Immigration Canada

Canadian immigration reforms continue for international students.

A maple leaf painted on a sidewalk using a stencil. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

At the recent annual conference of the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE), officials from Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) reported on the continuing implementation of previously announced reforms to Canada’s International Student Program (ISP). The CIC briefing also highlighted several important service changes intended to improve Canadian visa processing.

In a related development, the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC) moved to address a persistent critique of Canada’s Bill C-35 legislation (now the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act) by introducing a new professional designation that would permit international student advisors based at Canadian institutions to once again provide guidance to students regarding immigration issues. The new designation was formally approved at the council’s annual general meeting in Toronto yesterday.

Students migrating to Canada

Echoing an important observation from our recent report on Canadian enrolment trends, CIC officials affirmed that the number of former international students choosing to immigrate to Canada continues to increase.

They advised as well that former international students primarily immigrate to Canada via the following five programmes:

Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) – Under this option, Canadian provinces or territories can nominate people to immigrate to Canada based on their skills, education, and work experience.
Skilled Worker Class – This programme allows up to 25,500 skilled workers or professionals per year to apply directly for permanent residence status.
Family Class – This mechanism allows people to apply for permanent residency with a sponsorship from a family member who already has Canadian citizenship or is a permanent resident.
Canadian Experience Class – This programme allows up to 8,000 people per year who have already lived in Canada for some time, and have adapted to Canadian culture and language, to apply for permanent residency.
Investor Class – An option targeted to immigrant entrepreneurs planning to start a business in Canada.

Of these, CIC notes that for 2013, “Post-Graduation Work Permit holders who transitioned to permanent residence were most likely to do so through the Provincial Nominee Program.”

In a related development, in January 2015 CIC will launch a new electronic system calledExpress Entry to streamline permanent residency applications under the following programmes:

Skilled Worker Program;
Skilled Trades Program;
Canadian Experience Class.

In effect, Express Entry will become a required pre-application stage for these programmes, with the goal of creating a pool of pre-qualified applicants for permanent residency. Any prospective immigrant registered in the system could receive an invitation to apply for permanent residency in Canada, and Canadian provinces and territories will also be able to select candidates from the Express Entry pool under the Provincial Nominee Program and to meet local labour market needs.

Service improvements in 2014

CIC reports that processing times for online visa applications have declined over the past two years (from an average of 28 days as of September 2012 to 20 days as of October 2014), and that acceptance rates remain high. 82% of all study permit applications for Canada were approved in 2012, and, as the following table reflects, the acceptance rates for the top 10 source countries were at that level or higher in all cases except for India.

Acceptance rates for study permit applications from top source countries, 2012. Source: CIC

Along with an increasing emphasis on online applications and services, CIC aims to expand on this performance with a number of new service improvements introduced in 2014. Perhaps most notably, Canada has dramatically expanded the reach of its Visa Application Centres (VACs) this year, from a network of 60 sites in 2012 to 130 centres in 99 countries currently. Visa application centres provide services in local languages and accept applications for study permits, work permits, and visitor visas.

Source: http://monitor.icef.com/2014/12/canadian-immigration-reforms-continue-new-credential-introduced-international-student-advisors/

Making an impression with a Canadian resume

A strong cover letter and resume are key tools to help you find a job in Canada. The guide below provides tips and practices on how to write an effective cover letter and resume. A Canadian resume is quite different to a Curriculum Vitae (CV) in length and the type of information included. Below is a list of certain information which should and should not be included.

Cover Letter

A well-written cover letter will make you stand out from other applicants. The purpose of a cover letter is to entice the employer to learn more about you and read the resume by showcasing your skills and experience. In addition, your cover letter should explain why you are a good fit for the job. Aim to keep your cover letter to 3 short paragraphs and always address it to a specific person.

To learn more about creating your resume and cover letter visit:

Source; Opportunity Alberta

Express entry: How will skilled immigrants rank?

English: Canada House, London, October 2010. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The government made public for the first time this week the details of the ranking system it will use to give skilled immigrants express entry into Canada within six months, starting Jan.1.

A total of 1,200 points will be allotted under the new system, but there's no minimum points level required to qualify. Only the "highest-ranking" candidates will be "invited to apply" for permanent residency.

A maximum of 600 points will be given to those who receive a permanent job offer from a Canadian employer or who have been nominated for immigration by a province or territory. These are the candidates that will be "picked first," Immigration Minister Chris Alexander said Monday in a written statement.

Up to 500 points will be allotted for age, education level, language proficiency and work experience in Canada, while a maximum of 100 points will be allotted for a combination of education level, foreign work experience and a certificate in the trades.

According to Statistics Canada's 2011 National Household Survey, immigrants to Canada are increasingly younger, more educated, and speak more languages.

The median age of newcomers in 2011 was 31.7 years, compared with 47.4 for the total immigrant population. A greater number of newcomers between 2006 to 2011 had an undergraduate degree in comparison to those who immigrated to Canada before 2006. Among recent immigrants, 66.8 per cent were able to speak English or French and one or more non-official languages, in comparison with 61.2 per cent of all immigrants.

Here are three examples of how prospective candidates could be ranked under the new system:

27-year-old software engineer and designer without a spouse

Age: 110 points.
Equivalent of a master's degree: 135 points.
Proficient in either English or French: up to 136 points.
Proficient in a second official language: up to 24 points.
Experience working in Canada: up to 80 points.
Transferable skills: up to 100 points.
Sub total: up to 585 out of 600 points.
No permanent job offer or a nomination from a province or territory: 0 points.
Total: up to 585 points.

32-year-old computer programmer and interactive media developer without a spouse

Age: 94 points.
Post-secondary program credential of three years or longer: 120 points.
Fully proficient in English: up to 136 points.
Doesn't know French: 0 points.
Has never worked in Canada before: 0 points.
Transferable skills: up to 100 points.
Sub total: up to 450 out of 600 points.
Plus up to 600 points for a permanent job offer or a nomination from a province or territory.
Total: up to 1,050 points.

45-year-old financial and investment analyst with a spouse

Age: 0 points.
With the equivalent of an undergraduate university degree: 120 points
Proficient in either English or French: up to 128 points.
Proficient in a second official language: up to 22 points.
Experience working in Canada: up to 70 points.
Spouse factors: up to 40 points.
Transferable skills: up to 100 points.
Sub total: up to 480 points out of 600 points.
Plus up to 600 points for a permanent job offer or a nomination from a province or territory.
Total: up to 1,080 points.