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Canada sent all invitation to Parents and Grandparents sponsors On January 11, 2021, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced the department has completed sending invitations to apply for Parents and Grandparents sponsorship in the 2020 intake. IRCC allocated a quota of 10,000 applications for 2020. All successful sponsorship lottery winners have 60 days to submit the full application. In certain cases, and based on reasonable grounds, IRCC may grant a 90...-day extension for those who cannot obtain all required documents due to COVID-19. IRCC emphasized that those who did not get the invitation may try to submit an interest to sponsor form when the 2021 program intake opens. The government promised to accept 30,000 applications in 2021. #IRCC, #Family_immigration, #parents_sponsorship, #PGP, #Parental_sponsorship #Parents_and_Grandparents_sponsorship

Saskatchewan issued 385 ITAs in the first 2021 SINP draw On January 7, 2021, Saskatchewan held the first draw in the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) in 2021. SINP issued invitations to apply (ITA) for the provincial nomination to 385 candidates. In the Express Entry category, Saskatchewan issued 148 ITAs. Another 237 invitations have been sent to the Occupations In-Demand category candidates. The lowest score in both categories did not change from the last draw in 2020 - 71 points. All invited candidates had Educational Credential Assessments. In this draw, the Saskatchewan government invited candidates in 79 different NOCs. Last year, Saskatchewan issued ITAs to 8,395 candidates. #Saskatchewan, #SINP, #Express_Entry, #Occupations_in_demand, #PNP

IRCC invited 4,750 candidates in the Express Entry draw #172 On January 8, 2021, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) published the results of the Express Entry draw from January 7. In draw #172, IRCC issued Invitations to Apply (ITA) to 4,750 candidates under the Canadian Experience Class. The cut-off score in this round was 461 points. The tie-breaking rule for this round was September 12, 2020 at 20:46:32 UTC. In ten CEC-specific rounds in 2020, IRCC invited 34,215 candidates. In 2021, Canada already issued 5,000 invitations to apply in the Express Entry. Should IRCC continue the practice of program-specific draws, we can expect a further drop of CRS required to get an ITA. #Express_Entry, #IRCC, #ITA, #CEC

IRCC invited 250 provincial nominees in the first 2021 Express Entry draw On January 6, 2021, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) conducted the first Express Entry invitation round in 2021. In draw #171, the Immigration Department issued Invitations to Apply (ITA) to 250 candidates under the Provincial Nominee Program. The cut-off score in this round was 813 points. The last PNP-specific draw occurred on August 19, 2020 and the lowest score was 771. Since Sept...ember 2, IRCC returned to all-program draws. The tie-breaking rule for this round was November 2, 2020 at 11:11:52 UTC. As of January 4, 2021, there are 146,495 profiles registered in the pool, 992 profiles less compared to the previous update. Last year, Canada invited 107,350 candidates to apply for permanent residence through the Express Entry. #Express_Entry, #IRCC, #ITA, #PNP

IRCC finally held the 2020 Parents and Grandparents Program lottery On January 5, 2021, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced that it has finally held the 2020 Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) lottery. Beginning today, IRCC started to send invitations to apply (ITA) to the registered candidates. IRCC will keep sending invitations for the next few days. Prospective sponsors could register from October 13 to November 3, 2020. Despite the approximat...ely 100,000 Canadian citizens and permanent residents wishing to sponsor their parents, only about 10,000 will be allowed to do so this year. Once candidates get the ITA, they will have 60 days to submit the full package of documents. Due to COVID-19, IRCC may allow a 90-day extension for certain candidates. Sponsors will have to submit their financial information for 2018, 2019, and 2020. The income requirements for 2020 have been reduced to the minimum necessary income only. Those who will not get their 2020 Notice of Assessment from CRA, will be allowed to submit at a later time. #IRCC, #Family_immigration, #parents_sponsorship, #PGP, #Parental_sponsorship #Parents_and_Grandparents_sponsorship

Saskatchewan released new SINP processing times On January 4, 2021, Saskatchewan has updated the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) processing times. The new numbers are based on average processing times from October 1 to December 31, 2020. In the International Skilled Worker category, the processing time in the Employment Offer stream is 3 weeks, in the Occupation In-Demand 27 weeks, and in the Express Entry stream 32 weeks. In the Saskatchewan Experience cate...gory, the processing time in the Existing Work Permit Stream, the International Students Stream, and Truck Drivers stream is 2 weeks. As for the Hospitality Workers stream, the processing time is 5 weeks. There was not enough data to calculate processing time for the Health Professionals stream in this period. In the Entrepreneur and Farm category, the processing time for the Entrepreneurs Nominations is 14 weeks. There was not enough data to estimate processing times for Farmers Stream. The Job Approval Process, the authorization for an employer to hire a foreign worker through the SINP, takes 8 weeks. The processing times show the average time for processing of 80% of all applications. #Saskatchewan, #SINP, #processing_times, #Saskatchewan_Experience, #Skilled_Worker, #Entrepreneurs, #Farmers

Canada has extended the status restoration policy On December 31, 2020, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has extended the temporary policy adopted on July 14, 2020, which allows foreign nationals whose temporary resident status has expired more than 90 ago to apply for status restoration. The initial deadline for the status restoration application was December 31, 2020. Now, IRCC allows anyone who maintained a valid status on or after January 30, 2020, but now has an expired status, to apply for restoration until August 31, 2021. This policy should help foreign workers, students and visitors who lost their status due to COVID-19 to stay in Canada legally. #TRV, #status_restoration, #visa_to_Canada, #study_permit, #work_permit, #international_students, #foreign_workers, #temprrary_residents, #IRCC

Manitoba invited 188 candidates in the MPNP draw #105 On December 30, 2020, Manitoba held the last draw in the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) in 2020. In round #105, the province issued 157 Letters of Advice to Apply (LAA) in the Skilled Workers in Manitoba stream. The lowest score in this category was 461 points, 86 points higher than in draw #104. In the Skilled Workers Overseas stream, Manitoba issued 13 LAAs. The lowest score in the SWO category was 718 points, 12 points more than in the previous draw. In addition, Manitoba invited 18 candidates in the International Education Category. In total, Manitoba issued 188 LAAs and 13 of them were issued to the Express Entry candidates. MPNP issued LAAs to 5,105 candidates in 26 draws in 2020. #Manitoba, #MPNP, #International_students, #PNP, #SWO, #SWM

Most international students will come to Canada for September 2021 session International students are waiting to come to Canada to attend their study programs. Nearly 90% of colleges have announced that the January session will be online. Canada does not have a high number of students starting in the May session. Therefore, it is expected that most students will come to Canada to attend the September 2021 session in person. However, students can take online classes, while staying in their home countries. Currently, the student visa success rate has gone up. However, students have a concern as they are paying high fees and still taking online classes. #international_students, #study_permits, #study_in_Canada, #Covid_19

Three Atlantic provinces updated their lists of Designated Employers in the AIPP Nova Scotia has updated the list of provincial employers designated to participate in the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program (AIPP). During August and September 2020, Nova Scotia added 46 new employers. Since the last update, the total number of its designated employers reached is 1,302. As for New Brunswick, the province designated four new employers from June to September. As of today, there ar...e 694 New Brunswick employers who can hire foreign workers in the framework of the AIPP. Prince Edward Island also added four new employers from June to September. The province now has a list that contains 312 approved employers. In total, there are 2,614 employers in all four Atlantic provinces who can hire foreign workers in the Atlantic Immigration Pilot. #AIPP, #Atlantic_Canada, #Designated_employers, #Nova_Scotia, #New_Brunswick, #Prince_Edward_Island, #PEI

Ontario nominated 6,180 prospective immigrants in 2020 On October 8, 2020, the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) announced new figures about the issuance of the nomination certificates. Since the last update on September 17, 2020, Ontario nominated another 625 foreign nationals under all streams of OINP. The quota of OINP for this year is 7,600 nominations, including 250 under the federal NOC C initiative. As of today, Ontario nominated 6,180 prospective immigrants in the OINP. In 2019, OINP nominated 7,350 candidates and 44 NOC C candidates. At the moment, Ontario has 9 streams and 6 of them accept applications. #Ontario, #OINP, #provincial_nomination, #PNP

Newfoundland and Labrador highlights progress on increasing immigration On October 7, 2020, the Minister of Immigration, Skills and Labour of Newfoundland and Labrador, Gerry Byrne published a Ministerial Statement on immigration to the province. The province launched the Immigration Action Plan in 2017 in which it declared a target of attracting 1,700 immigrants annually by 2022. This goal was reached in 2019 when Newfoundland and Labrador admitted 1,850 new permanent residents. Based on the positive dynamics, the Minister announced a new goal of 2,500 immigrants annually by 2022. Minister Byrne also emphasized that despite the COVOD-19-related problems, the Office of Immigration and Multiculturalism continues to process applications from employers hiring newcomers. #Newfoundland_and_Labrador, #NLPNP, #PNP

BCPNP invited 72 high-tech specialists in the Tech Pilot On October 6, 2020, British Columbia conducted a new draw for candidates in the Tech Pilot of the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP). In this round, the government invited 72 high-tech specialists to apply for the provincial nomination in four categories: Skills Immigration - Skilled Worker, Skills Immigration - International Graduate, Express Entry British Columbia - Skilled Worker, and Express Entry British Columbia - International Graduate. All candidates scored 80 points or higher. In total, British Columbia invited 1,718 Tech Pilot candidates this year. In 2020, BC issued 7,072 invitations in the BCPNP. #British_Columbia, #BCPNP, #Tech_Pilot, #PNP

We had the pleasure of welcoming Mr. Fedaa Jouny as new immigrant on (October 5th) at Montreal Airport. Welcome to Canada once again !

10,000 parents to be sponsored in 2020. Parents and Grandparents Program reopening announced On October 5, 2020, the Federal Immigration Department (IRCC) finally announced the reopening of the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP). This year, Canadians will be allocated only 10,000 spots, while for the next year, Canada plans to allow 30,000 applications. The major change in the program is a return to the random lottery system among all interested to sponsor their parents o...r grandparents. This signalizes about the failure of the first-come, first-served approach introduced in 2019. On the other hand, IRCC eases the financial requirement for sponsors and reducing the income requirement to the minimum necessary income, instead of the minimum necessary income plus 30%. All candidates will have a window from October 13, 2020, to November 3, 2020, to submit an Interest to Sponsor (IOS). Once the registration is over, IRCC will randomly select candidates and distribute invitations to apply to potential sponsors. Once invited, sponsors will have sixty days to submit a complete application with all supporting documentation. #Family_immigration, #parents_sponsorship, #PGP, #Parental_sponsorship #Parents_and_Grandparents_sponsorship, #IRCC

Canada to allow some additional categories of foreign nationals to travel to Canada On October 2, 2020, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) released a new update regarding travel restrictions and exemptions amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The government will allow some extended family members of Canadians (including permanent residents) to come to Canada. These relatives are spouses, dependent children, adult children, siblings, and grandparents. Some foreign na...tionals can also come to Canada on the ground of a compassionate reason in specific circumstances such as a funeral, illness, or death. In addition, on October 20, IRCC will allow international students, whose college or university has a COVID19 readiness plan in place to travel to Canada. All personal self-isolation measures to all travellers also remain in place. On October 8, IRCC will release more details on how to obtain a written travelling authorization. #IRCC, #COVID_19, #visit_to_Canada, #travel_restrictions, #international_students

Alberta introduced major changes to the AINP On October 1, 2020, the government of Alberta introduced major changes to the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP). Beginning today, AINP will use a new online portal that will serve all economic streams (the Alberta Opportunity Stream and the Alberta Express Entry Stream) except Self-Employed Farmer Stream. Express Entry candidates will require to be authorized by the AINP to enter the system. AINP also notes that the system w...ill provide an initial eligibility assessment upon registration. Alberta also introduced the application fee of $500 to the AINP. However, candidates in all streams who submitted their applications before October 1, 2020, are exempt from paying the fees. Requests for services, reconsideration, nomination extensions and nominee requests for Letters of Support, are now subject to a $100 service fee. All application updates will now be submitted by email. #Alberta, #AINP, #EOI, #PNP, #Nomination_certificate, #PR

The CRS score in the Express Entry remains high On September 30, 2020, the Canadian Immigration Department (IRCC) held an all-programs draw in the Express Entry third time in a row. In round #164, IRCC issued 4,200 Invitations to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence to candidates in the Federal Skilled Workers programs, Federal Skilled Trades, Canadian Experience Class and Express Entry aligned provincial programs. The lowest CRS score in this draw has dropped by 1 point only ...and was 471 points. The score remains high as IRCC is trying to cover the gap of candidates from abroad. During the recent months, many invitations have been sent to in-Canada candidates only. The tie-breaking rule for this round was March 2, 2020, at 12:47:08 UTC. As of September 28, 2020, there are 143,874 profiles registered in the system, 144 less compared to the previous update. In addition, it looks like IRCC is trying to minimize the loss of immigrants in 2020 by inviting more people in Express Entry. In 2020, IRCC invited 78,350 candidates in 31 invitation rounds. #Express_Entry, #IRCC, #ITA, #FSW, #FST, #CEC, #PNP, #PR

1,215 applicants registered in the OINP’s Masters Graduate Stream On September 29, 2020, Ontario opened registration of the applications to the Masters Graduate Stream of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP). Shortly after the opening, the province reached the 1,215-target number of registrations and closed the intake. Those who successfully registered for the Masters Graduate Stream have received a confirmation number from the OINP e-Filing Portal. This stream remain...ed closed since April 2019. Last year, Ontario invited 1000 candidates in this stream and 805 of them were nominated by the OINP. The government also announced that OINP may reopen some of the streams that are not aligned with Express Entry should the province determine it is required to meet the labour market needs across Ontario. Nevertheless, this might be the last Masters Graduate Stream invitation round before the introduction of the new Expression of Interest (EOI) system that will serve the Employer Job Offer Category (Foreign Worker; International Student, and In-Demand Skills streams); Masters Graduate Category; and Ph.D. Graduate Category of the OINP. #Ontario, #OINP, #International_students, #Masters_graduates, #Employer_Job_Offer, #PhD_graduates

Canada extended travel restrictions until October 31 Unfortunately for many immigrants, foreign workers and international students, on September 28, 2020, the Federal government extended the Minimizing the Risk of Exposure to COVID-19 in Canada Order (Prohibition of Entry into Canada from any Country Other than the United States) until October 31, 2020. Canada introduced travel restrictions on March 18. Since then, the government keeps extending the border closure on monthly ...basis. The land border closure with the United States was also extended until October 21. Earlier, the Prime-Minister Justin Trudeau declared the second wave of the COVID-19 in Canada. Therefore, until the improvement of the pandemic conditions, the travel restrictions will be enforced. All exemptions to those restrictions, regarding essential workers and family members of Canadians, remain in place. #IRCC, #CBSA, #COVID_19, #TRV, #visitor_visas, #study_permits, #travel_restrictions

Manitoba nominated 1,089 candidates in July and August Manitoba keeps updating bi-monthly new statistics on the issuance of the provincial nominations in the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP). On September 25, 2020, the Manitoba published new MPNP figures. In July, the province nominated 590 Skilled Workers and approved 5 business concepts. It refused 15 applications of Skilled Workers and 2 business applications. It also invited 498 Skilled Workers, 5 business candi...dates and approved 8 business concepts. In August, Manitoba nominated 496 Skilled Workers, 3 business candidates, and approved 3 business concepts. MPNP refused 2 applications of Skilled Workers. It also invited 466 Skilled Workers, 4 business candidates, and approved 10 business concepts. In total, MPNP received 2,828 applications from Skilled Workers and 27 business applications in 2020. In addition, Manitoba nominated 45 Express Entry candidates in July, and 24 in August. In total, MPNP nominated 4,092 foreign nationals this year, including 455 Express Entry candidates. #Manitoba, #MPNP, #Skilled_workers, #business_immigration, #PNP, #nomination_certificates

Canada to facilitate the processing of the spousal sponsorship cases On September 24, 2020, the Minister of Immigration Marco Mendicino announced that his department will take steps to facilitate the processing of spousal sponsorship applications. According to Mendicino, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has increased the number of officers assessing the spousal sponsorship cases by 66% to eliminate the backlogs and speed up the processing times. The IRCC of...ficials are going to digitize paper applications to enable the staff to work remotely. The immigration department also plans to use online interviews if required complying with the COVID-19 limitations. The goal of the government is to finalize about 6,000 such cases from October to December 2020 to reach the number of 49,000 decisions this year. #IRCC, #family_immigration, #spousal_sponsorship, #PR