Canada’s immigration ministers see immigration as a crucial step to supporting the country’s post-coronavirus economic recovery. The ministers responsible for immigration met online last Friday, July 24, to discuss the impacts of coronavirus on the Canadian immigration system. Canada has ten provinces and three territories. Every province and territory other than Nunavut has a bilateral […]

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Canada is making the Open Work Permit Pilot (OWPP) a permanent program, so the spouses and common-law partners of Canadians can continue to work while waiting on their permanent resident status. The program began in December 2014, and was set to expire on July 31 after its most recent extension. Instead of setting another expiry […]

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Canada is looking at possibly easing travel restrictions for international students in time for the fall 2020 semester. This is revealed in a letter that has been obtained by CIC News. Since March 18, international students have not been able to enter Canada unless they held a study permit that was valid as of that […]

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Some U.S. students will be able to enter Canada for the fall 2020 semester even if they obtain their study permit after March 18. New guidance published on the website of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) on Friday July 24 added U.S. students as the third category of students who can enter Canada: International […]

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Canada is not letting the coronavirus pandemic rob immigrants of their special day, but since citizenship ceremonies now take place over Zoom, a few changes have been made. Canadian citizenship ceremonies are meaningful, important events in people’s lives, so Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) created new instructions for soon-to-be citizens who are taking their […]

The post Be in Canada, bring scissors; instructions for online citizenship ceremonies first appeared on CIC News.

Anyone with experience in artificial intelligence and information technology may want to take a look at Canada, where immigration policies provide clear pathways to permanent residence and entry into the workforce. A study released in June by the Center for Security and Emerging Technology examined how immigration policies help support the competitiveness of the AI […]

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In recent years, more immigrants are gaining permanent residence with Canadian work and study experience. The number of temporary foreign workers and students increased exponentially between 2000 and 2018, according to Statistics Canada. Over half, 59%, of new economic-class principal applicants in 2018 were former temporary foreign workers, up from just 12% at the turn […]

The post Half of new skilled immigrants have Canadian experience first appeared on CIC News.

Canada’s immigration department doesn’t recognize virtual marriages for family-class sponsorship, however, foreign spouses might still be able to cross the border. The rule dates back to 2015. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) decided that only Canadian Armed Forces members could sponsor their spouse who they married from a distant location, and only if certain […]

The post Zoom marriages don’t count when applying for Canadian immigration first appeared on CIC News.

CIC News has conducted a new analysis since January and there are now 104 economic immigration pathways in Canada. The federal government and every Canadian province and territory have been making great strides over the past three decades with the introduction of many economic immigration pathways. The goal: Provide a variety of immigration pathways so […]

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Canada held another Express Entry draw on July 23, the second invitation round held in two days.  Invitations were issued to a total of 3,343 Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates. A Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 445 was enough to ensure an Invitation to Apply (ITA).  Today’s CRS cut-off score was 14 points higher […]

The post Express Entry: Canada invites 3,343 CEC candidates first appeared on CIC News.

The Federal Court of Canada has struck the U.S. off of the Safe Third Country Agreement, which could affect thousands of asylum-seekers if it comes into effect. The Safe Third Country Agreement between Canada and the U.S. states that asylum-seekers must claim refugee protection in the first safe country they arrive in, with certain exceptions. […]

The post U.S. no longer “Safe Third Country” Canada court rules first appeared on CIC News.

Les nouveaux critères d’admissibilité au Programme de l’expérience québecoise (ou PEQ) présentés par le gouvernement provincial le 9 juillet entrent en vigueur aujourd’hui, le 22 juillet. Créé en 2010, le PEQ est un programme d’immigration très populaire qui permet aux travailleurs étrangers temporaires et aux étudiants étrangers qui ont résidé au Québec d’obtenir rapidement la […]

The post PEQ : entrée en vigueur de nouvelles règles first appeared on CIC News.

Pour lire cet article en français, cliquez ici. The new eligibility criteria for the Quebec Experience Program (or PEQ) introduced by the provincial government on July 9 take effect today, July 22. Launched in 2010, the PEQ is a popular immigration stream that provides a fast-track to permanent residence for temporary foreign workers and international students […]

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Canada invited 557 Express Entry candidates to apply for permanent residence on July 22, 2020. Canada has now invited 54,357 immigration candidates so far this year. Only candidates who had received a nomination from a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) were invited in the latest draw, which is why the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) cut off was 687. This […]

The post Express Entry Draw: 557 PNP candidates receive ITAs first appeared on CIC News.

The province of British Columbia issued 62 invitations to apply for a provincial nomination to BC PNP Tech Pilot candidates on July 21. The BC PNP Tech Pilot is a fast-track immigration pathway for in-demand tech workers and international students. All Tech Pilot candidates invited by the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) are […]

The post B.C. invites 62 immigration candidates with tech skills first appeared on CIC News.

Canada’s border remains closed but foreign diplomats, consular officers, officials and their immediate family members have been added to the list of exempt travellers. The new exemption applies to foreign nationals who have diplomatic acceptance on their passports, a consular acceptance, or an official acceptance issued by the Chief of Protocol for Global Affairs Canada. […]

The post Foreign representatives now exempt from travel restrictions first appeared on CIC News.

UPDATE: The Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker stream has now closed. The Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker stream reached its registration limit just hours after opening. Ontario says that registration for the stream is now closed until further notice. Original story published July 20, 2020 at 18:12 GMT: Ontario will begin accepting applications to the […]

The post Ontario Employer Job Offer stream closed same-day as opening first appeared on CIC News.

Canada released new information this morning on how to obtain a study permit for the fall 2020 academic year. The coronavirus outbreak has made it difficult for international students to get the documents they usually need for Canadian study permits. The Canadian border is also closed to most international students. Students are only exempt from […]

The post New two-step process to study in Canada in fall 2020 first appeared on CIC News.

Canada’s tech sector has been booming in recent years. Even in spite of the coronavirus pandemic, the sector remains strong with companies actively recruiting talent. Due to its need for more ICT workers, Canada offers many permanent and temporary pathways to support the sector. These include general programs for skilled workers, and specific programs dedicated […]

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Canada will need to keep immigration as a priority to remain competitive in the global economy at the end of the century, a new study suggests. The study by The Lancet forecasts a global population decline starting in the late 21st century. They suggest that the world population will peak at 9.73 billion in 2064 […]

The post Immigration to drive Canada’s population growth as global birth rates fall first appeared on CIC News.

New data indicates that Canada is becoming a magnet for talent from the United States. Over the past two years, foreign-born U.S. skilled workers have received the most invitations to resettle permanently in Canada, according to a new analysis published by the Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET). The analysis is based on statistics […]

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Canada and its southern neighbour have once again agreed to extend the border closure for another 30 days, until August 21. Yesterday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed to reporters that the Canada-U.S. border would remain closed. Despite lobbying from U.S. politicians to reopen the border, Canada remains committed to keeping Canadians and residents safe, amid […]

The post Keeping Canadians safe: Canada-U.S. border closure extended first appeared on CIC News.

Canada’s island province invited 194 immigration candidates to take one step closer to permanent residence. The Prince Edward Island Provincial Nominee Program (PEI PNP) held two invitation rounds so far in July. The first draw was held on July 10, when the province invited eight Labour Impact and Express Entry candidates to apply for a […]

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The biometrics requirement has been temporarily scrapped by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for temporary resident applicants who are already in Canada. This means that candidates in Canada who wish to apply for, extend or restore their study permits, work permits or visitor visas, may do so without completing the biometrics requirement. This is […]

The post No biometrics needed for temporary residence applicants in Canada first appeared on CIC News.

Many prospective Canadian immigration candidates around the world were excited to learn that, following a four-month hiatus, as of last week Express Entry invitations are once again being issued under the very popular Federal Skilled Worker Program. In recent months, marked by a global pandemic, the federal government had implemented restrictive policies in several areas […]

The post Canada’s Federal Skilled Worker Program at a glance first appeared on CIC News.