Canada Immigration Processing Times Dropping

Image via WikipediaDue to the recent efforts of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), processing times for a number of immigrant application tracks to Canada have been significantly reduced.
Processing times for the Federal Skilled Worker track (allowing Permanent Residency via the economic class in the Asia and Pacific offices have been reduced as follows:

2010	Processing Times in Months
Beijing ( China)	42	9
Hong Kong (China)	51	13
Islamabad (Pakistan)	77	11
New Delhi (India)	79	10
Colombo (Sri Lanka)	57	11
Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)	44	10
Manila (Philippines)	70	11

Processing times for the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) track in Asia and Pacific offices are also currently operating at a similar pace:

Visa Office	Processing Times in Months
Beijing ( China)	11
Hong Kong (China)	21
Islamabad (Pakistan)	23
New Delhi (India)	6
Colombo (Sri Lanka)	25
Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)	-
Manila (Philippines)	11

Processing times for the Investor track however, remain unacceptably high. This explains why the CIC has recently indicated that, after lifting the moratorium on this class last month (after imposing it to clear its backlog), it will be working to reduce processing times in the coming term:

Visa Office	Processing Times in Months
Beijing ( China)	38
Hong Kong (China)	37
Islamabad (Pakistan)	43
New Delhi (India)	28
Colombo (Sri Lanka)	-
Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)	-
Manila (Philippines)	44

There is also a significant difference in processing times as between paper applications versus online applications:

Type of Application (Paper)	Processing Times
Canada Visitor Visa	115 days
Canada Work Permit (Same employer)	94 days
Canada Work Permit (New employer)	31 days
Canada Study Permit	58 days
Canada Off-Campus Work Permit	31 days
Protected Person Status Document	16 days

Type of Application (Online)	Processing Times
Canada Visitor Visa	48 days
Canada Work Permit (Same employer)	48 days
Canada Work Permit (New employer)	48 days
Canada Study Permit	48 days
Canada Off-Campus Work Permit	20 days
Protected Person Status Document	Not Applicable

The reduced processing times ought to be of significant importance for, and an important appeal to, those persons considering immigrating to Canada through any of the above immigrant application tracks.


By Manjit Singh, Associate, Cambridge LLP International Legal Services Group

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Immigration to Canada Through Family Sponsorship

Image by United Way of the Lower Mainland via Flickr By Katherine at Legal Language
Posted 01/19/2011
In Immigration

Canadian citizens as well as permanent residents are eligible to sponsor most family members who wish to start the immigration process to Canada.
While the regulations governing family immigration to Canada are more lenient than the regulations surrounding family-based green cards in the United States, there are still plenty of rules to keep in mind before you start filling out legal forms.

Who Is Eligible for Family-Based Immigration to Canada?

Family members who are eligible to be sponsored include:

• Spouses
• Common-law or same-sex partners 16 years of age or older
• Parents
• Grandparents
• Dependent children under the age of 22, including children to be adopted, if they are not married or in a common-law relationship
• Children over the age of 22 if they are full-time students at accredited institutions of higher learning or if they are mentally or physically challenged
• Orphaned relatives, including brothers, sisters, nephews and nieces

Who Is Eligible to Become a Sponsor?

Family members who wish to be immigration sponsors must reside in Canada and have valid legal status as a citizen or permanent resident. Canadian permanent residents who are eligible to become immigration sponsors typically include students and workers.
Sponsors typically reside in Canada, while the family member being sponsored for the immigration process lives in his or her home country.  Only spouses or common-law partners of Canadian citizens or permanent residents can apply from within Canada.
If you are living in Canada with your spouse or partner and wish to begin the family immigration process, your partner faces some stricter rules governing whether or not he or she can be a sponsor. He or she must:

• Have valid legal status in Canada as a visitor, student or temporary worker
• Have lived with you for at least one year
• Be living with you in Canada
• Have a valid passport or travel document
• Be 16 years of age or older
• Be your bona fide spouse or common law partner for genuine reasons (not just for the purpose of receiving permanent residence in Canada)

Additional Family Sponsorship Requirements

Sponsors must make a pledge to the Canadian government that they will support their family members for at least three years so that they can establish themselves in Canada. Dependent children must be supported for 10 years or until they turn 25. This is similar to the United States’ I-864 Affidavit of Support that is required for family green card cases.
To be a sponsor, you must meet an income requirement. Like the US, the Canadian government does not want to be responsible for public charges — people who require government assistance. Medical documents must be obtained and included in the application, especially where adopted children are concerned.
If in the past you have sponsored a family member, and that relative is currently receiving money or other assistance from the government of Canada, you may not be eligible to sponsor another person.

What Is the Family Immigration Process?

One of the first things to do is download and read a guide to assist you in applying. Legal Language has the following three guides available:

• Guide to Sponsorship of a Spouse, Common-Law Partner, Conjugal Partner or Dependent Child Living Outside Canada
• Sponsorship of Parents, Grandparents, Adopted Children and Other Relatives – The Immigrant’s Guide
• Guide to Applying for Permanent Residence from Within Canada – Spouse or Common-Law Partner Class

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Canada increases new visa allocation

Image via Wikipedia

By Jason O'Brien

Thursday January 20 2011

IRISH emigrants just can't get enough of Canada. And it seems the feeling is mutual.
Under new rules, Canada has increased its working holiday visa allocation to Ireland by 1,000 and will now also allow Irish people to apply for a second visa.
The unexpected changes will benefit those applying for the one-year visa programme for 18-35 year olds.
Last year, when the Irish quota of 4,000 was filled, Ireland was allocated extra visas that were not taken up by other countries.
This year, there will be 5,000 visas on offer, but it's arguably the opportunity to apply for a second one-year visa that will have the biggest impact.
Eligible
It is anticipated that thousands of Irish people who are already in Canada on a one-year holiday visa are expected to apply to stay for a second year.
"I'm here for the foreseeable future," Seamus Blake (25), one of those in line to benefit, told the Irish Independent from Toronto last night.
"My family is at home but there is no work to go back to. Once I've been here for two years and working, I'm eligible for permanent residency. When that time comes, it is something I will be looking into."
Mr Blake, from Liscannor in Clare, has been in Toronto since last April and has secured work as an insurance consultant.
Tonight, 300 Irish newcomers to Toronto will gather for an 'information meeting' organised by the local Irish chamber of commerce.
"The majority of Irish people who emigrate to Canada hit Toronto first," Marguerite Bourke, of Enterprise Ireland in Toronto, said. "It's the biggest city, there's more jobs, more opportunities."
The Irish Ambassador to Canada, Ray Bassett, said Canada was "more high profile" in Ireland than ever before. "Canada is very much flavour of the month," he said.
The Canadian government has indicated that -- because of its booming economy and relatively small population -- its labour force will be boosted solely through immigration in the coming years.

- Jason O'Brien

Irish Independent

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• Government to increase student immigration visas to counter mass emigration (politics.ie)
• Startup Visa Canada looks for changes in 2011 (techvibes.com)
• You: Ireland expects another exodus (guardian.co.uk)
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You’re leaving already?

Image via WikipediaSix out of 10 business-class immigrants who land in Quebec quickly take their money elsewhere

When your province’s birth rate is hovering at replacement level, and when nearly a quarter of the population is nearing retirement, language politics tend to take a back seat to more pressing matters—like how to sustain the economy. No surprise, then, that Quebec has assumed a prominent spot on the immigration bandwagon, treating newcomers as a key to its economic future rather than a threat to its identity. By any measure, its efforts have paid off: in the last decade, the province has jacked up its intake of immigrants by more than 50 per cent, welcoming almost 49,500 last year.
The question now is how to keep the most wealthy and productive newcomers from flying the coop. A recent internal report by the federal immigration department suggests more than six out of 10 of the coveted business-class immigrants who declared Quebec as their destination during the early 2000s quickly fled to other provinces, taking their investment dollars and entrepreneurship potential with them. The big winners? Ontario and the two westernmost provinces. B.C. saw a 22 per cent net gain in the number of business-class immigrants who called it home, due to migration from other provinces. Ontario enjoyed a 14.5 per cent bump while Alberta saw a 9.5 per cent increase.
The report, which was obtained under Access to Information by Vancouver immigration lawyer Richard Kurland, calls into question the widespread belief in Quebec that newcomers will provide much of the province’s future economic momentum. The theory, promoted in policy circles and at all levels of government, assumes a heavy influx of business immigrants—an umbrella term for investors, entrepreneurs and the self-employed who are admitted to Canada on the basis of the wealth they will generate (investor-class immigrants to Canada must be willing to spend more than $800,000 in this country, and their net worth must exceed $1.6 million; entrepreneurs must have a $300,000 net worth and two years of business experience).