As was previously reported in this Newsletter (April 1999 Edition), on April 1, 1999, the Federal government announced the implementation of its new Investor Program. The new rules and regulations only apply to individuals who submit their Immigrant Investor applications after March 31, 1999. As previously reported, the essential changes to the Federal Program can […]

The post Federal Update: Implementation of new Investor Program first appeared on CIC News.

Evaluating Personal Suitability: Applicants who apply for a Canadian permanent resident visa under the “Skilled Worker” category are assessed under a “points” system. Under current Federal Selection Criteria, applicants are awarded “units of assessment” for a number of objective factors, such as age, education, occupational background and language ability. In addition, applicants may be awarded […]

The post Case Comments: Summarization of some recent court rulings first appeared on CIC News.

The Quebec government has recently issued a statement aimed at Canadian permanent resident applicants who intend to settle in the Province of Quebec. According to the statement, all applications for Quebec Certificates of Selection (these are the Certificates issued by the Quebec immigration authorities to applicants “selected” by Quebec for immigration to Quebec) filed on […]

The post Quebec Update: No More “Shopping Around” for Processing Posts first appeared on CIC News.

Q. I am planning to immigrate to Canada in 2 to 3 year time frame. Should I start the application process now, before any changes take place in Canadian law? or should I wait for some time before applying? Once I start the process would I be able to put it on hold? Answer: That […]

The post Q & A: Timing of Submission of Application first appeared on CIC News.

Q. Although I obtained my university education in Chemical Engineering, my subsequent profession was in the field of software engineering. I am now interested in pursuing an application for immigration to Canada in the IT sector. Will my previous education be a problem? Answer: You would have to be able to satisfy an immigration official […]

The post Q & A: Education Inconsistent with Occupation first appeared on CIC News.

Gross domestic product by industry at factor cost, March 1999 Strong showings in most industrial sectors combined to produce a 0.3% increase in gross domestic product in March. The latest increase extended the economy’s steady expansion since strikes put the brakes on growth in mid-1998. Labour Force Survey April 1999 After rising sharply in the […]

The post Current Canadian Economic Indicators first appeared on CIC News.

Assessing Business Experience: One of the most essential criterion for success in an application for a Canadian permanent resident visa under the “entrepreneur” category is that of “business experience.” Previous success in business and business management is considered one of the leading indicators of future success in Canada as an entrepreneur. As a recent Federal […]

The post Case Comments: Summarization of some recent court rulings first appeared on CIC News.

In order to become a Canadian citizen, landed permanent residents of Canada must satisfy a Citizenship judge that they have “resided” in Canada for a total of at least 1,095 days (three years) during the four years preceding their application for citizenship. The principle behind this residency requirement is that in order to be granted […]

The post Legal Update: Meaning of “Residency” for Citizenship Purposes first appeared on CIC News.

Q. I will be attending my interview in early May, I am worrying about my employer’s reference letter. The Company won’t write me letter “TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN”, the Company has a policy that every letter must state recipient’s address and the purpose clearly, I don’t want the Company know I am applying Canadian […]

The post Q & A: Addressee of Letter of Reference first appeared on CIC News.

Q. If an individual applies for immigration through a quicker visa office (i.e., Buffalo) and requests an interview waiver, what if visa waiver is not granted; can he move his interview to a local visa office in that situation because he may not get US visa to come and take the interview in Buffalo. Answer: […]

The post Q & A: Interview Waiving first appeared on CIC News.

The Quebec Government recently announced that the number of Quebec Investor applications submitted since the fall of 1998 has increased dramatically, particularly from Asian applicants. The volume of applications reached an all-time high in the month of March 1999, when over 2,000 Investor files were submitted – the vast majority of them from Asia. On […]

The post Quebec Investor Program Update first appeared on CIC News.

Visa officer must advise of specific concerns: In the recent case of Hussain v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship & Immigration), the applicant, a citizen of India, had applied for a Canadian permanent resident visa under the Skilled Worker category. The applicant’s intended occupation in Canada was that of “Executive Secretary” and at his selection interview, […]

The post Case Comments: Summarization of some recent court rulings first appeared on CIC News.

A recently released Federal Report sought to determine some of the telling factors that correspond with the economic success of immigrants. Basing itself on income tax returns submitted by immigrants landed between 1980 and 1995 and over the age of 18, the report indicated that individuals who spoke both official languages at landing reported significantly […]

The post Federal Report On Economic Performance Of Immigrants: The Effect Of Language Skills first appeared on CIC News.

Q. I have contacted with my local police department and was informed that they are not allowed to do the finger printing for immigration since last year. The local police department also do not know where to get the finger printing for immigration. How do I get the fingerprints done? Answer: Although it does relate […]

The post Q & A: US Fingerprints first appeared on CIC News.

Q. I am fluent in French. My self-assessment suggests that I will get 68 points counting this. If I get 68 points, then I go through without an interview. Therefore, how do the authorities know I can speak French at all ? Answer: In the absence of any evidence of your skills in French, an […]

The post Q & A: Interview Waiving first appeared on CIC News.

Following correspondence between members of the Canadian Bar Association and the Canadian Council of Professional Engineers, a shift in the policy regarding informal assessments for cases where applicants’ educations were disrupted due to the Cultural Revolution. The following is the text of the response of the CCPE: At the February 12, 1999 meeting of the […]

The post CCPE refusal due to disruption during the cultural revolution first appeared on CIC News.

Visa officer must give weight to financial documents: In the recent case of Jianmin He v. Canada (Minister of Citizenship & Immigration), the applicant, a citizen of the People’s Republic of China applying for a permanent resident visa under the “investor” category, had been asked to bring to his selection interview a series of documents, […]

The post Case Comments: Summarization of some recent court rulings first appeared on CIC News.

The following is a summary of the Statistics Canada report of Canada’s labour market in 1998: * In terms of the labour market, 1998 turned out to be a better year than most people predicted. In fact, employment growth in 1998 was stronger than in any other year this decade. As a result, by the […]

The post An Overview of the 1998 Labour Market first appeared on CIC News.

April 1, 1999 marks the implementation of the new Canadian Immigrant Investor Program. The new rules and regulations will only apply to individuals who submit their Immigrant Investor applications after March 31, 1999. The essential changes to the federal Program can be grouped into two categories. Firstly, the dollar thresholds have been increased. Whereas previously […]

The post Implementation of new Immigrant Investor Program first appeared on CIC News.

Q. Does part-time volunteer count as the “working experience” in the PR immigration application? Answer: There is nothing in the Regulations which bars the assessment of unpaid work experience in the evaluation of a candidate’s qualifications. Such experience, as with any other experience, must be consistent with the applicable definitions, and the applicant should meet […]

The post Q & A: Volunteer Experience first appeared on CIC News.

Q. We got our landing papers recently. Since the whole processing procedure takes much less time than we expected, we now get some problems with our time schedule. I am currently registered for a Ph.D. Program and it takes at least another year to complete it. My wife also need a year or so to […]

The post Q & A: RRP Application Immediately After Landing first appeared on CIC News.

Q. I heard some months back that the London embassy was very fast in issuing PR (6 months) but last week I was told one guy has got in just 4 months from Buffalo. Answer: In cases where interviews are not required, each office is of comparable speed. In selecting a visa office for submission […]

The post Q & A: Time Frame Comparison first appeared on CIC News.

Applicants for immigration to Canada may include close family members as accompanying dependents. This allows issuance of landing documents to such family members at the same time as those of the principal applicant. There are, however, a number of possible instances in which relations which are not included in an application initially, may be included […]

The post Amending Family Status first appeared on CIC News.

The Minister’s “White Paper” proposes the general direction for the revision of Canada’s immigration legislation, following the consultative reviews of the Legislative Review Advisory Group report. This white paper is intended as the prelude to further review, and subsequent draft legislation. A summary of the White Paper follows: 1. OBJECTIVES OF THE WHITE PAPER The […]

The post Summary: White Paper on Immigration Revision first appeared on CIC News.

Q. My fiancé and I have an interview arranged in London, UK in March. I am the principal applicant and my fiancé is a dependent on my application. My question is, when should we marry? Is it best to marry before the interview or medical or does it not have any bearing on the interview […]

The post Q & A: Timing of marriage to fiancé first appeared on CIC News.