Immigration Canada

Canada makes visa application process easier for some Caribbean nationals.

English: View of the International Financial Centre near the Port of Port-of-Spain in the Gulf of Paria (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By CMC - Thursday, September 12th, 2013.

OTTAWA, Canada– The Government of Canada has announced the opening of a new visa application centre (VAC) in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, making the process of applying for a visa to enter Canada “easier and more convenient.”

The Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has announced plans to expand its VAC network around the world to provide administrative support to applicants before, during and after their temporary resident application is assessed by a CIC immigration officer.

According to a release ,VAC service agents are available by phone, email or in person to answer questions in local languages and to make sure that applications are complete.

“It is important to note that VACs are not involved in the decision-making process and are not authorized to provide applicants with advice about their visas,” the statement said.

“Applications received through the VAC or online are processed on a priority basis and are typically finalized in half the amount of time of other applications,” it added.

The Government of Canada said it plans to create new jobs and stimulate economic growth by attracting an increasing number of visitors and international students, as well as skilled temporary foreign workers and immigrants that “best respond to current and future labor market needs.

“For this reason, CIC strives to issue visas and permits as quickly as possible to facilitate travel to Canada,” the statement said.

The latest announcement comes as Canada has imposed new travel requirements for nationals from two Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries.

In Jamaica, the Canadian High Commission said new regulations, enforced by CIC which took effect last week,would affect nationals from Jamaica and Haiti wanting to visit, work or study in the North American country.

The High Commission said that nationals from these two CARICOM countries will be required to give fingerprints and photographic data when they apply for visas and permits.

Last year, Canada imposed new travel requirements on nationals from St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines on the grounds of unreliable travel documents.

CIS said the changes would allow it and its partners “to ensure that those seeking to visit Canada intend to return to their country of origin, rather than overstaying or committing other immigration violations.”

The new measures were criticized by the governments of the two CARICOM countries, with St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves dispatching a four-page letter to his Canadian counterpart, Stephen Harper.

Cap for the Federal Skilled Worker Program- Update

The Centre Block on Parliament Hill, containing the houses of the Canadian parliament (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As of May 4, 2013, Citizenship and Immigration Canada will only consider federal skilled worker (FSW) applications from people who have:

at least one year of continuous and paid (full-time or an equal amount in part-time) work experience in a single occupation,
within the last 10 years,
at skill type 0, or skill levels A or B of the 2011 edition of the Canadian National Occupational Classification (NOC), and who are:

1. in one of the 24 eligible occupations,

and whose application is received under the occupation’s sub-cap and overall FSW cap, or

2. with a valid offer of arranged employment, or

3. who are applying under the PhD stream (see below) until the PhD cap of 1,000 applications is reached.

All applicants must also:

meet the minimum language threshold (and submit approved language test results), and
submit a Canadian educational credential or foreign credential and an assessment of their foreign education from an approved agency, and
meet all requirements of the FSW Program.

Applications per eligible occupation:

The cap year began on May 4, 2013, and will end on April 30, 2014, unless otherwise stated by the Minister.Between May 4, 2013, and April 30, 2014, we will consider no more than 5,000 complete FSW applications for processing. Within the 5,000 cap, we will consider no more than 300 applications per eligible occupation for processing within this same time frame.

Note: Due to the large number of applications we get, we cannot check that each one is complete on the same day it gets to the office. The numbers on this page are updated at least once a week, but are only a guide. There is no guarantee that an application sent in now will fall within the cap by the time it gets to the Centralized Intake Office.

Total received toward the overall cap: 1,392 of 5,000

Eligible occupation (by National Occupational Classification [NOC] code)	Number of complete applications counted towards the 300 sub-cap
0211 Engineering managers	127
1112 Financial and investment analysts	300 (Cap reached)
2113 Geoscientists and oceanographers	8
2131 Civil engineers	78
2132 Mechanical engineers	93
2134 Chemical engineers	38
2143 Mining engineers	1
2145 Petroleum engineers	1
2144 Geological engineers	11
2146 Aerospace engineers	5
2147 Computer engineers (except software engineers/designers)	179
2154 Land surveyors	2
2174 Computer programmers and interactive media developers	300 (Cap reached)
2243 Industrial instrument technicians and mechanics	13
2263 Inspectors in public and environmental health and occupational health and safety	56
3141 Audiologists and speech-language pathologists	2
3142 Physiotherapists	68
3143 Occupational Therapists	11
3211 Medical laboratory technologists	65
3212 Medical laboratory technicians and pathologists' assistants	15
3214 Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists	2
3215 Medical Radiation Technologists	12
3216 Medical Sonographers	6
3217 Cardiology technologists and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists	6

Applications in the PhD stream:

CIC will accept 1,000 applications for processing per year under the PhD stream. To apply under this stream, you must have either

finished at least two years of study in Canada towards a PhD, or
graduated from a Canadian PhD program in the 12 months before we get your application.

Find out more about eligibility for this category.

The new PhD cap year began on May 4, 2013, and will end on April 30, 2014, unless otherwise stated by the Minister.

Footnotes

Footnote 1: The number of complete federal skilled worker applications received as of May 4, 2013 is an estimate.
Footnote 2: Once we reach the cap, we can only accept applications under this occupation from people with a valid job offer in place.

Professions Covered by NAFTA

The following professions are covered by Appendix 1603.D.1 of the North American Free Trade Agreement. For more information on obtaining a TN Visa, please consult the relevant section of this website.


Profession¹	Minimum Education Requirements or Alternative Credentials
General
Accountant	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or C.P.A., C.A., C.G.A. or C.M.A.
Architect	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial license²
Computer Systems Analyst	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or Post-Secondary Diploma³ or Post-Secondary Certificate⁴, and three years experience
Disaster Relief Insurance Claims Adjuster (claims Adjuster employed by an insurance company located in the territory of a Party, or an independent claims adjuster)	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree, and successful completion of training in the appropriate areas of insurance adjustment pertaining to disaster relief claims; or three years experience in claims adjustment and successful completion of training in the appropriate areas of insurance adjustment pertaining to disaster relief claims
Economist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Engineer	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial license
Forester	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial license
Graphic Designer	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or Post-Secondary Diploma or Post-Secondary Certificate, and three years experience
Hotel Manager	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree in hotel/restaurant management; or Post-Secondary Diploma or Post-Secondary Certificate in hotel/restaurant management, and three years experience in hotel/restaurant management
Industrial Designer	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or Post-Secondary Diploma or Post-Secondary Certificate, and three years experience
Interior Designer	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or Post-Secondary Diploma or Post-Secondary Certificate, and three years experience
Land Surveyor	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial/federal license
Landscape Architect	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Lawyer (including Notary in the Province of Quebec)	LL.B., J.D., LL.L., B.C.L. or Licenciatura Degree (five years); or membership in a state/provincial bar
Librarian	M.L.S. or B.L.S. (for which another Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree was a prerequisite)
Management Consultant	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or equivalent professional experience as established by statement or professional credential attesting to five years experience as a management consultant, or five years experience in a field of specialty related to the consulting agreement
Mathematician (including Statistician)	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Range Manager/Range Conservationalist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Research Assistant (working in a post-secondary educational institution)	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Scientific Technician/Technologist⁵	Possession of: (a) a theoretical knowledge of any of the following disciplines: agricultural sciences, astronomy, biology, chemistry, engineering, forestry, geology, geophysics, meteorology or physics; and (b) the ability to solve practical problems in any of those disciplines, or the ability to apply principles of any of those disciplines to basic or applied research
Social Worker	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Sylviculturist (including Forestry Specialist)	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Technical Publications Writer	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or Post-Secondary Diploma or Post-Secondary Certificate, and three years experience
Urban Planner (including Geographer)	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Vocational Counsellor	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

Medical/Allied Professional
Dentist	D.D.S., D.M.D., Doctor en Odontologia or Doctor en Cirugia Dental; or state/provincial license
Dietitian	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial license
Medical Laboratory Technologist (Canada)/Medical Technologist (Mexico and the United States)⁶	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or Post-Secondary Diploma or Post-Secondary Certificate, and three years experience
Nutritionist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Occupational Therapist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial license
Pharmacist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial license
Physician (teaching or research only)	M.D. or Doctor en Medicina; or state/provincial license
Physiotherapist/Physical Therapist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree; or state/provincial license
Psychologist	State/provincial license; or Licenciatura Degree
Recreational Therapist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Registered Nurse	State/provincial license; or Licenciatura Degree
Veterinarian	D.V.M., D.M.V. or Doctor en Veterinaria; or state/provincial license

Scientist
Agriculturist (including Agronomist)	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Animal Breeder	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Animal Scientist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Apiculturist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Astronomer	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Biochemist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Biologist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Chemist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Dairy Scientist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Entomologist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Epidemiologist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Geneticist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Geologist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Geochemist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Geophysicist (including Oceanographer in Mexico and the United States)	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Horticulturist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Meteorologist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Pharmacologist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Physicist (including Oceanographer in Canada)	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Plant Breeder	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Poultry Scientist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Soil Scientist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Zoologist	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

Teacher
College	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
Seminary	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree
University	Baccalaureate or Licenciatura Degree

1. A business person seeking temporary entry under this Appendix may also perform training functions relating to the profession, including conducting seminars.

2. "State/provincial license" and "state/provincial/federal license" mean any document issued by a state, provincial or federal government, as the case may be, or under its authority, but not by a local government, that permits a person to engage in a regulated activity or profession.

3. "Post-Secondary Diploma" means a credential issued, on completion of two or more years of post-secondary education, by an accredited academic institution in Canada or the United States.

4. "Post-Secondary Certificate" means a certificate issued, on completion of two or more years of post-secondary education at an academic institution, by the federal government of Mexico or a state government in Mexico, an academic institution recognized by the federal government or a state government, or an academic institution created by federal or state law.

5. A business person in this category must be seeking temporary entry to work in direct support of professionals in agricultural sciences, astronomy, biology, chemistry, engineering, forestry, geology, geophysics, meteorology or physics.

6. A business person in this category must be seeking temporary entry to perform in a laboratory chemical, biological, hematological, immunologic, microscopic or bacteriological tests and analyses for diagnosis, treatment or prevention of disease.

7 Keys To Getting A NAFTA Work Permit As a Professional

English: Map of the Tratado de Libre Comercio (TLC or NAFTA in English) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Did you know that certain professionals can work in Canada under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)? They can do so without going through the normal requirement of obtaining a labour market opinion that most other temporary workers (and employers) must do.

In this post, I’ll discuss what I consider to be the seven keys to obtaining a work permit in the professional category under NAFTA.

1. You must be a citizen of the USA or Mexico

Only citizens of the USA and Mexico qualify as NAFTA applicants. Individuals who are permanent residents of either country (e.g., green card holders in the USA) do not qualify under NAFTA.

Citizens of Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands are also excluded from NAFTA and can not obtain work permits through NAFTA.

However, citizens of the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico can apply through NAFTA.

2. Your profession or occupation must be listed in NAFTA

Not all professionals can qualify for a work permit under NAFTA. There are 60 listed qualifying professions and occupations, and your training and experience must fall within one of them.

3. You must have a job or contract in Canada

As a professional, you can not obtain a work permit without first having a job offer in Canada, or a professional service contract with a Canadian firm. You can be an employee of a US or Mexican firm who does business with a Canadian company.

4. You must apply for the correct length of work permit

NAFTA work permits are issued for a maximum of three years initially. However, they are renewable for additional three periods if the applicant still qualifies. In my experience, it is best to apply for the length of permit you need that reflects the employment or service contract you have, to a maximum of three years in the first application.

Applicants should use the “Application for a Work Permit Made Outside of Canada” IMM 1295form.

5. You should apply to the correct visa office

As a NAFTA professional, you have the choice to apply at a port of entry (i.e., the border or airport), or at a visa office (currently either New York for US citizens, or Mexico City for Mexican citizens).

In my experience – if you have the time – it is best to apply at a visa office if at all possible. It is far better to arrive at the border with work permit in hand rather than apply there.

I know of situations where the border officer was reluctant to issue a work permit (perhaps because the documentation wasn’t quite right), and told the applicant to leave and apply through a visa office.

If your time is tight, then by all means apply at a port of entry. But be absolutely certain your supporting documentation is absolutely impeccable.

6. You must have the correct supporting documentation

I won’t go into detail regarding all of the supporting documentation required, as it will vary depending on the facts of each case.

Generally speaking, you first need to prove citizenship with a passport and/or birth certificate. You must have solid evidence that you actually qualify as a professional. This would include official transcripts from the institution where you did your training, including a copy of your degree or diploma. Certificates of membership in a professional organization (if applicable) would also be necessary.

As well, you should have letters of reference or employment contracts from previous employers to show your experience in the field.

Finally, you’ll need a copy of your employment agreement with a Canadian firm (or service contract), with a contact phone number and address in Canada. The agreement must provide details of your duties in Canada (and those duties must match your NAFTA professional category), salary, length of employment, and so forth.

7. You must be entering Canada on a temporary basis

I suppose I should say that you must be able to show that you are entering Canada on a temporary basis. Just stating this fact to the visa officer is not good enough.

Bring evidence of your connections to the US or Mexico. Evidence of assets held (including real estate, investments, bank accounts and vehicles) are crucial.

Provide evidence of family connections in the US or Mexico if you have them. Showing your history of employment in the US or Mexico is always a very good idea as well, or any commitments that you have to return to (such as service contracts, clients or other employment in your home country).

As with all my posts, this post can not be considered legal advice, as your situation is unique and many factors will influence whether you are successful in obtaining a NAFTA work permit.

If you’ve found this blog post useful, please feel free to share it with your social network, or link to it from your blog or website.

Source: http://immigrationcanada.pro/immigrate/7-keys-getting-nafta-work-permit-professional/

Canada hailed as one of five best G20 countries for entrepreneurs

Canadian entrepreneurs have much to smile about: Canada ranks as one of the best countries in the world to start a business, according to a report by EY.

The report applauded Canada’s low labour and startup costs, negligible insolvency rates, low tax burden, and said that the country has better access to funding than most other G20 countries. Yet, EY also noted three in four entrepreneurs cited that financing remains a hurdle in Canada, while 36% said business failure is a barrier to future venture opportunities.The 2013 Entrepreneurship Barometer report, released by the consulting firm ahead of the G20 Leaders Summit next week, studied conditions for startups in the bloc. The second annual findings placed Canada among the top five in the G20, behind the United States and United Kingdom on conditions for entrepreneurs, but ahead of France and Germany.

“It’s a very positive story with respect to Canada in the world stage,” said Colleen McMorrow, EY director of Entrepreneur of the Year. The cost of starting a business has been cut in half in the past decade. Canada came second, bested only by Saudi Arabia, for its supportive regulatory and tax regime.

The top ranking quartile consisted of mature markets such as the U.S., U.K., Australia, South Korea, and Canada, but emerging markets are “nipping at our heels,” Ms. McMorrow said. “The job’s not done. There is lots of room for improvement.”

The notable levels of pessimism are attributable to entrepreneurs’ high expectations and lack of global context in realizing “how good [entrepreneurs] have it in Canada compared to other countries,” said Julia Deans, chief executive of the Canadian Youth Business Foundation (CYBF).

A national stigma for failure is also a barrier to entering the entrepreneurial class, Ms. Deans said.Canada scores below average on perceptions of entrepreneurship as a viable career choice, a sentiment that doesn’t bode well for the general ecosystem with relatively low self-employment figures. “The challenge we have with the high youth unemployment rate is going to steer our youth toward entrepreneurship,” Ms. McMorrow said. Young adults need to start considering running a business as a feasible alternative to traditional career trajectories, such as medicine and engineering, she added.

Ms. McMorrow credited the federal government for trying to fuel the business climate, with initiatives such as the Startup Visa scheme that caters to innovative immigrants with 2,750 annual visas for at least five years.

The report surveyed more than 1,500 entrepreneurs on five areas: access to funding, co-ordinated support, education and training, tax and regulation, and entrepreneurial culture.

The job’s not done. There is lots of room for improvement

Canada’s weakest pillar, at 16th place, was “co-ordinated support” from mentors, incubators, and accelerators — “the glue that holds everything together,” described Ms. McMorrow. Public spending on education is high in the country, but informal training channels, especially corporate mentors, are limited.

While Canada ranks high for accessing domestic funding — primarily venture capital and private equity versus bank lending — the matchmaking of mentoring relationships between angel investors and startups are few and far between, she said. “It’s making sure that young entrepreneurs in particular understand that there are different sources of funding at different stages of growth along the entrepreneurial journey.”

Canadian entrepreneurs need to take advantage of incubating programs such as The Next 36 that conflate academic expertise, capital access, and mentoring, Ms. McMorrow said.

Many of these accelerators are concentrated in central and Western Canada, said Ms. Deans, which could account for lack of satisfaction with networking services.

“In some [provincial] markets, finance is much more readily available. In Saskatchewan, for instance, there are no accelerators. If you’re a young entrepreneur in Saskatchewan, your options for developing your business are way fewer than they are in southern Ontario,” she said.

Forty-five per cent of Canadian entrepreneurs said access to capital has improved in the past three years, compared to 35% G20 average.

Source: http://business.financialpost.com/2013/08/28/canada-hailed-as-one-of-five-best-g20-countries-for-entrepreneurs/#!