This month, the Government of Canada announced it is implementing stricter regulations with the aim of further improving the working conditions for temporary workers and live-in caregivers in Canada. According to the federal government, consultations held over the past two years revealed that employers were exploiting some live-in caregivers because the system made them vulnerable. […]

The post Canada further strengthens its Temporary Foreign Worker Program to better protect live-in caregivers first appeared on CIC News.

A foreign national who wishes to work in Canada generally requires a work permit. Work permits allow people to quickly begin working in Canada and can be a stepping stone toward Canadian permanent resident visas. A work permit is generally required for a foreign national who intends to “work” in Canada. For Canadian immigration purposes, […]

The post Two Roads to Work Permits first appeared on CIC News.

The Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) is designed to support Alberta’s economic growth by attracting work-ready immigrants to the province of Alberta. However, given current job market and economic conditions, Alberta has decided to temporarily stop accepting applications for two of its streams: the Family Stream and the U.S. Visa Holder Category. According to the […]

The post Alberta puts a freeze on two immigration programs first appeared on CIC News.

The following is a summary of developments in Canadian Citizenship and Immigration that took place or were announced over the last few weeks. Canada increases the number of visas available through the provincial nomination programs: The Government of Canada increased the number of visas that may be issued this year for Canadian permanent residence under […]

The post Canadian Immigration News Briefs for August 2010 first appeared on CIC News.

Earlier this month a dilapidated vessel, the MV Sun Sea, was escorted to a British Columbia harbour by a flotilla of Canadian authorities. Soon after docking, there emerged from her hold a desperate collection of nearly 500 Tamil men, women and children, all at the ready to seek asylum in Canada. They had just spent […]

The post David’s Blog: Tamil Asylum Seekers Had Help first appeared on CIC News.

One way to be eligible for a Canada Immigration (Permanent Resident) Visa is to qualify for the Federal Skilled Worker program by having at least one year of paid work experience during the last 10 years in one of the 29 qualifying occupations. Last month, 11 new occupations were added to the list of qualifying […]

The post Is your occupation in-demand in Canada? first appeared on CIC News.

There is a competition among Canadian provinces to attract immigrants with entrepreneurial and business management skills. To attract these individuals, the provinces have set their own criteria for the entrepreneur categories of their provincial nomination programs. A nomination certificate from any province leads to a Canadian permanent resident visa, absent health and security issues. Individuals […]

The post Canadian Provinces Compete for your Business Know-How first appeared on CIC News.

The following is a summary of developments in Canadian Citizenship and Immigration that took place or were announced over the last few weeks. Canada’s economy added 93,000 jobs in June: Statistics Canada reports the Canadian economy added 93,200 jobs in June. Almost all of the jobs added are in Ontario (+60,000) and Quebec (+30,000). Canada’s […]

The post Canadian Immigration News Briefs for July 2010 first appeared on CIC News.

Les autorités des marchés financiers en France et au Québec ont signé un accord qui vise à faciliter la mobilité des professionnels des services financiers entre la France et le Québec. Cette entente garanti la reconnaissance mutuelle de la qualification professionnelle des personnes exerçant des fonctions réglementées dans le domaine des instruments financiers en France […]

The post Reconnaissance en finance: La France et le Québec ont signé une entente sur la reconnaissance mutuelle des qualifications professionnelles first appeared on CIC News.

The Canadian House of Commons was adjourned on June 17th and is not scheduled to meet again until September 20th. Summertime is the dead of night in the parliamentary world. Barely a week after the House emptied, the Minister of Immigration announced that he had new instructions for Canadian Visa Officers. For the next 12 […]

The post David’s Blog: In the Dead of Night first appeared on CIC News.

On June 26, 2010, Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced that the Government of Canada has amended its current immigration procedures to put even greater emphasis on economic recovery and further reduce the Federal Skilled Worker application backlog. The changes, effective immediately, concern the Federal Skilled Worker program, including: 1) a change in the occupations […]

The post Changes announced concerning the Federal Skilled Worker program first appeared on CIC News.

On June 26, 2010, Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced that the Government of Canada temporarily closed applications for the immigrant investor program. Effective June 26, 2010, the Government of Canada announced that it will cease accepting new investor applications. This said, any application postmarked or received before June 26, 2010 will be considered. The […]

The post Federal Investor program temporarily closes its doors to new applicants first appeared on CIC News.

Those wishing to immigrate to Canada will soon be better protected against fraud and exploitation by “crooked consultants”. On June 8, 2010, Minister of Immigration Jason Kenney proposed a new law, the “Cracking Down on Crooked Consultants Act”, that will make it a criminal offense for unauthorized individuals to charge money to provide immigration advice […]

The post Proposed new law will protect prospective immigrants and the Canadian immigration system first appeared on CIC News.

The following is a summary of developments in Canadian Citizenship and Immigration that took place or were announced over the last few weeks. Canada leads the world in economic recovery and foreign investment conditions Canada’s strong economy, sound fiscal position, and favourable foreign investment conditions make Canada the leader among G-8 nations. Canada’s financial situation […]

The post Canadian Immigration News Briefs for June 2010 first appeared on CIC News.

Here is my take on the changes to the requirements under the Federal Skilled Worker Category- be quick with your application, or risk losing your opportunity of qualifying for a permanent resident visa under this category. Read the full blog post on Canadavisa.com>>>

The post David’s Blog: He/She Who Hesitates is Lost first appeared on CIC News.

  Any person currently charged with or previously convicted of any criminal offence inside or outside of Canada may be prohibited from visiting, working, studying or applying for permanent residence in Canada. Even offences as seemingly minor as some moving traffic violations may render an individual inadmissible to Canada. Examples of convictions that could make […]

The post Criminality Issues for Visitors, Temporary Foreign Workers & Permanent Residents first appeared on CIC News.

Earlier this month, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) released preliminary data about the number of permanent and temporary residents Canada welcomed in 2009. The figures show that Canada continues to maintain a historically high rate of immigration. A total of 252,124 permanent residents arrived in Canada in 2009, more than half of which were economic […]

The post Canada continues to welcome historically high numbers of immigrants first appeared on CIC News.

Business immigration programs are being praised for their success in the beautiful province of British Columbia (BC), as more and more new Canadians are making an impact on BC’s economy while enjoying the province’s high quality of life. Since 2002, business immigration programs have been responsible for more than $603-million in investment in the province, […]

The post Business immigration has a positive impact on British Columbia first appeared on CIC News.

The following is a summary of developments in Canadian Citizenship and Immigration that took place or were announced over the last few weeks. New Brunswick’s foreign credentials recognition process praised as efficient, accessible The head of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of New Brunswick, Andrew McLeod, praised the province’s foreign credential recognition process […]

The post Canada Immigration News Briefs: May 2010 first appeared on CIC News.

This is my belated Mother’s Day tribute to Maria Gallardo, who, in looking out for her son, was willing, and more than able, to take on anyone who got in her way. >>Read full article on Canadavisa.com

The post David’s Blog: Mother Slays Dragon first appeared on CIC News.

Since 2008, the Canadian federal and provincial governments have had programs in place to make it easier for individuals working or studying in Canada to obtain Canadian permanent residency.  The governments recognize that individuals currently living in Canada, contributing to Canadian society and to the economy are likely to be successful Canadian permanent residents.  There […]

The post Canadian Immigration Options for Temporary Workers and International Students first appeared on CIC News.

A report on business optimism by Canada’s central bank earlier this month found that businesses are expressing confidence in the Canadian economy and expect it grow over the next few years. In addition, a survey of the housing market by ReMax Canada reports that sales of luxury homes in Canada are currently at an all-time […]

The post Business confidence report illustrates that Canada is a prime destination for investors first appeared on CIC News.

This month, the Ontario provincial government updated its Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), known as Opportunities Ontario, in order to welcome more skilled immigrants to the province. International students who obtain their PhDs at publicly funded Ontario universities will no longer need a job offer to be eligible for an Ontario Provincial Nomination Certificate. Opportunities Ontario […]

The post Ontario modifies its Provincial Nominee Program to attract more qualified applicants first appeared on CIC News.

The following is a summary of recent developments in Canadian citizenship and immigration news. Update on family sponsorship debt case In November 2009, we reported that the Ontario Court of Appeal had ordered governments to stop automatically charging individuals for social assistance debt sustained by relatives they had sponsored. The Ontario Court made its ruling […]

The post Canadian Immigration News Briefs first appeared on CIC News.

One thing we know for certain is that Fredy Villanueva is dead. How he got that way is currently being questioned at a coroner’s inquest in the city of Montreal. And it is the subject of ardent dispute. >>Read full article on Canadavisa.com

The post David’s Blog: A Question of Timing first appeared on CIC News.