Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto among top 10 most ‘liveable’ cities in the world

Canadian cities ranked high on Global Liveability Index based on stability, culture, healthcare, infrastructure, and education.

Three of Canada’s biggest cities are among the 10 most liveable in the world, according to the latest Economist Intelligence Unit Global Liveability Index.

Calgary, Alberta, was the highest-ranked Canadian city on the annual index, placing fifth out of the 140 cities surveyed.

Vancouver and Toronto held on to their rankings from last year, ranking sixth and seventh, respectively.

The 140 cities reviewed received a liveability score based on qualitative and quantitative factors under each of the following five categories:

·        Stability: This category examines the prevalence of crime and the threat of terror, military conflict or civil unrest.

·        Healthcare: This category focuses on the availability and quality of private and public healthcare, over-the-counter drugs and other general healthcare indicators.

·        Culture and Environment: This category looks at temperature rating; climate; the level of corruption; social or religious restrictions; food and drink; and other social components.

·        Education: This category covers the availability and quality of private and public education.

·        Infrastructure: An assessment of the quality of roads, public transportation, availability of housing, and other elements.

If a city gets a rating of 100 in a specific category it means the conditions are ideal, whereas a rating of 1 is considered intolerable.

How Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto fared

Calgary’s overall liveability score was 97.5, aided by perfect scores in four of the five categories; only its Culture and Environment score came up short at 90 out of 100.

Vancouver was the only city in the top 10 to receive a perfect score in the Culture and Environment category and also scored 100 in both Healthcare and Education. However, it came up short in the Infrastructure and Stability categories with scores of 92.9 and 95, respectively.

Toronto earned perfect scores in Stability, Healthcare and Education, but was the lowest-ranked in the top 10 for Infrastructure at 89.3. Its score in Culture and Environment was 97.2.

Calgary for newcomers

Calgary is a top destination for the oil and gas industry.

It is the largest city in Alberta, and the fourth-largest in Canada at 1.2 million people.

Data from the 2016 StatsCan census profile shows that Calgary gained more immigrants compared to the rest of the province between 2011 and 2016.

During this period 46 per cent of all immigrants to Alberta moved to Calgary.

The Government of Alberta offers several options for foreigners interested in immigrating to Alberta through the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP).

Currently, the AINP has three streams:

·        Alberta Opportunity Stream — This stream is for eligible candidates in specific in-demand occupations.

·        Alberta Self-Employed Farmer Stream — This option is for international farmers who want to own and operate a farm in Alberta.

·        Alberta Express Entry Stream — The Express Entry system is the Canadian Government’s main source of skilled foreign talent. Alberta’s Express Entry Stream allows the province to search the Express Entry pool for candidates who match its economic development priorities.

Vancouver, Hollywood North

Vancouver, British Columbia, is Canada’s third most populous city, home to over 2.4 million people. Many films and TV shows are produced in Vancouver, which is the third-largest film production location in North America.

More than 142,000 immigrants came to Vancouver between 2011 and 2016, accounting for 81 per cent of all immigrants to B.C.

There are two main immigration streams under the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP):

·        Entrepreneur Immigration — This stream is for international entrepreneurs who want to invest and settle in B.C.

·        Skills Immigration (including Express Entry British Columbia) — The BC PNP holds weekly draws for eligible candidates in several Skills Immigration and Express Entry British Columbia subcategories.

Toronto tech hub

Canada’s largest city, Toronto, Ontario, has a technology sector that is directly competing with Silicon Valley and Seattle. It’s estimated that 80,100 tech jobs have been created in Toronto since 2013.

Around 76 per cent of immigrants who moved to Ontario between 2011 and 2016 chose Toronto as their new home. Of the 6.4 million people who call the Greater Toronto Area home, 46 per cent are immigrants.

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) accepts applications under three immigration categories:

·        Human Capital Category — This category has five immigration streams, including three that are linked to Canada’s Express Entry system. One of these, the Human Capital Priorities Stream, now holds occasional draws targeting Express Entry candidates with work experience in specific tech occupations.

·        Employer Job Offer Category — Foreign workers and international students with an eligible job offer from an Ontario employer may be eligible under one of this category’s three streams.

·        Business Category — Foreign entrepreneurs who want to establish or buy a business in Ontario can express their interest to the OINP under this category.

 

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How to Select the Right Canadian Province Depending Upon Your Immigration Goals

by Ashwin Sakthivel

Most people who move to a new country have an immigration goal in mind. It may be to pursue better and more numerous job opportunities, a higher standard of living, or simply life in a more open society.

However, it is important to select not only the country you will immigrate to but also—if you choose Canada, for example—the right province and city that will give you an optimal start to your new life abroad. Your immigration objective will often include these three key factors:

• Education
• Career opportunities
• Pathways to becoming a permanent resident

In my own experience studying abroad and working in North America and Europe, I have learned that the following considerations are critical when choosing a location where you can achieve your immigration goals.

Three Key Points for Selecting the Right Province

• Consider a province that needs your skills. Every Canadian province regularly releases an updated list of skills that are scarce among its local workforce. If your skills are on the list, you will stand a better chance of securing a job in that province.

• Consider a province that has active immigration programs. A province that offers multiple provincial immigration pathways apart from the federal Express Entry immigration system must be at the top of your list. Provincial immigration programs provide additional supports that could increase your chances of achieving your immigration goal. For example, the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Nova Scotia offer multiple provincial immigration pathways. Some of the popular provincial immigration programs are as follows:
  • British Columbia’s International Graduate Category for international graduates.
  • The Alberta Opportunity Stream for people working in the eligible occupations.
  • The International Graduate Entrepreneur Stream for Nova Scotia for recent graduates willing to start or operate their own business in Nova Scotia.

• Consider a province that has a provincial immigration program linked to Express Entry. Choosing a province that has its own immigration pathways program linked to the federal Express Entry system provides greater flexibility in securing permanent residence because you would be able to easily switch to the Express Entry pool from a provincial pool if you achieve the required Comprehensive Ranking System points.

Three Key Points for Selecting the Right City Within a Province

• Consider a city that is near the capital city of the province. Choosing a city near the provincial capital will enable you to more easily and efficiently access the bigger job market while keeping your living costs relatively low.

• Consider a city that offers services to new immigrants. Choose a city that provides new immigrant supports such as classes in English and French, help with writing a Canadian or local style résumé, workshops on soft skill development, and numerous job fairs through employment centres. Such services ease the process of settling in Canada and enable you to pursue the core professional development you need to secure employment in the North American job market.

• Consider a city that offers attractive higher education prospects. Opting for a city that has at least one major university or college will allow you to pursue a certificate, diploma, degree, or stackable credential in your field.

These six considerations will help you select the best province and city for achieving your immigration goals.

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Canada aims to diversify markets in new education strategy

Canada has launched an updated International Education Strategy, focusing on expanding new student markets, supporting industries in Canada and increasing the outbound mobility of Canadian students.

Under the International Education Strategy 2019-2024, CAN$147.9 million has been allocated to increase the attractiveness of Canada through promotion, new markets, scholarships and smoother visa processing, as well as to boost the ratio of Canadians studying overseas.

Introducing the strategy last week, Minister of International Trade Diversification, Jim Carr, said, “Our government is ensuring that Canadian businesses have the talent they need to compete internationally, so they can create good jobs right here at home. Canada is a leader in international education, and our new strategy will strengthen our trade diversification efforts, boost our innovation capacity, promote closer people-to-people ties and foster a vibrant Canadian economy.”

Canada is aiming to diversify markets with its new International Education Strategy.

The Canadian government said that China and India currently constitute half of all international students in Canada, and that it was necessary to diversify and reduce dependence on these two source countries.

A CAN$24.1 million digital marketing strategy has been planned to recruit more international students from a wider pool of countries and to “address regional and demographic gaps” in Canada.

The initial target countries for the campaign are: Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Morocco, Turkey, France and the Ukraine. The government said that it will adjust the scope of target countries regularly, based on the needs of provinces, associations, institutions and statistical analysis.

With regards to China and India, the focus will be on in-country diversification to attract students from different regions and to different levels of study. The government said the campaign would raise the profile of regions, French language programmes and courses that traditionally attract fewer international students.

The government will build on the EduCanada brand, and that the Trade Commissioner Service will intensity its efforts with better training for commissioners on promoting Canada’s education sector, more international recruitment fairs and a larger Canadian presence at signature international events in the sector.

A further CAN$1 million has been allocated to expanding the Student Direct Stream, an expedited visa service that Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) currently operates in China, Vietnam, India, the Philippines and will soon commence in Pakistan.

Other elements of the strategy to support the promotion of Canada as a study destination include CAN$5 million of funding for additional scholarships for international students, and a CAN$18 million project to modernise immigration forms and processes.

The distribution of study permit holders in Canada in 2018. Source - Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

The Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) said in a statement, “CBIE is pleased that the strategy will continue to build on making Canada a top destination for learning by diversifying the countries from which students come to Canada, improving immigration processes and increasing support to Canadian education institutions to grow their partnership opportunities abroad.”

Photo - Johny Goerend. Main pic - Scott Webb. Both www.unsplash.com.

Across all educational levels, there were a record 720,000 international students in Canada in 2018, according to Minister Carr, providing a contribution of CAN$21.6 billion to the economy.

Another major element of the updated strategy is to increase the number of Canadian students heading overseas, including through an Outbound Student Mobility pilot which will provide scholarships of between CAN$5,000 and CAN$10,000 for up to 11,000 students to study or work abroad, with half of the funding allocated to underrepresented groups.

Welcoming the focus on outbound mobility, Paul Davidson, President of Universities Canada, said, “Study abroad changes lives. The new Outbound Student Mobility pilot is significant news for young Canadians, and for Canada.

"Canada’s universities look forward to working with our partners in government and the higher education sector to enable more students, from all backgrounds, to participate in global mobility experiences.”

At the time of writing, CAN$1 = US$0.76.

By Matthew Knott  

News Editor

Source: https://studytravel.network/magazine/news/0/26842?utm_source=Agents&utm_campaign=b56390121e-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_08_29_09_30_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_a8def066da-b56390121e-85563565

GENERAL IMMIGRATION TIPS FOR CANADA

1. Keep an eye on the latest immigration news across North America. Immigration laws and policies can change quickly, no matter where you settle.

2. Review your social media pages before applying for a visa. Immigration authorities now can review visa applicants last five years of social media activity.

3. Connect with us—follow Nexus Canada on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and LinkedIn.

4. Find out how to use your credential evaluation to meet your education, employment, and immigration goals.

5. Make sure you understand the entire process involved with obtaining, keeping, or extending your visa in Canada.

6. Learn how to cope with a big change like moving to a new country. You should also know that you are not alone in these feelings.

7. One way to enjoy your experience more is to make sure you are socially active and participate in extracurricular activities.

8. Consult the provincial licensing board to learn how you can continue or advance your career once you move to Canada.

9. Remember to work on building your credit score as soon as you arrive in Canada.

10. Subscribe to our Newsletter for more great advice, sent directly to your inbox!

How to Connect with Employers in Canada

by Jodi Tingling

In a recent webinar, we discussed job search strategies with ACCES Employment and Seneca College to explore the approaches job seekers should use to successfully connect with prospective employers. We addressed such issues as penetrating the hidden job market and establishing relationships with employers by using effective communication strategies.

On average, up to 80 percent of jobs are not advertised—these jobs make up the hidden job market. Employers find candidates through referrals from current employees, colleagues, friends, and family—in other words, through their networks. They do not limit themselves to job ads.

How can you get into the hidden job market if the positions are not advertised? Consider using the strategies outlined below.

Networking

Networking is an interpersonal process that leads to the mutual exchange of information, contacts, or leads—and it is no secret that it is critical to job hunting. Networking is one of the most effective ways to learn about employment opportunities that are not advertised. Asking those in your network for advice or information on how to get into a specific industry can boost your chances of getting the help you need to take the next steps in your career.

People typically develop their networks through “warm contacts”—those whom they already know—or through cold contacts—those they do not. You can extend your network through warm contacts such as former professional colleagues and supervisors, but do not overlook your relatives, friends, and other people who are part of your daily life. Networking with cold contacts, however, requires more effort.

Immigrant professionals who are new to the country may find it difficult to extend or even establish a network, since many if not most of their contacts will be “cold.” There are programs and supports that can help. For example, ACCES Employment offers many services, including speed mentoring events, that help internationally educated professionals succeed in their job search. Seneca College Bridging Programs also provide sector-specific networking opportunities.

You may want to engage in other networking efforts as well:

• Attend job fairs to directly connect with employers.
• Join a professional association to establish connections in your field.
• Attend industry conferences.
• Volunteer or participate in community events.

When you engage in these network activities, make sure you have a clear objective and plan, and understand whom you want to connect with and why. Initiate a natural conversation, and maintain a two-way dialogue—do not monopolize the conversation. Finally, ask questions that can help you with your employment goal.

Company Research

Make a list of companies you are interested in and begin researching them. Find out what they do, if their values align with yours if they have employment opportunities, and who is responsible for hiring. Begin your research with a general internet search; then connect with an employer through a professional networking site like LinkedIn.

Cold Contacting

When establishing cold contacts, start with a personal introduction. Follow this up with the reason you are connecting and, if possible, ask for an informational interview. Here are some important tips for succeeding when cold contacting:

• Have an idea of what you want to say, but listen more than you talk.
• Get to know people for who they are—not just their professions.
• Follow up on the leads you generate.

Informational Interviews

An informational interview is a brief meeting that allows you to gather information about employment opportunities, a particular industry, or a particular employer. It is initiated by the job seeker and can provide job leads as well as new networking contacts.

Be specific about your goals when asking for an informational interview. For example, you can ask about the steps the person you are meeting with took to get into their current role. If the informational interview is with a hiring manager, you can ask what qualifications, skills, and experiences the company seeks in prospective hires. Be mindful of the person’s time, and be sure to send a thank-you email afterward. Follow up with any action items discussed during the meeting.

Communication Strategies When Connecting With Employers

Beyond understanding how to connect with employers, it is important to focus on communication skills. Communication is more than just the verbal exchange of information. It can also occur non-verbally, through wordless cues, gestures, or body language.

Non-Verbal Communication Strategies

When connecting with employers, your appearance matters. Make sure you make a good first impression by being neat, appropriately dressed, well-groomed, and polished.

In North American culture, eye contact is important. It conveys confidence and openness. Look directly into the eyes of the person you are conversing with, without staring. Maintain a pleasant facial expression—which can include a smile to show that you are friendly and approachable.

Pay attention to how close you stand next to the persons you talk to—take note of the distance between individuals as you see it at conferences and in other professional settings. Your body language, gestures, and posture should also reflect your professional appearance. Remaining upright with your shoulders relaxed can also indicate confidence and professionalism.

Verbal Communication Strategies

Verbal communication refers to both speaking and writing. When speaking with employers, be sure to have a clear idea of what you want to say, even if that means committing part of it to memory. Listen attentively, and paraphrase your speaker’s words as appropriate.

When communicating in writing, make every effort to be clear. Review your message before sending it to make sure there are no grammatical or spelling errors. It is also a good idea to have a friend review it. If you are wondering what to say to a cold contact, you can introduce yourself and mention a mutual interest or connection. Also, be sure to have a specific request in mind, and be ready to offer something in return.

Mastering networking and communication strategies will help you connect with employers and increase your chances of tapping into the hidden job market and succeeding in your job search.

Source: WES

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WES HELP: CREDENTIAL EVALUATIONS

1. Consider how a credential evaluation might help you fulfill your academic and career goals.

2. Read testimonials from immigrants to learn why others are choosing WES.

3. Proofread your application for accuracy and completeness before submitting it. Mistakes can cause delays in completing or sending your report.

4. Include your reference number on all communications and envelopes you send to WES. You can find this in “My Account.”

5. Learn about the required documents to complete your credential evaluation.

6. If required, make sure to send your transcripts in a sealed envelope.

7. If necessary, be sure to send translated documents to WES.

8. Once you apply, download the WES App so that you can access your account from anywhere, anytime.

9. Allow time for status updates. WES is a highly trusted credential evaluation provider, which means we receive a high volume of applications from around the world. Each set of documents is processed, reviewed, analyzed, and verified individually.

10. You can also update your application by adding or removing a credential.

11. Make sure that your address, email address, and phone number are complete and accurate so that you receive all communications regarding your evaluation status and report delivery.

12. Reach out to us anytime—but please give Customer Service at least 48 business hours to respond! Inquiries that require further review must be forwarded to a specialist and may take more time.

13. Pay for your report before you send your documents. We know you do not want any extra delays, but our team will have to place your application on hold if we have not received your payment in full.

14. Once your report is complete, consider getting a WES Digital Badge. This is a useful way to tell potential employers about your accomplishments and display verified results.

15. Order extra copies, so you will have duplicates of your report available for all of your lifetime needs.

16. In fact, you should learn about the lifetime value of credential evaluation, so you can make the most of your investment long after you settle in the U.S. or Canada.

17. Use the WES Help Center to find answers to any other questions you might have about your credential evaluation.

18. Follow the WES Advisor Blog for more great advice to guide you through the evaluation process.

19. Read free e-guides with comprehensive advice on immigration, higher education, and credential evaluations.

20. Watch free webinars for expert advice on immigrating to the U.S. and Canada.

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