Immigration Canada

Nova Scotia Announces New Immigration Stream – No Job Offer Needed

Lighthouse of Peggys Cove, Nova Scotia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Province of Nova Scotia has created a new immigration option for aspiring permanent residents called the Regional Labour Market Demand Stream. This stream, which is administered under the Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP), is particularly exciting because individuals do not need a job offer in Canada to apply.

The Regional Labour Market Demand Stream was announced in early March, and began considering applications on March 6, 2014. Through this stream, Nova Scotia immigration officials are able to select individuals with skills and experience that are in-demand in the province.

Eligibility Requirements for the Regional Labour Market Demand Stream

In order to be eligible for this stream, applicants must meet the following criteria:

Be between the ages of 21 and 55;
Meet minimum language proficiency requirements;
Have at least two years of continuous full-time work experience within the past five years in an eligible occupation*;
Intend to work in an eligible occupation;
Be legally residing in current country of residence;
Have sufficient funds for settlement in Nova Scotia;
Have at least a high school level of education and a degree, diploma, or certificate from a post-secondary institution;

Completed post-secondary program must be at least one year in length

Demonstrate intent to live in Nova Scotia and ability to become economically established in the province;
Complete an Employment Settlement Plan; and
Attend an interview, if required.

*The NSNP has listed 43 eligible occupations. The list includes, but is not limited to, occupations in the following fields: engineering, health services (including nursing), skilled trades, and food service.

The following occupations are currently designated as in-demand and thus eligible for this program:

Managers in Health Care
Retail and wholesale trade managers
Restaurant and Food Service Managers
Financial Auditors and Accountants
Other Financial Officers
Civil Engineers
Mechanical Engineers
Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Computer Engineers (Except Software Engineers and Designers)
Information Systems Analysts and Consultants
Database Analysts and Data Administrators
Software Engineers and Designers
Computer Programmers and Interactive Media Developers
Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians
Electrical and Electronics Engineering Technologists and Technicians
Information systems testing technicians
Specialist Physicians
General Practitioners and Family Physicians
Dentists
Pharmacists
Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists
Physiotherapists
Occupational Therapists
Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
Medical Laboratory Technologists
Respiratory Therapists, Clinical Perfusionists and Cardiopulmonary Technologists
Medical Radiation Technologists
Medical Sonographers
Licensed Practical Nurses
Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment
Psychologists
Early Childhood Educators and Assistants
Retail Trade Supervisors
Chefs
Cooks
Contractors and supervisors, machining, metal forming, shaping and erecting trades and related occupations
Machinists and Machining and Tooling Inspectors
Industrial Electricians
Welders and related machine operator
Heavy-Duty Equipment Mechanics
Automotive service technicians, truck and bus mechanics and mechanical repairers
Crane Operators
Supervisors, Other Mechanical and Metal Products Manufacturing

The Settlement Plan

For this stream, applicants must complete an Employment Settlement Plan, which is provided by the NSNP. The settlement plan requires applicants to answer questions on the following topics:

Intended occupation in Nova Scotia;
Reasons for choosing Nova Scotia; and
Where they wish to settle and why.

By answering these questions, applicants demonstrate their desire to live in Nova Scotia as well as their readiness to quickly settle into their new homes.

The Application Process

Like other Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs), obtaining a permanent resident visa through the NSNP is a two-step process.

First, applicants must apply to the NSNP for provincial approval. For the Regional Labour Market Demand Stream, the NSNP has stated that processing times may be up to one month or more depending on the volume of applications received and the time required to assess the application documents. Nomination under the NSNP is solely at the discretion of the Nova Scotia Office of Immigration. Desirable applicants are then selected by the province and issued a Provincial Nomination Certificate. The overall application, including the Provincial Nomination Certificate, must then be approved by the Federal government.

In the second step of the process, the Federal government assesses an applicant’s admissibility with respect to medical and security/criminality concerns. The final authority rests with the Federal government, who is ultimately responsible for granting Canadian permanent resident status.

What This Means for Applicants

The Regional Labour Market Demand Stream is a chance for individuals to immigrate to one of Canada’s most economically and culturally dynamic provinces.

According to Attorney David Cohen, many prospective immigrants possess valuable skills and experience that are needed in Canada. However, due to the gradual restriction of some immigration programs, many have not yet been successful in obtaining Canadian Permanent Residency.

“In recent years, many if not most new Canadian immigration programs require that individuals first obtain a job offer in Canada in order to be eligible to apply,” said Attorney David Cohen. “The fact that this new stream does not require a job offer is likely to generate large amounts of interest.”

At the moment there is no deadline for submission of applications. However, the NSNP notes that this can change at any time.

“This new program is a wonderful opportunity for individuals to immigrate to one of Canada’s most beautiful provinces,” said Attorney Cohen. “However, such opportunities do not last forever. Now is the time for eligible applicants to seize the moment and have a chance to realize their immigration goals.”

To find out if you are eligible for the NSNP, or any of over 60 Canadian immigration programs, please fill out a free online assessment today.

Source: http://www.cicnews.com/2014/03/nova-scotia-announces-immigration-stream-job-offer-needed-033285.html

Quebec Announces New Caps for Immigration Programs

English: Flag of . Color converted to RGB from the EPS file from the Government of Quebec which you'd have to assume is as authoritative as you can get. Français : Drapeau du Québec. Couleurs converties en RGB à partir du fichier EPS du Gouvernement du Québec. Русский: Флаг Квебека (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Government of Quebec has announced new intake caps for its skilled worker, investor, entrepreneur and self employed immigration programs. By enforcing strict limits on application acceptance, Quebec is ensuring that it will receive a manageable load of applications this year. It will also reward proactive individuals who prepare and submit applications as soon as possible, before caps close.

The new intake caps are as follows:

Skilled Workers – Between April 1, 2014 and March 31, 2015, a maximum of 6,500 applications will be accepted for review by the Quebec Skilled Worker (QSW) program.

Investors – Between September 8th and 19th, 2014, a maximum of 1,750 applications will be accepted for review by the Quebec Investor Program. No more than 1,200 applications will be accepted from any one country. There is no cap for investors who speak at least a high-intermediate level of French.

Entrepreneurs and Self-Employed Persons – The Government of Quebec will accept a maximum of 500 applications from entrepreneurs and self-employed persons.

What This Means for Skilled Workers

Applicants to the QSW program will see the greatest change in application intake. The upcoming year’s cap of 6,500 is less than half than the 20,000 application limit that was instituted this past year.

In the past ten months, over 10,000 applications were accepted for review by the QSW program. If interest in the program continues to grow, it means that in the coming months applicants will have to work fast to prepare their applications before the cap fills.

“The Province of Quebec has always been a popular destination for immigrants, and the QSW program has been its most popular immigration program,” said Attorney David Cohen. “In the past, there were relatively few restrictions in terms of how many applications would be accepted for review. The new cap means that prospective applicants must compete against the clock and against each other to make sure they secure a place in the queue.”

What This Means for Investors

The cap placed on the Quebec Investor Program is the same as last year. Last year, despite accepting just 1,750 new applications within a limited timeframe, the ever-popular program received applications from over 5,000 investors.

“The Quebec government will be receiving investor applications for just two weeks this fall,” said Attorney David Cohen. “It goes without saying that, with such a short timeframe for submission, only those individuals who are completely prepared in advance will be successful. Since preparing an investor file can be rather complicated, I encourage interested individuals to begin as soon as possible.”

At present, no additional announcements have been made about Quebec programs moving forward. One thing that can be sure, however, is that Quebec will continue to be a popular destination for immigrants from around the world.

To find out if you are eligible for a Quebec immigration program, or one of over 60 Canadian immigration programs, please fill out a free online assessment today.

Source: http://www.cicnews.com/2014/04/quebec-announces-caps-immigration-programs-043324.html

Immigration Processing Times Appear to be Decreasing

The logo of the Government of Canada. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Over the past few years, the Government of Canada has expressed its intention to bring immigration processing times down to approximately 12 months or less. Recently, it appears as though the government has begun to deliver on its promises.

According to Attorney David Cohen, of the Canadian immigration law firm Campbell Cohen, some clients who applied to the Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) program in summer 2013 are now receiving passport requests. A passport request is the final step in the process of obtaining Canadian Permanent Residency.

“It is exciting to see that processing times are beginning to decrease to under a year,” said Attorney Cohen. “Shortening the timeframe for application processing means that Canada gets the workers it needs in a timely fashion, and applicants are assessed within a reasonable timeframe that allows them to plan for their futures.”

The Politics of Processing Times

In years past, the government was facing a large backlog of applications for a number of programs, most notably the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP). These backlogs, along with a number of other factors, resulted in increasing wait times for applicants.

Long wait times presented a problem for both Canada and the applicants waiting to be assessed. Without the ability to quickly issue permanent residence to desirable candidates, Canada faced the possibility of becoming less competitive in the global contest for the best immigrants. Applicants, on the other hand, were made to wait in a state of uncertainty for long periods of time.

Solving the problem required program reforms on many levels. These reforms included the controversial decision to do away with some backlogged applications, the consolidation of some processing centers into the newly created Ottawa Case Processing Center, and the creation of new programs with faster processing times, such as the Canadian Experience Class.

What This Means for Applicants

According to Attorney Cohen, a reduction of processing times can mean only good news for applicants.

“In short, the faster an application is processed, the faster that applicant will see their immigration goals materialize,” said Attorney Cohen. “Hopefully, the promising timelines that my firm has been experiencing with the Federal Skilled Worker Program will continue, and expand to other immigration programs in the near future.”

Speedy processing times are optimal for a number of reasons. For example, immigration programs and program requirements can change regularly. A processing time of one year or less helps to ensure that applicants who submit under a certain set of regulations will be assessed before those regulations change. In addition, shorter and more predictable immigration timelines allow applicants to more effectively plan for their future settlement in Canada, for instance by contacting employers and looking for housing.

The Canadian government has made significant investments of time and money to bring down processing times. As recent examples from the FSWP have shown, the investments will likely pay off for both Canada and future immigrants.

To find out if you are eligible to apply to any of over 60 Canadian immigration programs, please fill out a free online assessment today.

Source: http://www.cicnews.com/2014/04/immigration-processing-times-decreasing-043326.html