application is being processed. You will still have to get your credentials and work experience recognized if your occupation requires a licence in Canada. Often, you can start this process while you are still in your home country.
Note: The selection criteria for skilled worker immigrants in any Canadian province or territory except Quebec are not intended to match specific immigrants with specific job vacancies or occupational requirements.

read more»

“We want the world’s best and brightest to come to Canada and to help grow our economy,” said Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney. “This is one way that we are creating a more responsive, transparent and efficient immigration system that benefits applicants, immigrants and Canadians alike.”

read more»

In the past year alone, the government has strengthened our immigration system by:

• introducing and passing the Protecting Canada’s Immigration System Act, which reforms the asylum system to make it fast and fair, combats human smuggling and allows for the collection of biometric data from visa applicants;
• introducing and passing Economic Action Plan 2012, which makes the economic stream faster and more flexible to contribute to jobs, growth and prosperity. The changes cleared the way for a new, modernized Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) by eliminating the old backlog that was leading to wait times of more than seven years for skilled worker applicants;
• introducing the Faster Removal of Foreign Criminals Act, which would close avenues used by convicted foreign criminals to delay deportation and stay in Canada.

There have also been a significant number of regulatory changes. As part of the government’s commitment to family reunification, it has:

• introduced the Parent and Grandparent Super Visa, valid for up to 10 years for visits of up to two years, which has been a great success with nearly 3,700 successful applications in its first six months;
• reduced the backlog for sponsored parents and grandparents.

Other regulatory and program changes crack down on fraud and abuse in the system by:

• taking action against marriage fraud by barring sponsored spouses from sponsoring a new spouse for at least five years and proposing a new two-year period of conditional permanent residency for some sponsored spouses;
• cracking down on crooked immigration representatives, thereby helping people who want to immigrate to Canada by protecting them from exploitation and abuse;
• combating residence fraud in the citizenship and permanent residence programs by enhancing program integrity measures and working with the Canada Border Services Agency and the RCMP on investigations into cases suspected of false representation and fraud;
• launching a new tip line through the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) Call Centre where tips on suspected citizenship fraud cases may be reported;
• reforming the Interim Federal Health Program to act as a disincentive for people not in need of Canada’s protection and to ensure that failed claimants do not receive health care more generously than what is available to Canadians, while continuing to protect the health and safety of Canadians;
• protecting vulnerable workers by prohibiting the issuance of visas and work permits for foreigners coming to work in strip clubs, massage parlours and escort agencies.

Recognizing the important role immigration plays in our economy, and the growing labour shortages in parts of the country, including in key industries, over the past few years the government has also:

• proposed improvements to the FSWP to place greater emphasis on selection criteria that have shown to contribute to better labour market outcomes, so that Canada can select skilled workers who would be able to integrate more rapidly and successfully into the Canadian labour market;
• reduced by over three-quarters, from 640,000 to close to 150,000, the total number of people in the Federal Skilled Worker backlog of applications prior to February 27, 2008;
• proposed the creation of a new Federal Skilled Trades Program;
• proposed changes to the Canadian Experience Class to make permanent residence even more accessible to talented skilled workers proficient in English or French, with Canadian educational credentials and work experience who are already doing well in Canada;
• improved the Live-in Caregiver Program by speeding up the process of issuing open work permits to caregivers who have completed the requirements of the Program, so they can establish their own homes and seek jobs in other fields;
• increased the number of provincial nominees and, in doing so, improved the geographic distribution of newcomers across Canada;
• in collaboration with provincial and territorial partners, introduced new minimum language requirements for immigrants under the Provincial Nominee Program, thereby helping social, economic and cultural integration;
• expanded a pilot project with the Government of Alberta to help Alberta employers seeking highly skilled foreign workers to fill an acute, regional labour shortage;
• introduced a new immigration stream to attract and retain international PhD students;
• proposed changes, as part of the Educational Credential Assessment Initiative, which would introduce a mandatory requirement that immigrants under the FSWP have their education abroad assessed against Canadian education standards by designated organizations;
• tripled its investment in settlement services outside of Quebec since 2005–2006, while ensuring fair funding across Canada for services like free language classes;
• launched a new website promoting innovations in the assessment and recognition of international qualifications.

read more»

The highlights of the proposed changes in the Federal Skilled Worker Class:

•  The Passmark will remain at 67 points.

•  Language points will be increased from 16 to 24 for the first official language and will be reduced from 8 to 4 for the second official language. Also, there will be new minimum language requirements. Previously, there were no minimum language requirements. Now you would be required to have intermediate level skills or higher in all of the language skills: listening, writing, speaking and reading.

•  Age points will be increased from a maximum of 10 to 12 for those who are up to 35 years of age and will reduce 1 point per year. So people 47 or over will receive no points for age but may still qualify if they get enough points from other factors.

•  Work Experience. Points are reduced from a maximum of 21 to 15 and are more difficult to get as follows: 6+ years 15 points, 4-5 years 13 points, 2-3 years 11 points, 1 year 9 points

•  Education – the maximum points remains at 25 but they will be awarded slightly differently depending on the amount of total years of education and the level of education reached. The big change here is that Applicants will be required to have their education and training certificates assessed before they apply by an agency who will determine what the equivalent Canadian level of education is. This will add time and cost to the process before you apply.

•  Spouse – The education of the Applicant’s spouse will no longer get the Applicant any points. However the language of the Applicant’s spouse may get the Applicant 5 points.

_________________________________

Another reason to choose Canada!!

For the first time in recent history, the average Canadian is richer than the average American. According to data from Environics Analytics WealthScapes published in the Globe and Mail, the net worth of the average Canadian household in 2011 was $363,202, while the average American household’s net worth was $319,970.

Canada’s unemployment rate fell, again, to 7.2 per cent, and America’s was a stagnant 8.2 per cent. Canada continues to thrive while the U.S. struggles to find its way out of an intractable economic crisis and a political sine curve of hope and despair.

read more»

The Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is now able to share information about professional or ethical misconduct by a representative with other governing authorities, following introduction of new regulatory provisions. An immigration representative may be an immigration consultant, a lawyer, a paralegal or a notary.

Information on how to find an accredited immigration consultant, lawyer or other representative, and tips on avoiding unscrupulous representatives, are available on CIC website.

read more»

• According to the officials, individuals looking to come to Canada should be advised of the following:
• Don’t be misled by false agents into believing that it is acceptable to submit forged documents with a visa application. It will be returned and further investigation may take place.
• Do not believe agents who say they can, in exchange for money, influence how fast applications are processed. The same goes for agents who claim they can guarantee 100% success. Visa processing times and admission decisions are made by government officials at a visa office.
• Do not be fooled by imposters pretending to be visa officers from embassies.
• Do not be deceived by job or visa scams. If a job offer sounds too good to be true, it could be a scam.

Hiring the right immigration representative is an important decision that can affect the outcome of an application to Canada. Therefore, individuals should be sure to choose only a qualified immigration consultant, lawyer, or other form of representative.

read more»

July, 2012

Many Canadian immigration programs remain open, despite the Canadian government’s announcement that it will be taking a ‘temporary pause’ in accepting Federal Skilled Worker applications. In this article, CIC News will briefly explore current open programs, as well as the future of the Federal Skilled Worker Program.

read more»

Canada is facing a demographic crunch and labour shortage that will hinder our future prosperity. The solution: More economic immigrants who are selected for their skills. Scroll through the interactive below to delve into the challenges of immigration and possible fixes. Hear from immigrants and innovators. Share your own immigration story and see what immigration looks like in your community according to the latest available census data