Dec 21, 2012 | Immigrate to Canada, Immigration, In the News, New Laws, Permanent Residency, Processing Times, Skilled Workers, Work Permits, Working In Canada
A new program has been introduced to allow skilled workers working in Canada to continue working as they wait for their permanent residence application to be processed. The new Bridging Open Work Permit will benefit skilled workers who have applied for permanent residence under one of the following Canada immigration options:
- Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)
- Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
- Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)
- Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).
This program will allow you to receive an open work permit should your current work permit expire before you receive permanent residence in Canada. The Bridging Open Work Permit will prevent skilled workers from losing status and being unable to work in Canada if their application for permanent residence is still in process and their work permit is about to expire.
Prior to the introduction of the Bridging Open Work Permit, Canadian employers would have to submit an application for a Labour Market Opinion and the skilled worker could submit a request for extension of their work permit only if the LMO was issued. The Bridging Open Work Permit will prevent “unnecessary disruption in the lives of newcomers who are already contributing and successfully integrating into the Canadian economy,” declares Minister Kenney. Open work permits are already available in other immigration streams and this new Bridging Open Work Permit gives foreign skilled workers a chance to apply for permanent residence with less worry of processing times.
If you are a skilled worker who is currently working for a Canadian employer and interested in submitting an application for permanent residence, you may take our free assessment to see which of the Canada immigration options will best meet your needs. If you have a work permit that is close to expiring and would like more information about the Bridging Open Work Permit, you should contact us to speak to a qualified immigration consultant.
Share your opinions on the new Bridging Open Work Permit by commenting on our blog or visit us on Facebook and Twitter to share, like, comment or tweet about the Bridging Open Work Permit.
Dec 12, 2012 | Immigrate to Canada, Immigration, In the News, New Immigration Programs, New Laws, Permanent Residency, Skilled Workers, Working In Canada
Among the many program updates being made for the new year, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is changing the requirements of the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) to make it easier and faster for qualified applicants to obtain permanent residence in Canada. Changes to the program will allow skilled workers to apply for the Canadian Experience Class with only 12 months of Canadian work experience instead of the 24 months which was previously required. Skilled workers applying for Canada immigration through the Canadian Experience Class will therefore be able to become permanent residents of Canada a year sooner than before.
In addition to these changes for skilled workers, the Canadian Experience Class will now be easier for international students who are applying for permanent residence. Students applying for immigration to Canada through the Canadian Experience Class are required to earn one (1) year of work experience prior to their application for permanent residence. In the past, students were required to earn this experience within 24 months of graduating. Part of the changes to the Canadian Experience Class will now allow students 36 months in which to obtain their work experience.
With these changes to the Canadian Experience Class, CIC expects to accept close to 10,000 applications for permanent residents. This is a huge number compared to previous years. The Canadian Experience Class is growing quickly and the government is intent on making it easier for skilled workers to transition to permanent residence status. These changes will be put in place on January 2nd.
If you are a skilled worker or an international graduate who is interested in immigration to Canada, you may contact our office to speak with an immigration consultant about the Canadian Experience Class. You may also take our free assessment to find out if you qualify for this Canada immigration program. We urge you to share your thoughts with us and to spread the good news to any of your friends and family who may be affected by these changes. Call us today for more information on the Canadian Experience Class and/or to get answers to any of your Canada immigration questions.
Nov 8, 2012 | Family Immigration, Immigration, In the News, New Laws, Permanent Residency
New regulations were put into action on October 25, 2012 in an attempt to stop marriage fraud in Canada. These new laws will require sponsored spouses to remain in a relationship with their sponsors for a period of at least two years. Marriage fraud has become a large problem in Canada. According to Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney, “There are countless cases of marriage fraud across the country.” Efforts to prevent people from marrying for the sole purpose of obtaining permanent resident status have been ongoing. These new regulations have been a long time coming as similar laws are already in place in many other countries.
Permanent residents who were sponsored within the last two years and who have no children with their current sponsor will now need to stay in the relationship for two years or risk losing their permanent resident status. There must be some evidence that the relationship is genuine and not simply a “marriage of convenience.” In some cases of marriage fraud, Canadian citizens are being victimized by their partners who enter into the relationship with the goal of obtaining citizenship and then leaving their partner. Other cases include the exchange of money in which Canadian citizens are accepting money to marry and sponsor non-Canadians into Canada. Canadians are now standing up against marriage fraud with groups such as Canadians Against Immigration Fraud (CAIF) and the Canadian Marriage Fraud Victims Society joining Minister Kenney and the CIC in their fight against marriage fraud in Canada. Canadian Marriage Fraud Victims Society founder, Palwinder Singh Gill, supports the new regulations, stating that “Canada’s generous family sponsorship program was being abused because many people were marrying only to get a permanent resident card and then leave their partners. With this rule, those abusing the system will think twice.”
Anyone who applies or has applied for permanent resident status whose application was received on or after October 25, who is in a relationship with their sponsor for less than two years, and who does not have children with their sponsor at the time of their application, will now be given conditional permanent residence. Conditional permanent residence differs from regular permanent residence only in that you must remain in a legitimate relationship with your sponsor for that period of time. Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) believes that enforcing this two year condition will reduce the amount of marriage fraud in Canada. In the past, Canada was considered a “soft target” for those who wished to bypass Canada immigration laws in order to become permanent residents under the Spousal Sponsorship program. These new regulations will hopefully put an end to marriage fraud in Canada. Other measures to prevent marriage fraud in the past include a law which was put in place in March which prevents those who have been sponsored from sponsoring a new spouse for a minimum of five years. This means if you were sponsored by your spouse in the last five years and are now in a new relationship, you are not eligible to be a sponsor until you have been a permanent resident for at least five years. These regulations along with the requirements of the Spousal Sponsorship program, which puts the burden on the sponsors and their partners to prove their relationship is genuine, should greatly reduce marriage fraud in Canada.
Some exceptions to these laws have been put into place which will allow for certain situations to be assessed differently. In cases of abuse or neglect, a sponsored spouse will not be forced to stay with their sponsor for these two years. This also applies in cases where the abuse is coming from a third party who is not the sponsor and who does not live with the couple, such as family members of the sponsor. Applicants who are found to be in a relationship which is abusive will not lose their permanent resident status if they leave their sponsors before the two year conditional permanent residence requirement. Another exception to this rule would allow sponsored spouses to keep their status in the case of a sponsor’s death prior to the two year period.
We want to hear what you have to say on the issue of marriage fraud and these new regulations. Do you think these new laws will put an end to the long-standing problem of marriage fraud in Canada? Do you believe the CIC should take further measures to prevent marriage fraud? Let us know what you think by sharing your opinions here on our blog and/or share this post with your friends and family on facebook and twitter.
If you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident who has sponsored and/or been sponsored by a spouse or partner and you are not sure how these new regulations may affect you, call our office to speak to an immigration consultant.
Nov 7, 2012 | New Laws, Processing Times
In an effort to reunite families in Canada, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has been working on a new plan to allow parents and grandparents to receive permanent residence in Canada. With the changes in the Parent and Grandparent (PGP) Program, the old processing time of up to 8 years will be greatly reduced and will allow acceptance of nearly 35,000 parent and grandparent applications. In response to strong complaints from Canadian residents and citizens, CIC has stepped up to fix the Parent and Grandparent Program. The very popular Parent and Grandparent Super Visa has allowed families to reunite with their loved ones for extended visits of up to two years at a time. Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney expects “to reunite up to 35,000 parents and grandparents with their families next year. This is a significant achievement and the highest number in nearly two decades.”
The plan to fix the current Parent and Grandparent Program began with some national public consultations which were started by the CIC in March of this year. A high response to an online consultation received by the CIC in May showed that many Canadians were unhappy with the current system in place for the Parent and Grandparent Program. The new 2013 Levels Plan will allow up to 25,000 parents and grandparents to enter Canada next year which is 60% more than the number of parent and grandparent acceptances in 2010.
With the introduction of the Parent and Grandparent Super Visa in December 2011, over 10,000 visas were issued to allow entrance into Canada for the parents and grandparents of Canadians. With an acceptance rate of 87 percent for the Parent and Grandparent Super Visa, it is obvious that many families are being reunited as a result of this plan. Therefore, the CIC is putting together a new, more modern Parent and Grandparent Program to allow these families to stay together in Canada by allowing parents and grandparents to apply for permanent residency. This is excellent news for Canadians with family abroad who have been waiting for years to reunite with their parents and grandparents. Minister Kenney also expects a great reduction in the backlog and wait times for parent and grandparent applications as this new plan is put into action. The new Parent and Grandparent Program is expected to launch within a year with a more modern approach to allow faster processing of parent and grandparent applications.
If you are a Canadian citizen or permanent resident with family abroad, you may call our office to find out more about bringing your parent or grandparent into Canada using the Parent and Grandparent Super Visa and for more information about Canada immigration options for you and your family. Can-Am Immigration has been helping families reunite in Canada for years. Our dedicated immigration consultants can help you bring your parent or grandparent to Canada quickly and easily.
Nov 2, 2012 | Immigration, In the News, New Laws, Processing Times, Skilled Workers
In an attempt to clear up the backlog of Federal Skilled Worker applications, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) issued a pause on all new Federal Skilled Worker applications as of July 2, 2012. This pause prevented thousands of federal skilled workers from applying for immigration to Canada as it requires foreign workers to have a qualifying job offer or to qualify under the PhD stream.
Many actions have been taken by the government in order to fix the backlog of Federal Skilled Worker applications and allow more federal skilled workers and their families to immigrate to Canada. The Action Plan for Faster Immigration of 2008 was the first step taken by CIC to limit the number of federal skilled worker applications to only occupations which were a priority. CIC took further action to limit the federal skilled worker applications in 2010 and again in 2012 with the Jobs, Growth and Long-Term Prosperity Act. The final step to put a stop to the backlog problem was to place a pause on all new federal skilled worker applications.
Now, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney has announced a new plan which will allow for faster processing times for federal skilled worker applications as well as the possibility of faster processing times for additional immigration programs. In an effort to attract federal skilled workers from around the globe and promote economic growth, CIC will be introducing an Expression of Interest (EOI) system for federal skilled workers. With this system in place, federal skilled workers and their families will have the option of immigrating to Canada and having their immigration applications processed in a period of 12 months or less. This is a huge improvement over the old system which made federal skilled workers wait for years, some as long as eight years, to have their applications processed.
As a result of this new immigration program and the steps taken over the last few years, the backlog of federal skilled worker applications is expected to be cleared by the end of 2014 which will allow new applications for the Federal Skilled Worker Program to be processed as they are received. This new system for processing applications – “a just in time system” – will bring between 53,500 and 55,300 Federal Skilled Workers and their families into Canada. Minister Kenney has stated that “Immigration plays a vital role in our country’s long-term prosperity. By improving our economic immigration system, we can ensure that Canada is competitive on the world stage.” Allowing federal skilled workers to enter the work field more easily and quickly will contribute to Canada’s economic growth and allow Canadian employers to fill shortages in high skill occupations. This new plan is excellent news both for Canada and for federal skilled workers wishing to immigrate to Canada.
More information regarding this new system along with the final regulatory changes and the new selection criteria for the Federal Skilled Worker Program will become available later this year.
We would like to hear from you. Tell us what you think about this new immigration system for federal skilled workers and their families. If you are a federal skilled worker or you know anyone who may benefit from this new plan, we urge you to share, tweet, like, and comment on this issue.
For more information about immigration to Canada under the Federal Skilled Worker Program, contact our office to speak with a certified immigration consultant and find out if you qualify as a federal skilled worker.
Sep 28, 2012 | In the News, Legally Speaking, New Laws
As of November 1, 2012 Citizenship & Immigration Canada will require all citizenship applicants to submit proof of their language proficiency. Canada strongly believes that the ability to communicate in either one of Canada’s official languages is a key factor in the success and adaptability of new citizens in Canada.
Currently, Canada does not require applicants between the ages of 18 – 54 to submit proof of their language abilities. The new requirement will not change the level of ability that is required, but it will change the way that applicants demonstrate their language ability.
As of November 1, 2012 applicants will be required to submit proof such as;
– the results of a CIC-approved third-party test (ie. IELTS or TOFEL),
– the evidence of completion of secondary or post-secondary education in English and/or French,
– the evidence of achieving the appropriate language level in certain government-funded language training programs.
If you have submitted or will be submitting your citizenship application prior to November 1st, 2012 you do not have to meet the above requirements.
To submit your citizenship application you may contact our office to speak with an immigration adviser.
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