Canada Immigration Consultants - Canada news from migration experts

LATEST IMMIGRATION NEWS - CANADA
(as published in our newsletters)

CANADA – MORE TRUCKDRIVERS NEEDED

September 2010 - The Trucking companies that we deal with in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, Canada are still looking to take on more Truckdrivers. They are looking to sponsor applicants for work visas and then permanent residence through the Provincial Nomination Program.

The employer is looking for Truckdrivers who have the UK Class 1 licence (or other European equivalent) with at least 3 years experience.

If you are interested, then please email us and we will send you an application form with information.

CANADA – IMPORTANT CHANGES FOR SKILLED WORKERS AND INVESTORS

July 2010 - The Canada government has now announced some changes in processing for federal skilled worker applicants.

The new rules mean that applicants must either have a job offer, or they must have experience in one of 29 in-demand occupations. This is a new list of occupations which is a shortened version of the previous list.

For those applying under the occupation list, the government will limit the number of applications considered for processing to 20,000 per year. Furthermore, within the 20,000 limit, a maximum of 1,000 applications per occupation will be considered. The limit does not apply to applicants with a job offer or those who have already applied.

In addition, all federal skilled worker and Canadian Experience Class applicants must submit the results of an independent language test before they will be considered.

Previously, applicants had the option of proving their language ability via a written submission. Citizenship and Immigration Canada now only accepts designated third-party language tests as proof of language ability – no exceptions.

Also, the rules for those applying for Canadian residency through the Investor category are set to get tighter.

The proposed changes will require new investors to have a personal net worth of CDN$1.6M, up from CDN$800,000, and make an investment of CDN$800,000, up from CDN$400,000.

Until the new investor rules are implemented, Canada will stop accepting new applications in this category.

This is of course a significant change and the lack of any advance warning makes it difficult for applicants to plan accordingly.

CANADA – CONSULTATION ON IMMIGRATION

March 2010 - The Canadian government has recently launched a consultation on their immigration programme.

The official announcement seems to indicate that this may result in changes to allow more occupations to be included in the Federal Skilled Worker category.

This would be a welcome move, allowing more applicants to apply directly for permanent residency without having to apply through employer sponsorship or Provincial Nomination entry.

The consultation runs until April 16th, after which we hope that a new more flexible system of entry will be introduced.

CANADA – 2010 IMMIGRATION TARGET AND NOVA SCOTIA CHANGES

December 2009 - The Canadian government has decided to maintain a similar annual immigration target in 2010. The overall target will be between 240,000 and 265,000 new immigrants.

Unlike other countries which are reducing their immigrant intake, Canada still wants to attract the right migrants for long term economic needs.

The government’s Annual Report identifies that the provinces, through their Provincial Nominee Programs, will have an increased impact on the number of economic immigrants arriving in Canada.

One province that wants to increase its share of immigrants is Nova Scotia. Around 2600 new immigrants arrived in Nova Scotia in 2008 and the province’s Minister for Immigration, Ramona Jennex thinks this is far too low.

The province aims to double the number of immigrants that settle in Nova Scotia and they hope to have a new strategy ready in the next few months to achieve this goal. The Minister stated that Nova Scotia's immigration advisory panel is currently working on recommendations and that she wants to implement the new strategy as soon as possible. Watch this space for more information.

CANADA – FOCUS ON ALBERTA

April 2009 - The Province of Alberta is increasingly becoming one of the most popular destinations for migrants to Canada.

The 2 main cities of Calgary and Edmonton are home to the majority of the 3.5 million people who live in Alberta. The population growth last year was twice the Canadian average – largely due to immigration.

Much of the growth in the Alberta economy comes from its huge exports of oil and gas. Other important sectors include forestry, tourism and information technology. The unemployment rate is the lowest in Canada.

The Government of Alberta are allowed to nominate applicants directly through the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP). This allows applications through many different categories such as for Skilled Workers, International Graduates, Semi-Skilled Workers, Self-Employed Farmers and the Family Stream for those who have a relative living in Alberta.

The AINP is an excellent route to gain entry to Canada’s fastest growing economy with categories to suit many different types of applicants.

If you wish to be considered for immigration to Alberta either through the Federal Skilled Worker or the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program, then please complete an Online Assessment form on our website.

CANADA – PROVINCIAL NOMINEE PROGRAMS AND OTHER OPTIONS

February 2009 - We are now increasingly assisting applicants through Canada’s Provincial Nominee Programs. This is a consequence of the recent changes to the list of occupations that are eligible for processing under the Federal Skilled Worker Program.

Most provinces in Canada have an agreement with the Government of Canada that allows them to nominate immigrants who wish to settle in that province. The selection process varies from province to province. Each province selects immigrants who can fill its needs – normally through labour market shortages.

For instance, the government of Nova Scotia is keen to attract people to the province with work experience in Aerospace and Health Care.

However, in addition the government of British Columbia has a further need for selected occupations in Tourism/Hospitality and Food Processing.

A select number of province’s have ‘family connections’ streams of their respective Nominee Programs. Specifically, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland allow permanent residents and citizens of the province to sponsor foreign family members to come to the province where their Canadian relative lives. There are differences in each program so contact us for province specific details.

If you wish to be considered for immigration to Canada either through the Federal Skilled Worker or a Provincial Nominee Program, then please complete an Online Assessment form on our website.

Also, for students who wish to have opportunities to settle in Canada, contact us today for information on how studying in Canada can make students eligible for a number of permanent residency options.

We hope that these news have been informative for you. However, remember everyone's circumstances are different so if you or a friend or family member want to check your eligibility to emigrate then either

1) complete the Online Assessment Form on our website or
2) give us a call on +44 (0) 1223 830 916

We would love to hear from you!

Regards
Tim McMahon
Commonwealth Immigration
www.commonwealthimmigration.com