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Tag Archives: Immigration Targets

Express Entry : Canada invited 627 PNP candidates on July 07, 2021 draw

A total of 627 candidates who had already received an additional 600 points with a provincial nomination were invited to apply for Canadian Permanent Residency in the Express Entry draw which took place on July 07, 2021. The cut-off CRS score in this draw was 760. In the previous PNP only draw, minimum cut off was 742 points and 1002 candidates were invited by IRCC.

What is Express Entry?

Express Entry is the application process for skilled workers in Overseas or Canada who want to settle in Canada permanently. This is the fastest and most popular pathway for newcomers seeking a new life in Canada. Interested Candidates are required to submit an online application to express their interest by creating Express Entry (EE) profile and, providing information about their skills, work experience, language ability, education, and some other details. After submitting the profile, candidates get a score to determine their place in the pool using the point-based system called Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). The CRS system considers skills, work experience, language ability, education, and other factors (e.g. having a sibling in Canada, Canadian education or a valid job offer in Canada, etc.) to award points. Highest ranking candidates from Express Entry pool are regularly invited to apply for Canadian Permanent Residence. Express Entry manages applications for permanent residence under these federal economic immigration programs:

Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)

Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)

Canadian Experience Class (CEC)

Express Entry streams of the Provincial Nominee Programs

The Provincial Nominee Class (PNC) allows provincial and territorial governments to choose immigrants according to the economic needs of the province or territory. Nine Canadian provinces and two territories have provincial nominee programs which:

  • Establish its own standards and processes by which it chooses its nominees,
  • Try to nominate those candidates who would be most likely to settle effectively into the economic and social life of the region.

PNP has two (2) steps

  1. First apply to the province or territory where you want to live and be nominated.
  2. After a province or territory nominates you, you must apply to IRCC for permanent residence. An IRCC officer will then assess your application based on Canadian immigration rules.

All Canadian Provinces have their unique immigration programs that can either support a Federal Immigration application via ‘Express Entry’ or through a stand-alone PNP application. The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) gives provinces and territories an active role in immigrant selection as it authorizes them to nominate for permanent residence individuals who will meet specific local labour market needs.

Need help staying in Canada!

The Covid-19 pandemic has led to challenging times in Canada and around the world. Many people are under distress and anxiety. We understand! We may help you figure it out, so you can have peace of mind. You could be an international student, worker, or visitor looking to extend your stay in Canada. You may be seeking a pathway to permanent immigration. Or you may be looking to reunite with a loved one. Or you may want to be a Canadian Citizen. Whatever the reason, contact us to discuss your immigration needs, and we’ll provide our insights and help as much as we can during these difficult times.

Express Entry : Canada invites 6000 CEC candidates in latest draw

A total of 6,000 CEC candidates were invited to apply for Canadian permanent residency in the Express Entry draw which took place on June 24, 2021. The cut-off CRS score in this draw was 357 which is 11 points lower than previous CEC draw on June 10, 2021. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has now issued a total of 88,755 Invitations to Apply (ITA’s) in 2021 through the Express Entry system.

The cut off date and time for this draw under tie-breaking rule was February 17, 2021 at 10:15:50 UTC. It means in this draw, candidates who had the minimum score were only invited if they submitted their Express Entry profile before February 17, 2021.

Yesterday, IRCC issued 1002 ITA’s to Express Entry candidates nominated through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). The minimum CRS score for these candidates was 742. Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) Candidates receive an additional 600 points in the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), which is usually sufficient to trigger an invitation to apply (ITA).

What is Express Entry?

Express Entry is the application process for skilled workers in Overseas or Canada who want to settle in Canada permanently. This is the fastest and most popular pathway for newcomers seeking a new life in Canada. Interested Candidates are required to submit an online application to express their interest by creating Express Entry (EE) profile and, providing information about their skills, work experience, language ability, education, and some other details. After submitting the profile, candidates get a score to determine their place in the pool using the point-based system called Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). The CRS system considers skills, work experience, language ability, education, and other factors (e.g. having a sibling in Canada, Canadian education or a valid job offer in Canada, etc.) to award points. Highest ranking candidates from Express Entry pool are regularly invited to apply for Canadian Permanent Residence. Express Entry manages applications for permanent residence under these federal economic immigration programs:

Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)

Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)

Canadian Experience Class (CEC)

Express Entry streams of the Provincial Nominee Programs

Need help staying in Canada!

The Covid-19 pandemic has led to challenging times in Canada and around the world. Many people are under distress and anxiety. We understand! We may help you figure it out, so you can have peace of mind. You could be an international student, worker, or visitor looking to extend your stay in Canada. You may be seeking a pathway to permanent immigration. Or you may be looking to reunite with a loved one. Or you may want to be a Canadian Citizen. Whatever the reason, contact us to discuss your immigration needs, and we’ll provide our insights and help as much as we can during these difficult times.

Express Entry : Canada invites 1,002 PNP candidates in latest draw

A total of 1,002 candidates who had already received an additional 600 points with a provincial nomination were invited to apply for Canadian Permanent Residency in the Express Entry draw which took place on June 23, 2021. The cut-off CRS score in this draw was 742. In the previous PNP only draw, minimum cut off was 711 points and 940 candidates were invited by IRCC.

What is Express Entry?

Express Entry is the application process for skilled workers in Overseas or Canada who want to settle in Canada permanently. This is the fastest and most popular pathway for newcomers seeking a new life in Canada. Interested Candidates are required to submit an online application to express their interest by creating Express Entry (EE) profile and, providing information about their skills, work experience, language ability, education, and some other details. After submitting the profile, candidates get a score to determine their place in the pool using the point-based system called Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). The CRS system considers skills, work experience, language ability, education, and other factors (e.g. having a sibling in Canada, Canadian education or a valid job offer in Canada, etc.) to award points. Highest ranking candidates from Express Entry pool are regularly invited to apply for Canadian Permanent Residence. Express Entry manages applications for permanent residence under these federal economic immigration programs:

Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)

Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)

Canadian Experience Class (CEC)

Express Entry streams of the Provincial Nominee Programs

The Provincial Nominee Class (PNC) allows provincial and territorial governments to choose immigrants according to the economic needs of the province or territory. Nine Canadian provinces and two territories have provincial nominee programs which:

  • Establish its own standards and processes by which it chooses its nominees,
  • Try to nominate those candidates who would be most likely to settle effectively into the economic and social life of the region.

PNP has two (2) steps

  1. First apply to the province or territory where you want to live and be nominated.
  2. After a province or territory nominates you, you must apply to IRCC for permanent residence. An IRCC officer will then assess your application based on Canadian immigration rules.

All Canadian Provinces have their unique immigration programs that can either support a Federal Immigration application via ‘Express Entry’ or through a stand-alone PNP application. The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) gives provinces and territories an active role in immigrant selection as it authorizes them to nominate for permanent residence individuals who will meet specific local labour market needs.

Need help staying in Canada!

The Covid-19 pandemic has led to challenging times in Canada and around the world. Many people are under distress and anxiety. We understand! We may help you figure it out, so you can have peace of mind. You could be an international student, worker, or visitor looking to extend your stay in Canada. You may be seeking a pathway to permanent immigration. Or you may be looking to reunite with a loved one. Or you may want to be a Canadian Citizen. Whatever the reason, contact us to discuss your immigration needs, and we’ll provide our insights and help as much as we can during these difficult times.

Glimpse of Canadian Immigration 2021

Canadian government is set to achieve new heights of immigration in its history in turn boosting the country’s post-pandemic economy. IRCC is actively issuing invitations to candidates through Express Entry under Canadian Experience Class and Provincial Nominee Class.

By far, Canada has rolled mats for over 80,000 new immigrants in the first quarter of 2021. IRCC has also implemented new strategies to expedite processing of Permanent residency applications after experiencing processing delays in the last quarter of 2020.

On 14th April, Canada declared a new way to get permanent residency for international student graduates and essential workers who are effectively contributing to Canada’s economy. Francophone and bilingual candidates outside Quebec also got their own dedicated pathway.

This program came as a ray of hope for 90,000 temporary workers, international graduates, and healthcare workers. The response towards this new public policy has been quite encouraging. Out of three categories international graduates reached a noticeable admission of 40,000 applications in merely 25 hours after opening the online portal. Other two categories (essential workers & health care workers) are yet to reach their caps. Thus, workers employed in essential and healthcare occupations can still make the best of this opportunity.

Further, Canada may raise the preset caps on these pathways as the Immigrant-focused financial recovery plan is at the forefront of Canada’s post-pandemic goals. Before making a final decision, IRCC will thoroughly review the outcome of the program by examining the quality of applications submitted by applicants and frequency of reaching the cap of 90,000 admissions.

Besides creating a pathway for temporary residents to obtain permanent residency, Immigration minister Marco Mendocino is focused towards “Modernizing Canada’s Immigration System”. Currently, Canada’s immigration system is packed down by paperwork and is outdated. In recent developments, the application intake system has been modernized and now many applications can be submitted online, and applicants are able to track progress in their application.

Canada has recently provided approximately $430 million from its federal budget to establish a new digital platform called GCMS (Global Case Management System). This system will be used to save time and increase efficiency in processing of immigration applications.

Canada has added new office space and hired more employees at the Case Processing Centre in Sydney, Nova Scotia as an effort to process more applications and reunite families faster. The increased capacity will help the IRCC to return to the one-year standard for family class immigration applications for outland spousal, common-law, and conjugal sponsorship, dependent children, adopted children, and other relatives.

IRCC has introduced and extended various policies to navigate the halt caused by COVID-19 pandemic. A temporary policy allowing foreign nationals who are in Canada on visitor status with a valid job offer to apply for an employer-specific work permit was introduced on August 24, 2020, and later extended until August 31, 2021.

Another policy established on July 14, 2020, to exempt foreign nationals from certain requirements of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR) was also extended till August 31, 2021. Under this policy foreign nationals (former workers, students, and visitors) were exempted from the requirement to apply for restoration within 90 days of losing temporary resident status.

A new policy was introduced to help former international students impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic while living in Canada, allowing them to obtain open work permits valid for up to 18 months. Government estimated policy to benefit 52,000 Post Grad Work Permit holders, and policy is set to expire on July 27, 202. 

With introduction of new programs and steps towards expediting processing of applications, Canada is fully set to meet its preset target of welcoming 401,000 immigrants.

Canada’s ability to return to more normalcy would significantly increase after easing travel restrictions. The public health and safety divisions of the federal government and provincial governments are planning to lift quarantine for returning Canadians and Permanent Residents by early July 2021. IRCC will be able to consider Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) and Federal Skilled Trade Program (FSTP) candidates once Canada returns to normalcy. We can also expect Canada to welcoming more foreign nationals from overseas and a return to all-program Express Entry draws in the last quarter of 2021.

If you need help, Contact Can X Immigration for services like Express Entry, Family Sponsorship, Provincial Nomination, Business Class, Humanitarian & Compassionate Grounds, Citizenship, PR Card Renewal, LMIA, Work Permit, Live-In-Caregiver, Postgraduate Work Permit, Study Visa, Study Permit Extension, Visitor Visa, or Super Visa.

B.C. to reinstate mandatory certification system for trade workers

The BC Government is bringing back a mandatory skilled trades certification system that was dispensed in 2003. The certification will occur in phases starting with 10 initial trades: 3 electrical, 4 mechanical, and 3 automotive.

BC is aiming to introduce legislation next spring, which will give workers and employers a year to either challenge trade requirements to earn certification through existing experience or register in apprenticeship program. The first changes are expected to be introduced in the electrical and mechanical trades by 2023 and in automotive by 2025.

Skilled trades certification means uncertified workers in selected trades will need to become certified or register as an apprentice with the Industry Training Authority (ITA) to be legally able to work in that trade. The system aims to facilitate training and to open doors for thousands of workers to be successful and have lifelong careers in the trades.

Reinstatement will begin for the following 10 occupation, chosen due to existing high demand for skilled workers:

  • Electrician
  • Industrial electrician
  • Powerline electrician
  • Refrigeration and air conditioning mechanic
  • Gas fitter
  • Steamfitter and pipefitter
  • Sheet metal worker
  • Heavy duty equipment technician
  • Automotive technician
  • Autobody and collision technician

B.C. removed the requirement of tradespeople to be certified in 2003, making it the only jurisdiction in Canada without a system for mandatory credentials. The new program will fill a gap left by the cancellation of this former certification system.

Government estimated that among 100,000 tradespeople, there are about 8,000 uncertified workers in B.C. who have no certification to recognize their skills. As a result, they are often paid less and have less regular work. The province says, certification will help fill trade roles and build prestige around careers in the trades. It will also help to benefit workers by improving their skills and standard of living while maintaining existing high safety standards, benefiting employers and the public by minimizing labor disruptions.

Tradespeople are building British Columbia and we need to value that work. Premier John Horgan called this announcement “transformative” in helping the province rebound post-pandemic.

Critics argue, that even before COVID-19 pandemic, employers faced shortages of skilled people in the labor market and placing additional requirements like mandatory certification on workers and their employers will decrease employment opportunities in the short term. The labor pool would shrink as some uncertified workers would drop out rather than entering the certification process.

COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated some hiring problems while alleviating others, in turn forcing companies to hiring foreign nationals in trade occupations. Every year thousands of skilled workers immigrate to Canada to fill the labor market gap. If the skilled trades certification is made mandatory it will be difficult for foreign workers to attain required credentials from their home country. The gap between Temporary Foreign Workers and Canadian companies who deal with hiring barriers will increase, affecting Temporary Foreign Worker Program and International Mobility Program.

If you are a Canadian employer struggling to match open positions with qualified and available candidates; you can hire Temporary Foreign Workers to fill the unprecedented labor shortage. We at Can X can help you with Labor Market Impact Assessment applications. If you are foreign national who wishes to work in Canada, we can help you in preparing your work permit application.