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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.

The Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) issued a total of 3357 invitations in the 14 draws held through its Express Entry-aligned immigration stream so far this year. The minimum Comprehensive Ranking System score of the invited candidates was as low as 300. The invited Express Entry candidates received 600 additional CRS score points, guaranteeing them an invitation to apply for permanent residence in Canada.

Edmonton and Calgary, two of the most popular destinations for immigrants, are located in the province of Alberta. Oil and gas production is the backbone of the province’s economy. However, the economy is also being diversified into the fields of information technology, health services and other industries.
Alberta Express Entry stream:
Alberta launched its immigration stream aligned to the federal Express Entry in the year 2018. In order to apply for provincial nomination under the stream, the candidates must be eligible for one of the three federal immigration programs managed by the Express Entry system — the Federal Skilled Worker Class, Federal Skilled Trades Class and Canadian Experience Class. They are also supposed to have an active profile in the federal Express Entry pool.

The Alberta Express Entry Stream allows the province to select Express Entry candidates who meet the requirements of the province and invite them to live and work in the province. The eligibility criteria include a minimum CRS score of 300 and experience in an occupation that “supports Alberta’s economic development and diversification priorities.” A previous connection to the province is an added advantage, which can be a job offer and/or work experience in Alberta, a degree from a Canadian post-secondary institution and/or a parent, child or sibling already living in Alberta.

Alberta Express Entry draws:

In the total 14 draws held for Express Entry candidates so far this year, three draws invited candidates with a CRS score as low as 300. This is way too low compared to the lowest score applied for the federal Express Entry draws this year, which is 438. The largest Alberta Express Entry stream draw was held on March 5, in which a total of 473 invitations, or Notifications of Interest (NOIs), were issued.

Interested in migrating to Canada through Provincial Nominee Programs? Get a free eligibility assessment to know your chances.

The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) conducted a program-specific Express Entry draw exclusive for Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) candidates on May 15. The draw invited a total of 500 candidates with a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score as low as 332 to apply for permanent residence in Canada.

The Federal Skilled Trades Program is one of the three federal economic immigration programs managed under the Express Entry system. Under the program, Canada invites qualified tradespersons from across the globe through Express Entry to live and work in the country.

Tie-break rule was applied in the May 15 draw as well, the time stamp given being August 29, 2018 at 8:32:03 UTC. It means candidates with a minimum CRS score of 332, who submitted their Express Entry profiles before the said date and time, were given priority in the draw.

With the latest draw, which is the 10th Express Entry draw of 2019, the number of invitations issued by Canada through the Express Entry system so far this year has reached 31750.

IRCC has conducted program-specific draws earlier too. Such draws allow Canada to invite candidates for filling the identified labour shortages in key sectors. However, candidates under the other two federal economic immigration programs under Express Entry– Federal Skilled Worker and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC)– need not be disappointed. A program-specific draw is usually followed by an all program-draw, that too with a decrease in CRS cut-off threshold.

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

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

Canada witnessed the largest employment gain on record in April 2019, according to a report by Statistics Canada. Employment in Canada rose by 107000 last year, with the provinces Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and Prince Edward Island recording remarkable gains. April’s incredible rise in employment has surpassed the forecasted increase of 10,000 net jobs by a huge margin and brought the unemployment rate of Canada slightly down from 5.8 per cent in March to 5.7 per cent in April.

Of the net new jobs reported in April, 73,000 were full-time jobs. The majority of the employment gains, which comes to 84000, were reported in the private sector. On a year-over-year basis, employment in Canada has grown by 426,000, and 248,000 of these are full-time jobs.

There was a rise in employment for youths in the age group of 15-24, people aged above 55 and women in the age group of 25-54. Experts have observed more Canadians entering the labour market and the wages going up. They conclude that these positive developments indicate the fact that employers still have faith in the Canadian economy.

Bloomberg News has observed that the reported increase in employment in Canada reflects the fact that the Canadian economy is attracting more new workers such as immigrants and youngsters, rather than a fall in unemployment.

Ontario records biggest employment gains

Ontario, the most populous province of Canada, recorded an employment increase of 47,000 in April, the biggest among the Canadian provinces and territories. According to Statistics Canada, the main reason for this increase was part-time work among people aged 15 to 24.

In Quebec, employment increased by 38000. The unemployment rate of the province also came down by 0.3 percentage points to 4.9 per cent. This is the lowest unemployment rate ever since Statistics Canada began compiling similar data in 1976. Alberta also posted employment gains of 21000 in April.

The industries that recorded the highest employment gains were:

• Wholesale and retail trade: +32,000
• Construction: +29,000
• Information, culture and recreation: +14,000
• Public administration: +9,000
• Agriculture: +7,000

Do you wish to make Canada, the land of incredible opportunities, your permanent home? Contact us to know more!

Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) issued 170 invitations to apply for a provincial nomination in the Expression of Interest (EoI) draw held on May 9. With this draw, the total number of invitations issued by Manitoba so far this year has reached 4071.

Out of the total 170 invitations issued, 15 have been issued to candidates with a valid Express Entry profile and job seeker validation code. The Express Entry candidates, if nominated by Manitoba, would receive 600 additional Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score points. It means they would receive an invitation to apply for permanent residence in Canada in the subsequent Express Entry draw.

May 9th EoI draw saw the majority of the invitations being issued to candidates belonging to the Skilled Worker in Manitoba Stream. Of the total 170 invitations issued in the draw, 101 invitations went to candidates of this stream. The lowest score of the Skilled Worker in Manitoba candidates invited in the latest draw, under the unique points grid of Manitoba, was 569.

While another 52 invitations were issued to Skilled Workers Overseas candidates, 17 invitations went to the candidates of the International Education stream. The lowest score of candidates selected under the Skilled Workers Overseas was 616. The International Education Stream is meant for international students who graduated from post-secondary institutions in Manitoba. All the Skilled Workers Overseas candidates were invited by the MPNP through the Strategic Recruitment Initiatives. In these initiatives, MPNP works with Manitoba employers to fill the vacant positions in the province.

How to obtain a provincial nomination from Manitoba?

The first step for candidates to obtain a provincial nomination from Manitoba is to submit an Expression of Interest to the MPNP. While submitting the EoI, the candidate has to provide information with regard to a number of factors such as educational qualification, work experience, language proficiency, connections to the province of Manitoba etc. After this, each candidate profile is awarded a score based on the above factors. The highest-scoring candidates are invited to apply for a provincial nomination in the draws that are conducted regularly.

Contact us for more information on Manitoba PNP and other Provincial Nominee Programs.

A new study has found that immigration, combined with the improved participation of under-represented groups of Canada’s labour force, is the best path forward to sustain the economic growth and high living standards of the country. The study, titled Can’t Go It Alone: Immigration is Key to Canada’s Growth Strategy, reached this conclusion after considering a variety of labour scenarios from the year 2018 to 2040. During this 22-year period, around 9.2 million Canadian baby boomers will be retiring from work, which means the demand for Canada’s publicly funded social services would be higher.

The study assumes that by 2040, nearly one-quarter of the population will be 65 or older compared to 17 per cent today. It means that if Canada does not find effective labour force growth solutions by this time, the country would face even greater pressure to fund the healthcare that its citizens increasingly rely on in their senior years.

Around 11.8 million students will also be leaving Canadian schools during the period from 2018 to 2040. They would constitute the bulk of the country’s workers and tax base. However, they will not be enough to make up for the 13.4 million workers who would be leaving the labour force during this period.

The study considered four scenarios for overcoming this impending gap in the labour force of Canada. The first was where there was no immigration to Canada during these 22 years. The other three scenarios considered the results of an immigration level of one per cent and increased labour force participation rates of women, Indigenous peoples and persons with disabilities-the groups that experience “large and chronic gaps” in labour force representation.

The study concluded that a fourth scenario that combined gradually rising immigration levels with increased labour force participation of women, Indigenous peoples and persons with disabilities was the “best path forward” for Canada. It is estimated that this combination would produce a net labour force increase of 5.9 million workers. This is comparable to the annual labour force growth between 2000 and 2017 and average annual real GDP growth of 1.9 per cent between 2018 and 2040.

This scenario is important not only in terms of benefitting the Canadian economy, but also because it would promote inclusive economic growth, alleviate poverty, and strengthen social inclusion and cohesion, according to the study.

Canada has a welcoming policy towards immigrants and they have realized that immigration is crucial for the economic growth of the country. If you too wish to immigrate to Canada, please get a free assessment to know your eligibility.

The Government of Canada has already finished issuing invitations to the selected sponsors of its Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP). Now those invited can submit their complete application to sponsor their parents/grandparents for permanent residence in Canada. The applications have to be submitted within 60 days of receiving the invitation.

The Parents and Grandparents Program allows eligible Canadian citizens and permanent residents above the age of 18 to sponsor their parents and/or grandparents for permanent residence in Canada. The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has set a target to accept a total of 20,000 complete applications to the PGP in the year 2019.

If a Canadian citizen or permanent resident is interested in sponsoring their parents/grandparents for permanent residence in Canada, they must first submit an Interest to Sponsor form during the submission period. The submission period usually falls in January every year. The intake this year was held on January 28, when the PGP accepted a total of 27,000 Interest to Sponsor forms on a first-in, first-served basis. PGP being one of the most sought-after family class immigration programs of Canada, it took only less than 10 minutes for the IRCC to reach the intake limit.

The invitations to apply were issued in the same order as the IRCC received the Interest to Sponsor forms. Before issuing the invitations, IRCC conducted a review of the accepted Interest to Sponsor forms to ensure the eligibility of the applicants and remove duplicate applications, if any. The IRCC began issuing invitations on April 24 and completed the process on April 27.

The invited sponsors can now submit their complete applications along with the supporting documents within 60 days of receiving the invitation. If any of those who have successfully submitted the Interest to Sponsor forms haven’t yet received the invitation to apply, the IRCC will be keeping their submission and contact information, it has been informed.

The IRCC’s website says that it may conduct another round of accepting the interest to sponsor forms in 2019 if Canada needs more potential sponsors.

In 2018 also, IRCC held the second round of invitations to apply to the PGP at the end of July. The annual target of complete applications to be accepted was also increased from 10,000 to 17,000 in the year.

Would you like to know more about sponsoring your parents/grandparents for permanent residence in Canada? Then don’t hesitate to contact us.