Your Path Abroad

10 Reasons to Move to Canada Canada remains one of the most popular expat destinations with over 650,000 Brits currently calling it home. With wide-open spaces and safe, affluent cities, the benefits of living in the Great White North are clear. Canada is one of the most safe, secure and happy nations on the planet with numerous additional perks from polar bears to the Northern Lights. Thousands of Britons make the move across the Atlantic every year and if youre looking for...Continue reading

Where are Express Entry immigrants coming from? Express Entry has revolutionized Canada's immigration system and is allowing global talent from all over the world to achieve their Canadian dream. Express Entry is the flagship system that Canada uses to manage immigration applications submitted by skilled workers around the world. Where are Express Entry immigrants coming from?...Continue reading

New immigrants performing better in Canadian labour market Newcomers saw significant improvement in labour market outcomes between 2006 and 2019, study finds June 29, 2020 By Shelby Thevenot...Continue reading

In new TV interview, Minister Mendicino says Canada remains open to immigrants despite coronavirus pandemic. June 24, 2020 By Kareem El-Assal "Come to Canada.... That is the message to talent all over the world by Canadas immigration minister Marco Mendicino following the permanent and temporary resident visa suspensions announced by the United States yesterday. President Donald Trump signed a new Executive Order which will prevent new green card holders and temporary foreign workers from coming to the U.S. in 2020. Trump signed the order due to the belief it will help American workers who have lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic find employment. Minister Mendicino has made numerous remarks since the start of the coronavirus crisis that Canada is still committed to welcoming immigrants, temporary foreign workers, and international students. While Canadas economy has also been weakened by the pandemic, Mendicino and the Canadian government believe that continuing to welcome immigrants will help the economy. Mendicino re-iterated these views in a new television interview. When asked about his thoughts on the immigration suspension in the U.S., Mendicino said that immigration will spring Canadas economic recovery. We have a plan in place that looks to leverage the best and the brightest from around the world. Weve got pathways like the Express Entry program, and the Global Talent Stream, which will help to bring entrepreneurs, engineers, and innovators. Weve also got pathways for manual laborers and skilled laborers. Indeed, Canada continues to welcome new immigrants through Express Entry, the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), and other permanent resident pathways during the pandemic. In addition, temporary foreign workers are largely exempt from Canadas current travel restrictions and tech workers may enter Canada through temporary visa pathways such as the Global Talent Stream. Prior to the pandemic, Canada was seeking to welcome another 341,000 new permanent residents in 2020 following the record-setting year it had in 2019. Canada does not have targets in place for temporary foreign workers and international students. In all, Canada offers over 100 combined permanent and temporary resident options to skilled workers that wish to pursue the economic opportunity in the country. Canada also offers various immigration streams to temporary foreign workers and international students who wish to transition to Canadian permanent residence status.

Over 80% of Canadas population growth from immigration. Between January and March of 2020, 82% of Canadas population growth came from immigration. June 20, 2020 By Kareem El-Assal... Canada immigration pr coronavirus population growth. A new Statistics Canada study finds that Canadas population grew by 76,000 in the first three months of 2020, with 82% of the growth coming from immigration. Canadas population now stands at just under 38 million people. Canada experienced its smallest first-quarter population increase since 2015 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The coronavirus arrived to Canada in January and subsequently had a major impact on travel to the country. Since March 18th, Canada has had travel restrictions in place to help reduce the spread of the virus. The impacts of COVID-19 are likely to have contributed to the fact that fewer Canadians returned to the country, and fewer temporary residents arrived, compared with the same time in 2019. Immigration numbers were stronger in the first three months of 2020 compared with 2019. Nearly 70,000 immigrants arrived to Canada at the beginning of this year compared with nearly 66,000 in the first quarter of 2019. Canadas early 2020 immigration numbers likely would have been even stronger if not for the pandemic, as immigration levels began to fall in March. Temporary resident arrivals was nearly 80% weaker than in 2019, mostly due to a decline in new international students coming to Canada. The Statistics Canada study expects that COVID-19 will have an even bigger impact on Canadas permanent and temporary resident levels between April and the end of June of 2020. Given how dependent Canada is on immigration to fuel its population growth, we can expect weaker population growth to be reported in Statistics Canadas next quarterly study. Nonetheless, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) continues to say that their 2020-2022 Immigration Levels Plan has not changed due to the coronavirus. This means that once the pandemic is over, we can expect immigration to serve the strong role it played prior to the pandemic in supporting the countrys population, labour force, and economic growth.

Coronavirus has increased interest in immigrating to Canada Most prospective immigrants in a recent WES survey say they are more worried about negative economic impacts in their home country than in Canada June 18, 2020 By Shelby Thevenot International studentsThe economic impacts of coronavirus have largely not changed peoples plans to immigrate to Canada. In most cases, prospective immigrants still expect that Canada will endure less economic hardship than their own countr...Continue reading

Canada set to modernize immigration system A new federal government documents sheds more light on how Canada believes its immigration system will be impacted after the coronavirus pandemic. Canada is expecting a significant surge in immigration applications once global travel restrictions begin to ease.... This is revealed in a new document that is publicly available on a federal government website. The purpose of the document is to find a vendor that can help Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) modernize how it processes immigration applications. Canadas special immigration measures during COVID-19 The document notes that the coronavirus pandemic has impacted IRCCs operations. Canada has implemented travel restrictions to slow the spread of COVID-19, and federal government employees in Canada and abroad are adhering to strict social distancing and remote working measures. Nonetheless, IRCC continues to do its best to fulfil its mandate to temporary foreign workers, international students, visitors, permanent residents, citizenship seekers, refugees, asylum claimants, and Canadian citizens. IRCC has introduced many special measures to support application processing for foreign nationals during this time. On the other hand, the document acknowledges that many IRCC processing and contact centres have been shut down or are operating at significantly reduced capacity. This has severely limited IRCCs ability to process applications. Canada remains committed to welcoming immigrants, workers, students, and visitors Under Canadas current Immigration Levels Plan 2020-2022, the country is seeking to welcome over one million immigrants in the coming three years. The coronavirus pandemic has slowed immigration to Canada in 2020, but immigration minister Marco Mendicino says Canada remains committed to welcoming immigration to supporting its economy. In addition, Canada is still holding Express Entry and Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) draws at the moment, plus also processing study and work permits, and enabling immediate family to enter the country. It is highly likely that Canada will see a major spike in permanent and temporary resident arrivals once the global health and economic situation improves. Prior to the start of the pandemic, Canada was welcoming record numbers of immigrants, foreign workers, and international students. By seeking to modernize its processes through the use of technology, IRCC should be in a stronger position to accommodate even more foreign nationals once the pandemic is over.

Best Countries for Immigrants https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/best-immigrants

https://www.cicnews.com//trudeau-families-can-cross-canada

Alberta invites candidates with CRS as low as 300 in March draw The westernmost Prairie Province has released the results of its latest Express Entry-linked provincial nominee program draw Some hopeful immigrants to Alberta have been invited to apply for a provincial nomination for Canadian permanent residence.... The Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) held its latest Express Entry-linked provincial nominee program draw on March 4. A total of 100 candidates with profiles in the federal Express Entry pool who had Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores as low as 300 were invited to apply for a provincial nomination. Candidates who received Notifications of Interest (NOIs), which is the official name for invitations issued through the Alberta Express Entry Stream, did not need a job offer to be invited. However, they did need to have profiles in the federal Express Entry system. If successful, the immigration candidates selected in the March 4 draw could receive an additional 600 points toward their overall CRS ranking in a subsequent federal Express Entry draw. Almost a week ago Canada invited 668 candidates with provincial nominations from the Express Entry pool. Express Entry manages applications for three of Canadas main economic class immigration programs: Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program, and Canadian Experience Class. Candidates who are eligible for Express Entry are ranked on human capital factors such as work experience, education, official language proficiency, and age. They are then given a CRS score. The highest-scoring candidates are selected to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence in regular Express Entry draws. How to be eligible for the Alberta Express Entry Stream Express Entry candidates need to be working in an occupation that supports Albertas economic development and diversification priorities in order to be eligible for an invitation through this provincial nomination program. The AINP does not provide a list of eligible occupations. While it is not necessary to have a job offer to be eligible for this stream, the AINP says it may give priority to candidates who meet the following three criteria: a job offer and/or work experience in Alberta; a degree from a Canadian post-secondary institution and a valid job offer; or a parent, child or sibling already living in the province. So far this year, Alberta has issued 751 invitations to Express Entry candidates. In 2019, Alberta issued a total of 11,137 invitations through the Alberta Express Entry Stream.

How to obtain citizenship if your parent is a Canadian Submitting a Proof of Citizenship application if you have a Canadian parent can enable you to become a Canadian citizen, although the process is not a formality. In the unsettling times in which we find ourselves since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, facilitated routes through which Canadian citizenship may be obtained cannot be ignored....Continue reading

Second Express Entry draw in five days invites candidates with scores as low as 467 The Canadian Experience Class-specific Express Entry draw is the second of its kind since 2015 The Government of Canada has released the details of this weeks Express Entry draw, inviting 3,232 candidates to apply for permanent residence....Continue reading

Canada invites 668 Express Entry candidates to apply for permanent residence Invited candidates had provincial nominations granting them an additional 600 CRS points The Government of Canada has released the details of this weeks Express Entry draw, inviting 668 candidates to apply for permanent residence....Continue reading

Canada and the U.S. provide more information on the status of work permit holders Despite cross-border travel restrictions that take effect on March 21, it appears some work permit holders will be able to travel between the Canada-U.S. border. In advance of travel restrictions to be implemented at their border effective tomorrow, on Saturday, March 21, both the Canadian and U.S. government have released more details on who will be included and excluded from the restrictions.... Included in the restrictions are those seeking to travel between the border for non-essential purposes. The Canadian government has defined non-essential travel as that which is done for tourism or recreational purposes. Such travellers are forbidden from travelling across the border for the 30-day period following March 21, after which both Canada and the U.S. will review the border restrictions. The Canadian governments statement suggests that American and Canadian work permit holders will be deemed as essential travellers, however, this should not be interpreted as an exhaustive waiver for all work permit holders until official confirmation is provided by either the American or Canadian government. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security also released a notice today on the provisions of the travel restrictions. It states that travel through land ports of entry and ferry terminals along the U.S.-Canada border shall be limited to essential travel, which includes but is not limited to: U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents returning to the United States; Individuals travelling for medical purposes (e.g., to receive medical treatment in the United States); Individuals travelling to attend educational institutions; Individuals travelling to work in the United States (e.g., individuals working in the farming or agriculture industry who must travel between the United States and Canada in furtherance of such work); Individuals travelling for emergency response and public health purposes (e.g., government officials or emergency responders entering the United States to support Federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial government efforts to respond to COVID-19 or other emergencies); Individuals engaged in lawful cross-border trade (e.g., truck drivers supporting the movement of cargo between the United States and Canada); Individuals engaged in official government travel or diplomatic travel; Members of the U.S. Armed Forces, and the spouses and children of members of the U.S. Armed Forces, returning to the United States; and Individuals engaged in military-related travel or operations. The bulletin bold indicates Canadians will be able to travel to the U.S. for work. CIC News will confirm whether this is, in fact, the case as more information becomes available.

Canada rated top country for quality of life in 2020 Being safe, politically stable, and having a well-developed public health system drove Canadas quality of life ranking to the top of the Best Countries 2020 list For the fifth year in a row, people from around the world named Canada as the top country for quality of life.... Out of the countries surveyed, Canada ranked number one overall for being politically stable, number two for having a good job market, and number four for having a well-developed public education system. Global citizens also ranked Canada high for having a well-developed public health system. The 2020 Best Countries rankings were conducted by U.S. News & World Report. A total of 20,548 people from 36 countries were surveyed on their perceptions of 73 countries. Countries were assessed in nine different categories that were weighted to produce an overall score: Quality of Life Entrepreneurship Adventure Citizenship Cultural Influence Heritage Movers Open for Business Power Canada came in second place overall, falling behind Switzerland, which came in first overall but did not place on top in any one category. In the Citizenship category, Canada placed second behind Sweden. Countries that scored high in this section were perceived to care about human rights, the environment, gender equality, and religious freedom. They were also seen as progressive, as respecting property rights, being trustworthy, and having well-distributed political power. In the Open for Business category, Canada finished third behind Luxembourg and Switzerland. This category is for countries that are perceived to be business-friendly. Countries were assessed based on their level of bureaucracy, manufacturing costs, corruption, tax environment and government practices. Canada ranked high for scoring zero out of 10 for perceived level of corruption and a perfect 10 for transparent government.

Which cities in Canada attract the most immigrants? Canadas cities are competing to attract more immigrants. In 2019, Charlottetown, Regina and Toronto welcomed the highest number of immigrants per capita. Ottawa was the latest city to join the exclusive one per cent club. Cities across Canada are engaged in a heated competition to attract more immigrants. Due to their ageing populations and low birth rates, cities need more immigrants to keep their economies strong....Continue reading

642,000 international students: Canada now ranks 3rd globally in foreign student attraction Canadas international student population has tripled over the past decade to 642,000 in 2019. Canada has moved into third place globally behind the United States of America and Australia. Canada is now the worlds third-leading destination of international students, with a staggering 642,000 foreign students....Continue reading

Despite coronavirus, Canada needs immigrants Why it makes sense for Canada to maintain high immigration levels in time of crisis Last week Canada announced its 2020-2022 Immigration Levels Plan as the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis was escalating. Indeed, the announcement was overshadowed by the major economic and social turmoil that the coronavirus is having in Canada and abroad....Continue reading

Alberta is taking steps to help vulnerable foreign workers The Alberta Opportunity Stream will be more easily accessible to temporary foreign workers who are experiencing or at risk of experiencing abuse in the workplace Alberta is facilitating access to one of the provinces pathways to permanent residence for vulnerable foreign workers....Continue reading

Canadian employers awarded for exemplary work with newcomers Four Canadian companies were recognized for helping immigrants find work and settle into their communities Canadas immigration department announced the winners of the 2020 IRCC Employer Awards for Newcomer Employment on March 11....Continue reading

Canada to welcome up to 390,000 immigrants in 2022 Details of Canada's 2020-2022 Immigration Levels Plan have just been announced Canada will welcome more than one million new permanent residents in the next three years....Continue reading

Alberta invites Express Entry candidates with CRS scores of 300 Details of Alberta's Feb. 20 Express Entry draw have been revealed Alberta held its fourth Express Entry draw of 2020 on February 20, inviting immigration candidates to apply for a provincial nomination for Canadian permanent residence.... The Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) invited a total of 150 Express Entry candidates with Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores as low as 300. Immigration candidates do not necessarily need to have job offers in the province to be invited to apply for a provincial nomination through the Alberta Express Entry Stream. However, they did need to have profiles in the federal Express Entry system. Express Entry manages applications for three of Canadas main economic class immigration programs: Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program, and Canadian Experience Class. Candidates who are eligible for Express Entry are ranked on human capital factors such as work experience, education, official language proficiency, and age. They are then given a CRS score. The highest-scoring candidates are selected to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence in regular Express Entry draws. Express Entry candidates with a provincial nomination from Alberta receive an automatic 600 additional CRS points toward their overall score. The additional points effectively guarantee that they will receive an invitation to apply for Canadian permanent residence. If a candidate in the Express Entry pool with 300 CRS points obtains a provincial nomination their new CRS score will be 900, which is more than enough to qualify for an ITA in a subsequent Express Entry draw. In order to receive an ITA in the latest federal Express Entry draw, candidates needed a CRS score of 471. Eligibility for the Alberta Express Entry Stream Express Entry candidates need to be working in an occupation that supports Albertas economic development and diversification priorities in order to be eligible for an invitation through the AINP stream. The AINP does not provide a list of eligible occupations. While it is not necessary to have a job offer in Alberta for this stream, the AINP says it may give priority to candidates who meet the following three criteria: a job offer and/or work experience in Alberta; a degree from a Canadian post-secondary institution and a valid job offer; or a parent, child or sibling already living in the province. So far this year, Alberta has issued 651 invitations to Express Entry candidates. In 2019, Alberta issued a total of 11,137 invitations through the Alberta Express Entry Stream.

Quebec sees record-low unemployment rate in February: Labour Force Survey Employment increases were seen in Quebec, Alberta, Nova Scotia and Manitoba Quebec employment rates have been on an upswing over the past three months, and in February, about 66,000 people got jobs in the province....Continue reading

6 factors that shape Canadas immigration levels The difficult decision of identifying how many new immigrants to welcome to Canada is shaped by six major factors, but there is one factor that prevails above all. Canadas 2020-2022 Immigration Levels Plan announcement will spark much discussion. The discussion will center around issues such as the number of immigrants Canada will welcome, which categories they will fall under and whether Canada has the capacity to integrate t...Continue reading

Canada makes it possible for employers to apply for Labour Market Impact Assessment online After years of the Canadian business community calling for improvements, Canada has taken one more step in modernizing the process of hiring temporary foreign workers Employers looking to hire temporary foreign workers are now able to manage their Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) application through an online portal....Continue reading

How do we know if immigrants are succeeding in Canadas economy? The traditional approach of measuring the performance of immigrants in Canadas economy can be misleading Canada cares deeply about ensuring immigrants succeed in its economy. Its economic class immigration programs are designed to select candidates who have the highest chance of finding a good job in the Canadian labour market....Continue reading

How Canada is encouraging newcomer women to play sports Immigrant women are the least represented group in Canadian sport, and community organizations across the country are trying to change that Kruti Bhadarka has been a regular participant at the Moosejaw Newcomer Welcome Centre since she immigrated to Saskatchewan in 2013. The community organization offers a variety of services to immigrants including sports programming that is tailored to newcomer women....Continue reading

How Canadian schools are responding to the growing numbers of international students Free beds, more spaces in classrooms, and public forums on how to make life easier for international students Canadian post-secondary institutions are boasting about the number of international students coming through their doors, and some are even calling for more....Continue reading

Canada welcomed more than 400,000 new international students in 2019 The number of study permits that took effect has almost doubled since 2015. Most students are arriving from India, China, South Korea, France, Vietnam, Brazil, Iran, Nigeria, the United States and Japan Canada had yet another major year in international student recruitment as it approved 404,000 new study permits in 2019....Continue reading