Computer programmers and interactive media developers are among 13 professions that have been added to Saskatchewan’s In-Demand Occupations List. Work experience in an occupation on the province’s In-Demand Occupations List is a requirement for both the Express Entry and Occupation In-Demand sub-categories of the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP). A job offer, however, is not required for either sub-category. The SINP is part of Canada’s Provincial Nominee Program, which allows participating provinces and territories to nominate a set number of economic immigration candidates for Canadian permanent residence. Candidates in the federal Express Entry pool who obtain a provincial nomination through the SINP’s Express Entry sub-category are awarded an additional 600 points toward their ranking score, effectively guaranteeing an…
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Canada Extends Atlantic Immigration Pilot
Canada is extending its Atlantic Immigration Pilot to December 2021 in a bid to maintain the program’s momentum, the federal government has announced. Launched in 2017 for an initial three-year run, the Atlantic Immigration Pilot (AIP) was created to address labour shortages in the provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador. The pilot allows designated employers in those provinces to hire eligible foreign skilled workers and international graduates of universities and colleges in the Atlantic Canada region. According to statistics released by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), 1,896 employers in the Atlantic Canada region have made 3,729 job offers through the AIP since its launch in 2017 and…
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Express Entry-Aligned Provincial Nominee Streams Having A Busy February
Canada’s provincial nominee programs have been active over the past few weeks, with invitation rounds taking place in Manitoba, British Columbia and Ontario. Combined, the three provinces have issued more than 900 invitations to apply for a provincial nomination for permanent residence since the start of February. Many of these invitations were issued through so-called “enhanced” nomination streams that allow provinces to nominate candidates in the federal Express Entry system, which manages the pool of candidates for three of Canada’s main economic immigration categories — the Federal Skilled Worker Class, Federal Skilled Trades Class and Canadian Experience Class. Express Entry candidates who receive a provincial nomination are awarded an additional 600 points toward their Comprehensive Ranking…
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New Express Entry Draw Invites 3,350 Candidates To Apply For Canadian Permanent Residence
The Government of Canada has issued 3,350 invitations to apply for Canadian permanent residence to candidates in the Express Entry system in a draw held February 20. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has now issued a total of 14,500 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) in 2019, which remains the biggest start to a year since the Express Entry system’s introduction in 2015. The 14,500 ITAs are an increase of 70 per cent over the number issued at this same juncture in 2018 — a year that saw IRCC set the current Express Entry ITA record of 89,800. The minimum Comprehensive Ranking System score in today’s draw was 457, an increase…
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If You’re In The Express Entry Pool, These Provincial Immigration Streams May Be Looking For You
Ontario, Nova Scotia and Alberta use so-called ‘passive’ immigration streams to search the Express Entry pool for eligible candidates. Candidates who enter the Express Entry pool may find themselves on the receiving end of an invitation to apply for a provincial nomination without even trying thanks to specialized immigration streams in Ontario, Alberta and Nova Scotia. These streams have recently been used to search the Express Entry pool for candidates who meet specified criteria such as work experience in a specified occupation. Those identified are notified of the province’s interest and invited to apply for a provincial nomination for permanent residence in that province. These immigration pathways are sometimes referred to as…
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Ontario Issues New Invitations To French-Speaking Express Entry Candidates
Ontario has issued new invitations to apply for a provincial nomination for permanent residence to French-speaking Express Entry candidates. The 61 invitations were issued February 7 through Ontario’s French-Speaking Skilled Worker immigration stream. This stream lets the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) select French-speaking candidates in the Express Entry-managed Federal Skilled Worker Class or Canadian Experience Class who have strong English abilities and eligible skilled work experience, among other criteria. The Express Entry system is Canada’s main source of skilled foreign labour and manages the pool of candidates for the Federal Skilled Worker Class, Canadian Experience Class and the Federal Skilled Trades Class. Eligible candidates are ranked in the Express Entry pool based on a score awarded for factors including age, education,…
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New Express Entry Draw Caps Record January, Minimum CRS Hits 16-month Low
IRCC has issued a record 11,150 ITAs in January — its biggest start ever. A new Express Entry draw held January 30 saw the number of invitations issued this month rise to 11,150, making this the biggest start to a year in the Express Entry system’s five-year history. The minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score in today’s draw was 438, which is a five-point reduction over the previous invitation round on January 23 and the lowest minimum score for an all-program draw through Canada’s Express Entry system since October 4, 2017. The Express Entry system manages the pool of candidates for Canada’s three Federal High Skilled economic immigration categories — the Federal Skilled…
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Canada Ranked First For Quality Of Life In 2018 Best Countries Survey
Annual survey by U.S. News & World Report ranks Canada second overall behind Switzerland. A new international survey is ranking Canada the second best country in the world to live in, and the first in terms of quality of life. Conducted by the U.S. News & World Report, the poll ranked 80 countries based on attributes in nine broad categories. More than 21,000 people from around the world completed the survey. Canada was ranked first in the quality of life category, ahead of Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Australia. Overall, Canada was ranked second behind Switzerland, scoring 9.9 out of a possible 10. Canada scored 10 in terms of job market, political stability and safety and…
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Government of Canada Has Unveiled A New Five-Year Economic Immigration Pilot
The Government of Canada has unveiled a new five-year economic immigration pilot that will help rural and northern communities in Ontario, Western Canada and Canada’s three territories attract and retain skilled foreign workers. The community-driven Rural and Northern Pilot builds on the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program launched in 2017 and will facilitate permanent residence for foreign workers of various skill levels in eligible communities in the following provinces and territories: Ontario Manitoba Saskatchewan Alberta British Columbia Yukon Northwest Territories Nunavut Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) says eligible communities can be either a city with a population of 50,000 or less located at least 75 kilometres from the core of a metropolitan…
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Canada Will Reopen Its Parents & Grandparents Sponsorship Program Goes Live From Next Monday
Canada will reopen its Parents and Grandparents sponsorship program next Monday to expressions of interest and invitations to apply to the program will be issued on a first-in, first-served basis. This means the quicker you can get your complete Interest to Sponsor form submitted, the better your chances may be of getting an invitation to apply to sponsor your parents and grandparents for permanent residence in Canada through the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP). IRCC says the Interest to Sponsor form should only take about 10 minutes to complete if you have all the necessary information and documents ready to go. With this in mind, here’s a primer on how the expression…