When a devastating earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale struck Haiti on January 12, Canada’s response was almost immediate. From monetary aid and supplies to troops and aid workers, Canada is spearheading Haiti relief efforts on all fronts. Canadian and provincial immigration ministers immediately met to determine whether special immigration measures would be implemented, […]

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A little over two weeks ago Haiti was rocked by an earthquake, which has since claimed over 150,000 lives, and has left hundreds of thousands homeless and wounded. This past Monday, top world officials gathered in Montreal for emergency talks on how to rebuild Haiti in its time of need. Perhaps the most pressing issue […]

The post David’s Blog: Helping Haiti: A Canadian Immigration Perspective first appeared on CIC News.

Securing employment in Canada is the top priority of most everyone in the process of immigrating to Canada and for those who have recently arrived. And not just any job but a rewarding career is what people want. In addition, some individuals require a Canadian job offer to even qualify for immigration to Canada. With […]

The post Find work in Canada: Campbell Cohen teams up with CareerJoy to help you get your Canadian job faster first appeared on CIC News.

The Canadian government has committed to making settlement in Canada easier for new immigrants by creating the Pan-Canadian Framework for the Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Qualifications. This framework will allow foreign-trained workers in certain professions to have their credentials assessed more quickly than before. Under this new program, internationally-trained workers in professions such as […]

The post Canadian government creates faster credential recognition process for immigrants first appeared on CIC News.

After extensive consultations with caregiver groups across Canada, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Canada (CIMC) Minster Jason Kenney announced proposed changes to the Live-in Caregiver program earlier this month. The changes will make it easier for foreign workers in Canada employed as live-in caregivers to qualify for Canadian permanent resident visas, as well as ensure that […]

The post Immigration Minister proposes significant changes to improve the Live-In Caregiver Program first appeared on CIC News.

While the big immigration news in 2008 centred around the changes that were made to the Federal Skilled Worker program, no single immigration category drew as much attention in 2009. The Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program and Quebec’s immigration program came close, however. Our look back at the major changes in these Canadian immigration categories over […]

The post Canadian immigration changes in 2009: provinces welcoming more immigrants, but eligibility can change at any time first appeared on CIC News.

I thought I’d close out the year 2009 with a little “feel good” story involving Canadian immigration. This is about the Viviers family, who hail from sun-soaked South Africa. Unfortunately for them, three of the four family members suffer from a rare genetic skin disorder that makes exposure to direct sunlight extremely painful. As a […]

The post David’s Blog: Rain, rain don’t go away first appeared on CIC News.

Earlier this month, the Ontario Court of Appeal ordered governments to stop automatically charging individuals, who have sponsored relatives to come to Canada as permanent residents, for social assistance debt sustained by those relatives. >> Read full article on Canadavisa.com

The post Court rules sponsors not automatically accountable for family members’ social assistance debt first appeared on CIC News.

Earlier this month, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Canada (CIMC) Minister Jason Kenney introduced Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship, a new study guide for permanent residents applying for Canadian citizenship. The new guide is intended to give new Canadians a more comprehensive look at Canadian history and values than its predecessor. Permanent residents […]

The post Canadian Government introduces new Citizenship Guide first appeared on CIC News.

Every fall, the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism gives an annual report on immigration to the Canadian Parliament, detailing the state of immigration to Canada over the past year as well as the immigration plan for the coming year. In this year’s report, Minister Jason Kenney announced that Canada expects to maintain the number […]

The post Canada expects to welcome a larger proportion of Provincial Nominees first appeared on CIC News.

Depending on their nationality, Canadian landed immigrants receive different treatment when it comes to residency requirements. >> Read full article on Canadavisa.com

The post David’s Blog: Two classes of permanent residents first appeared on CIC News.

Newcomers to Canada have a large number of settlement services available to them once they arrive, most of which are provided to them at no cost. In recent years, the Canadian government has consistently increased funding to provinces and municipalities, to enable them to provide as well as improve settlement services for their immigrants. This […]

The post Take advantage of a wealth of settlement services available to immigrants to Canada first appeared on CIC News.

Federal Skilled Worker is no longer the only way to go.  Both federal and provincial immigration programs have expanded significantly in recent times, offering candidates more than sixty different alternatives for immigration to Canada.  This new reality in Canadian immigration is matched by the revamp of Canada’s leading immigration website, Canadavisa.com.  By submitting a Canadian […]

The post Canadavisa.com reveals fresh new look with new assessment form that determines your eligibility across 60 Canadian immigration categories first appeared on CIC News.

In the July, 2009 edition of our Newsletter, we reported that the province of Quebec, which is responsible for its own immigration program as part of an agreement with the federal government, would be making changes to the Quebec Skilled Worker Program. The changes to the program were announced and implemented on October 14, and […]

The post Quebec Immigration Update: Changes to the Quebec Skilled Worker Program will allow the province to welcome more immigrants first appeared on CIC News.

Earlier this month, the province of Saskatchewan introduced new procedural guidelines for the Entrepreneur category of the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) that will speed up the processing of applications under this program. In recent years, Saskatchewan has been an attractive destination for immigrants to Canada because of the many employment and investment opportunities it […]

The post Saskatchewan PNP Update: Province introduces new procedural guidelines for faster processing first appeared on CIC News.

On October 9, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Canada (CIMC) Minister Jason Kenney announced proposed changes to Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program that will strengthen the protection of Temporary Foreign Workers in Canada. “Temporary Foreign Workers play an important role in the Canadian economy. We have a duty to them, employers and all Canadians, to ensure […]

The post Immigration Minister proposes changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program to help protect foreign workers in Canada first appeared on CIC News.

Over the past few years, there has been a gradual but steady shift in the ways that people qualify for a Canadian permanent resident visa. More and more, the Canadian government is relying upon the 13 provinces and territories to come up with their own immigration strategies (Quebec and Provincial Nomination Programs), using selection criteria […]

The post David’s Blog: Think you don’t qualify? Think again first appeared on CIC News.

For the second year in a row, the World Economic Forum has ranked Canada’s banking system ‘the soundest in the world,’ and given Canada top marks for the ease of starting a business. The Immigrant Investor Program, a category of Canadian Business Immigration, is an essential Canadian immigration option for business people who have accumulated […]

The post Business Immigration: the Quebec Investor Category may provide a faster route to Canadian Immigration first appeared on CIC News.

In the August, 2009 edition of our Newsletter, we highlighted two of the 38 qualifying occupations for the Federal Skilled Worker program: University Professors, and College and Other Vocational Instructors, and emphasized the importance of duties performed in each occupation, as opposed to job titles. This month, we look at Construction Managers, another qualifying occupation, […]

The post A closer look at the 38 qualifying occupations: Civil Engineers and Architects may qualify for the Federal Skilled Worker Program as Construction Managers first appeared on CIC News.

Earlier this month, the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) announced a major change to its popular US H1B Visa Holders category. One occupation—Computer and Information Systems Managers—has been removed from the list of qualifying occupations. That’s the bad news. The good news is the Federal Skilled Worker program remains an attractive Canadian immigration option for […]

The post AINP Update: Computer and Information Systems Managers may still qualify for Canadian immigration under the Federal Skilled Worker Program first appeared on CIC News.

Some immigration consultants in Montreal are helping landed immigrants bypass the residency requirements for Canadian citizenship, by offering “life in Canada simulation” services, according to an investigation by the CBC, Canada’s national news network. >> Read full article on Canadavisa.com

The post David’s Blog: Tempting… but don’t do it first appeared on CIC News.

Despite the global economic recession, the Canadian economy has proven to be quite resilient. Throughout September, there have been many signs that not only showed that the economic situation in Canada is improving, but that its economy was less affected by the global downturn than most economies around the world. Canada remains an ideal place […]

The post As the Canadian economy shows increasingly positive signs, the contribution of immigrants is playing a major role in its growth first appeared on CIC News.

When Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Canada (CIMC) Minister Jason Kenney announced the details of the new Action Plan for Faster Immigration, which set new regulations for the Federal Skilled Worker program of Canadian immigration, the focus turned to a list of 38 qualifying occupations that determine a potential applicant’s eligibility to apply to immigrate under […]

The post Applying to immigrate to Canada as a Federal Skilled Worker: Beyond the 38 qualifying occupations first appeared on CIC News.

There is often confusion about whether or not an individual is eligible to apply under the Federal Skilled Worker Program, because their job title might differ from those listed in the announced 38 qualifying occupations. Job titles for a particular occupation can vary across different countries, different industries and even different employers, but the duties […]

The post A closer look at the 38 qualifying occupations under the Federal Skilled Worker Program: University Professors, and College and other Vocational Instructors first appeared on CIC News.

Since 2001, the Yukon Territory has been the only Canadian Territory to have an immigrant Nominee Program in place. However, the Yukon now has company. On August 5, 2009, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Canada (CIMC) Minister Jason Kenney, along with his Territorial counterparts, announced the new Northwest Territories Nominee Program (NTNP). This fast-track Canadian immigration […]

The post Northwest Territories Nominee Program: A New Fast-Track Canadian Permanent Residency Option first appeared on CIC News.