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In the largest ever French-speaking Skilled Worker (FSSW) stream draw held on May 22, Ontario issued Notifications of Interest to 360 Express Entry candidates. This number is more than the combined total of all the invitations issued through the French-speaking Skilled Worker (FSSW) stream draws held by the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) so far this year. With the latest draw, the total number of NOIs issued through FSSW this year has reached 549.

The invited candidates were those who had submitted their Express Entry profiles between May 22, 2018 and May 22, 2019. This immigration stream does not require the candidates to have minimum points. However, they need to have a minimum of Canadian Language Benchmark 7 in French and 6 in English to qualify.

Requirements of Ontario Express Entry: French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream

>An active Express Entry profile

>Minimum one year of full-time, or equivalent part-time work experience under NOC occupation level 0, A or B;

>Canadian equivalent of Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree or PhD;

>Minimum CLB level 7 in TEF exam (French); AND minimum CLB 6 in IELTS exam (English)

>Intention to reside in the Province of Ontario.

The nomination allocation of Ontario for the year 2019 is 6900. A total of 250 nominations out of these are specifically set aside for temporary foreign workers in intermediate skilled occupations (National Occupation Classification C). Compared to last year, the nomination allocation for Ontario has increased by 4.5 per cent in 2019. Though Ontario reached the nomination limit in November 2018, an extra 250 nominations were allocated to the province, bringing the total nomination allocation for Ontario in 2018 to 6,850. The province conducted 44 French-Speaking Skilled Worker draws in 2018. In 2019, Ontario has conducted six draws under the same stream.

If you are a French speaker, French-speaking Skilled Worker is a great option for you to apply for Canada PR. Contact us for more information and guidance on Canada migration.

Canada is all set to introduce a new legislation to hold immigration and citizenship consultants to account and to protect vulnerable people from dishonest consultants, a news release issued by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has informed.  The proposed legislation is included in the 2019 Budget Implementation Act.

Under the law, the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (the College) will become the official watchdog of consultants across the country. The College will be empowered with the authority and tools needed to protect both the public and consultants in good-standing. These include “the authority for vigorous oversight, investigations and the means to root out fraudulent immigration and citizenship consultants and hold them accountable for their actions,” explains the news release.

The College will ensure that immigration and citizenship consultants operate in a professional and ethical manner. It will have the authority to enter the premises of a consultant for investigation when any wrongdoing is suspected and the ability to request court injunctions against unauthorized consultants.

The Government is also planning to entrust the College with implementing mandatory and robust training courses for those wishing to obtain an immigration and citizenship consulting license; introducing transparency on fees; establishing a better system for people to make formal complaints; and creating a victims’ compensation fund.

Further, when the proposed law comes into effect the current monetary penalty for offences will be doubled. The IRCC will be authorized to establish administrative penalties aimed at compliance with the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the Citizenship Act.

Besides the implementation of new legislation, Canada Government is planning to launch extensive public awareness activities that will include establishing dedicated community outreach officers in visa offices abroad, to protect susceptible people from fraudulent consulting practices.

Ahmed Hussen, Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, said, “These changes will protect both Canadians and prospective newcomers as well as the many consultants in good-standing that are providing immigration and citizenship services ethically and professionally. While practicing law, I have seen the devastating effect these fraudulent “experts” have had on vulnerable people and I am committed to hold them to the highest standard. It is what is right, it is what is fair and it is time to put an end of an era of those preying on defenseless people.”

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Latest data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) indicate that the Indian population in Australia grew by 30 percent between the years 2016 and 2018. As per Census 2016 data, the number of Indians living in Australia was 455,389 in June 2016. The Indian population rose to 592,000 by June 2018, the preliminary estimates by the ABS show.

With this population increase, Indians have now become the third largest community in Australia, pushing the New Zealand born to the third place. At present, the Indian population constitutes 2.4% of the Australian population and the median age of Indian migrants is 34 years, the same as that of Australia-born residents.

Since the year 2016, Indians have been the largest source of migrants to Australia. In 2016-2017, a total of 183,608 PR visas were issued by Australia out of which, 38,854 visas were issued to Indians. In 2017-2018, the number of PR visas issued by Australia was 162,417 and the number of visas granted to Indians was 33,310.

The number of Indian students in Australia also reached a seven-year high in 2018. Data shows that around 70,000 students were studying in Australian universities and colleges in November 2017.

In June 2018, the total population of migrants in Australia was more than seven million. Overseas-born residents constituted more than 29 per cent of the population. The largest group of overseas-born residents in Australia continues to be the England-born diaspora. Second is the Chinese, with more than 651000 China-born residents living in the country.

Along with the migrant population, the Indian languages have also grown in Australia. The top Indian language spoken at home in Australia is Hindi, with 159,652 speakers. Second is Punjabi, with 132,496 speakers. These two languages are among the top 10 languages spoken in Australia. The other Indian languages that witnessed a significant increase in the number of speakers in Australia during this period are Tamil (73,161), Bengali (54,566), Malayalam (53,206), Gujarati (52,888), Telugu (34,435), Marathi (13,055) and Kannada (9701). Konkani, Kashmiri, Oriya and Sindhi are also being spoken in Australia, though speakers are a minority.

Australia has in store vast opportunities for qualified migrants. Contact us to explore your options to migrate to Australia.

Draw details of May 15 published by Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) imply 197 Express Entry candidates with Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score as low as 301 were invited.
Invitations issued and lowest score required in Alberta Express Entry draws in 2019

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Out of 15 draws held in 2019 so far, minimum score requirements ranged between 300 and 302 for 7 draws. For the previous draw held on May 2, 2019, minimum CRS score required was 400. Compared to this, the latest draw has invited candidates with CRS score as low as 301.

Express Entry System

The Express Entry system introduced in 2015 invites the candidates from the three main federal economic immigration categories listed below:

• Federal Skilled Worker Class

• Federal Skilled Trades Class

• Canadian Experience Class

AINP targets Express Entry candidates who can support the economic development of Alberta. The Express Entry candidates receiving invitation or Notification of Interest (NOI) from AINP can submit application for provincial nomination under Alberta Express Entry stream.

Candidates receive NOI if they meet the below criteria: –

• Active Express Entry profile in the Federal Express Entry pool.

• Statement of interest to immigrate permanently to Alberta.

• Occupation that can support Alberta’s economic development and diversification.

• Minimum CRS score of 300.

Your chances for selection are high if you have below requirements, even though not mandatory.

• Job offer/work experience in Alberta.

• A degree from a Canadian post-secondary institution and a valid job offer.

• A parent, child, or sibling living in Alberta.

Selection process of AINP

A candidate with a CRS score of at least 300 and work experience in an occupation that can support Alberta’s economic development and diversification priorities will be eligible for Alberta Express Entry stream.

Express Entry Candidates who are nominated by a province receive an additional 600 points for their CRS score which ensure an invitation from Canadian government to apply for permanent residence.

Avail this golden opportunity to migrate to Canada, get a free eligibility assessment to understand your chances.

In the latest Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) draw held on May 22, invitations to apply for provincial nomination were issued to candidates belonging to Express Entry and Occupation In-Demand immigration sub-categories. Out of the total 325 invitations issued, 221 invitations were issued to Occupation In-Demand candidates while the remaining 104 invitations went to candidates belonging to the Express Entry sub-category. The lowest score of candidates invited under both of these categories was 82.

Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP)

Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program nominates economic immigration candidates who can meet the specific labor market needs of the province, for permanent residence in Canada. Since 2007, Saskatchewan has welcomed more than 108,000 newcomers from 170 countries.

Immigration is a key driver of the population and labour force in Saskatchewan. In order to apply for a provincial nomination from Saskatchewan under the Express Entry and Occupation In-Demand sub-categories of the SINP, a candidate must have work experience in one of the in-demand occupations of the province. However, it is not mandatory for the candidates to have a job offer from a Saskatchewan employer in order to apply. Saskatchewan has issued 854 invitations through its Occupation In-Demand sub-category and 814 through its Express Entry sub-category so far this year.

The first step for a candidate to apply for provincial nomination through one of these categories is to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) with the SINP. Each EoI profile is assigned a score out of 100 based on a number of eligibility factors such as education, skilled work experience and language proficiency. The highest-scoring candidates are invited to apply for a provincial nomination in the draws that are conducted regularly.

The Express Entry candidates nominated by Saskatchewan would receive 600 additional Comprehensive Ranking System(CRS) score points that would guarantee them an Invitation to Apply for permanent residence in the subsequent Express Entry draw. The Occupation In-Demand sub-category candidates nominated by SINP will have their applications processed outside the Express Entry system.

Canada PNP is a simple and viable option for skilled workers who wish to migrate to Canada. Contact us to know more about Canada PNP and applying for Canada PR.

Established Canadian immigrants were found to be wealthier than their Canada-born counterparts in 2016 in a study released by Statistics Canada. According to the report, the longer an immigrant family has been in Canada, the wealthier they are.

The study observed that the immigrant families who had been in Canada for more than 20 years and had their major earners in the age group of 45 go 64, had a worth $1.06 million on an average in 2016. Compared to this, the average worth of their Canadian-born counterparts was almost $980,000.

The immigrant families who had been in Canada between 10 and 19 years and major earners aged between 35 to 54 had worth approaching $575,695 in 2016. Compared to this, the worth of Canadian-born families was $658,607. However, this gap seems to be closing as the average wealth of 10-19 years immigrants has increased by 134 per cent since 1999. But at the same time, the wealth of Canadian-born families witnessed a rise of only 87 per cent.

The average wealth of families who had been in Canada for less than 10 years with major earners in the age group of 25-44 was $271,935 in 2016. Compared to this, the wealth of their Canadian-born equivalents was $347,577. But in the case of these newly arrived immigrants, average family wealth has grown by 146 per cent since 1999, compared to the 70 per cent growth rate of Canadian-born families.

Statistics Canada released the study titled ‘The Wealth of Immigrant Families in Canada’ in April 16, 2019. The study is based on the data collected in Surveys of Financial Security conducted in 1999, 2005, 2012 and 2016. “While many studies have documented the financial characteristics of immigrants in Canada in terms of low income and labour market outcomes, the wealth of immigrant families has received relatively little attention. The study finds that the wealth of both immigrant families and Canadian-born families grew substantially from 1999 to 2016,” says the study report.

Another interesting observation of the study is that the average family wealth of new immigrants is growing faster compared to established immigrants. While the average wealth for families in Canada who had been in Canada for less than 10 years with the major earner aged 25 to 44 increased by 146 per cent between 1999 and 2016, the wealth of those families who had been in Canada for more than 20 years increased by only 70 per cent. While earning was significantly more in the case of established immigrant families, the growth rate of their wealth was less than half of the percentage for new immigrants.

A significant contributor to the growth of wealth in immigrant families between 1999 and 2016 was housing equity. In the case of established immigrant families, this factor accounted for 69 per cent of the wealth increase during the said period. Another significant contributing factor was the pension value, with registered pension plan assets accounting for 17 per cent of wealth increases.

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Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that immigration was a crucial factor behind Canada’s thriving technology sector. Acknowledging the contribution of immigrants to the growth of technology sector, Trudeau, at a conference held in Toronto, said Canada’s openness to welcoming new immigrants was central to the growth of its technology industry.

Countries like the US are closing themselves off to immigration. In this context, Canada’s ability to remain open has given it an important edge, said Trudeau. “Access to talent obviously comes from immigration and it comes from training young and educating Canadians right,” he added.

By the year 2021, Canada will be welcoming 350,000 newcomers per year to the country. Majority of these newcomers would be economic immigrants or skilled workers with skills and experience in demand in the Canadian labor market.

Global Talent Stream

Canada launched the Global Talent Stream with an aim to attract global talents to the technology sector of the country. It is a flagship work permit stream that makes possible the processing of work permit applications complete within 10 business days. It also aims to provide support to companies which are looking to make significant job-creating investments in Canada. Companies applying for workers through the Global Talent Stream will have access to the new streamlined application process. It offers guidance to the employers on the application process and the development of the Labor Market Benefits Plan, with a service standard of 10 business days.

Canada vs US

Under the Trump administration, the US has introduced a deliberate increase in red tape in the H-1B visa for technology workers. On the contrary, the Global Talent Stream of Canada offers a viable option for skilled technology workers from across the globe to obtain a Canadian work permit. As a result, foreign technology workers have increasingly started to choose Canada over the US. Not only that, the ability to hire the right employees without much hassle has encouraged major tech firms to move their operations to Canada, at least partly. The tech workers who come to Canada on work permit can apply for Permanent Residence in Canada after gaining sufficient level of Canadian work experience.

Are you a skilled worker planning to migrate to Canada? Contact us to explore your options to make your dream come true!

Manitoba is planning to introduce a few innovative measures to attract more immigrants to the rural areas of the province, which are facing a serious demographic challenge because of an aging population and lower fertility rate. As part of these measures, Manitoba will be bringing out a rural immigration toolkit to help the rural communities in the coming weeks. The toolkit is expected to make it easier for employers and community leaders in the rural areas of Manitoba to recruit, welcome and integrate immigrants to the smaller towns of the province.

Data shows that, in the past 20 years, 20 per cent of the 130,000 immigrants to Manitoba have settled in rural areas. However, Manitoba has taken a few important steps to improve that figure by helping employers in rural areas recruit foreign workers. These include:

·         Giving input to the employers on selecting applicants and hiring them from applicant pools.

·      mproving accessibility of the employers to the Labour Market Impact Assessment-exempt work permits under the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) and thus increasing the direct recruitment of foreign workers.

·         Organizing international recruitment events and the hiring workers on exploratory visits.

·         Streamlining the recruitment of higher skilled, higher wage workers.

The new measures planned by the province include launching a new rural investment immigration stream in collaboration with the federal government, similar to that of British Columbia. The existing Business Investor Stream of Manitoba is extremely investor-friendly and the investment requirement is comparatively lower. Moreover, Manitoba gives extra points to the entrepreneurs who plan to invest in rural projects.

Another plan of Manitoba is to implement a formal public commitment to invest MPNP application fee revenues in the integration projects for newcomers, including in rural areas. The province is also planning to modernise the existing Canada-Manitoba Immigration Agreement, signed in 2003, with an aim to prioritize rural economic development by improving flexibility.

Manitoba also wants to move away from what it describes as the federal ‘one size fits all’ approach. The province plans to take efforts to reduce the processing time of applications, as it welcomes 90 percent of its economic immigrants through MPNP. Manitoba finds the discrepancy in processing times between federal and provincial candidates as unfair. While the applicants to federal programs receive PR visa within six months, most provincial nominees have to wait for almost 18 months for the same. It affects the arrival of immigrants and employers to its rural communities of Manitoba and unnecessarily delays families joining the newcomers. So, the province is looking for an effective solution to the problem.

Provincial Nominee Programs offer vast options for skilled workers and entrepreneurs to migrate to Canada. Get a free assessment to explore your options for Canada migration.

Thanks to immigration, the Maritime provinces of Canada namely Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick have recently been witnessing the fastest population growth in decades, according to a report released by the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council (APEC). Over the past few years, Maritime provinces have been the key focus in Canada’s efforts to attract and retain skilled foreign workers and their families. These provinces are struggling to deal with the population and labour force declines caused by migration to other provinces, low fertility rates, and aging population and immigration is considered to be the key solution to these problems.

Population growth in Maritime provinces of Canada:

The APEC report observes that Prince Edward Island experienced an incredible population growth rate of two percent year-over-year since 2016. Immigration was the key contributor to this growth, as the province recorded the largest number of new immigrants in Canada in 2016-2018, relative to the size of its population.

Nova Scotia witnessed an average growth rate of 0.8 percent during the same period, which is the fastest since the mid-1980s, according to the APEC report. At the same time, the average annual growth rate of New Brunswick was 0.5 percent, the highest since the early 1990s. The only Atlantic province of Canada that reported a negative growth rate is New Foundland and Labrador, its population decreasing by 0.2 percent per year.

Provincial Nominee Programs and population growth:

A total of 22,000 newcomers came to the Atlantic provinces of Canada through Provincial Nominee Programs between 2016 and 2018. It means Provincial Nominee Programs are the biggest source of new immigrants in these provinces. Provincial nominee programs allow Canadian provinces to nominate a given number of economic immigration candidates each year for permanent residence in Canada.

Besides the PNPs, the Atlantic Immigration Pilot launched two years ago brought another 1600 new immigrants to the Atlantic provinces of Canada. Under the program, employers in the Atlantic provinces of Canada can hire foreign workers to fill the jobs that they are unable to fill locally.

However, APEC report states that it is impossible to predict whether the Maritime provinces of Canada would be able to sustain the current population growth rate in the future.

Provincial Nominee Programs offer diverse options to skilled professionals to migrate to Canada. If you are interested, we shall guide you to choose the best course forward. Contact us for more information.