Changes Announced for Three Canadian Immigration Programs in 2011.

These Instructions come into force on July 1, 2011.

These Instructions apply to applications received by the designated Citizenship and Immigration Canada offices on or after July 1, 2011.

All Federal Skilled Worker applications received by the Centralized Intake Office in Sydney, Nova Scotia prior to July 1, 2011 shall continue to be considered for processing having regard to the Ministerial Instructions in place at the time of their receipt.

The Instructions are consistent with IRPA objectives as laid out in section 3, specifically to support the development of a strong and prosperous Canadian economy; to see that families are reunited in Canada; to fulfill Canada’s international legal obligations with respect to refugees and provide assistance to those in need of resettlement; and to respect the federal, bilingual and multicultural character of Canada, including to support and assist the development of minority official languages communities.

The Instructions are compliant with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The Instructions do not apply to refugees or protected persons or persons making a request on Humanitarian or Compassionate grounds from within Canada.

The Instructions respect all previously established accords and agreements including the Quebec-Canada Accord and all agreements with provinces and territories.

Any categories for which Instructions are not specifically issued shall be processed in the usual manner.

Economic Class applications

All Economic Class applications, with the exception of Federal Skilled Worker, federal Immigrant Investor Program, and federal Entrepreneur Program applications, shall be placed into processing according to existing priorities, including:

• Quebec economic applicants;
• Provincial Nominees;
• Canadian Experience Class;
• Other federal Business Immigrant applicants (self-employed); and
• Live-in Caregivers.

Federal Skilled Worker applications

Cap on the number of applications to be processed per year

A maximum of 10,000 new Federal Skilled Worker applications, without an offer of arranged employment, will be considered for processing each year.

Within the 10,000 cap, a maximum of 500 new Federal Skilled Worker applications per National Occupation Classification (NOC) code will be considered for processing each year.

In calculating the caps, applications will be considered in order of the date they are received. Applications received on the same date will be considered for processing having regard to routine office procedures.

For the unique purpose of calculating the caps, the cap year will begin on July 1, 2011 and end on June 30, 2012, unless otherwise indicated in a future Ministerial Instruction. Subsequent years will be calculated from July 1st to June 30th, unless otherwise indicated in a future Ministerial Instruction.

Instructions for processing Federal Skilled Worker applications

Federal Skilled Worker applications received by the Centralized Intake Office in Sydney, Nova Scotia on or after July 1, 2011, and that meet either of the following criteria shall be placed into processing:

1. Applications submitted with an Arranged Employment Offer (AEO) consistent with requirements of subsection 82(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations.

or

2. Applications from skilled workers with evidence of experience in the last ten years under one or more  of the following National Occupation Classification (NOC) codes, not exceeding the identified caps:

• 0631 Restaurant and Food Service Managers
• 0811 Primary Production Managers (Except Agriculture)
• 1122 Professional Occupations in Business Services to Management
• 1233 Insurance Adjusters and Claims Examiners
• 2121 Biologists and Related Scientists
• 2151 Architects
• 3111 Specialist Physicians
• 3112 General Practitioners and Family Physicians
• 3113 Dentists
• 3131 Pharmacists
• 3142 Physiotherapists
• 3152 Registered Nurses
• 3215 Medical Radiation Technologists
• 3222 Dental Hygienists & Dental Therapists
• 3233 Licensed Practical Nurses
• 4151 Psychologists
• 4152 Social Workers
• 6241 Chefs
• 6242 Cooks
• 7215 Contractors and Supervisors, Carpentry Trades
• 7216 Contractors and Supervisors, Mechanic Trades
• 7241 Electricians (Except Industrial & Power System)
• 7242 Industrial Electricians
• 7251 Plumbers
• 7265 Welders & Related Machine Operators
• 7312 Heavy-Duty Equipment Mechanics
• 7371 Crane Operators
• 7372 Drillers & Blasters — Surface Mining, Quarrying & Construction
• 8222 Supervisors, Oil and Gas Drilling and Service

No Humanitarian and Compassionate requests to overcome requirements of Ministerial Instructions

Requests made on the basis of Humanitarian and Compassionate grounds that accompany a Federal Skilled Worker application not identified for processing under Ministerial Instructions will not be processed.

Investor Class applications

Cap on the number of applications to be processed per year

A maximum of 700 new federal Immigrant Investor applications will be considered for processing each year.

In calculating the cap, applications will be considered in order of the date they are received. Applications received on the same date will be considered for processing having regard to routine office procedures.

For the unique purpose of calculating the caps, the cap year will begin on July 1, 2011 and end on June 30, 2012, unless otherwise indicated in a future Ministerial Instruction. Subsequent years will be calculated from July 1st to June 30th, unless otherwise indicated in a future Ministerial Instruction.

Instructions for processing federal investor class applications

Federal Immigrant Investor applications  received by the Centralized Intake Office in Sydney, Nova Scotia on or after July 1, 2011, not exceeding the identified cap shall be placed into processing.

Federal Entrepreneur Class applications

Temporary moratorium

No new federal Entrepreneur application will be accepted unless it is received by the designated Citizenship and Immigration Canada office prior to July 1, 2011. This temporary moratorium will remain in place until otherwise indicated in a future Ministerial Instruction.

Family Class applications

Family Class applications will be processed in the same manner and with the same priorities as usual.

Humanitarian and Compassionate requests

Requests for Humanitarian and Compassionate consideration made from outside Canada will be processed in the usual manner, except in the case where the request accompanies a Federal Skilled Worker application not identified for processing under Ministerial Instructions as stated above.

Temporary Resident applications

All applications for temporary residence, including Temporary Foreign Workers, Foreign Students and Visitors shall continue to be placed into processing immediately upon receipt.

Retention/Disposition

Applicants to the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the federal Immigrant Investor program or the federal Entrepreneur program whose applications are received by the designated Citizenship and Immigration Canada offices on or after July 1, 2011, and which do not meet the criteria described above shall be informed that their application will not continue for processing and their processing fees shall be returned.

It's time to make Metro a choice destination for immigrants

The Metro Moncton community recently came together to support the plight of the Maeng family from South Korea, which was facing deportation.

People who signed the petition, wrote letters or attended the rally were no doubt moved by the family's personal struggle.

All these community actions showed just how much our region is a warm, welcoming place for newcomers.

There could not have been a better spotlight shone on our tri-city. Nor a better time to talk about why it is so important to increase immigration in our region.

An aging population, low fertility rates, significant out-migration of youth to other provinces and sluggish economic prospects make for a very frightening forecast in our province.

New Brunswick has one of fastest aging populations in Canada.

In Metro Moncton, persons aged over 65 currently make up 25 per cent of the population, and this is expected to rise to one third of the population by 2016.

While efforts can be made to retain our young people by concentrating on creating more jobs and opportunities, it will not be enough to counter-balance the strain that older generations will have on our health care system and public services.

Research shows that communities that have made strategic investments in attracting newcomers are more resilient to change and are better positioned to take advantage of economic opportunities in the future.

Immigrants add entrepreneurial talent, enhance skill levels, help create jobs and contribute to faster economic growth.

The Greater Moncton Chamber of Commerce (GMCC) has been very active in promoting immigration.

We work hard to dispel the myth that newcomers take away a piece of the economic pie - the reality is that immigration actually makes the pie bigger for all of us - with many immigrants, such as the Maeng family who owns a successful business on West Main Street, playing a vital role in sustaining our local economy and enriching our cultural diversity.

In fact, a 2011 study by BMO Harris Private Banking showed that nearly one-third of affluent Canadians were born outside of the country.

Furthermore, more than 96 per cent of these affluent new Canadians have no plans to invest outside of Canada.

It is also important to note that immigration can help bridge the gap in finding highly skilled workers.

According to 2007 statistics by the New Brunswick Population Growth Division, 66.4 per cent of New Brunswick's immigrants arrive with post-secondary education and degrees.

The share of immigrants with no formal education remains at only 2.4 per cent.

It often is prejudices among employers as well as red tape surrounding accreditation processes which contribute to the idea that newcomers put a strain on our system.

People who come to Canada to seek a better life are some of the hardest working people you will ever meet. It is a shame that these highly educated and skilled newcomers often have to resort to low wage jobs to make a living in their new country.

Initiatives, like our Chamber's Business Immigrant Mentorship Program which matches newcomers to seasoned entrepreneurs to help them launch, acquire or expand a business can help bridge this gap.

We recently celebrated the launch of our program's second cohort with 30 new participants, including 14 immigrant protégés from countries such as Nigeria, France, England, Germany, and South Korea.

In its first six months, the program led to the establishment of two new businesses in our region.

Our Chamber believes that to continue to grow our region's economy and diversity we must rely on immigration.

Our community has shown how beneficial it can be when people work together.

Keys to a successful immigration strategy for our community include making Metro Moncton a choice destination for new immigrants.

More than just showing hospitality, we need to go a step further and focus on helping newcomers integrate and assimilate.

We need to be more active in recruiting new immigrants as our province's current immigrant intake is well below the national share.

We need to co-ordinate our efforts to make sure we create opportunities for immigrants and retain our newcomers.

* Nancy Whipp is the Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Moncton Chamber of Commerce. She may be reached via e-mail at ceo@gmcc.nb.ca

Alberta jobs luring more Canadians to province

BY KIM GUTTORMSON, CALGARY HERALD



The promise of jobs is again luring people to Alberta, with the most Canadians heading here in the first three months of this year since the start of the boom.
Between January and the end of March, an estimated 5,300 more people moved to the province than left, according to Statistics Canada, the best first quarter since 2006.
Last year, net migration in those three months was 300.
"Especially in the past three or four months, the market has definitely picked up, especially in the energy professions," said Dale Pauls, recruiting manager for GFR Recruiting, which focuses on engineers. "The oilsands are definitely the buzzword out there."
Most of the new Albertans were coming from B.C., Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador, Statistics Canada demographer Jonathan Chagnon said.
Alberta saw a 0.4 per cent increase in population between January and April, while the Canadian increase was 0.2 per cent.
"We had expected this after falling during the recession that migration would pick back up," said Dan Sumner, economist with ATB Financial. "The job market is probably the most important thing.
"Overall, Canada's in great shape compared to the other developed nations, so that's going to attract people. And when you look within Canada, all the action's happening in Western Canada, and Newfoundland and Labrador."
A better chance of employment in Atlantic Canada could hurt Alberta, Sumner added, with many East Coast workers traditionally making the trek west for work.
Leone Joubert, CEO of West Works, which specializes in IT recruiting, said the company has noticed an increase in applications from other provinces, notably Ontario.
While most jobs are still filled from within Alberta, Joubert pointed out that "local talent is still available, but running out," adding the first three months of this year was the busiest first quarter she's had in nine years.
After the economy began slowing down, Alberta actually saw negative net migration in late 2009, with more people leaving the province than moving in. At the height of the boom, Calgary alone was adding between 17,000 and 25,000 people a year to its population through interprovincial and international immigration.
With the province easing out of the economic slow down, Alberta could face a shortage of 77,000 workers over the next 10 years, the provincial government has predicted.
"Within Canada, Alberta is a beacon of economic recovery," Thomas Lukaszuk, minister of employment and immigration said. "Canadians are picking up and moving to where the jobs are."
While he believes the public sector and private businesses are better prepared for an influx of people than during the boom, Lukaszuk said given the swath of baby boomers that will begin to retire this year, "we're walking into the perfect demographic storm where there will be severe and prolonged shortages."
The StatsCan numbers showed that while the numbers moving to Alberta from other provinces were solid, the number of those moving from other countries was the lowest first quarter since 2004.
"I think that number is a report card of the fact that Canada's national immigration policies are simply lacking and are not reflective of what the western provinces and the industries in the western provinces require," Lukaszuk said, adding that other countries do a better job of attracting workers.
kguttormson@calgaryherald.com


Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/Alberta+jobs+luring+more+Canadians+province/4991713/story.html#ixzz1Q9ydzire