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The Quebec government introduced a few important proposals related to immigration on June 7, which are likely to lead to the Quebec immigration levels touching 52,500 in 2022. This translates into an increase of 10,500 newcomers compared to a maximum of 42,000 newcomers this year. If the new proposals are any indication, Quebec is returning to the immigration levels that existed before the new Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government came to power in October 2018. These proposals are also expected to be the basis of public hearings on immigration, which will begin on August 12.

Changes in Quebec immigration levels

The Quebec immigration levels were above 50000 during the period between 2015 and 2018. In the late 2018, the government of Quebec decided to bring down the immigration levels as part of fulfilling an election promise that the concerns regarding the newcomers failing to properly integrate into the Quebec community would be addressed.

In the proposals introduced on June 7, the Immigration Ministry of Quebec (MIDI) explained that the number of newcomers was reduced last year with an aim to revamp the integration programs and services of the province. Now the government will gradually increase the number of newcomers per year by 3000 or 4000 between 2020 and 2022. It will allow both state and civil society actors to provide immigrants with the tools they need to successfully integrate into Quebec society. So, by 2022, the immigration levels will be between 49,500 and 52,500. Out of these, 65 percent of newcomers will be selected through the economic-class immigration programs of Quebec.

The other major proposals include:

• Favour foreign workers and foreign nationals with a degree in Québec, who meet the province’s labour market needs and are already living in Quebec
• Favour skilled applicants with in-demand training or a validated job offer
• Expedite the arrival of economic-class immigrants
• Support employers in their efforts to recruit temporary foreign workers
• Promote the selection of immigrants who know Quebec’s values
• Expand the number of adult immigrants who speak French
• Encourage permanent immigration of young people

Migrating to Quebec guarantees vast opportunities for career growth and high standards of living. CanApprove is a recognized immigration consultancy with decades of experience in Canada/Quebec migration. Contact us for any advice or assistance with regard to Quebec migration.

The Canada Government has launched a new initiative that will make it easier for newcomer women to find a job in the country. Under the initiative, these women will be provided the support and services needed to succeed in the Canadian job market. It will also help them highlight their talents and experiences as they settle in the country.

The initiative especially targets visible minority newcomer women. The Government of Canada defines visible minority (French: minorité visible) as “persons, other than aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in color”. These women usually face multiple barriers when they attempt of find a job and settle in Canada including weak social and employment supports.

As part of implementing the new initiative, Canada government has selected 22 organizations from across the country. In the coming two years, these organizations will launch a number of projects that aim to:

• Develop and test innovative approaches to enable more visible minority newcomer women to find a job and succeed at work;
• Support smaller organizations to increase their capacity to serve visible minority newcomer women and enable them to overcome barriers to employment; and/or
• Increase the digital literacy of visible minority newcomer women to access and advance within the Canadian labor market.

Over the next two years, the Canada government will provide up to $7.5 million for the selected organizations to launch new projects.

Commenting on the new initiative Ahmed Hussen, Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship said “Visible minority newcomer women face more challenges than any other group to enter the workforce. This isn’t just about getting women jobs; it’s also about providing a sense of dignity and belonging. Canada’s gender equality is for all women, not just for some.”

Canada is a country that gives high priority to social welfare and security. Canada’s new initiative to help newcomer women will definitely be a boon for all migrant women, especially single mothers and those who migrate to Canada as dependents. Get in touch with us to explore your options to make Canada your permanent home!

In the latest Ontario Human Capital Priorities (HCP) draw held on May 31, a total of 1072 Express Entry candidates were invited to apply for provincial nomination. The draw specifically targeted candidates with work experience in 10 selected occupations and the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores of invited candidates ranged between 439 and 469.

Human Capital Priorities Stream

Through the Human Capital Priorities Stream, Ontario searches for candidates with the skills and experience to meet the labour market demands of the province in the federal Express Entry pool. The selected candidates are invited to apply for a provincial nomination from Ontario. The candidates who thus receive the provincial nomination will obtain 600 additional CRS score points which guarantee them an invitation to apply for permanent residency in Canada in the subsequent Express Entry draw.

A total of 2565 invitations have been issued through Human Capital Priorities Stream so far this year and the draw held on May 31 is the second draw in 2019.

Targeted occupations in May 31^st HCP draw

• NOC 0114: Other administrative services managers
• NOC 0601: Corporate Sales Managers
• NOC 1122: Professional occupations in business management consulting
• NOC 0124: Advertising, marketing and public relations managers
• NOC 0621: Retail and wholesale trade managers
• NOC 1111: Financial auditors and accountants
• NOC 3012: Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
• NOC 0111: Financial managers
• NOC 1114: Other financial officers
• NOC 0651: Managers in customer and personal services, n.e.c.

Ontario is the second-largest province in Canada in terms of land area and also the most popular destination for new immigrants to Canada. For the first time, Ontario is targeting a specific list of occupations whereas earlier the province has targeted only IT occupations.

CanApprove is a registered immigration consultancy with more than two decades of experience in Canadian immigration. Contact our team to know more about your options to migrate to Canada.

In the latest Labour Market Priorities draw held on June 3, Nova Scotia invited 312 Express Entry candidates with eligible work experience as early childhood educators and assistants. The Labour Market Priorities Stream of Nova Scotia allows the province to search the federal Express Entry pool for candidates to meet the labour market shortages in the province.

The June 3rd draw is the second draw under the Labour Market Priorities Stream that targeted Express Entry candidates with work experience as early childhood educators and assistants (National Occupational Classification 4214).

In order to be considered for provincial nomination under the Labour Market Priorities Stream, a candidate must produce:

• Proof that the candidate has received post-secondary education in early childhood education for children aged 0-8 years
• Proof that the candidate has completed a study program with a duration of two or more years at a university, college, trade or technical school, or other institute
• Letters of reference from employers to prove that the candidate has minimum five years of work experience in NOC 4214.

To be eligible to apply for provincial nomination under the stream, a candidate must:

• Receive Letter of Interest from the NSNP
• Submit the application within 30 days of receiving the Letter of Interest
• Minimum level of work experience to meet the requirements of the Express Entry stream for which you have qualified
• Sufficient funds to settle in Nova Scotia with family
• Legal status in the country of residence
• Meet the eligibility criteria which are in place when they receive the Letter of Interest.

The first step for a candidate to be considered for provincial nomination under the Labour Market Priorities stream is to create an Express Entry profile. The candidates selected in the latest draw were those who submitted their Express Entry profiles on or after August 8, 2018. Those who have received the Letters of Interest from Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP) shall complete the online application form with all the required documents as attachments.

NSNP has conducted four Labour Market Priorities Stream draws from August 2018 till date. While two of these draws targeted early childhood educators, one draw targeted financial auditors and accountants and the other one, Express Entry candidates who listed French as their first official language.

If you are an Express Entry candidate, a provincial nomination may guarantee you an invitation to apply for permanent residence in the subsequent Express Entry draw. But to know which provincial nominee program is the best for you, you need the support of an expert immigration consultant. CanApprove, with more than two decades of experience in Canada migration, shall help you to choose the right immigration pathway so that your dream of migrating to Canada becomes a reality, faster than you thought! Contact us for more information.

Canada will be launching a two-year pilot program under which Canadian permanent residents of certain categories can sponsor non-accompanying family members, who were not declared at the time of applying, for permanent residence in Canada. The new pilot focuses on refugees and vulnerable migrants or those who were themselves sponsored as a spouse, partner or dependent child and they can apply for sponsorship under the new pilot program. The pilot will run from September 9, 2019, to September 9, 2021. Those applications which are already in process will also benefit.

Under Section 117(9) (d) of Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, the non-accompanying family members who were not declared by the sponsor while submitting the Canada PR application, are not eligible for a Family Class Sponsorship. Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR) has termed the provision as “a significant barrier” to family reunification in Canada. It further pointed out that 117(9)(d) had a disproportionately negative effect on refugees and vulnerable migrants who failed to disclose a family member.

On a brief issued on the topic, the Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR) said although R.117(9)(d) affects all categories of immigrants, it has a disproportionately negative effect on refugees and vulnerable migrants who fail to disclose a family member. “Their reasons for doing so include fear of endangering the family member, gender-based oppression, lack of information, and unexpected life events. The regime set out in R.117(9)(d) is overbroad, excessive, and inflicts devastating harm on vulnerable people, especially children. “

Announcing the new pilot, Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Ahmed Hussen said “Newcomers who failed to declare immediate family members as they first came to Canada were barred to sponsor them. Today, we right that wrong.”

Canada is a country that gives the highest priority to family reunification. So when you move to Canada, you need not leave your family behind! Contact us to know how you can sponsor your family members for permanent residence in Canada.

Nova Scotia has launched a new Occupation In Demand immigration pilot stream for candidates in one of the targeted intermediate-skilled occupations of the province.  The candidates also need to have an eligible job offer from a Nova Scotia employer to qualify under the stream.

Immigration pilot stream: Targeted occupations

Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP) has revealed that the three-year pilot stream targets the professions that are “in high labour market demand” in Nova Scotia. However, these occupations may change according to the evolving labour market needs of the province.

Currently, the new Occupation in Demand Stream targets two specific occupations, which are categorized as Skill Level C under Canada’s National Occupational Classification (NOC). They are:

NOC 3413 — Nurses aides, orderlies and patient service associates

NOC 7511 — Transport truck drivers

The candidates must have a full-time permanent job offer from a Nova Scotia employer in one of these occupations in order to be eligible to apply for provincial nomination under this stream.

Eligibility requirements for the new NSNP immigration pilot stream

• Minimum one year of work experience in an eligible occupation
• Age between 21 years to 55 years
• Educational qualification equivalent to high school diploma
• Appropriate training, skills and/or accreditation for the job
• Language proficiency equal to Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) Level 4 proved through official language test results
• Financial capacity to successfully settle in Nova Scotia

The work experience and transferable skills of the candidates will be verified via reference letters from the employers and supporting documents of employment. With the new immigration pilot stream, the total number of immigration streams under NSNP has become eight.

Entrepreneur immigration streams updated

Nova Scotia has also updated its Entrepreneur and International Graduate Entrepreneur streams. Existing business owners will now be eligible under the Entrepreneur Stream and they will be able to include operating expenses towards the required minimum investment.

Besides, the business ownership requirements for international students to start a business in Nova Scotia will be reduced from 100 percent to one third.

Do you want to know which Canada PNP stream is best for you to migrate to Canada? We can help you to make an informed decision. Contact us now!

In the latest Express Entry draw held on May 29, 2019, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) invited 3350 candidates to apply for permanent residence in Canada. This is the 118th Express Entry draw ever since the Express Entry system for managing economic immigration to Canada came into existence in January 2015.

The minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score cut-off threshold in the latest draw was 470. Tie-break rule was applied in this draw too, the time stamp given being May 29, 2019 at 12:09:37 UTC. It means the candidates who had a CRS score above 470 and submitted their Express Entry profiles before the said date and time, were given priority in the May 29 draw.

The latest draw is also the 11th Express Entry draw held so far this year. With this draw, the total number of ITAs issued by the IRCC in 2019 has reached 35,100.

The May 29 draw is the first all-program draw since May 1, after a program-specific Express Entry draw was held on May 15. Only 500 candidates eligible under the Federal Skilled Trades Program were invited in the May 15 draw.

In the year 2018, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) established a new Express Entry ITA record of 89,800 invitations issued in a single year. The total number of invitations to be issued in the years between 2019 and 2021 is about to increase further with higher admission targets set for these years through Express Entry. The minimum CRS score may also come down as the IRCC holds larger or more frequent draws during these years.

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

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