Provincial government releases practical guide to prepare for Quebec values test

A practical guide has been released by the Quebec government help the immigration candidates who appear for the Quebec values test. From January 1, 2020, it is mandatory for the immigration candidates to pass the Quebec values test in order to settle in Quebec. Those who pass the test will obtain an ‘Attestation of learning about democratic values and the Quebec values expressed by the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms’.

The practical guide for Quebec values test has been published in French language and it observes that knowledge about the Quebec’s values is essential for a new immigrant to integrate well to the Quehttps://www.canapprove.com/quebec-points-calculator/bec society. The guide has divided these values into five key principles:

Quebec is a French-speaking society
Quebec is a democratic society
Equality between women and men
The rights and responsibilities of Quebecers
Quebec is a secular society

Quebec values test

Candidates under the following Quebec immigration programs need to appear for the Quebec values test:

Quebec Skilled Worker Program (QSWP)
Quebec Experience Program (PEQ)
Quebec Entrepreneur Program
Quebec Self-Employed Program
Quebec Investor Program

It is necessary for a candidate to pass the Quebec values test for obtaining the Quebec Selection Certificate, without which they cannot apply for permanent residence in Canada. However, children below the age of 18 years and those with serious physical or cognitive impairments need not pass the test.

After passing the test, candidates will obtain the attestation, which proves that they have passed the test,which has to be submitted within 60 days after submitting their application for Quebec Selection Certificate. In order to pass, the candidate has to score at least 15 out of 20 or 75%. The attestation has a validity of two years. If in case a candidate fails in the test, their application for Quebec Selection Certificate is terminated. If that happens, they have to submit the application all over again. A candidate will get maximum three chances to pass the test.

Do you wish to know more about Quebec migration? Get in touch with the expert Quebec migration consultants of CanApprove in order to explore your options.

A look back at Canada immigration scenario in 2019

The year 2019 has almost ended and when looking back, we realize that it was one of the least eventful years in terms of Canada immigration. No major changes were introduced to the immigration system by the federal government and as a result, immigration matters remained almost stable during the year. The two major controversies related to Canada immigration that arose in the year 2019 were related to the scrapping of applications for the Quebec Skilled Worker Program and submitting applications to the Parents and Grandparents Program.

Quebec decided to scrap 16000 already existing applications for the Quebec Skilled Worker Program before starting to accept Expressions of Interest through the new Arrima system. However, the following Arrima draws gave priority to those candidates whose applications were scrapped earlier.

The Parents and Grandparents Program opened to accept application on January 28, 2019 on a first-come, first-served basis. But the online Interest to Sponsor forms were available only for a few minutes. According to IRCC, almost 100,000 tried to access the form but the maximum number of applications set to be accepted was 20000. So the system attracted widespread criticism as being unfair to applicants.

Express Entry

The year 2019 was stable as far as the Express Entry system is concerned as no major changes were introduced to the system. The draws remained almost consistent in size and the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) cut-off score witnessed a gradual increase over the year. In 2019, IRCC issued a total of 85300 ITAs.

Express Entry-aligned PNP streams

Ontario launched Tech Draws through the Human Capital Priorities Stream, which is linked to the federal Express Entry, in 2019. A new Labour Market Priorities stream exclusively for doctors was launched by Nova Scotia. Similarly, New Brunswick launched an Express Entry stream dedicated to candidates already living and working in the province this year. In another major development, Saskatchewan increased the number of occupations eligible under the Express Entry stream of Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program(SINP).

Looking forward to 2020

Canada immigration aspirants are looking forward to 2020 with a lot of hope as the year is predicted to be favourable for them. As per the 2018 immigration levels plan, Canada’s plan is to gradually increase the immigration levels. 350,000 newcomers are expected to be admitted to the country by 2021. The new Liberal government has plans to launch a Municipal Nominee Program for helping smaller communities in the country. The minimum allocation for the Program will be 5000 per year. Canada government also plans to make the Atlantic Immigration Pilot permanent and abolish the $630 citizenship application fee.

Convert your Canada immigration dream into reality in 2020! Contact the expert immigration consultants of CanApprove to explore your options!

Immigration leads to record-breaking population growth in Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia witnessed a record breaking population growth during the period between October 1, 2018 and October 1, 2019, according to the data released by Statistics Canada. This unprecedented growth of population is mainly attributed to the increase in the number of new immigrants and inter-provincial migrants to the province. The data shows that the population of the province grew by 12,339 residents during the 12-months period. This is including the 7,165 immigrants who came to the province during this time period.

This number can be translated into 1.28 percent of growth, which is the fastest increase in population to have happened in a 12-months period, as per the data recorded since 1972. As on October 1, 2019, the total population of Nova Scotia is a record 976,768.

The population growth of Nova Scotia recorded during the third quarter of 2019 was another record breaker. The population of the province grew by 5373 during the period between July 1 and October 1, 2019. A total of 2471 new immigrants arrived in Nova Scotia during this period and according the Government of Nova Scotia, this is the highest number of immigrants to have come to Nova Scotia in a quarter, since the period after the Second World War.

Nova Scotia welcomed 1090 new residents during this period through inter-provincial migration. This is the 16th consecutive quarter where Nova Scotia is recording a positive net inter-provincial migration, says the government data.

In a news release recently, Lena MetlegeDiab, the Immigration Minister of Nova Scotia, said that these population numbers indicated the positive impact of immigration on the province. The minister says, “Immigration is a priority and is key to filling persistent labour needs and increasing our population.”

At the same time, the natural growth of population in Nova Scotia, which is the difference between the number of births and deaths, has been witnessing a downward trend since 2016. However, this is being compensated by the increased population growth thanks to immigration and inter-provincial migration.

Nova Scotia is a favourite destination for immigrants as the province offers high living standards and better career opportunities. Contact the expert immigration consultants of CanApprove to know more about Nova Scotia migration or explore your options to migrate to Canada.

Canada’s population grows at record level owing to high immigration levels

Canada recorded the highest level of population growth in the third quarter of 2019, mainly driven by the high immigration levels. Canada has been making conscious efforts in the past few decades to improve its population growth. The major reasons for a low population growth in the country are low birth rate and an aging population. Canada is trying to overcome these hurdles by keeping the immigration levels high as it is difficult for the country to sustain its economic growth without a healthy population growth rate.

The total population of Canada, as on October 1, 2019, is 37,797,496. It shows an increase of 208,234 compared to the total population as on July 1, 2019. This is for the first time Canada is recording an increase in population by 200000 within just one quarter. It means a population increase of 0.6 per cent, which is so far the highest growth rate recorded in Canada ever since the current demographic accounting system was set up in July 1971. The major reason for this record rate of population growth is attributed to be the increase in the number of immigrants and non-permanent residents such as temporary workers in the country.

In the third quarter of 2019, an estimated 103,751 immigrants arrived in Canada. Around 83.4 per cent of the total Canadian population growth in the third quarter of 2019 is attributed to both permanent and temporary migrants. Among the provinces, the highest rate of population growth was recorded in British Columbia, an increase of 0.7 per cent. The lowest rate of growth was recorded in Newfoundland and Labrador at 0.1 per cent.

Experts expect that the population of Canada would continue to grow thanks to increased levels of immigration. However, the natural population growth of the country is predicted to remain low, mainly owing to the country’s population aging fast and low birth rate.

With high standards of living and better career opportunities, Canada is attracting immigrants from across the world. If you wish to explore your options to migrate to Canada, get in touch with our expert immigration consultants to know more!

111 invitations issued in Prince Edward Island Expression of Interest draw

In the Expression of Interest draw held on December 19, which is the final draw of the year 2019, Prince Edward Island issued invitations to a total of 111 candidates. Of these, 100 invites went to Labour Impact and Express Entry stream candidates and the remaining 11 invites to Business Impact candidates. The minimum score of the Business Impact candidates invited in the latest draw is 140, which is 10 points more compared to the minimum score in the previous draw.

Prince Edward Island Expression of Interest

Prince Edward Island introduced the Expression of Interest system for accepting applications to its provincial nominee program streams in 2018. Ever since, the Prince Edward Island Provincial Nominee Program (PEI PNP) has been conducting Expression of Interest draws every month. In the 12 PEI PNP Expression of Interest draws held in 2019, a total of 1639 candidates have received invitations to apply for provincial nomination. Of them, 1436 candidates belonged to the Labour Impact/Express Entry streams, while the remaining 193 candidates were from the Business Impact stream.

Prince Edward Island Express Entry stream

The Express Entry stream of PEI PNP allows the province to select eligible candidates from the federal Express Entry pool and invite them to apply for a provincial nomination. Those who successfully apply for and receive a provincial nomination from Prince Edward Island will have 600 additional Comprehensive Ranking System(CRS) score points added to their total CRS score. It guarantees them an invitation to apply for permanent residence in Canada in the subsequent federal Express Entry draw. PEI PNP’s Express Entry stream has two pathways—one that requires a job offer and one that does not require a job offer.

Prince Edward Island Labour Impact category

The Labour Impact category has two streams– Skilled Worker Stream and Critical Worker stream. The Skilled Worker stream is for those candidates who have a full-time employment job offer from a Prince Edward Island employer. To be eligible, the occupation must be classified under National Occupational Classification (NOC) “0”, “A” or “B”. Further, the candidate must have education qualifications equal to post-secondary level and their age must be between 21 and 55 years. The candidate must have minimum of two years of work experience which must have been acquired within the past five years. They must also demonstrate a sufficient level of language proficiency and enough settlement funds.

The Critical Worker Stream is meant for resolving the labour shortage in Prince Edward Island. Foreign workers who are already in Prince Edward Island, with employment in critical in-demand occupations may apply under this stream. This stream requires the candidate to have at least six months of work experience with the employer in Prince Edward Island who offers the employment. Besides, the candidate must have a valid Canadian work permit while applying through the Stream and the intention to settle in Prince Edward Island. Other eligibility requirements related to factors such as age, language proficiency and education level must also be met.

Is Canada PNP a viable option for you to migrate to Canada? Get in touch with the expert Canada immigration consultants of CanApprove to check your eligibility for Canada migration.

Saskatchewan Expression of Interest draw invites 595 candidates

In the latest Expression of Interest draw held on December 20, Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) invited 595 candidates to apply for a provincial nomination. The invitations were issued to candidates belonging to Express Entry and Occupations In-Demand categories of SINP. The first step for a candidate to receive an invitation to apply for a provincial nomination from Saskatchewan under these two categories is to file an Expression of Interest (EoI) with the SINP. Though it is not necessary for the candidate to have a job offer from a Saskatchewan employer, it is mandatory that candidate has at least one year of work experience in an eligible occupation related to their field of study.

SINP assesses the submitted Expression of Interest profiles based on a number of eligibility factors such as age, education, work experience, language proficiency, and previous connections to Saskatchewan etc. Based on the Points Assessment Grid of SINP for International Skilled Workers, each profile is then awarded a score out of 100. The candidates with the highest scores receive an Invitation to Apply for provincial nomination from Saskatchewan in the draws that are conducted regularly.

SINP Express Entry sub-category

In the December 20 SINP Expression of Interest draw, 304 out of the total 595 invites issued went to Express Entry candidates. To be considered for provincial nomination, the Express Entry candidates need to submit a separate EoI to the SINP and score at least 69 points on the Points Assessment Grid of the SINP. If the candidate succeeds in obtaining provincial nomination from Saskatchewan, they will receive 600 additional Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score points that guarantee them an invitation to apply for permanent residence in Canada in the subsequent Express Entry draw.

SINP Occupations In-demand sub-category

This category is meant for those candidates who wish to obtain a provincial nomination from Saskatchewan but do not have an Express Entry profile. The latest draw invited 291 Occupations In-demand candidates and the minimum required score for them also was 69.

Saskatchewan introduced an overhaul of its Occupations In-demand list on September 25, 2019. It meant moving away from a limited In-Demand Occupations List and replacing it with an Excluded Occupations List. As a result, the number of eligible occupations for both sub-categories increased from 19 to more than 200.

Ever since, Saskatchewan has invited a total of 6284 candidates to apply for a provincial nomination. In the December 20 draw, candidates in 96 occupations including supervisors, paralegals, sales managers received invitations.

If you are interested to know more about migrating to Canada through PNP, get in touch with the expert immigration consultants of CanApprove. We are here to guide and support to make your Canadian dream come true!

183 skilled workers, international graduates invited in latest Manitoba draw

Manitoba invited a total of 183 candidates to apply for a provincial nomination in the latest Expression of Interest draw held on December 19. The candidates invited in the draw belonged to the Skilled Workers in Manitoba, Skilled Workers Overseas and the International Education Streams of MPNP. With the latest draw, the number of Letters of Advice of Apply(LAAs) issued by MPNP so far this year has touched 7545.

The distribution of LAAs issued in the December 19 draw is as follows:

Skilled Workers in Manitoba: 149
Skilled Workers Overseas: 17
International Education Stream: 17

The minimum score of candidates selected under the Skilled Worker in Manitoba Stream was 542 and that of Skilled Worker Overseas Stream candidates was 559.

Manitoba Express Entry

Among the total 183 invitations issued by Manitoba in the December 19 draw, 16 were issued to candidates from the Express Entry pool. To be considered for provincial nomination from Manitoba, the Express Entry candidates must have work experience in one of the eligible occupations of Manitoba and have submitted an Expression of Interest to the MPNP, besides meeting other requirements. Upon successful application, the candidate will receive provincial nomination from Manitoba and 600 additional Comprehensive Ranking System(CRS) score points, which would ensure them an invitation to apply for permanent residence in Canada in the subsequent Express Entry draw.

MPNP Expression of Interest

Candidates belonging to either the Skilled Worker in Manitoba category or the Skilled Worker Overseas category must first submit an Expression of Interest in order to be considered for provincial nomination from Manitoba. Each submitted EoI is assessed and awarded a score based on a number of eligibility factors that include work experience, education, previous connections to the province etc. The highest scoring candidates are issued LAAs with which they can apply for a provincial nomination from the province.

Get in touch with our expert immigration consultants to know more about applying for Canada migration through PNP.

144 candidates invited in December 20 Nova Scotia Labour Market Priorities draw

Nova Scotia invited 144 Express Entry candidates to apply for provincial nomination in the Labour Market Priorities stream draw held on December 20.The draw specifically targeted those with relevant work experience in advertising, marketing or public relations sectors, the occupations that are classified under National Occupation Code (NOC) 1123.

Labour Market Priorities Stream

The Labour Market Priorities Stream allows Nova Scotia to select candidates with the skills and qualifications that are in demand in the labour market of the province, from the federal Express Entry pool. The stream was launched under the Nova Scotia Nominee Program(NSNP) in 2018. Ever since, the province has invited early childhood education workers, financial auditors, accountants, social workers and French-speaking candidates with an active Express Entry profile through the Stream.

Eligibility requirements for Labour Market Priorities stream

The Labour Market Priorities stream draw held on December 20 selected candidates with at least two years of full-time or equivalent part-time experience in advertising, marketing or public relations. The candidates must have acquired this work experience within five years preceding the application.The candidates were also supposed to have selected English as their first official language and proved language proficiency equal to Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) score of 9 in all the four abilities.

The candidates selected in the latest draw also have a master’s degree and have the Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) done to prove that their education qualifications are equal to Canadian standards. The draw considered only those who had submitted their Express Entry profiles on or after January 1, 2019.

The selected candidates may submit the complete application for provincial nomination till January 19, 2020. Those who receive provincial nomination will also obtain 600 additional Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score points. It will guarantee them an Invitation to Apply for permanent residence in Canada in the subsequent Express Entry draw.

Canada PNP is fast becoming the most prominent pathway for Canada migration. What are your options to migrate to Canada through PNP? Contact our expert immigration consultants for everything you need to know about migrating to Canada.

Minimum CRS score drops by 3 points in latest Express Entry draw

In the Express Entry draw held on December 19, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada(IRCC) invited 3200 candidates to apply for permanent residence in Canada. The minimum Comprehensive Ranking System(CRS) cut-off score for the invited candidates was 469, three points lower compared to the previous Express Entry draw held on December 11.

A lower CRS cut-off score is attributed a shorter interval between these two draws. While Express Entry draws usually take place in a gap of two years, only eight days lapsed between the latest draw and the previous one. Shorter interval means lesser time for the Express Entry pool to be replenished with profiles of eligible candidates, hence low CRS cut-off score.

Tie-break rule was applied for the latest Express Entry draw as well, the time stamp given being November 14, 2019 at 08:41:33 UTC. It means ITAs were issued to only those candidates with a minimum CRS score of 469, who submitted their Express Entry profiles before the said date and time.

With the latest draw, the total number of ITAs issued by the IRCC so far in the year 2019 is now 85300. Compared to the 89800 ITAs issued in 2018, this is 4500 ITAs shorter. 2018 remains to be the year in which the highest number of ITAs was issued through Express Entry.

As per the multi-year immigration levels plan of Canada, the country is planning to admit 85800 new permanent residents in 2020 through Express Entry, compared to 81400 this year. Canada is also planning to increase admission target for Provincial Nominee Programs to 67,800 in 2020 compared to 2020 this year. Most of the PNPs have at least one stream linked to the Express Entry system. The Express Entry candidates who receive provincial nomination will have 600 additional Comprehensive Ranking System(CRS) score points added to their total CRS score.

Canada having set enhanced immigration targets for the coming two years, it is expected that the upcoming draws would be larger and quicker, which is indeed a positive thing for Express Entry candidates, especially those with lower CRS scores.

Minimum CRS requirements in the Express Entry draws held this year:

Date	CRS cut-off score	Number of ITAs issued
January 10, 2019	449	3900
January 23, 2019	443	3900
January 30, 2019	438	3350
February 20, 2019	457	3350
March 6. 2019	454	3350
March 20, 2019	452	3350
April 3, 2019	451	3350
April 17, 2019	451	3350
May 1, 2019	450	3350
May 15, 2019	332	500
May 29, 2019	470	3350
June 12, 2019	465	3350
June 26, 2019	462	3350
July 10, 2019	460	3600
July 24, 2019	459	3600
August 12, 2019	466	3600
August 20, 2019	457	3600
September 4, 2019	463	3600
September 18, 2019	462	3600
October 2, 2019	464	3900
October 16, 2019	357	500
October 30, 2019	475	3900
November 14, 2019	472	3600
November 27, 2019	471	3600
December 11, 2019	472	3200
December 19, 2019	469	3200

Interested in Canada immigration through Express Entry? Contact us for more information and guidance

5.6 lakh job vacancies reported in Canada during third quarter of 2019

Canada has in store a lot of job opportunities for skilled foreign workers and if you are looking for a great career and better living standards in a foreign country, Canada is the right destination for you. The new figures released by Statistics Canada show that a total of 562900 new job vacancies were reported in Canada during the third quarter of 2019. This marks a 2.2 percent rise in the number of job vacancies, compared to the same period in the previous year. The year-over-year increase in the number of job vacancies in Canada in the year 2019 is 12200.

The provinces and territories that reported the highest number of job vacancies are Quebec, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Yukon. In terms of industries, the highest increase in vacancies was recorded by retail trade and healthcare sectors.

In Newfoundland, job vacancies recorded 20.4 percent year-on-year increase in the third quarter of 2019. In other words, a total of 800 more job vacancies were reported here compared to the previous year. This is the sixth consecutive quarter in which a year-over-year growth in job vacancies is being recorded by Newfoundland.

The number of job vacancies rose by 16.2 percent in Nova Scotia, which means a total of 1900 vacancies. Retail trade, healthcare and social assistance sectors recorded the highest number of vacancies in the province.

In Quebec also, the increase in job vacancies during this period was 16.2 percent, or a total of 19,100 vacancies. Almost half of these were recorded in sectors including retail trade and health care and social assistance.

The retail trade sector recorded 9,400 more job vacancies this year, compared to 2018. Healthcare and social assistance sector was another one that recorded a remarkable growth in the number of job vacancies with an increase by 2,800.

Another relevant trend in the job sector reported in 2019 is that in the case of more than half of all the vacancies recorded this year, employers depended on social media to recruit employees. In 2015, only one third of vacancies were filled through social media.

If you are in search of a destination that offers you good career opportunities and better quality living, look no further, Canada is your best choice! Get in touch with our expert immigration consultants to know all about making Canada your permanent home.

Ontario seeks an increase in annual nomination allocation

Ontario has requested the federal government to double its annual nomination allocation by 2022. Vic Fedeli, the Immigration Minister of Ontario, has sent a letter in this regard to his federal counterpart Marco Mendicino.

Annual nomination allocation means the number of immigration candidates a province can nominate for permanent residence in Canada in a year. The nomination allocation for Ontario for the current year is 6650. The province wants this to be increased to 13300 by 2022.

Provincial Nominee Programs

Under the Canada PNP, participating provinces and territories are allowed to nominate a certain number of immigration candidates for permanent residence. The annual nomination allocations for each province vary according to the PNP admission targets of Canada. In the current year, Canada is planning to admit 61000 newcomers through PNP. In 2018, the annual PNP target was 55000. For the coming year, Canada has set an immigration target of 67800 for PNP.

Over the past few years, Ontario has been receiving the largest nomination allocation among all Canadian provinces and territories.Though the annual allocation for Ontario in the current year was 6650, an additional 700 nominations were allocated for the province last week with which the total number of nominations allocated for Ontario has touched 7350.

However, Ontario has not yet revealed how it is planning to distribute the additional nominations among the immigration streams under the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP). The province is also yet to make clear how the increased allocation will benefit the proposed Ontario Regional Immigration Pilot that will be launched in early 2020.

Ontario is also seeking greater autonomy and control over the selecting immigrants to the province. The province of Saskatchewan has already put forward its demand to have more control over immigration to the province. Currently, Quebec alone enjoys greater control over immigration among the provinces and territories of Canada.

Canada PNP is fast becoming a popular and fast-track pathway for migration to Canada. This is a viable option even for candidates with low CRS scores. Get in touch with the expert immigration consultants of CanApprove to explore your options to migrate to Canada through PNP.

Parents and Grandparents Program 2020 intake likely soon

The details of the upcoming intake for the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) for 2020 will be released soon, according to the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). The Parents and Grandparents Program is one of the most popular sponsorship programs among permanent residents and citizens of Canada.

The program allows eligible permanent residents and citizens of Canada to sponsor their parents or grandparents for permanent residence. A huge number of persons depend on this program to bring their parents/grandparents to Canada. The program adopted first-come, first-served system for accepting applications in 2019. Under this system, eligible sponsors may submit Interest to Sponsor forms online when the system is open to accept the forms. The system remains open till the previously decided number Interest to Sponsor forms are accepted. After reviewing these forms, IRCC issues invitations to the sponsors to submit the complete application, which can be done within 60 days of receiving the invitation. As in the case of 2019 intake, IRCC has retained the forms of those who have submitted an Interest to Sponsor form and received a confirmation number, but did not receive an invitation to apply, to be considered in the 2020 intake.

The program has faced a lot of criticism in the past few years for its methods of selection. The online first-come, first-served process of application was introduced in 2019, replacing the lottery system of selecting sponsors. Under the lottery system, the sponsors could submit Interest to Sponsor forms during a month-long window of January after which IRCC randomly selected a set number of sponsors.

After introducing the first-come, first-served system, the program was opened on January 28, 2019. But the system remained open for only a few minutes and many could not submit Interest to Sponsor forms. This also led to much controversy as it was argued that the system discriminated against those who were unable to fill the form quickly and whose internet connection was slow. The maximum number of Interests to Sponsor forms accepted in the 2019 intake was 20000.

Later, the federal government of Canada had to award 70 places under the program to settle two lawsuits that claimed that the online first-come, first-served system of accepting Interests to Sponsor was unfair. According to a report by the CBC News the settlement was made secretly in which the members of the lawsuits were allowed to sponsor their parents/grandparents.

Canada’s immigration system gives highest priority to keeping families together. Get in touch with our expert immigration consultants to explore your options to move to Canada permanently with family.

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