272 Candidates Receive Nominations From Manitoba PNP For Canada PR

Manitoba held its first nomination draw of 2021 on January 14th, issuing 272 invitations to eligible candidates to apply for provincial nominations. All invitations went to skilled workers and international graduates under the ‘enhanced’ Express Entry stream & ‘base’ streams such as Skilled Workers in Manitoba, International Education Stream, and Skilled Workers Overseas.

Canada Provincial Nominee Programs started off the year 2021 on a positive note with British Columbia issuing the first nomination draw. It was soon followed by Saskatchewan inviting eligible candidates to apply for a provincial nomination. Even Canada Express Entry conducted PNP-specific draws, issuing 250 ITAs for Canada PR.

Interesting Read>> How To Qualify For Canada PR Under Canada PNP?

Major Highlights Of January 14 MPNP Draw

‘Enhanced’ Express Entry Stream: Out of the total 272 invitations issued by the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP), the number of Express Entry candidates who received invitations in the draw was 18.

All the invited Express Entry candidates had a registered Express Entry profile in the federal pool, a job seeker validation code, and work experience in an occupation featured in the In-demand Occupations list of Manitoba.

The federal Express Entry pool is a database of interested applicants willing to obtain permanent residence in Canada. Typically, the federal pool of candidates manages three of Canada’s main economic-class immigration programs: Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program, and Canadian Experience Class. However, certain streams under the various Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) can select candidates from the pool.

The candidates who are nominated by Manitoba will get 600 additional CRS score points. This will effectively guarantee them an invitation to apply for a permanent residence in a subsequent Express Entry draw.

‘Base’ Occupations In-Demand Stream: 236 candidates qualified for Skilled Workers in Manitoba stream and having with a minimum provincial score of 461 received invitations. Another 7 candidates were invited under Skilled Workers Overseas having a minimum score of 722. The remaining 29 invitations went to the International Education stream and had no EoI score requirements.

Any foreign skilled worker may be eligible for a provincial nomination from Manitoba and can apply from outside Canada. All they will need is to:

have a previous connection to the province in the form of close family members or friends living in the province,
previous work or study experience in the province, or
an invitation received through the Strategic Recruitment Initiatives of MPNP.

Furthermore, the Skilled Workers in Manitoba candidates must have a full-time permanent job offer from a Manitoba employer. International students who have graduated from the higher education institutions of Manitoba will stand eligible to receive an invitation for provincial nomination if they possess the in-demand skills as listed by the province.

Further, Manitoba is looking to promote immigration to the province by setting up a new department that will keep immigration as the base for implementing the COVID-19 recovery plan. Through the new department, MPNP aims to align the higher education institutions of the province with the labor market needs. It will ensure job opportunities for new immigrants.

Take this free assessment online or contact our consultants directly to determine your eligibility.

Canada’s New Immigration Mandate Letter 2021: Reveals New Priorities

After a long wait since October 2020, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has finally provided immigration minister Merco Mendicino a mandate letter this January 15.

A mandate letter is supposed to be a guideline that outlines the goals of the current government and what it expects the immigration minister and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to pursue during its tenure.

This new mandate letter supplements the one that was already provided by Trudeau to Mendicino in December 2019. The purpose of the new letter is to incorporate new objectives borne out of the COVID-19 crisis.

Immigration Will Remain Central To Canada’s Economy And Society

Canada will continue to welcome newcomers to support the country’s economic growth and post-COVID recovery. Major economic class immigration streams; family reunification programs will receive more attention by focusing more on sectoral and regional pilot programs.

Canada PR pathways will focus more on occupations like health care and other critical services. There may be a possibility of additional permanent residence pathways for temporary foreign workers residing in Canada.

Immigration settlement programs will be boosted by enhancing co-operation between the federal and provincial/territorial governments. It would include support to newcomers in French-language training.

The new mandate letter only reinforces the exuberant target set by Immigration Levels Plan for 2021-2023. Over 200,000 foreign talent including skilled workers, students, business individuals will receive permanent residence annually over the next three years.

CanApprove understands that the underlying theme of the new mandate letter is to continue to operate the immigration system to the best of its abilities during the pandemic. As the leading immigration and legal advisor in the region, we hope to offer you genuine consultancy and personalized attention. We have an excellent track record of over two decades in offering eligibility advice, overseas education counseling, and documentation for visa to settle in Canada.

Book your free consultation with us today!

Should You Consider Nova Scotia PNP For Canada PR 2021?

Nova Scotia has set the stage for economic recovery by admitting more than the allocated number of immigrants by the end of 2020.

The maritime Canadian province is said to have admitted close to 3,517 new permanent residents. Most of these immigrants had work experiences in essential services, such as care assistants, nurses, physicians, and other healthcare workers, or who were already living on a temporary visa in Canada. However, COVID-19 travel restrictions have delayed the traveling of these immigrants to Canada.

The province’s immigration minister Lena Diab was quoted in a press conference saying,

“Immigration will play an important role in our economy as we recover from this pandemic. We will continue to work with our stakeholders to identify labor needs in key essential service sectors and employers who need specialized skills and talent to create economic growth.”

The impact of the pandemic was clearly seen in the decline of overall immigration levels in 2020 compared to 2019. However, the province continued to process applications through the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) and the Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP). This reinforces the general empathy and dependence on immigration in Canada.

How To Apply For Canada PR Through Nova Scotia?

Come 2021, the province seems to focus on attracting foreign talent with specialized skills or occupations that match identified labor shortages. Further, the province seeks to retain international students after they graduate from any institution in the province.

Any eligible foreigner can apply for receiving a provincial nomination from Nova Scotia in two ways: the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP), and the Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP).

Eight different immigration streams under the NSNP:

‘Enhanced’ PNP streams –

Nova Scotia Experience: for candidates with their profiles registered in the federal Express Entry pool and work experience in Nova Scotia for at least one year;
Nova Scotia Labour Market Priorities: for candidates with their profiles registered in the federal Express Entry pool and who meet specific labor market needs;
Nova Scotia Labour Market Priorities for Physicians: for candidates with their profiles registered in the federal Express Entry pool and who have a job offer as a family physician or specialist physician;

‘Base’ PNP streams –

Physician Stream: for physicians who have a job offer in Nova Scotia and are not in the Express Entry system;
Skilled Worker Stream: for skilled workers who have received a job offer in the province;
Occupation In-Demand Stream: for workers with a job offer in an occupation that is deemed “in-demand;”
Entrepreneur Stream: for individuals who wish to start a business in the province; and
International Graduate Entrepreneur Stream: for international graduates who wish to start a business in the province.

Take this free assessment online to determine your eligibility based on your specific profile.

To apply under the AIP, candidates must have a job offer from a designated employer and must have an individualized settlement plan. Atlantic Canada consists of four provinces: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island.

Being a pioneer in immigration, overseas education, and legal consultancy for more than two decades, CanApprove has become the natural choice in the region for aspiring immigrants. Avail of our proven services to ensure approval of immigration applications in quick time. Book your free session with one of our advisors today!

Family Immigration To Gain Momentum In 2021 For Canada PR

It has been just over a week since Canada held its lottery draw for Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) 2020, IRCC has now issued a maximum quota of 10,000 invitations to eligible sponsors to apply under the PGP 2020.

Canada has built a solid plan for its recovery post-pandemic. The new Immigration Levels Plan 2021-2023 aims at welcoming 105,000 immigrants each year through exclusive family reunification programs – Super Visa, PGP, and other dependents on usual economic-class programs.

Super Visa allows the parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents to come to Canada as visitors for a period of up to two consecutive years.

On the other hand, PGP allows Canadian citizens and permanent residents are allowed to sponsor their parents and grandparents to permanently immigrate to Canada. Further, they may qualify to receive permanent residence status. All eligible immigrants will enjoy benefits on par with other permanent residence holders including the freedom to work, obtain health care, get full protection under Canadian law and the Charter of Rights and Freedom, and eventually apply for Canadian citizenship.

Take this free assessment online to determine how to immigrate to Canada along with your family.

How To Sponsor Parents and Grandparents To Immigrate to Canada?

IRCC will be soon updating us on the details of the 2021 PGP process. However, to stand eligible for PGP in 2021, follow the below steps:

Step 1: Ensure you meet the eligibility criteria.
Step 2: Complete an Interest to Sponsor form on IRCC’s website between the said deadline.
Step 3: IRCC will hold a lottery draw to invite up to 30,000 sponsors. These sponsors will be given 60 days to submit completed sponsorship applications.

According to the website of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the average processing time for an application is between 20 and 24 months.

2021 is said to be a record year for PGP as Canada had earlier announced the following changes:

Canada had temporarily eased the income requirements for family class immigration including the PGP in the wake of the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Now, the sponsor’s income needs to meet only the Minimum Necessary Income(MNI). Earlier, the sponsor’s income was required to be MNI plus 30 percent.
The sponsor must have met the minimum income requirement for at least the last three taxation years.
The sponsor needs to sign an undertaking agreement saying that they would pay back any social assistance that the sponsored individuals claim. For sponsors outside Quebec, the undertaking period is 20 years.

Economic-class immigration programs like Express Entry, Provincial Nominee Program, business immigration streams also allow spouse/common-law partner and dependent children, if any, to accompany the primary applicant.

This goes on to tell a lot about the liberal immigration stance adopted by Canada to support its economy, aging demography, and low birth rate problem through rising immigration.

Contact our immigration consultants today to determine your eligibility!

SINP Nominates 385 Eligible Candidates For Canada PR

After British Columbia, Saskatchewan held its first PNP draw of 2021 on January 7, inviting eligible immigration candidates to apply for a provincial nomination for Canadian permanent residence (PR).

All the candidates have been invited under the ‘enhanced’ Express Entry & ‘base’ Occupations In-Demand Saskatchewan PNP streams.

‘Enhanced’ Express Entry Stream: Out of the total 385 invitations, 148 invitations went to candidates who already had their profiles in the federal Express Entry pool. Currently, the province has a list of 79 in-demand occupations.

The federal Express Entry pool is a database of interested applicants willing to obtain permanent residence in Canada. Originally, the federal pool of candidates manage three of Canada’s main economic-class immigration programs: Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program, and Canadian Experience Class.

However, certain streams under the Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) can select candidates from the pool.

‘Base’ Occupations In-Demand Stream: Out of the total 385 invitations, 237 invitations went to candidates who have specific work skills that are in-demand in Saskatchewan.

Those candidates who barely qualify to register a federal Express Entry profile may be nominated under the Occupations In-Demand sub-category.

Interesting Read>> How To Qualify For Canada PR Under Canada PNP?

Check your eligibility by filling this free assessment online.

How To Get Nominated In Future Saskatchewan PNP Draws?

In order to be considered for nominations under the upcoming Saskatchewan Immigration Nominee Program (SINP) draws, candidates must register their Expression of Interest (EOI) profile with the provincial authority.

Candidates need to demonstrate their commitment to meaningfully settle in Saskatchewan by demonstrating their work experience, education, language ability, age, and connections to the province.

Saskatchewan gives candidates a score out of 100 according to the International Skilled Worker Points Assessment Grid. The province favors candidates with bilingual capability in both English and French. The highest-scoring candidates are then issued an invitation to apply for a provincial nomination from Saskatchewan.

Regardless of the provincial category, all invited candidates need an EOI score of at least 71 in order to be invited. It is also to be noted that the points requirement is that all the invited candidates must have valid Educational Credential Assessments.

Additionally, candidates already in the federal Express Entry pool need to register another EOI and choose Saskatchewan.

On successfully receiving an invitation to apply (ITA) for a provincial nomination, candidates are awarded an additional 600 points toward their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. It will effectively guarantee an ITA for Canada PR in the subsequent Express Entry draw conducted by IRCC.

We could see Canada inviting over 80,000 new permanent residents through various PNP streams. This would include business entrepreneurs, international students graduates in that province, foreign skilled workers, specifically skilled tech workers, critical workers, etc. Moreover, 2021 began with Express Entry Draws#171 that invited only those candidates who had a prior provincial nomination to apply for Canada PR.

Take the first step towards securing Canada PR by booking a free consultation session with us!

New Policy Introduced To Help International Students For Canada PR

Canada has come to the rescue of former International Students having an expired or expiring Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP). The new policy gives them another chance to gain work experience and qualify for Canada PR.

The policy dated January 8, 2021, allows former international students or holders of PGWP to apply for a new open work permit. IRCC affirmed in a press release that the new policy will help “more graduates fill pressing needs in areas like health care, technology, and more.”

Canadian research shows that former international students are able to integrate more freely into the Canadian labor market upon gaining permanent residence. The latest figures from IRCC notes about half of 61,000 PGWP holders between January and December 2020 obtained permanent residence in Canada.

Following this, the new open work permits will be valid for 18 months. It will enable former international students to stay in Canada and continue to look for work.

Foreign nationals can work now for any employer of their choice, unlike a closed work permit.

Interesting Read>> How International Students Thrive in Canada

How To Apply Under New Policy?

Canada has seen over 60% of all-time PGWP holders gain permanent residence.

The application process will be open from January 27 to July 27, 2021. The following criteria must be met to apply for an open work permit under the new policy:

You must have a PGWP that expired on or after January 30, 2020, or a
PGWP that expires in 4 months or less from the date of application;
You need to be in Canada;
You need to have a valid temporary status or be applying to restore your status.

Canada continues to attract more international students and encourage them to gain permanent residence. Take that first step forward and book a free consultation session with CanApprove to your prospectus of studying abroad.

Express Entry: Alternative CEC & PNP Draws For Canada PR

Canada may be returning to the period where it held back-to-back Express Entry draws with alternative nominations for Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates and those qualifying only under Canada Experience Class (CEC).

Within a day after the first Express Entry draw of 2021, IRCC held another program-specific draw by inviting candidates from the federal pool to apply for permanent residence in Canada.

This year, Canada is targeting to welcome over 108,500 new permanent residents. Any foreign skilled worker, business entrepreneur even with no prior work experience inside Canada may stand eligible for obtaining permanent residence and eventually citizenship in quick time.

Quick Highlights of January 7 Express Entry Draws

IRCC invited only CEC-candidates contrary to the regular all-program draw that typically includes candidates from the Federal Skills Worker Program (FSWP), the Federal Skills Trades Program (FSTP), Canada Experience Class (CEC), in addition to those with a prior provincial nomination.

January 7 Express Entry draw included:

1.Nomination Draw Size: Unlike the previous PNP-specific draw where only 250 candidates were invited, the CEC-specific draw usually invites a large number of candidates. IRCC posted an exuberant draw size of 4,750 invitations to apply (ITAs) for Canada PR in this draw.

Any foreign skilled workers, preferably graduating in Canada, and with at least one year of work experience inside Canada may qualify for CEC-specific draw.

2.Qualifying CRS points: Any profile that is registered in the federal Express Entry pool will be ranked and evaluated out of a total of 1200 points based on a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). It considered human capital factors like age, education, work experience outside Canada, language proficiency in English/French, spouse adaptability, Canadian study experience, etc.

Candidates who receive provincial nominations through ‘enhanced’ PNP streams will get an additional 600 points towards their CRS score.

January 7 draw selected candidates having a minimum CRS score of 461 which is similar to last year’s program-specific qualifying score.

3.Tie-break Rule: It is quite often that we may see two or more candidates getting the same CRS points. To avoid confusion in the rankings, IRCC uses a tie-break rule that is unique to every draw.

In the latest draw, those who received a CRS score of 461 or more and submitted their Express Entry profile before September 12, 2020, at 20:46:32 UTC were considered to receive an ITA for Canada PR.

All the selected candidates will receive a Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) if their application for Canada PR is successful. Hereon, candidates need to plan for their travel to Canada and later, apply for their PR card. Further, they can even think of securing citizenship after 3 years of stay in Canada.

Recently, IRCC reported that about 50% of new permanent residents who came to Canada between 2005 and 2015 (2.8 million) were able to secure their citizenship by December 31, 2018.

With Canada’s target to invite about 110,000 new immigrants through Express Entry draws in 2021, now is a good time to contact CanApprove to determine your eligibility and plan for the best possible option to immigrate to Canada.

2020 Parents and Grandparents Program Lottery Held After Initial Delay

The lottery draw for the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) that was supposed to be held in December 2020, now took place on January 5, 2021.

The Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) immigration lottery for 2020 will be inviting 10,000 applications for sponsorship. The PGP program in Canada allows Canadian citizens or permanent residents to sponsor their parents or grandparents to immigrate to Canada, thereby boosting family immigration for a settled social life.

Earlier between the months of October 13, 2020 – November 03, 2020, the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) received requests for sponsoring aged dependents.

All the selected sponsors have upto 60 days to submit a completed sponsorship application to IRCC. However, the COVID-related extensions have been provided and now the applications have upto a maximum of 90 days. Based on the applications, IRCC will select 10,000 sponsors. It will gradually invite those drawn from the lottery within the next 10 days.

Contact our Senior consultants to know the prospects and eligibility for PGP in 2021.

Parents & Grandparents Program 2021

We could soon expect the date for the 2021 Parents and Grandparents Program lottery. While 2020 PGP will be accepting 10,000 applications, IRCC has already announced to accept over 30,000 applications in 2021.

All eligible sponsors should meet the necessary income level and sign a sponsorship undertaking agreement to successfully bring their parents or grandparents to Canada. Under this agreement, sponsors and their co-signers are obliged to repay any social assistance paid to their sponsored relatives.

Apart from family immigration, Canada is focusing to welcome over 200,000 new immigrants through its economic-class programs. We are expected yet another splendid year for the Express Entry system, Provincial Nominee Programs, and Business Immigration programs.

Take this free assessment online to know your eligibility for various immigration programs.

250 PNP Candidates Nominated For Canada PR

After an outstanding year for Express Entry in 2020, the Immigration, Refugees, and the Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held its first draw of 2021.

Quick Highlights of January 6 Express Entry Draws

IRCC held a program-specific nomination draw contrary to the regular all-program draw which typically includes candidates from the Federal Skills Worker Program (FSWP), Canada Experience Class (CEC), the Federal Skills Trades Program (FSTP), in addition to those with a prior provincial nomination.

January 6 Express Entry draw included:

1.Nomination Draw Size: Rather unusual but only 250 invitations to apply (ITAs) for Canada PR in contrary to the usual draw size of above 4,000 ITAs, as seen in 2020 & 2019. This is because only candidates with a prior provincial nomination were made available for the draw.

Candidates who receive provincial nominations through ‘enhanced’ PNP streams will get an additional 600 points towards their CRS score. January 6 draw selected candidates having a minimum CRS score of 813.

In the latest draw, those who received a CRS score of 813 or more and submitted their Express Entry profile before November 2, 2020, at 11:11:52 UTC were considered to receive an ITA for Canada PR.

Recently, IRCC reported that out of the more than 2.8 million permanent residents who came to Canada between 2005 and 2015, about 50% of them got citizenship by December 31, 2018.

Contact CanApprove to know your best possible option to immigrate to Canada.

British Columbia Nominates 168 Candidates To Apply For Canada PR

British Columbia (BC) held the first Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) draw of 2021 that resulted in 168 provincial nominations for permanent residence (PR) in Canada.

BC PNP draws held on January 5 issued invitations through both its ‘enhanced’ & ‘base’ immigration streams. The following sub-categories of candidates were eligible to receive the invitation to apply (ITA): Skilled Worker, International Graduate, and Entry-Level, Semi-Skilled.

Certain sectors and businesses in British Columbia continue to be under the impact of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. And for this reason, BC PNP has also excluded some occupations for consideration in January 5 draw.

BC PNP ‘Enhanced’ & ‘Base’ Provincial Streams

Canada has over 100+ immigration streams where each stream targets a specific group of people.

Since the launch of the Express Entry system in 2015, all provincial streams are classified with respect to the new federal system. This led to the emergence of ‘enhanced’ provincial streams that can nominate desirable candidates from the federal Express Entry pool.

This allowed Canada PNP to have access to highly qualified foreign skilled workers and at the same time provided an additional pathway for foreigners to immigrate to Canada.

January 5 BC PNP draws nominated some candidates through its Express Entry BC (EEBC) ‘enhanced’ stream and some candidates through its Skills Immigration ‘base’ stream.

The Skills Immigration ‘base’ stream is targeted at international workers or graduates who have the qualifications, education, and work experience to fill certain positions in British Columbia but do not have an Express Entry profile.

For any interested party to apply for provincial nomination under any one of the two BC PNP streams, prior registration on its Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS) is made compulsory.

SIRS evaluates the registered profile and issues a score out of 200: 120 points are dedicated to the economic factor and the remaining 80 are allocated to the core human capital factor. These factors include job location, level of education, work experience, proficiency in English, and salary.

The qualifying score required to receive an invitation in the January 5 BC PNP draw:

Express Entry BC: Skilled Worker: 99
Express Entry BC: International Graduate: 99
Skills Immigration: Skilled Worker: 95
Skills Immigration: International Graduate: 95
Skills Immigration Entry-Level and Semi-Skilled: 77

Take this free assessment online to determine your eligibility to qualify for Canada PR.

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