Ontario’s Immigration minister Mike Colle says the “career bridging” program will benefit more than 3,000 newly-landed Canadian immigrants. The money is set to be invested into 24 “bridge training” programs that will directly help thousands of foreign-skilled professionals in regulated and unregulated professions over the course of three years. “These programs are the most pragmatic […]

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In the first 100 days of the Harper government, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has been busy strategically charming Canada’s massive immigrant population.Traditionally, the Conservative party was never all that appealing to Canadian immigrants. Although the party was once thought to harbor a tough line on immigration, it is working diligently to transform its image […]

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The Province wants to attract more immigrants by allowing economic immigrants to establish businesses in all sectors of the provincial economy. Effective May 18, 2006 immigrants will no longer be limited to certain economic sectors such as agriculture, and energy. The province will invest an additional C$4.6 million from their previous 2004/2005 budget to persuade […]

The post Saskatchewan to invest C$6.3 million on comprehensive immigration strategy first appeared on CIC News.

Effective as of May 1st, 2006 the 90-day retake policy regarding candidates who must redo their IELTS was amended. The restriction on re-taking IELTS within 90 days will be removed and candidates will be able to repeat the test whenever they wish. All candidates from 1 May will be able to repeat at the next […]

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Government plans to make it easier for Canadian parents to adopt foreign-born children Monday, May 15, 2006 – the Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, introduced a new bill in the House of Commons to reform the Citizenship Act. The plan is intended to streamline the foreign adoption process by amending bureaucratic hurdles […]

The post What’s New first appeared on CIC News.

The Liberal Party leadership race has been a pretty uninspired affair so far. No candidate has yet to position himself/herself as the favorite, and the leading candidates haven’t distinguished themselves anymore than as “that guy who taught at Harvard”. Read Full Blog on CanadaVisa.com…

The post David Cohen’s Blog: That Guy with the Immigration Platform first appeared on CIC News.

Last week I was interviewed by a reporter from the CBC, Canada’s national television network, for a story they were doing about the sad situation of Laila Elumbra. Television being what it is, most of the interview ended up on the cutting-room floor by the time it reached television screens. I feel strongly about the […]

The post David Cohen’s Blog: Yes, But What Have You Done For Us Lately? first appeared on CIC News.

Do you want to feel ridiculous? Go try and tell someone who is enjoying a meal that they aren’t eating like a Canadian. Now try telling that to a seven-year old boy. That’s exactly what happened to Luc Cagadoc, a grade two student in Montreal who dared to eat his lunch at school in the […]

The post David Cohen’s Blog: As Canadian as…A Knife and Fork? first appeared on CIC News.

Saskatchewan has launched a test program which provides a facilitated means for Ukrainian skilled workers to obtain work permits through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). The newly-developed immigration model uses a “virtual selection system” wherein prospective Canadian employers, the province of Saskatchewan, and reliable source-country educational institutions, facilitate the processing of work permits for Ukrainian […]

The post New pilot project may pave the way to the future of Canadian Immigration first appeared on CIC News.

A recent global study conducted by brand expert and developer of the “National Brand Index” Simon Anholt claims that “the image of Canada [internationally] is almost spookily positive”. Anholt, who is a British citizen, has developed a global rating system which tallies the image of thirty-five countries based on surveys of nearly 26,000 respondents across […]

The post Canada ranked third most desirable place on the planet according to U.K. based National Brand Index. first appeared on CIC News.

As the American Senate debates new immigration policy, gays of America are complaining about the systemic discrimination disuniting bi-national same-sex couples. A U.S. Census report concludes that there are at least 35,800 same-sex bi-national couples in the United States. However, the U.S. government refuses to acknowledge same-sex partners in its definition of “family.” Moreover, the […]

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The Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, has announced that effective April 27, 2006, foreign students enrolled in public post-secondary institutions can apply for off-campus work permits. The work permit is valid for the duration of their study permit. “Foreign students make a significant contribution to Canada,” says Solberg. “They enrich campus and […]

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Statistics Canada (StatsCan) conducts a national census poll every five years. In the last census conducted in 2001, there were 30,007,094 people living in Canada, about 1.2 million more than there were in 1996. However, the Canadian birth rate remains anemic and the growth of the population hinges on immigration, says StatsCan. “I can’t give […]

The post Canada’s growth will depend solely on immigration by 2017 first appeared on CIC News.

A Gallup poll was commissioned recently by The Association for Canadian Studies (ACS) regarding Canada ‘s attitude towards immigration. The census reveals Canadians as “more open” to the idea of immigration than many other immigrant-receiving nations. The census data also shed light on international perspectives regarding immigration. Where Canadians feel that immigration is a positive […]

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Potential European immigrants will be given access to Canada through British Columbia ‘s (BC) Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). The initiative will expedite work permit processing as well as Permanent Resident applications. B.C is currently undergoing a labour shortage that is affecting its booming construction industry. This month Vancouver ‘s Regional Construction Association (VRCA) president, Keith […]

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Ontario has officially launched two new immigration-centric websites. The online resources facilitate both settlement and career services, respectively. Ontarioimmigration.ca welcomes Canadian Newcomers to Ontario and provides them with comprehensive settlement information. The new online service is intended to help ease the transition for over 120,000 newly-landed immigrants that settle in Canada ‘s most populous province […]

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In his first public address as Immigration Minister, Monte Solberg announced that a federal agency will be developed to respond to the needs of Canada ‘s skilled immigrants. He also re-iterated his government’s plan to reduce the immigrant landing fee by half. Speaking at the Public Policy Forum Convention held In Toronto recently, Solberg did […]

The post New government agency will recognize foreign credentials first appeared on CIC News.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper played host as he welcomed Canada’s first ministers to dinner at his new home on Friday, February 24. The now famous prime-ministerial address, located on 24 Sussex Drive in Ottawa, was the setting for an evening of political parley. The conversation included parboiled discourse on the hot-topic of Canadian immigration. The […]

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According to Citizenship and Immigration (CIC) Canada , over 56,000 international students settled upon Canada to complete their studies in 2004. Universities claim that Canada ‘s strong international reputation, affordable tuition, and diverse culture are the main draws. To attract foreign students, the universities employ a variety of techniques; usually a combination of international education […]

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Ontario is taking the lead in recognizing foreign credentials in Canada by offering to recognize international qualifications for experienced Massage Therapy Professionals. The new International Massage Therapy Bridging Program is offered at Ontario ‘s Centennial College and prepares recently landed immigrants to take the registration exams and continue to practice their profession safely in Canada […]

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The Rainy River Future Development Corp. (RRFDC) has launched an independent study on immigration in the Rainy River ( Ontario ) district with the hope to attract new immigrants to the area. RRFDC’s economic development intern, Jessie Zhang, began working on the project in December. Inspired by the local economic development officer Geoff Gillon, the […]

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Monday January 23, 2006 – The votes are in and Canadians have chosen a new Prime-Minister in Stephen Harper, and a new direction for Canada. The Conservative Party of Canada picked up more than 36% of the popular vote and has won a plurality of seats in parliament, establishing it as Canada’s first Conservative government […]

The post Foreign credentials recognized in a Conservative Canada. first appeared on CIC News.

The Conservative party critic on Immigration, Diane Ablonczy, is considered among political observers as the “front-runner” for the position of Citizenship and Immigration Minister.Ablonczy has been the Conservative party’s Citizenship and Immigration critic since 2002. Canada ‘s new Conservative government will see a “shuffling of the deck” in Ottawa. The prime-minister-designate, Stephen Harper, has not […]

The post Who will be Canada’s Next Immigration Minister? first appeared on CIC News.

Canada’s aging population, coupled with the current economic boom, leaves key Alberta growth industries clamoring for skilled workers Dealing with long-term labor challenges, the Canadian Government recognizes the critical role immigrants play in the sustainable development of Canadian industries such as Alberta ‘s Oil and Gas. The government hopes to encourage a swell of new […]

The post More Skilled Workers needed to fuel Western Canada’s Oil and Gas Industries. first appeared on CIC News.

Q: I have submitted my application for permanent residence under the Federal Skilled Worker category. I have since left my employment and have started my own business. Will this affect my application status, and how? A: Quitting your current job may or may not affect your application for Permanent Residence. To qualify under the Skilled […]

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