On November 28, 2008, Citizenship, Immigration, and Multiculturalism Canada Minister Jason Kenney announced the new instructions for the processing of all Federal Skilled Worker applications received since February 27, 2008.  Since that time, this category of Canadian immigration has continued strong, albeit with more stringent requirements.  A comprehensive review of the requirements and the change […]

The post Federal Skilled Worker Immigration – Four months after the implementation of Ministerial changes first appeared on CIC News.

Over the past several years, the Government of Canada has been reviewing its citizenship laws, which are considered quite liberal, compared to other countries’.  Bill C-37 was created in response to these deliberations and will go into effect on April 17, 2009.  Under the new law, certain individuals who lost their citizenship will regain it.  […]

The post New Canadian citizenship rules to come into effect in April first appeared on CIC News.

First, a bit of good news: Canada will likely weather the current economic storm better than any other     Western nation. As the Prime Minister recently pointed out, Canada has a low debt burden, an efficient inflation regime, a diversified economy, flexible labor markets and proper fiscal management going back for more than a decade. […]

The post David’s Blog: Let Immigration Reduce the Deficit first appeared on CIC News.

Whether at libraries, educational institutions, community centres or online, Canadian organizations and federal, provincial, and territorial governments have been making great strides to provide exceptional settlement services to newcomers.  Here are some recent highlights. This month, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Canada (CIMC) has infused new funding into immigrant settlement services in Ontario, Alberta, and British […]

The post New options for immigrant settlement services across Canada and beyond first appeared on CIC News.

If you have been contemplating immigration to Canada, you would be wise to submit your application as soon as possible.  Citing economic uncertainty and rising unemployment numbers in the country, Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney has announced that Canada is considering reducing its immigration targets for 2009. At the present time, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism […]

The post Canada may decrease immigration numbers first appeared on CIC News.

The Strategic Recruitment Stream of the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) has recently been shaken up to reflect the province’s changing labour needs.  Its popular US H1B Visa Holder category (for which applicants do not need a job offer) has been modified to reflect key occupations that are common among H1B holders.  Additionally, two new […]

The post New developments in the popular Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program first appeared on CIC News.

Though Canada has been less affected by the global economic downturn than the United States and other OECD nations, the national unemployment rate has increased slightly over the past several months.  This has prompted Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) to review immigration numbers to ensure that there will be enough jobs for newcomers once they […]

The post Amidst the economic downturn, there are still hot spots for jobs in Canada first appeared on CIC News.

What started as Ontario’s Pilot Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) in May 2007 has now come into its own as the full-fledged Opportunities Ontario Provincial Nominee Program.  The Ontario PNP will now be welcoming a greater number of newcomers from a larger array of skilled occupations.  The expansion of the program is great news for soon-to-be […]

The post Ontario widens its PNP: More people can qualify for fast-track Canadian immigration first appeared on CIC News.

On most days, I truly love what I do. Many lawyers spend their working lives locked in adversarial battles, where one side wins and the other loses. Not much fun, if you ask me. In my job I get to work in an environment, where most of the time there are no loses. Our clients […]

The post David’s Blog: Better Safe Than Sorry first appeared on CIC News.

Last year, the province of Alberta introduced the Strategic Recruitment Stream of the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP).  This program recognizes the valuable contributions that workers from overseas have made in North America by fast-tracking the Canadian Permanent Residency of certain US H1B visa* holders.  The application procedure has recently been modified. The Strategic Recruitment […]

The post Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) changes process for H1B holders first appeared on CIC News.

As of April 17, 2009, Canada’s Citizenship Act will be amended.  The new law now limits Canadian citizenship to the first generation born abroad to Canadian citizens. All individuals born in Canada are granted citizenship, as are people born abroad who undertake the Canadian citizenship process and are approved. Previously, individuals who were born abroad […]

The post Canadian citizenship rules change for those born outside of Canada first appeared on CIC News.

Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister (CIMC) Jason Kenney spent some time this month in India and Pakistan to work on further strengthening Canada’s relations with the two countries.  He met with important political figures and religious leaders from various communities to discuss immigration to Canada, employment in Canada for Indian and Pakistani residents, and Canadian […]

The post CIMC Minister visits India and Pakistan to discuss Canadian immigration first appeared on CIC News.

Earlier this month, we introduced you to LoonLounge.com, a social network where Canadian residents and future immigrants can connect and learn from each other, become engaged in Canadian communities, and ultimately help improve the Canadian immigration and settlement processes.  The response from our newsletter subscribers and the Canadian media has been overwhelmingly positive, with a […]

The post LoonLounge.com – the new Canadian immigration and settlement online community – garnering praise across Canada first appeared on CIC News.

In order to hire a foreign worker, Canadian employers may need to satisfy Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) that they cannot find any Canadian citizens or Permanent Residents to fill the available position.  HRSDC’s role is to ensure that Canadian residents have first access to Canadian jobs.  To better reflect Canada’s evolving labour […]

The post New requirements for Canadian employers hiring foreign skilled workers first appeared on CIC News.

I have previously written about what I perceive to be the missing link in Canadian immigration. My grandfather’s story illustrates it best. When he arrived in Canada many years ago, my grandfather had nothing but the name of a man in Montreal who once lived in his town. My grandfather was eternally grateful when, after […]

The post David’s Blog: Help is here first appeared on CIC News.

Throughout his years in immigration law, David Cohen has learned that there is an important link missing in the Canadian immigration process.  He has seen new immigrants thrive just as he has seen others struggle.  Those who succeed do so because of their connections to Canada – connections with people in Canada, Canadian community organizations, […]

The post Simplifying Canadian Immigration and Settlement Together – LoonLounge.com first appeared on CIC News.

On March 14, 2008, the Conservative government announced their intention to introduce significant amendments to Canada’s immigration system.  Many heated debates, numerous stakeholder consultations, a federal election, and a new Immigration Minister later, the amendments were finally announced on November 28.  Immigration remains a key priority for Canada, but now has a slightly stronger focus […]

The post Canada immigration changes finally announced – Outlook for 2009 first appeared on CIC News.

With the goal of processing new Federal Skilled Worker applications within 6-12 months, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Canada (CIMC) has implemented new submission procedures to make the process more efficient. > > Read full article on Canadavisa.com

The post Faster Canadian immigration processing times with new submission procedures first appeared on CIC News.

Many Canadian employers have been feeling the pinch of chronic labour shortages over the past few years and Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC) and Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Canada (CIMC) have been responding with various measures to alleviate them.  The most recent good news is the expansion of the NAFTA temporary foreign worker […]

The post Improved labour mobility within Canada and across North America first appeared on CIC News.

Immigrant and temporary migrants have become increasingly important to population growth and to Canada’s economy.  Canadians are grateful for the contributions of workers from abroad, and have established a vast network of settlement services to help them feel at home.  A recent HSBC survey has given Canada the top spot in terms of how friendly […]

The post Canada – The most welcoming country in the world first appeared on CIC News.

Without a doubt, the Canadian immigration story of the past year has to do with the changes made to the Federal Skilled Worker category of immigration.  Not only is qualifying now different than it was a year ago, but the application process itself has also changed significantly. >> Read full article on Canadavisa.com

The post David’s Blog: What was, What is, What’s next first appeared on CIC News.

If you are a business person looking to make an investment in Canada, the Business Immigration Program may be an important fast-track Canadian immigration option for you.  Business Immigration seeks to attract foreign nationals with business and managerial experience who will contribute to the development of the Canadian economy.  Through this priority processing program, you […]

The post Canada Business Immigration – The door is wide open first appeared on CIC News.

Following Prime Minister Harper’s re-election last month, he appointed a new cabinet and a new Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism.  Jason Kenney, former Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity and a well-known figure in Canadian ethnic communities, has been appointed to this position. Jason Kenney was first elected to the House of […]

The post Meet Canada’s new Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism first appeared on CIC News.

In the Government of Canada’s recent Speech from the Throne, Governor General Michaëlle Jean stated that the federal government will “work with the provinces to make the recognition of foreign credentials a priority”.  In addition to the establishment of the Foreign Credential Referral Office last year, provincial governments have been working to develop tailor-made plans […]

The post Recognition of foreign credentials – A priority for Canada and provincial governments first appeared on CIC News.

Saskatchewan has just made it easier for international students to become Canadian Permanent Residents.  British Columbia (BC) is now helping its substantial food processing sector to retain foreign skilled workers by nominating them for fast-track Canadian immigration.  These students and workers have now been added to a growing list of foreign nationals who can qualify […]

The post PNP Update – Fast-track Canadian Permanent Residency options expanding first appeared on CIC News.