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Syed Khan – 3 September 2021,

Eligible candidates for permanent residence can apply to become citizens online from the comfort of their homes as the online citizenship application website is now live.

The IRCC released the online application tool at the end of 2020 with the final version going live on Aug. 11. It is now open for online citizenship applications to all applicants aged 18 and over who:

• are applying as an individual (not as a family)
• do not have a representative
• are not declaring a residence outside Canada as a Crown servant or with a crown servant family member

Permanent residents are eligible for Canadian citizenship if they:

• have lived in Canada for three out of the last five years
• have filed their income tax reports
• can pass a citizenship test, and
• meet the language requirements

There are exceptions that could make a permanent resident ineligible for Canadian citizenship, such as having committed a crime.

The IRCC will open the online application website to families, and minors under 18 years of age later this year and to representatives to apply on behalf of their clients and clients who are declaring a residence outside Canada as a Crown servant or with a crown servant family member in 2022.

Quotes from the release by IRCC:

“The new online application is user-friendly,”

“For example, you can now save partially completed applications and resume them at a later time, upload supporting documents and proof of payment, print a PDF, and ask for confirmation of receipt.”

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 – 2 September 2021,

A new pilot program will allow graduates from four private career colleges in New Brunswick to apply for permanent residency starting next April. Under this program, those who graduated from Atlantic Business College, Eastern College, McKenzie College, and Oulton College with training for any one of the 19 occupations will be able to apply to the New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP) starting Apr. 1 next year.

The new pathway is the result of collaboration between Opportunities NB and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). The program will allow the graduates to work and live in the province while they wait for permanent residency.

The private career college needs to be New Brunswick Designated Learning Institutions and has had that designation for at least five years to qualify. They offer eligible programs of study in education and social development, heath care, information technology, and cyber security, business administration, and supply chain and logistics.

Quote by the Labour Minister Trevor Holder:

“This initiative is something we have been working on for quite some time and we are pleased to get it across the line, newcomers are key to addressing the challenges of our labor market, and by providing this additional immigration stream we are empowering more of our post-secondary institutions to develop the skilled workers that New Brunswick needs.”

Quote by the Opportunities NB Minister Arlene Dunn:

“We are excited that we can help retain more international students by opening up an innovative pathway that is made for New Brunswick, with the increased competition for skilled labor, the potential to transition international students into permanent residents is crucial.”

Targeted occupations for this program are:

• early childhood educators and assistants
• educational assistants
• health-care aides
• social and community service workers
• paramedics and related occupations
• medical laboratory technologists
• medical laboratory technicians and pathologists’ assistants
• medical administrative assistants
• computer programmers and interactive media developers
• accounting technicians and bookkeepers
• payroll clerks
• shippers and receivers
• supply chain and logistics supervisors
• home support workers
• licensed practical nurses
• web designers and developers
• computer network technicians
• user support technicians
• production logistics co-ordinators

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 September 2021,

A study conducted by the Canadian government shows how the labor demand and needs in each province were affected by the pandemic. It highlights some occupations that increased in demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Saskatchewan.

Saskatchewan in Canada is among the three provinces that make up the Canadian Prairie Provinces between themselves. With the unique distinction of being the only Canadian province with artificial borders, it ranks sixth in terms of population, the fifth largest province area-wise. Across the years, the province has registered a surge, both in the economy as well as the local population. It is among the most sought-after destinations for immigrants from the world over.

According to official data, the province has one of the lowest unemployment rates. In 2020, the national average unemployment rate in Canada was 9.5% but it was 8.3% for Saskatchewan.

There is an abundance of job opportunities for migrants in the province. The unemployment rate in the province is projected to continue being relatively low due to the increasing number of companies and start-ups settling within the region.

Here are nine of the jobs that increased in demand. The jobs are listed alongside their National Occupational Classification (NOC) code. All jobs available in the Canadian labor market are classified as per the unique 4 digit NOC code.

	Jobs	NOC
1	Sales Professionals	NOC 6232
2	Software Engineers	NOC 2173
3	Transport Professionals	NOC 7511
4	Power engineers	NOC 9241
5	Order fillers	NOC 6622
6	Information systems analysts	NOC 2171
7	Nurses	3012
8	Computer Support	NOC 2282
9	IT Consultants	NOC 2171

Of the list above, only the following occupations would be eligible for Express Entry:

• Real estate agents and salespersons
• Cleaning supervisors
• Power engineers and power systems operators
• Information systems analysts and consultants
• Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
• User support technicians

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 August 2021,

Canada recently announced $2.1 million in extra funding for 11 programs that help racialized immigrant women. In 2018, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) began funding 21 projects to help racialized newcomer women find work and develop their skills. Ottawa maintains that these women face particular barriers, including gender and race-based discrimination, precarious or low-income employment, a lack of affordable childcare, and weak social supports. So far, the federal government has committed $31.9 million to this pilot project, initially launched under the name Visible Minority Newcomer Women Project. That money has been spread out over 40 organizations.

Quote by Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino:

“Canada can only reach its full potential if everyone in it reaches theirs. These important projects will help racialized newcomer women lay the cornerstone of success: finding a good, well-paying job. This is both the right thing to do for our society and the smart thing to do for our economy. By breaking down barriers faced by racialized newcomer women, we’re helping them make even greater contributions to their communities and country.”

Among the projects that got the funding are some that will address credential recognition and others that will provide racialized newcomer women with work placements to develop their skills and abilities in a Canadian work context. The programs that are getting the extra funding so that they can be extended until the end of March next year include five in Ontario, one in Manitoba, two in Atlantic Canada, and three in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. They are:

• Access Community Capital Fund (Toronto)
• Kitchener-Waterloo Young Women’s Christian Association (Kitchener)
• New Circles Community Services (Toronto)
• Newcomer Kitchen (Toronto)
• Syrian Canadian Foundation (Etobicoke)
• Canadian Muslim Women’s Institute (Winnipeg)
• Conseil pour le développement de l’alphabétisme et des compétences des adultes du Nouveau-Brunswick (Moncton)
• MetroWorks (Halifax)
• Umoja Operation Compassion Society
• Women’s Economic Council (Burnaby)
• Young Women’s Christian Association (Vancouver)

Statistics of the 2016 Census:

• The unemployment rate of racialized newcomer women is 9.7 per cent, or 1.2 percentage points higher than that of racialized newcomer men.
• Non-racialized newcomer men have an unemployment rate of 6.4 per cent.
• Racialized newcomer women have the lowest median annual income of all newcomer groups at $26,624, compared to non-racialized newcomer women who earn $30,074 and racialized newcomer men who make $35,574 and non-racialized newcomer men at $42,591.

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 – 30 August 2021,

Saskatchewan is rolling out COVID-19 booster vaccinations for immunocompromised people and travelers starting Sept. 7 onwards.

Vaccination boosters will only be administered to people eight weeks after receiving their second Pfizer or Moderna dose. Eligible for boosters are transplant recipients, recipients of stable, active treatments like chemotherapy, and recipients of an anti-CD20 agent. The Ministry of Health said letters will be sent to everyone eligible for a booster. The province said the new booster is on top of additional vaccinations for residents who need those for international travel.

“A plan that does not emphasize testing, tracing and enforceable self-isolation for positive COVID-19 cases, vaccine mandates for all large public events, a plan for full vaccination of school and health care staff and appropriate indoor mask mandates, falls far short of what is needed to keep Saskatchewan people safe,” said Sask. NDP Leader Ryan Meili about the news of the boosters

Saskatchewan is also requiring proof of vaccination for front-line health-care workers. These workers will be required to provide proof of vaccination, and if not fully vaccinated, will have to undergo regular COVID-19 testing. The Ministry of Health and the Saskatchewan Health Authority said they are working with public health sector representation to establish the policy. Health officials said more details will be announced in the coming days.

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 August 2021,

Two weeks into a national election campaign for the September 20 snap polls, Canada’s ruling Liberal Party is for the first time trailing its principal opposition Conservative Party, led by its PM candidate Erin O’Toole, in voter preference, according to a number of surveys. Poll trackers put the momentum with the Conservatives, showing a narrow advantage for them now, after trailing the Liberals for months. The outlet CBC News’ stated, “For the first time in nearly 18 months, the Conservatives have moved ahead in voting intentions. The Liberals are still favored to win most seats, but have been trending down as the Conservatives rise.”

At 32.5% support, the Conservatives have the slightest of leads over the Liberals, who are at 32.2%. That status is confirmed by the tracker from the election analysis outlet 338 Canada, which puts the Conservatives at 32.8%, again just 0.3% ahead of the Liberals. 338 Canada’s founder Philippe J Fournier tweeted on Friday that “this election is now officially a toss-up”.

Other polls give the Conservatives a bigger margin. In tracking data released on Saturday, the agency Nanos Research, in a poll for the outlets CTV News and Globe and Mail stated that “ballot support for the Conservatives sits at 33.3%, while the Liberals are at 30.8% support”.

“What was a tie early this week, it looks like the Conservatives are now gaining the upper hand and there is definitely negative pressure on the Liberals right now,” Nik Nanos, founder of the agency, told CTV News.

Incumbent Prime Minister Justin Trudeau precipitated snap elections on August 15 in an attempt to convert his minority government into a majority, but as things stand, the Liberals may actually capture fewer seats in the new parliament than they did in 2019.

Trudeau and his party have three weeks to regain ground and fulfill his ambition of garnering the 170 seats necessary for a majority in the House of Commons. But, as of now, 338 Canada projects the ruling party may capture just 141, pipping the Conservatives by only five seats. This emerging reality was echoed by the CBC News tracker: “The Liberals are still favored to win most seats but their chances of winning a majority government have fallen sharply since the beginning of the campaign and they are now poised to win fewer seats than in 2019.”

Several factors are playing into Trudeau’s dwindling popularity. One of them is the negative impression that his administration seems to have given in its much-criticized handling of the evacuation efforts in Afghanistan. Apart from that, many voters are unhappy over the snap election call in the midst of a fourth wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country.

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 – 28 August 30, 2021,

Nurses are in such high demand in Canada that the country simply can’t train them fast enough to fill the available jobs and so is doing everything it can to recruit them from other countries. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is trying to help solve the labor shortage in the healthcare sector with the introduction of six new pathways to permanent residency announced earlier this year, including one for francophone and another for anglophone healthcare workers.

The University of British Columbia on Canada’s West Coast saw a spike of 31 percent in enrolments to its Bachelor of Science in Nursing program and interest in its graduate nursing programs has also doubled in the past year. Students are increasingly turning to nursing programs in Ontario too, where schools saw a 17.5-per cent bump up in applications in the last year. Ottawa is also taking steps to recognize the foreign nursing credentials of temporary foreign workers in Canada and trying to attract more to immigrate to Canada.

Quotes:

“When the healthcare system is stretched, it’s not because we don’t have enough space, enough beds. It’s because we don’t have enough people,” said Dr. Victoria Lee, president and CEO of the Fraser Health Authority in British Columbia, earlier this year.

“There are many healthcare workers that are in under-employment situations because their healthcare credentials are not recognized,” she said.

“For registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses, over the period 2019 – 2028, new job openings (arising from expansion demand and replacement demand) are expected to total 191,100, while 154,600 new job seekers (arising from school leavers, immigration, and mobility) are expected to be available to fill them,” states the Jobbank website.

Statistical Data:

According to reports, the percentage of adult immigrants in nursing or healthcare support occupations was particularly high among immigrants born in the Caribbean and Bermuda (13 percent), Western Africa (12 percent), Central Africa (12 percent), Eastern Africa (eight percent), and Southeast Asia (10 percent). A top-earning nurse can rake in more than $131,000 annually for a 37.5-hour work week. The median salary based on that regular work week is more than $89,000 per year.

Quebec’s efforts to attract immigrants:

Canada’s francophone province of Quebec has also upped its efforts to attract immigrants to work in its healthcare system. Earlier this year, Quebec launched the Orderlies Pilot Program on March 31 for nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates. Those occupations with the following National Occupational Classification (NOC) numbers and descriptions are included:

• 3011 – Nursing co-ordinators and supervisors
• 3012 – Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
• 3124 – Allied primary health practitioners
• 3233 – Licensed practical nurses
• 4412 – Home support workers, housekeepers and related occupations

Candidates need to have gotten a DEP in a related field of study in the two years prior to their application. They also have at least two years of experience in this type of occupation, currently work in such a job, and have a level seven proficiency in French.

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 August 2021,

Canada on Thursday announced the completion of its evacuation mission in Afghanistan. That announcement was made by Canada’s acting chief of defense staff General Wayne Eyre, as he said that “over the last day” the operation had “ceased” and the “majority of personnel departed Hamid Karzai International Airport” in Kabul with a small contingent staying behind to assist allies. According to reports, Canada had transported or facilitated the transport of roughly 3,700 Afghan evacuees. “We wish we could have stayed longer and rescued everyone who was so desperate to leave. That we could not is truly heartbreaking but the circumstances on the ground rapidly deteriorated,” he said, adding that this was “a crisis of the Taliban’s making”.

Canada had announced an expansive plan to bring in 20,000 refugees from Afghanistan under a special immigration plan, but the actual figure has ended less than a fifth of the target. On Tuesday, caretaker Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had said that Canada was “ready to stay” in Afghanistan beyond August 31 to rescue those seeking to leave.

The evacuation efforts out of Afghanistan come amid a snap federal election, called by Mr Trudeau earlier this month. Mr Trudeau, who is seeking re-election next month, has promised to resettle 20,000 Afghans in Canada in the coming “months and years”. The Liberal leader has faced criticism from his political opponents on the campaign trail, who have said that Canada did not act quickly enough to get people out of Afghanistan. Canada will work with allies in the coming months to try and find safe exits for those still in Afghanistan, he said.

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 August 2021,

The Government of Canada is working with provinces and territories to develop a secure pan-Canadian approach as it recognizes that proof of vaccination credentials will support the re-opening of societies and economies. This plan is based on advice from public health officials with priority placed on the safety and security of all Canadians.

The Government of Canada is collaborating with the provinces and territories to develop a proof of vaccination that will facilitate cross-border travel while reducing the risk of spread and importation of COVID-19. There have also been efforts to engage with Indigenous partners across the country to ensure that a proof of vaccination credential responds to the needs and rights of Indigenous peoples.

For Canadians who decide to travel, using proof of vaccination will provide foreign border officials with the vaccination history needed to assess whether a traveller meets their public health requirements and provide a trusted and verifiable credential for when they return home. Travelers will be able to submit their proof of vaccination in ArriveCAN (mobile app or Canada.ca/ArriveCAN) when coming back to Canada. Canadians who do not have proof of vaccination can travel outside the country, but they may have to quarantine or meet other requirements at their destination country, and they will be subject to mandatory quarantine and testing upon return to Canada.

Canadians should always check the Government of Canada’s travel advice and advisories, as well as the entry and public health requirements of their destination country, before booking a trip.

Meanwhile, the United Kingdom is moving Canada to its “green” list for travel beginning next Monday. This means that Canadians traveling to the U.K. will not have to quarantine upon arrival, even if they have not been fully vaccinated. The British Department for Transport says they will still need to take COVID-19 tests within three days before leaving for the U.K. and another one for two days after arriving. The change will take effect Aug. 30 at 4 a.m.

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 August 2021,

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program has launched its EOI intake system for Master’s Graduate candidates. In this, international students who graduated with a master’s degree from an eligible Ontario institution can register for immigration through Ontario PNP at any time. A list of eligible institutions is given at the end of this article.

Ontario held its second Master’s Graduate stream draw on August 25. Invited candidates need an Expression of Interest (EOI) score of at least 37 in order to receive an invitation.

Steps to follow to be considered for the Master’s streams:

●      Sign up with Ontario’s e-Filing Portal

●      Register an expression of interest for the graduate stream.

●      If eligible, the applicant will receive an invitation to apply for the provincial nomination. Candidates need to apply for the nomination within two years of graduating.

●      Applicants do not need a job offer to apply for these streams.

Points System:

Points are allotted for the skill level of the job offer as well as the candidate’s Canadian work experience. Other than skill level and work experience, it also takes into account the wage, education, official language ability, and the region in which the applicant has study or work. The province also allocates 10 points at its discretion to respond to labour market needs.

Ontario then invites eligible candidates to apply for a provincial nomination, which greatly supports any application for Canadian permanent residence.

List of eligible institutions:

• Algoma University
• Brescia University College (Affiliated with the University of Western Ontario)
• Brock University
• Carleton University
• Dominican University College
• Huron University College (Affiliated with the University of Western Ontario)
• King’s University College at the University of Western Ontario
• Lakehead University
• Laurentian University
• McMaster University
• Nipissing University
• Ontario College of Art & Design University
• Queen’s University
• Royal Military College of Canada
• Ryerson University
• Saint Paul University (Federated with the University of Ottawa)
• St. Jerome’s University (Federated with the University of Waterloo)
• Trent University
• University of Guelph
• University of Ontario Institute of Technology
• University of Ottawa
• University of St. Michael’s College (Federated with the University of Toronto)
• University of Toronto
• University of Trinity College (Federated with the University of Toronto)
• University of Waterloo
• University of Windsor
• Victoria University (Federated with the University of Toronto)
• Western University
• Wilfrid Laurier University
• York University

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