Immigration to Canada: Last round for Quebec starts today

English: A photo of the flag of the province of Quebec floating over the Parliament Building in Quebec City. Français : Une photo du drapeau du Québec flottant au-dessus de l'Hôtel du Parlement du Québec à Québec. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By 

Majorie van Leijen

Published Monday, January 18, 2016

The last round of this year’s application cycle for the popular immigration stream the Quebec Skilled Worker Program (QSWP) to the Canadian province of Quebec will open on Monday, 18 January.

With an expected ‘application rush’ those interested are recommended to keep their files ready and apply as soon as they can.

The QSWP is a programme similar to its federal equivalent but considered to be more lenient in terms of criteria, especially with the recent changes to the programme.

The stream enables the regular immigrant to move to Canada to live and work there, provided the person settles in the province of Quebec.

The intake round could run until March 31, 2016 at the latest, however, the intake cap is expected to be reached before this date. A maximum of 2800 applications will be accepted.

What is new?

Applications for this intake round will only be accepted through the new online system dubbed the Mon projet Québec online application management system. During the previous intake round, which was closed in November, the province accepted the last applications through post.

However, that is not all. In the first week of this year some changes were made to the programme, widening the window of opportunities for applicants.

Previously, recent work experience in the field of education had to be demonstrated of this education was completed more than 5 years ago. This is no longer the case; applicants will receive points for their diplomas regardless of when they were earned.

In August last year Quebec made another welcoming announcement stating that the adaptability interview, judging one’s capability to settle in the province, was scrapped from the requirements and would no longer determine the number of points for applicants.

Although the intake cap has been reduced, applicants have more chances to be accepted this year.

How it works

The programme uses a point-based system, where a minimum threshold applies in order to obtain a Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ).

A single applicant must score at least 49 points, while an applicant with a spouse or common-law partner must score at least 57 points.

Considerable emphasis is placed on language. An applicant can receive a maximum of 22 points for language. Up to 16 points can be awarded for French proficiency, and up to 6 for English.

However, French language proficiency is not a requirement.

Area of training can be allocated 6-16 points. Specifying which occupations are in demand, the Canadian province requires candidates to have qualifications in one of the training fields on the list.

Individuals who have degrees in areas such as computer science, computer engineering, accounting, translation, and banking and financial operations are in demand.

The programme operates on a first come, first serve basis.
 

Source: http://www.emirates247.com/news/emirates/immigration-to-canada-last-round-for-quebec-starts-today-2016-01-18-1.617612

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The Liberal government’s new plan for Canadian immigration and economic opportunity

English: A Canadian Customs and Immigration service sign (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Liberal party has outlined its priorities for reforming Canada’s immigration system. Here is an insight into the platform for immigration.The platform recognises that Canada's future success is largely driven by attracting talented people from around the world.

Central to the new government's platform is a commitment to compassion and the creation of economic opportunity within the immigration system. This includes expansion of current refugee quotas from Syria and Iraq and making family reunification one of the core immigration priorities, including the doubling of budgets for family class processing.

For business, the paper takes a swipe at the temporary foreign worker program – and the levels of temporary workers in Canada. This will continue to be a hot issue in the coming months. Business will need to continue to press the case for more open access to highly skilled workers through the international mobility program, intra-company transfers and trade agreements.

Some positive measures for business in the new government’s immigration agenda include:

• Providing greater access to applicants with Canadian siblings, by granting additional points under the Express Entry system.
• A commitment to conduct a review of the Express Entry program, ensuring that processing times are efficient.
• Restoring the maximum age for dependents to 22 instead of 19.
• Granting immediate permanent residency to new spouses entering Canada, rather than imposing a two-year conditional status.
• A commitment to restore the residency time credit for foreign students and other temporary residents applying to become Canadian citizens.
• A commitment to make changes to the Canadian Experience Class to reduce the barriers to immigration that have been imposed on international students.
• Reverse the roadblocks in the immigration system that have created unnecessary inconveniences and costs for Canadians and Canadian businesses.

Source: CERC

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Analysis: Do Migrants Take the Jobs of Native Workers?

An analysis published by researcher Amelie F. Constant in the Germany-based IZA World of Labortackles the question: Do migrants take the jobs of native workers?

The answer, Constant finds, is no. When immigrants do compete for jobs traditionally held by native works, the effects are small and not statistically significant. A more interesting challenge for policy makers may be the effects on productivity and technological innovation when low-skilled workers are used in place of physical capital.

Despite some downsides, Constant finds that overall, the positive effects of immigration far outweigh the negative. She writes:

“Neither public opinion nor evidence-based research supports the claim of some politicians and the media that immigrants take the jobs of native-born workers. Public opinion polls in six migrant-destination countries after the 2008–2009 recession show that most people believe that immigrants fill job vacancies and many believe that they create jobs and do not take jobs from native workers. This view is corroborated by evidence-based research showing that immigrants—of all skill levels—do not significantly affect native employment in the short term and boost employment in the long term.”

Other key findings include:

• Immigrants who are self-employed or entrepreneurs directly create new jobs.
• Immigrant innovators create jobs indirectly within a firm, leading to long-term job growth.
• New immigrants fill labor shortages and keep markets working efficiently.
• High-skilled immigrants contribute to technological adaptation and low-skilled immigrants to occupational mobility, specialization, and human capital creation; both create new jobs for native workers.
• By raising demand, immigrants cause firms and production to expand, resulting in new hiring.

Read the full analysis.

Source: http://www.hireimmigrants.ca/resources-tools/reports/analysis-do-migrants-take-the-jobs-of-native-workers/