Through recent changes to the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program, Canada has made it easier for graduating international students to obtain work permits and acquire Canadian work experience. Not only will the changes help Canada’s international student retention rate and ease current skills shortages, but they will also help these students on their way to becoming […]

The post Canada rolls out the welcome mat for international students – No job offer needed for three year work permit first appeared on CIC News.

The minority Conservative government tabled a bill on March 14, 2008 that proposed amendments to Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA). Since that time, there has been much debate over these controversial reforms. Over a month later, the Conservative’s budget implementation bill (which includes the immigration reforms) has passed second reading in the House […]

The post Latest Update on Amendments to Canada’s Immigration Act first appeared on CIC News.

The Family Connections category is the newest addition to the Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Nomination Program (NLPNP). Newfoundland and Labrador residents can now sponsor family members from abroad to relocate and work in the province. In announcing the new NLPNP Family Connections category, Human Resources Minister Shawn Skinner noted that residents who are surrounded by […]

The post New Category in Newfoundland and Labrador PNP brings families together first appeared on CIC News.

The number of visible minorities in Canada has topped the five million mark for the first time in Canada’s history, now representing 16.2 per cent of the country’s population. Canadian employers are learning how to manage employees from different cultural backgrounds and are creating programs and training sessions to ensure that newcomers become comfortable in […]

The post As visible minority population swells, Canadian employers are stepping up first appeared on CIC News.

The Conservative led minority government has recently introduced a bill in Parliament that contains significant changes to Canada’s immigration law. If passed, the proposed amendments will empower the immigration minister to instruct visa officers to take certain candidates quickly, hold some applications for consideration at a later date, and return others without any consideration at […]

The post David Cohen’s Blog: Discretion can lead to discrimination first appeared on CIC News.

On March 14, 2008 Canada’s Conservative government tabled a bill that proposed amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA). Under the current law, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is required to assess every Permanent Resident application received at a visa office, in a particular immigration category, on a “first come, first served” basis. […]

The post Proposed Changes to Canadian Immigration Laws: Implications for Applicants first appeared on CIC News.

Young, educated, and attuned to life in Canada, foreign students are Canadian immigrants of choice, with no settlement-integration cost and strong potential to contribute to the Canadian labour force. In December 2006 there were 157,000 foreign students in Canada – many from China, Korea, and the United States. The Canadian Bureau for International Education reports […]

The post Canadian Labour Shortage Solution: International Students in Canada first appeared on CIC News.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada has been working with new EU countries in an effort to establish visa-exempt status for all EU member states. Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and Lithuania, are the most recent countries for which citizens traveling to Canada are no longer required to obtain Temporary Resident (Visitor) Visas. Twelve countries joined the EU in […]

The post Visa-Free Travel to Canada for New European Union Member States first appeared on CIC News.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has been pumping funds into the Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) program, supporting English and French language training providers across Canada as they help newcomers transition into life in Canada. Additionally, the Quebec government has recently introduced new measures to improve and extend French language classes to immigrants. […]

The post Language of Choice at Work – Investments in English and French Language Training first appeared on CIC News.

Since it’s inception in 2002, Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) has stood for the principle that anyone is entitled to apply for permission to live in Canada and to have his or her admissibility considered fairly, according to purely objective criteria. This core value is now threatened. >> Read Full Blog on Canadavisa.com

The post David Cohen’s Blog: Government Gets It Wrong first appeared on CIC News.

How long will it take to process a Canadian Permanent Resident Visa application? Well, that depends on several factors. One of the most important factors is the planned number of visas to be given out at a visa office (target numbers) for the year. The assignment of these target numbers to each Canadian visa office […]

The post Canadian Immigration Visa Office Targets for 2008 first appeared on CIC News.

Nearly three quarters of Canadian immigrants settle in Canada’s three largest metropolitan areas, Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal. However, a recent Statistics Canada report suggests that those who go against the grain and start their new lives in smaller Canadian centres will likely experience an even more successful integration into Canadian society. In response to this […]

The post Smaller Canadian Cities Offer Faster Economic Integration for Newcomers first appeared on CIC News.

The Canadian economy is growing at a much faster rate than the Canadian population. The Canadian population would not be growing if it were not for immigration. To maintain economic growth, Canadian businesses are reliant on the large pool of new skilled immigrants, who by 2011 will account for all net labour force growth in […]

The post Message to Canadian Employers: Hire Skilled Immigrants first appeared on CIC News.

The Philippines is one of the most important source countries for Canadian immigration. Recent government reports have shown that Filipinos integrate well into the Canadian workforce and Canadian society. Provincial governments have taken notice and have established agreements with the Philippines that provide employment opportunities for Filipino skilled workers, in turn addressing provincial labour shortages. […]

The post Canada Strengthens Immigration Ties with the Philippines first appeared on CIC News.

If you are a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident, and want to sponsor your dependent child who resides, say, in China or Turkey, you will likely wait about four months to be reunited. On the other hand, if your child happens to reside in Egypt, the same process will take 34 months. Why should that […]

The post David Cohen’s Blog: Uneven Delays = Discrimination first appeared on CIC News.

An important issue for future Canadian immigrants: Where do I want to live when I get to Canada? Which Canadian city will best suit my needs? Recent studies rate the attractiveness of a selection of Canadian cities, weighing the advantages and disadvantages that people consider before choosing where to live. Canada’s population recently topped 33 […]

The post Where to Live: Surveys Rank Attractiveness of Canadian Cities first appeared on CIC News.

With a pressing need for skilled workers, Canada’s Western provinces continue to implement new initiatives to help foreign workers get to Canada and start contributing to the labour force quickly. Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC) is rolling out the welcome mat to temporary foreign workers, making the transition into the workforce easier, faster […]

The post Fast-Track Option Expanded for Foreign Workers first appeared on CIC News.

Canada’s Northern Territories are not common destinations for immigrants. Many potential immigrants perceive that the smaller communities and harsh climate will make integration more difficult. The reality, however, is that many immigrants to the Northwest Territories, Yukon, or Nunavut have adjusted well and thrived in their new communities. The Yukon, the only Territory with a […]

The post Yukon Nominee Program first appeared on CIC News.

Large funding allocations have been made over the past month by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) at the national, provincial, and regional levels. An important focus is on newcomer integration; easing the transition of immigrants into Canadian society and the Canadian workforce. CIC and regional service groups provide services and guidance to help newcomers become […]

The post Increased Funding for Canadian Immigrant Settlement Services and Programs first appeared on CIC News.

In immigration law, we come across many situations where the decision taken greatly impacts the welfare of children. In 1999, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled on a case (Baker v. Canada) which brought the interests of children to the forefront in immigration matters. In that case, a woman with 4 Canadian-born children was ordered […]

The post David Cohen’s Blog: In the Interest of Children first appeared on CIC News.

At Campbell Cohen, we are continually striving to simplify the process of immigration to Canada. The information, tools and resources that we provide on our various websites are geared to help our visitors at all stages of the immigration process – whether only just thinking of coming to Canada, in the process of immigration, or […]

The post New Technological Developments from Campbell Cohen first appeared on CIC News.

The most recent Statistics Canada report focuses on “immigration, citizenship, language, mobility and migration” in Canada, based on the 2006 census. It paints a picture of an increasingly diverse Canadian society and highlights the important contribution of immigrants to Canada’s growth and development. Canada’s foreign-born population grew four times as fast as the Canadian born […]

The post Foreign-Born Population in Canada at a 75 Year High first appeared on CIC News.

Newfoundland and Labrador is focusing on immigration as a means to foster provincial growth. The Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Nominee Program seeks to recruit immigrants with specialized occupational or entrepreneurial skills to contribute to provincial economic and social goals. Earlier this year, the province of Newfoundland and Labrador launched its first immigration strategy to encourage […]

The post Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Nominee Program first appeared on CIC News.

Citing several recent cases, the Canadian federal court has deemed that the United States is not a safe country for refugee claimants and that the Safe Third Country Agreement between the two countries violates Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Canada entered into the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) with the US in 2004, establishing […]

The post Federal Court Questions Canada-US Refugee Agreement first appeared on CIC News.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada recently tabled a new bill to modernize the country’s citizenship laws. New legislation will retroactively restore citizenship to the tens of thousands who lost, or never had Canadian citizenship because of several obscure clauses in existing legislation. >> Read Full Article on Canadavisa.com . . .

The post New Legislation Restores Citizenship to ‘Lost Canadians’ first appeared on CIC News.