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Syed Khan – November 09, 2021

The data collected by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) shows that immigrants are an important part of Canada’s economy, contributing to it by studying and working here.

Over 20,445 people who received PR last year were the ones who had first come to Canada as international students. Many of the immigrants who apply for Permanent Residence in Canada first come here under study permits or as international students. During the pandemic, 20,445 new permanent residents to Canada had previously been international students.

In the data published by the recent QS Quacquarelli Symonds Survey, international student enrolments at Canadian business schools are projected to be higher than the levels of pre-pandemic. Many students now prefer Canada as their next destination as many programs are being offered that help students progress to PR smoothly.

One such program that attracts international students is Canada’s Post Graduate Work Permit Program (PGWP). This program allows students who have graduated from eligible Canadian designated learning institutions to obtain an open work permit, stay in Canada, and eventually become a citizen.

Many of the universities across Canada also offered students to take virtual/online classes in the lockdown without losing their study permit benefits. Long-distance courses were also offered by these universities during travel restrictions which made them flexible and built their reputation.

In the Anholt-Ipsos Nation Brands Index of 2021, Canada ranked first in the world for its immigration practices and investment climate, ranking behind only Germany.

Quote from the report:

“NBI 2021 is the first time that Canada has moved up to second place. First place rankings on the governance, people, and immigration and investment indices, as well as relatively steady rankings on exports, tourism, and culture, contributed to Canada’s record ranking in 2021”

The full report can be found here: https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/news/documents/2021-10/NBI-2021-ipsos.pdf

If you are looking to Study, Work, Visit or Migrate to Canada, talk to I Can Help Immigration Services, Canada’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Company to get the best help you need

Syed Khan – November 08, 2021

As Canada moves into its post-pandemic recovery period, it is showing steady signs of economic recovery from COVID-19 which many of the other countries in the world are still reeling from. In the findings published by the latest Statistics Canada Labor Force Survey, employment is showing a steady and continuous recovery with unemployment at 6.7%, the lowest it has been in 20 months.

As Canada eases restrictions on borders and cases of COVID-19 under control, businesses across the country have started returning to normal while following the stringent public health restrictions set by the federal government.

Canada has also introduced booster shots and vaccine passports for travelers. These passports only allow vaccinated people to access non-essential services such as bars, restaurants, and sporting events.

At the beginning of September, the federal government had announced that it will give an amount of $100 to people who get their first or second COVID vaccine till mid-October. This lead to a 13 percent increase in vaccinations as reported by the AHS.

The mask mandate was also reintroduced for indoor public spaces and workplaces with school boards to decide their own plans on masking.

Comparisons show that unemployment levels pre-pandemic and post-pandemic are different by just 1% showing that the industry is well on its way to economic growth. In October, 72,000 jobs were added to the existing number and in that, 31,000 people found employment across Canada.

In the age group of 25-54 years, for men, employment returned to its pre-pandemic levels and for women, post-pandemic 98,000 jobs were added.  All of these jobs were full-time work which shows Canada’s recovery from the pandemic in a positive light.

The provinces that added the most jobs were Ontario, British Columbia, and New Brunswick. The lowest unemployment rates are seen in Manitoba (5.3 percent), British Columbia, and Quebec (both 5.6 percent)

Name of the province:	The number of jobs added:
Ontario	37,000
British Columbia	10,400
New Brunswick	3,000

Industries that added the most jobs were:

Name of the industry:	The number of jobs added:
Retail trade	72,000
Information, Culture, and Recreation	15,000

Foreign investors looking to ride the wave of Canada’s economic recovery post COVID can start a business in Canada and apply for Permanent Residence via the Start-Up Visa program.

Many are looking to invest in Canada and this is evident with the investment statistics presented by CB Insights data. These startups raised $6.3 billion in the first six months of 2021, which is double the investment they received in 2020.

Canada also ranked fourth in the world in the 2021 Global Start-up Ecosystem Index Report. It has 3 cities ranked in the top 50 which is the third any country has, ranking behind only the US and China.

If you are looking to Study, Work, Visit or Migrate to Canada, talk to I Can Help Immigration Services, Canada’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Company to get the best help you need

Syed Khan – 01 November 2021

The IRCC has announced that there will be no extension on the Temporary Residence to Permanent Residence Pathway that allows temporary residents to become permanent residents faster. The program is set to expire on Friday, 5th November and no extension has been planned as announced by the office of new Immigration Minister Sean Fraser.

The TR to PR pathway was started on 6 May and designed to target over 90,000 international students, essential workers, healthcare workers in essential occupations to have easier and faster access to Canadian PR. This program is advantageous in the way that it gives temporary foreign workers the opportunity to avail open work permits while waiting on the application of PR.

Marco Mendicino, the former immigration minister had announced last month that the IRCC is in talks to extend the deadline of the program beyond 5 November.

“I think we should keep an open mind as to whether or not we should extend the deadline. I am always going to keep an open mind about searching for whatever policy promotes the greatest outcomes for our refugees, our immigrants, and our country and its economy.”

Due to delays in the testing of candidates’ English-language eligibility, many have called upon the IRCC to extend the program and also allow refugee claimants to apply and be eligible.

In an email sent out on 2nd November, Alexander Cohen, the immigration minister’s press secretary was quoted saying that

“There is no plan to extend the program beyond 5 November”

“Spots are still available in the healthcare stream, so we encourage temporary residents working in healthcare to take advantage of this opportunity. This is a unique pilot program – as we have done with previous programs, we will evaluate the findings, take what we’ve learned, and apply it going forward.”

If you are looking to Study, Work, Visit or Migrate to Canada, talk to I Can Help Immigration Services, Canada’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Company to get the best help you need.

Syed Khan – 31 October 2021

Ontario Immigration recently issued 20 Invitations to Apply in its latest draw held on 27 October. The invites were issued through the Entrepreneur Stream of the province. This was the province’s second draw held in 2021.

Key points:

• Candidates under the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program with 147 – 174 CRS points were issued ITA’s.
• Only those candidates who submitted an Expression of Interest before 21 October 2021 were eligible for nomination.

About the Entrepreneur Stream:

• It is an immigration stream under the OINP and governed by the Ontario Immigration Act, 2015. This stream targets entrepreneurs or business owners outside Canada who are interested in starting a new business or buying an existing business in Ontario.
• It gives an entrepreneur (and up to one foreign national business partner) the opportunity to be nominated for permanent residence once their business has been established in Ontario.

What is the process to get nominated?

1. Stage 1
2. The candidate must submit an expression of interest by email.
3. The candidate must submit an online application if invited by Ontario Immigration.
4. Applicant and the business partner (if applicable) must attend a mandatory interview.
5. If all of the above is successful, the candidate must sign a performance agreement with Ontario Immigration.

2. Stage 2
3. The candidate is issued a temporary work permit support letter so they can apply for a temporary work permit.
4. Candidate has a time of 20 months from date of arriving in Ontario to implement the business plan and submit a final report to the IRCC
5. If the business meets all requirements, IRCC asks the candidate for documentation to ensure eligibility for nomination for PR.

If you are looking to Study, Work, Visit or Migrate to Canada, talk to I Can Help Immigration Services, Canada’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Company to get the best help you need

Syed Khan – 29 October 2021

Ontario Immigration issued 1,408 NOI’s through the Human Capital Priorities stream in its latest Express Entry Tech Draw. In the draw held on October 27, Ontario Immigration invited candidates who had submitted their Express Entry profiles between October 27, 2020, to October 27, 2021. The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points ranged between 455 – 467.

These draws were started by Ontario Immigration to address labor shortages in the technology sector of the province.

Steps of the application process:

• The candidate creates a profile on the IRCC website.
• The candidate checks and submits their profile into the stream of their choosing.
• Candidates selected from the Express Entry Human Capital Priorities Stream pool receive a Notification of Interest from the IRCC.
• From the date of receiving an NOI, the candidate has 45 calendar days to complete their application.
• The candidate has to apply through the OINP e-Filing Portal, it takes about three hours to complete the application. Candidates can save the application and return to complete it later.
• While submitting, the candidate needs to check the supporting documents and pay an application fee of $1,500 to apply.
• All supporting documents must be scanned and uploaded to the online application. Refer to the document checklist for Ontario’s Express Entry Human Capital Stream for a list of mandatory documents.
• If a supporting document is not in English or French, the candidate must provide a copy of the original document and a notarized translation of the document.

The Express Entry Tech Draws target the occupations mentioned below:

1. 0213 – Computer and information systems managers
2. 2147 – Computer engineers
3. 2172 – Database analysts and data administrators
4. 2173 – Software engineers and designers
5. 2174 – A computer programmer and interactive media developers
6. 2175 – Web designers and developers

If you are looking to Study, Work, Visit or Migrate to Canada, talk to I Can Help Immigration Services, Canada’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Company to get the best help you need

Quebec Immigration announces that it will accept applications under its Entrepreneur and Self-Employed Immigration pilot programs and introduce three new permanent immigration pilot programs in 2022. This news was announced on 27 October by the province’s immigration minister.

Quote by Nadine Girault, Quebec’s Minister of Immigration / the Ministre de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI)

“Our government is taking all necessary measures to modernize our immigration processes and better receive immigrants who have chosen to settle in Quebec. This modernization is needed to ensure that immigration better serves the economic needs of all our regions and immigration policies and programs are more transparent”

The province also announced the splitting of its tech-oriented pilot program into two streams:

1. Those applying in occupations of artificial intelligence
2. Candidates applying under IT and visual effects

From November 3rd, in both streams, 600 applications will be sent out in total with 300 of them for francophone candidates. This will run to October 31, 2022, or until the maximum number of applications has been reached.

About the Entrepreneur program:

• Quebec will invite 25 candidates under the Entrepreneur program from 1 November to the end of 2022.
• Candidates applying for this stream must have passed a Level 7 in oral French based on the Échelle Québécoise Des Niveaux De Compétence En Français Des Personnes Immigrantes Adultes.
• This stream targets candidates who want to create a business in Quebec and receive support from an incubator, business accelerator, or a university entrepreneurship center.

About the Self-Employed program:

• The province will invite 50 candidates from 1 November 2021 to 31 December 2022.
• Candidate must have two years of self-employed experience, in the profession, they intend to practice in Quebec
• The candidate should have a net worth of $100,000 CAD, alone or in partnership with a spouse or common-law partner
• The self-employed candidate must pay a start-up deposit. The deposit amount is $50,000 if the candidate is based in Montreal, and $25,000 if the candidate is located outside of Montreal.

About the Orderlies Pilot program:

• This program is aimed at the NOC code 3413 for nurse aides, orderlies, and patient service associates.
• It has both a workstream and a work-study stream. For both streams, the requirements are the same.
• Candidate must be aged 18 or older
• Work as an orderly in the province at the time of application.
• Have passed Level 7 of oral French equivalent in language tests
• Must be financially self-sufficient and state the intention of settling in Quebec
• Candidates who apply under this pilot program should hold a diploma pertaining to the occupation of orderly after completion of full-time studies (duration of one year at least) that corresponds to a Quebec diploma of vocational studies, AND have obtained work experience of at least 2 years in the last 3 as an orderly in Quebec, OR at least 1 year in a health occupation related to basic personal care outside of Quebec and at least 1 year in the last three years as an orderly in Quebec.

About the Food Production Worker program:

• It targets workers who are in the food and beverage production industry.
• The candidate should have at least two years of experience in the last three years in either the food or beverage production industry.
• At the time of application, should work full-time in either of those sectors in Quebec.
• Should have a level 7 proficiency in French in the Échelle Québécoise Des Niveaux De Compétence En Français Des Personnes Immigrantes Adultes.
• Should have obtained minimum education of high school diploma or diploma of vocational studies

It covers occupations with the following NOC codes:

• 6732 – Specialized cleaners
• 8431 – General farmworkers
• 9461 – Process control and machine operators, food and beverage processing
• 9462 – Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers
• 9463 – Fish and seafood plant workers
• 9617 – Labourers in food and beverage processing
• 9618 – Labourers in fish and seafood processing

Quebec Immigration also invited 23 candidates through its Arrima Expression of Interest stream. In the draw held on October 21, candidates who meet any of the following criteria were invited to apply:

• Have a job offer outside the Montreal Metropolitan Area.
• Should be working in Quebec either as a diplomatic representative, diplomatic agent, consular agent, or an official of a foreign country or of the UN.

If you are looking to Study, Work, Visit or Migrate to Canada, talk to I Can Help Immigration Services, Canada’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Company to get the best help you need

Syed Khan – 27 October 2021

British Columbia Immigration issued 358 invitations in its latest draw via the BC PNP. In the draw held on October 26, candidates were invited in two draws. The first was a general draw and the second one invited candidates from two NOC codes:

1. 0621 for Retail and Wholesale Trade Managers
2. 0631 for Restaurant and Food Service Managers

Summary of the draws is as follows:

Type of Draw:	No. of Invites issued:	No. of Streams included:	Minimum CRS score required to qualify:
General Draw	306	5	68-91
NOC specific draw held to target two NOC occupations	52	4	104

The four streams under the NOC specific draw are as follows:

• SI – Skilled Worker stream
• SI – International Graduate stream
• EEBC – Express Entry BC Skilled Worker stream
• EEBC – Express Entry BC International Graduate stream

The BC PNP offers interested candidates three ways to apply for PR. Each pathway is categorised into several different categories candidates can apply in. Choosing the category depends on your NOC skill level, work experience, type of job etc.

The Skilled Worker Stream of BC PNP targets skilled and semi-skilled workers in high-demand occupations in the province. It functions on a points-based invite system.

About the BC PNP Tech draw:

• This draw was first launched in 2017 as a pilot project in response to the fast-growing demand for talent in BC’s technology sector.
• It was made a permanent program in June 2021.
• The stream targets skilled workers and aims to expand the province’s pool of skilled workers.
• Invitations are issued on a weekly basis to candidates who qualify and who have a valid job offer in one of the 29 eligible occupations.
• The minimum duration of the job offer when applying for BC PNP Tech must be full-time for a duration of 365 days or more.

If you are looking to Study, Work, Visit or Migrate to Canada, talk to I Can Help Immigration Services, Canada’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Company to get the best help you need

Syed Khan – 26 October 2021

Nova Scotia’s Sean Fraser replaces Marco Mendicino as Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada. The latter has now been moved to the Department of Public Safety. This is the first time Fraser has been elected as a Cabinet Minister, almost 6 years after his first foray into politics.

Fraser is by profession, a lawyer and was raised in the small town of Merigomish in Pictou County. He obtained his degree in B.Sc from St. Francis Xavier University in 2006 before proceeding to the Dalhousie University and Leiden University to get his law degree in 2009.

He practiced law in Calgary for three years as an associate at the Blake, Cassels & Graydon firm. He has been parliamentary secretary to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland. He has also served as Ottawa’s spokesman for fiscal issues during the COVID-19 pandemic and economic recovery.

He has been a part of human rights efforts in South Africa and is recognized as a noted orator.

While many have congratulated the Minister, some have taken a cautious approach with these new developments. Many hope that the Minister will resolve setbacks of the previous government and Canada achieves its immigration goal of welcoming 401,000 new permanent residents this year.

Steps taken by Canada to increase immigration under its 2021-2023 Immigration Levels Plan:

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada had closed borders and put in place restrictions to control the wave. However, it still welcomed new immigrants by introducing special regulations, creating pathways, and regularly holding draws to invite people to Permanent Residency.

In May, Canada announced a new pathway to Permanent Residency and offered international students and workers in essential occupations open work permits. This pathway is projected to accept over 20,000 applications for temporary workers in health care, 30,000 for temporary workers in other selected essential occupations, and 40,000 applications for international students who obtain their education from eligible Canadian Universities.

“This new open work permit ensures that those who have been playing critical roles throughout the pandemic can continue their extraordinary service. Our message to them is simple: your status may be temporary, but your contributions are lasting – and we want you to stay” Minister Mendicino said.

Temporary Foreign Workers constitute a large percentage of new permanent residents welcomed to Canada as 70% of 222,275 welcomed here belonged to this category.

The IRCC under Minister Mendicino also made investments and took measures to speed up the processing time of applications. New staff was hired and efforts were made to increase efficiency.

Due to the Guardian Angels program, support workers, nurses, orderlies, etc were invited to apply for asylum and receive PR. This program received a lot of interest and at the end of the application period over 4,000 people had applied as asylum seekers.

If you are looking to Study, Work, Visit or Migrate to Canada, talk to I Can Help Immigration Services, Canada’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Company to get the best help you need

Syed Khan – 25 October 2021,

Alberta Immigration invited 293 Express Entry candidates through the AINP to apply for a provincial nomination. The minimum score required to qualify was 300 points.

This is the first draw Alberta Immigration held this month, a steep decline from the four draws that were held in September. The province is allowed to issue up to 6250 invites to Express Entry candidates in 2021.

Alberta Immigration provides a list of ineligible occupations rather that a list of eligible occupations. Candidates who have work experience in occupations like food service supervisors, transport truck drivers, and cooks are the ones who mostly apply for this stream.

Steps to apply for the stream:

• Candidate should make an Express Entry profile on the website
• They should receive a NOI from Alberta Immigration when they apply via an Express Entry profile.
• The candidate checks their criteria and submits an application.
• Complete applications go into a pool of eligible applications for consideration for processing

Candidate receives a Notification of Interest if they:

• have an active Express Entry profile in the federal Express Entry pool
• have stated an interest in immigrating permanently to Alberta
• are working in an occupation that supports Alberta’s economic development and diversification
• have a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System score of 300

Adaptability Factors that increase chances of a candidate receiving a NOI:

• Has an Alberta job offer and/or work experience
• Is a graduate of a Canadian post-secondary institution
• Has have a parent, child, brother and/or sister who is a permanent resident living in Alberta, or a Canadian citizen living in Alberta

Factors that decrease candidate’s likelihood of receiving a NOI:

• Candidate’s Express Entry profile expires in 5 months or less
• Candidate works in an occupation on the list of high-wage and low-wage occupations in the province of Alberta set out on the online Government of Canada Refusal to Process a Labour Market Impact Assessment list on the Alberta Opportunity Stream Ineligible Occupations list
• Candidate has a high volume of submissions across all AINP streams

Express Entry has three Federal High Skilled programs under it:

• Canadian Experience Class
• Federal Skilled Worker Program
• Federal Skilled Trades Program

If you are looking to Study, Work, Visit or Migrate to Canada, talk to I Can Help Immigration Services, Canada’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Company to get the best help you need

Syed Khan – 24 October 27, 2021

An overwhelming population of Moroccan’s are considering Canada as one of the countries to emigrate to. A lot of young Moroccan’s wish to emigrate to Canada to build a better future for their families, to study further, or get a professional job and settle down in the country. The current number of Moroccans living in Canada is estimated to be 104,000. With the Canadian Government announcing their intention to allow over 1 million new Canadian Skilled Migrants, the percentages of migration inflow have been soaring since.

Affordability:

The cost of living is also less as Ontario, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Quebec, and Prince Edward Island have some of the most affordable cities to live in priced at $1,962 to $2,462 for a single person.

Introduction of Student Direct Stream:

Another advantage is that Morocco is now included in Canada’s fast track program for international students called the Student Direct Stream (SDS). This is an opportunity for international students looking to study at a Canadian designated learning institution (DLI) to get expedited study permit processing. Eligible candidates can get their study permit application processed by the IRCC within 20 calendar days.

Advantages in the workplace:

Newcomers from Morocco have great skills that are highly regarded in the Canadian workplace. This creates strong prospects of finding work for the newcomer. The most preferred jobs for Moroccan migrants are managerial and professional occupations, followed by Skilled Trades. Medical professional occupations are also quite popular as many migrants from Morocco settle down in Canada as doctors, nurses, or healthcare professionals.

Some popular pathways for candidates to Immigrate to Canada:

1. Express Entry

This is one of the most popular and fastest ways for candidates to immigrate to Canada. Under this, the visa processing time is very less (around 6 months). Highly skilled applicants like nurses, doctors, etc can consider immigrating to Canada through this option.

2. Post Graduate Work Program

3. Temporary Worker Program

Options to consider when applying for a visa:

Taking an eligibility assessment will help the candidate decide which options to consider when applying for the visa. The first step towards immigration is to identify the Occupation in Demand of your choosing. Candidates can check the NOC code list to correctly identify their occupation and increase the chances of the IRCC accepting their application.

The candidates need to work on how to build their Canadian Immigration Points Score and take into account the points awarded for aspects like educational background, work experience, language ability, etc.

Once all the above details are identified the candidate can create a profile of Express Entry on the IRCC website. After successful submission of the application, the candidate receives an ITA (Invitation to Apply). The candidate has 12 months to move to Canada after receiving the Permanent Residency Visa.

If you are looking to Study, Work, Visit or Migrate to Canada, talk to I Can Help Immigration Services, Canada’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Company to get the best help you need