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.
Nov 15, 2012 | Processing Times
In light of the recent unrest in Israel, the Canadian Embassy in Tel-Aviv may experience interference in normal operations. If you have applied for a visa to Canada through the Embassy in Tel-Aviv, you can expect processing times to increase.
Can-Am Immigration is committed to providing updated information regarding the Canadian Embassy in Tel-Aviv. We will continue to post information and updates on this blog as the events unfold.
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.
Jun 26, 2012 | Processing Times
Current Processing times for Citizenship applications
If you submitted your application for Canadian citizenship expect to wait a really, really, really long time. Citizenship & Immigration Canada (CIC) is currently taking approximately 19 months to complete an application for citizenship.
From the time you submit your application it will take approximately one (1) year for you to be called to write the “knowledge-of-Canada” test, also known as the citizenship test, if you require one. After you take your citizenship test you can expect to wait another 7 months to be called for the ceremony.
If you have submitted your citizenship application and already received your acknowledgment letter you may check the status of your application online at the following link: https://services3.cic.gc.ca/ecas/?app=ecas&lang=en
Jun 15, 2012 | In the News, Legally Speaking, Processing Times, Skilled Workers
It is now official. Canada will continue to process those Federal Skilled Worker applications submitted prior to February 27, 2008.
Over 900 applicants under the Skilled Workers’ program sued Immigration Minister Jason Kenney and Ottawa for violating their promise to process their applications in a timely fashion. The Federal court’s decision this week ordered the Minister and the federal government to continue processing those eligible for the program. The Minister still remains with the power to return applications of those applicants who are deemed not qualified.
CIC wanted to return all application caught in the backlog to reduce the backlog and open the space for other more recent applications based on the current immigration policies.
This is a setback for Ottawa who wanted to clear the backlog, but now cannot. The court has already ordered several applications to be finalized by October 14, 2012.
In this case, Canada did what is fair… in our opinion. We are very interested in what our readers have to say.
We appreciate you sharing this article and commenting below.
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