Who can apply - Atlantic Immigration Pilot

These programs will open in early March 2017.

The Atlantic Immigration Pilot has two programs for skilled workers:

• Atlantic High-Skilled Program
• Atlantic Intermediate-Skilled Program

and one program for international student graduates:

• Atlantic International Graduate Program

The work experience, education, and job offer you need will depend on whether you are applying as a worker or an international student graduate. The other requirements are the same for both.

Work experience

Workers

You must have worked at least one year (1,560 hours total or 30 hours per week) within the last three years. It can be full-time, non-continuous, or part-time, as long as it adds up to 1,560 hours.

The work must be:

• in one occupation (but can be with different employers)
• paid (volunteering or unpaid internships do not count)
• at skill type/level 0, A, B, or C of the National Occupational Classification (NOC)
  What does this mean?

Check the requirements to make sure you select the right job.

The experience can be gained from inside or outside Canada.

International graduates

You do not need any work experience.

Workers apply as either high-skilled workers or intermediate-skilled workers. High-skilled workers need their one year of work experience to be at skill type/level 0, A, or B. Intermediate-skilled workers need their one year of work experience to be at the skill level C. If you are eligible to apply for both, apply as a high-skilled worker.

Education

Workers

You must have:

• a Canadian secondary (high school) or post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree,
  OR
• a foreign degree, diploma, certificate, or trade or apprenticeship education credential. You need an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report to make sure it is valid and equal to a Canadian credential.
  The report must show your education is equal to a completed Canadian secondary (high school) or post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree. Your ECA must be less than five years old when you apply.

International graduates

You must have:

• a minimum 2 year degree, diploma, certificate, or trade or apprenticeship credential from a recognized publicly-funded institution in an Atlantic province
• been a full-time student in Canada for at least two years
• graduated in the last 12 months when you apply
• lived in one of the Atlantic provinces for at least 16 months in the last 2 years before you graduated
• had the visa or permit needed to work, study or train in Canada

Your study or training program cannot be:

• English or French second language courses for more than half of the program, or
• distance learning undertaken for more than half the length of the program.

You can’t apply if you had a scholarship or fellowship requiring you to return to your home country after you graduate.

Note: Starting in early March 2017, Pilot candidates will be able to apply for a temporary work permit if the job needs to be filled urgently. If your future employer would like you to apply for a temporary work permit first, you will need to commit to apply for permanent residence within 90 days of your application being submitted.

More details will be available March 2017.

Job offer

You must have a job offer that is:

• from a designated employer in an Atlantic province (New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, or Prince Edward Island)
• non-seasonal
• reviewed by the province (details on the endorsement process will be available in early March 2017)

The National Occupational Classification (NOC) and duration of the job offer depends on your application.

Job offers for high-skilled workers must:

• be skill type/level 0, A, or B
• last at least one year

Job offers for intermediate-skilled workers must:

• be skill type/level 0, A, B, or C
• be indeterminate (permanent)

Job offers for international graduates must:

• be skill type/level 0, A, B, or C
• last at least one year

Your job offer does not need to be in the same occupation as your past work experience. However, you need to meet employment requirements for the job you are offered. The requirements are listed in the NOC.

The employer does not need a Labour Market Impact Assessment. Contact the provinces to learn which employers are hiring with this program:

• New Brunswick
• Newfoundland and Labrador
• Nova Scotia
• Prince Edward Island

Language

You must:

• have at least a level four (4) in the Canadian Language Benchmarks in English or the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens in French, and
• take an approved language test that shows you meet the level for speaking, listening, reading and writing.

Your results must be less than two years old when you apply.

Proof of funds

You will need to show that you have enough money to support yourself and your family after you immigrate. The amount you need depends on the size of your family and includes family members you support that are not immigrating with you.

You do not need to show proof if you are already living and working in Canada with a valid work permit.

Settlement plan

To help you settle in Canada, you must have a needs assessment before you immigrate. After the assessment, you will get a plan. The plan will tell you:

• about the community where you will live, and
• where you can get help for you and your family.

Learn how to get a needs assessment.

Endorsement certificate

Details on the endorsement process will be available in early March 2017.

Canadian dual citizens can travel freely to the U.S. despite Trump travel ban

Canadian citizens can travel freely to the United States despite U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping immigration order that bans visitors from seven Muslim-majority countries, the Prime Minister's Office says.

Saturday's news came hours after the U.S. State Department told CBC News the 90-day travel ban covers all people who have a nationality or dual nationality with Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Iran, Somalia, Libya, and Yemen — which would include tens of thousands of Canadians.

• 
  
• "We have been assured that Canadian citizens travelling on Canadian passport will be dealt with ‎in the usual process," Kate Purchase, spokeswoman for the Prime Minister's Office, said in a statement.

View image on Twitter

The NDP has written to the Speaker of the House of Commons requesting an emergency debate on the immigration ban, a day before Parliament is set to re-open after a six-week break.

NDP Immigration critic Jenny Kwan said the ban will have "disastrous implications" for thousands of travellers, family members, students, business people and asylum-seekers.

"A ban against individuals based upon race, religion, or country of birth, implemented by our closest neighbour, cannot be tolerated," Kwan said in the letter. "Canadians cherish their role as global citizens and defenders of human rights and as their elected representatives it is our duty to respond to these extraordinary events."

• 
  

Trump's executive order on Friday curbs travel to the U.S. for people coming from the seven Muslim-majority countries. In an email to CBC News earlier on Saturday, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department said: "Beginning January 27, 2017, travellers who have nationality or dual nationality of one of these countries will not be permitted for 90 days to enter the United States or be issued an immigrant or nonimmigrant visa."

"Those nationals or dual nationals holding valid immigrant or nonimmigrant visas will not be permitted to enter the United States during this period."

It's not clear at this point whether the ban affects dual nationals who have citizenship with one of the banned countries and another country outside of Canada. 

At the Los Angeles International Airport, people protest U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping executive order barring refugees and travellers from seven Muslim-majority countries. Canada says its citizens will not be affected. (Patrick T. Fallon/Reuters)

'We're not terrorists'

Before the PMO issued the statement of assurance to Canadian dual citizens, Leena Yousefi, a family and immigration lawyer in Vancouver, told CBC News she is "deeply saddened and offended" by Trump's order.

Yousefi, 34, said her family immigrated to Canada in 1996 and she's only returned to Iran once to visit family and hasn't bothered to update her Iranian passport. 

• 
  

She said she often travels to the U.S. and was hoping to start a new law firm there because she often works with Americans looking to immigrate to Canada.

"We're just completely shocked," she said. "We have family in the United States. We've never had a problem with American people."

"I think all the Iranian-Canadian professionals ... need to speak up," she said. "We're not terrorists, at all."

Families separated

Plenty of people in Canada are still affected by the executive order. 

Mehran Shirazi, a PhD engineering student at Simon Fraser University and a permanent resident in Canada, said he doesn't know when he will be able to see his brother in New York City, who is awaiting a green card for the U.S. Both were born in Iran.

• 
  
• "We'd hoped to see each other but it's not going to work because he cannot come here because then he cannot come back to the U.S. and I cannot visit him," Shirazi said.

Shirazi's parents haven't seen his brother in six years and had planned to visit to New York this spring.

"Now they cannot do that. They don't know when, if at all, they can see him again," he said.

2011 National Household Survey

According to the 2011 National Household Survey from Statistics Canada, the latest survey available, there were over 35,000 Canadians in 2011 who shared citizenship with the countries banned.

• 1,655 with Somalia.
• 5,590 with Iraq.
• 21,610 with Iran.
• 1,505 with Sudan. 
• 210 with Yemen. 
• 4,080 with Syria. 
• 535 with Libya.

The survey also showed there were 74,550 people in Canada from those countries who do not have citizenship in Canada:

• 5,115 from Somalia.
• 19,030 from Iraq.
• 36,950 from Iran.
• 4,005 from Sudan.
• 830 from Yemen.
• 5,375 from Syria. 
• 3,245 from Libya.

The survey was compiled before Canada's commitment to resettle tens of thousands of Syrian refugees in 2015.

A federal judge in New York on Saturday night barred U.S. from deporting travellers with valid visas covered by Trump order, which the American Civil Liberties Union says will affect 100 to 200 people detained at airports. It's unclear how many are Canadian.

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/canadian-affected-trump-travel-ban-refugees-immigrants-1.3957059

Canadian dual citizens exempted from Trump’s travel ban

Source: 

 DANIEL DALEWashington Bureau
EMILY MATHIEUInvestigative News reporter

Sat., Jan. 28, 2017

Canadian citizens will be allowed to enter the United States even if they also hold citizenship in countries targeted by President Donald Trump’s travel ban, a top Trump adviser told the Canadian government late Saturday.

The word from National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, relayed to the media by Canada’s Washington embassy, ended a day of confusion and turmoil over a vaguely worded Trump policy that had appeared to ensnare tens of thousands of Canadian citizens and abandon 150 years of border tradition.

“The prime minister instructed our National Security Adviser, Daniel Jean, who was in touch over the course of the day with NSA Flynn to seek further clarification,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office told reporters.

“Flynn confirmed that holders of Canadian passports, including dual citizens, will not be affected by the ban. We have been assured that Canadian citizens travelling on Canadian passports will be dealt with ‎in the usual process.”

The Friday order had left Trudeau scrambling not only to develop an appropriate response but to figure out what exactly was happening. And it left Canadian communities confused, alarmed and furious, reassessing both their travel plans and their sense of their place on the continent.

“Our community is very devastated,” said Osman Ali, director of the Somali Canadian Association of Etobicoke, before Flynn’s clarification.

The policy had seemed to prevent travel by dual-citizen Canadian students and businesspeople living in the U.S., effectively prohibiting them from leaving the country, and dual-citizen Canadians living in Canada who wanted to visit the U.S. The president of the Canadian Science Policy Conference booked his regular flight to a major American science conference in February. Mehrdad Hariri thought he needed to call Air Canada and cancel, and he was stunned.

“Absolutely shocking,” sad Hariri, a dual Canadian and Iranian citizen. “Absolutely shocking. It’s so disappointing.”

Trump’s 90-day ban, which he framed as an anti-terror measure, is not aimed specifically at Canadians. It is designed to forbid entry by residents of Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Somalia, Syria, Yemen and Libya.

But to the astonishment of U.S. allies, the Department of Homeland Security announced early Saturday it did not exempt people who are citizens of those countries and also citizens of countries like Canada, France and Australia, which have never been targeted by broad restrictions of this kind. Nor, they said, did it make exceptions for people who hold “green cards,” permanent residents who are rigorously vetted.

It was not the “total and complete” Muslim ban Trump promised during a campaign in which he practiced open Islamophobia. But it appeared far more sweeping and punitive than lawmakers, diplomats and lawyers had expected when the details were leaked earlier in the week.

“There has never been a measure like this before,” said Lorne Waldman, a top Canadian immigration lawyer in Toronto, before the clarification. “One can only assume that they didn’t fully think through all of the consequences of what they were doing in terms of the havoc it’s going to cause.”

“It certainly appears to be unprecedented, and it has certainly been both developed and promulgated in an ignorant and chaotic fashion,” said Robert Remes, a veteran immigration lawyer in Washington, before the clarification.

Some of Trump’s most prominent backers had long suggested that the Muslim ban was mere campaign rhetoric, not to be taken literally. Some Canadian Muslims had assumed the same, then woke up Saturday to learn they had been separated from their families.

“On our end, we were saying, ‘That is ridiculous, that is not going to happen, don’t worry.’ But here we are, and it is happening now,” said Mahmoud Allouch, 26, a University of Toronto engineering graduate from Syria who works for a Toronto non-profit. Allouch, who is applying for permanent residency here, does not have a Canadian passport. Under the ban, he can no longer visit his sister in Washington, who has a green card, but not an American passport.

“There is uncertainty, there is apprehension, there is a lot of ambiguity. So we are playing it safe,” Allouch said. “It is really just weird to see it happen in 2017, after the world was moving towards less borders, less walls, but now we are starting the alienation.”

Iranian Canadian Congress president Bijan Ahmadi said Trump had chosen religious and national discrimination over “any credible security assessment of each case of someone who wants to enter the United States.”

“We believe that our government and all our politicians, all our MPs from different political parties, should be united on this matter, and should condemn this discriminatory policy that the Trump administration has signed and has implemented,” Ahmadi said.

Ali said Trump had targeted the “poor of the poorest, the weak of the weakest.”

Canadian refugee advocates called on Trudeau to consider changes to a 2004 pact, the Safe Third Country Agreement, which prohibits most people who have been in the U.S. from claiming refugee status at the Canadian border. With Trump’s 120-day suspension of all refugee intake, they said, the U.S. no longer qualifies as a safe haven.

Notice to Express Entry candidates

The Express Entry system has been updated.

We have made a number of improvements that may affect you:

• The points you can get for a job offer has changed.
  • you can earn a total of 50 points if you have a valid job offer in a NOC 0, A or B occupation
  • you can earn a total of 200 points if you have a valid job offer in a NOC 00 occupation.
• A job offer now only need to be for a minimum of one year from the time you become a permanent resident. 
• You can now earn CRS points for study in Canada above high school.
  • you can earn 15 points for a one- or two-year diploma or certificate
  • you can earn 30 points for a degree, diploma or certificate of three years or longer, or for a Master’s, professional or doctoral degree of at least one academic year.
• You now have more time to complete an application for permanent residence if you get an invitation to apply.
  • Applicants will now have 90 days to apply for permanent residence, instead of 60 days.
• An LMIA will no longer be needed for certain qualifying job offers to receive CRS points as well as points for arranged employment under the Federal Skilled Worker Class. Many people in Canada on an LMIA exempt work permit will be able to carry that LMIA exemption under Express Entry, including those:
  • here under the North America Free Trade Agreement
  • here under a federal-provincial agreement
  • here under Mobilité Francophone or
  • are an intra-company transferee
  as long as they meet certain criteria, such as at least one year of work experience from the same employer who is providing their job offer.
  Find out more about jobs that are exempt from needing an LMIA.

What do I need to do?

Not everyone will be affected by the changes to the Express Entry system. If you think you are not affected, there is nothing you need to do.

If you think the changes affect you, you should:

1. Log into your online account and update your Express Entry profile by answering the new questions we added to the system.
2. After you update your profile, the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) will update your score.

Invitations to apply

Invitation rounds will begin again in the coming weeks. This will give those affected by the changes time to update their Express Entry profile.

All CRS scores will be updated before the next invitation round.

New Comprehensive Ranking System for Express Entry

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has revamped the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) for its Express Entry immigration selection system. The changes, which had been expected for some time, will have a major effect on candidates for immigration to Canada through the three federal programs managed through Express Entry, namely the Federal Skilled Worker Class, the Federal Skilled Trades Class, and the Canadian Experience Class.

The new instructions on Express Entry, which were published in the government of Canada’s official Gazette, come into force on November 19, 2016.

The significant changes to job offers are:

• A qualifying job offer is now worth 200 points if the offer is in an occupation contained in a Major Group 00 of the National Occupational Classification (senior managerial level position). These occupations are:
  • 0011 Legislators
  • 0012 Senior government managers and officials
  • 0013 Senior managers – financial, communications and other business services
  • 0014 Senior managers – health, education, social and community services and membership organizations
  • 0015 Senior managers – trade, broadcasting and other services not elsewhere classified.
  • 0016 Senior managers – construction, transportation, production and utilities
• A qualifying job offer is now worth 50 points if the offer is any other qualifying offer of arranged employment.

Previously, qualifying job offers supported by a Labour Market Impact Assessment were worth 600 points under the CRS. As of November 19, candidates with qualifying job offers will be awarded either 200 or 50 points, depending on the position. Moreover, certain work permit holders may be awarded points for their job offer even if they have not obtained a LMIA (note: LMIA holders will also continue to be awarded points for a job offer).

In addition to LMIA holders, the new regulations also allow the following individuals to be awarded points for a qualifying job offer:

• Individuals with a work permit issued under an international agreement, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
• Individuals with a work permit issued under the ‘significant benefits to Canada’ criteria, such as Intra-Company Transfers.

In both above cases, the worker must have been working in Canada for at least one year and the job offer must be made by the same employer named on the work permit. A full list may be reviewed in the table below.

Finally, the job offer duration requirement has also changed from ‘indeterminate’ to at least one year in duration.

Workers currently in Canada: Is your work permit acceptable for Express Entry?

The table below shows which foreign workers in Canada may be able to obtain points for a job offer.

Yes	No
NAFTA	Post-Graduation Work Permits
Intra-Company Transfer	International Experience Canada (IEC)
Labour Market Impact Assessment-based Work Permits	Work Permits issued to Spouses/Common-Law Partners of foreign workers and international students in Canada
Canada-Provincial/Territorial issued Work Permits	All other Open Work Permits
Other Work Permits issued under the significant benefit to Canada initiative

Canadian study now a factor

The points that are to be assigned for a Canadian educational credential are the following:

• 0 points, if the foreign national has a secondary school educational credential;
• 15 points, if the foreign national has an eligible credential from a one-year or two-year post-secondary program; and
• 30 points, if the foreign national has either:
  • an eligible credential from a post-secondary program of three years or more,
  • an eligible credential from a university-level program at the master’s level or at the level of an entry-to-practice professional degree for an occupation listed in the National Occupational Classification matrix at Skill Level A for which licensing by a provincial regulatory body is required, or
  • an eligible credential from a university-level program at the doctoral level.

Points are only assigned for Canadian study experience if, for the purpose of obtaining the credential, the foreign national:

• studied in Canada at a Canadian educational institution;
• was enrolled in full-time study or training for at least eight months; and
• was physically present in Canada for at least eight months.

Before these changes, there were no additional points available for international students/graduates who had completed a study program in Canada. The changes reflect the government’s goal of providing simpler pathways to permanent residents to international students and graduates in Canada.

Invitations to Apply

Candidates who receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence will have additional time to submit a complete application to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Whereas previously an ITA was valid for 60 days, candidates will now have 90 days to submit an application after they receive an ITA.

The consequences for candidates in the pool

On November 19, IRCC may automatically implement these changes for profiles already in the Express Entry pool. In many cases, candidates may notice that the number of CRS points awarded to them has not gone up. However, candidates without a job offer in particular should note that their profile — even though it may state the same number of points as before — may become more competitive, particularly next to candidates with LMIA-based job offers who see their scores dropping by up to 550 points.

The Express Entry pool is a competitive environment, where candidates’ profiles are ranked against each other and the highest-ranked candidates are in a stronger position to receive an ITA when a draw is made. As of November 19, the value of a job offer will go down from 600 points to either 200 or 50 points (depending on the position offered).

IRCC’s year-end Express Entry report for 2015, released earlier this year, showed that of the 31,063 ITAs issued last year, 14,465 (46.6%) were issued to candidates who had a job offer supported by a LMIA. Consequently, the effect of the most recent changes to the CRS could significantly change the make-up of the pool and the rate of candidates with a job offer who go on to receive an ITA. Although candidates with a job offer will continue to be awarded a significant number of points (50 or 200, depending on the position), candidates without a job offer may see their chances of success improving.

Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) Now The Most Valuable Factor

It should be noted that candidates who obtain an enhanced nomination certificate through a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) category will continue to be awarded 600 points. Additionally, candidates should note that IRCC’s recently-released Immigration Plan for 2017 revealed that the government of Canada aims to welcome around 51,000 new immigrants through the PNPs next year, a seven percent increase on the target for 2016. With more enhanced PNP categories opening and changing over time, it is arguably more important than ever before for candidates to stay up to date on these immigration programs.

Source: http://www.cicnews.com/2016/11/canada-outlines-significant-changes-comprehensive-ranking-system-crs-express-entry-immigration-118652.html

Changes to Express Entry will benefit applicants, including international students

When the Liberals came into power last year, and John McCallum was named the minister of immigration, he said he would take some time to assess the recently adopted Express Entry system of immigration before making any changes. Now, after a year of focusing on first, the arrival of Syrian refugees and a summer of consultations on the immigration system, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has announced some changes to Express Entry.

The changes to Express Entry, which will take effect on Nov. 19, aim to create a more fair and responsive immigration system that will address emerging needs and ensure long-term economic growth for the middle class.

Changes include awarding points for job offers to eligible candidates already in Canada on Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) exempt work permits, and to international students who completed their studies in Canada.

Also, more time will be allocated to candidates to submit an application for permanent residence once an invitation to apply is received.

“We have committed to doing more to attract highly skilled immigrants to come to Canada and become permanent residents because this is important to build our economy and strengthen our society,” says Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship McCallum. “I am confident that the changes to Express Entry will be one of the many positive outcomes of the changes we will be bringing to our immigration system.”

THE DETAILS

BEFORE NOV. 19, 2016

Job offers

The Express Entry Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) awards 600 points for a job that is permanent and is supported by a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).

Education

The Express Entry system only awards points for education overall as long as it has been assessed as equivalent to a Canadian standard. No additional benefit is awarded specifically to former international students who have received an education in Canada.

Applications

After receiving an invitation to apply, candidates have 60 days to submit a complete application for permanent residence. This includes all documentation such as police certificates and medical exams.

AFTER NOV. 19, 2016

Job offers

On Nov. 19, 2016, the points awarded by the CRS for a job offer will change in three ways:

Points will be awarded for job offers of eligible candidates here on LMIA exempt work permits.

Many people in Canada temporarily on an employer specific LMIA-exempt work permit, but who want to stay in Canada permanently, will no longer need to get an LMIA to be awarded job offer points by the CRS. This includes candidates who are here under the North America Free Trade Agreement, a federal-provincial agreement, Mobilité Francophone, or who are intra-company transferees. The candidates must meet certain criteria, such as at least one year of work experience from the same employer who is providing their job offer.

Job offers will only need to be a minimum of one year in duration once they receive permanent residence.

By changing the job offer requirement from permanent to one year means that more highly skilled candidates working in contract-based industries will have a higher likelihood of receiving an invitation to apply for permanent residence.

Points awarded for job offers will be reduced.

A total of 50 points will be awarded to candidates with a valid job offer in a National Occupational Classification (NOC) 0, A or B occupation, while a total of 200 points will be awarded to candidates with a valid job offer in a NOC 00 occupation.

The number of points awarded for a job offer, often made it hard for highly skilled candidates without job offers to get an invitation to apply. This change means Canada will now welcome more highly skilled candidates whose skills and experience will help support and grow our economy.

The change in points for job offers will now also better recognize the skills and experience required for the job, together with the value that it brings to the economy.

Education

On Nov. 19, 2016, points will be awarded by the CRS for education obtained in Canada in the following way:

Points will be awarded for study in Canada above high school.

The CRS will award 15 points for a one- or two-year diploma or certificate and 30 points for a degree, diploma or certificate of three years or longer including a master’s, professional or doctoral degree.

With these changes, more former international students will be able to transition to the permanent residence using the Express Entry system. Former international students are a key source of candidates in Express Entry because of their age, education, skills, and experience. In addition to the time already spent in Canada, integrating into Canadian society permanently will be easier because they will have established social networks and familiarized themselves with life in Canada.

Applications

On Nov. 19, 2016, applications will be treated in the following way:

Candidates will have 90 days to complete an application for permanent residence if they get an invitation to apply. This will give candidates more time to gather all the required documentation and submit a complete application.

Source: http://canadianimmigrant.ca/immigrate/immigration-law/changes-to-express-entry-will-benefit-applicants-including-international-students

Canada adopts lottery system for reuniting immigrants with parents, grandparents

Replacing current 1st-come, 1st-served system to make process more fair for all applicants

By Kathleen Harris, CBC News Posted: Dec 14, 2016 11:11 AM ET

Canada is adopting a lottery system to replace the current first-come, first-served immigration process to reunite parents and grandparents.

The change, which will take effect in the new year, is designed to make the system fair for all applicants, according to a release from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. In past, the number of applications has far exceeded the number of available spots, creating a backlog in applications.

"We're listening to what past applicants had to say and making the process fairer for people who want to sponsor their parents or grandparents," Immigration Minister John McCallum said in a statement.

"We're ensuring everyone can access the application process by giving them the same chance to have their name chosen."

Between Jan. 3 and Feb. 2, 2017, Canadian citizens and permanent residents who want to sponsor their parents or grandparents will be required to complete an online form on the IRCC website within 30 days.

• Spousal reunification wait times to be cut in half
• Canada to open door to more immigrant families

Once the information is properly transmitted, the prospective sponsor will get a confirmation number. The release from IRCC says duplicate entries will be removed. It warns that completing the form does not mean person has applied to sponsor under the program.

Instead, at the end of the 30 days, IRCC will randomly pick 10,000 prospective sponsors and invite them to complete the full application for the Parent and Grandparent Program. They will have 90 days to submit a full application.

Those not selected can reapply

IRCC will let everyone who completed an online form know whether or not they were chosen.

Prospective sponsors who weren't selected can go through the same process in 2018.

Last week, McCallum announced the government would cut the waiting time for family reunification by half, promising to complete the process in one year from an average of two years.

The government will admit 20,000 parents and grandparents to Canada under the program in 2017, the same number as this year.

Parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens or permanent residents can also apply for a super visa, which allows them to extend a visit for up to two years after the initial entry into Canada. A 10-year multiple-entry visa allows several visits of up to six months at a time.

Toronto immigration lawyer Sergio Karas said the lottery process represents a slight improvement over the previous system, which led to a "mad rush" every January, with people lining up at the doors of the processing centre overnight or paying place-holders in the queue to deliver applications prepared by consultants or lawyers.

"The lottery system created today will at least give the opportunity to everyone who wishes to apply, understanding that their chances of success are probably in the 20 per cent range," he said.

"However, the larger policy question that should be addressed and that the government desperately wishes to avoid is whether it makes any economic sense for Canada to continue to allow individuals who are elderly or at least of non-working age to receive permanent residence at a time in which there exists increased pressure on the health-care system and social safety net."

Transparency needed

But Dory Jade, CEO of the Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants, said Canada has a long tradition of welcoming parents and grandparents as part of the family reunification program. He said they contribute greatly to the social and economic fabric of Canada, often helping to care for children while the parents go to work.

Jade said the new lottery system will modernize the process, moving it from a paper-based system to an online application. He said there are questions around how the random selection process will unfold, and whether a second round will be held if chosen prospective sponsors either don't submit applications, or have their applications disqualified.

"It needs to be transparent," he said.

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-immigration-parents-grandparents-1.3895808