Immigration Canada

The Scope of Family Sponsorship in 2014

Grandparents (Photo credit: Wm Jas)

2014 is set to be an important year for family sponsorship. Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) anticipates that 68,000 family members of Canadian citizens or permanent residents will immigrate to Canada in the next calendar year, accounting for 26.1% of total immigration. Of this number, approximately 48,000 new immigrants will be spouses, partners or children, while the remaining 20,000 will be parents or grandparents.

Family sponsorship applicants in 2014 can look forward to streamlined processes and fast processing times across the board. This is thanks to efforts that CIC has made to prioritize the processing of family applications, thus making good on its stated commitment to family reunification. Historically, Canada has operated one of the most welcoming family sponsorship programs in the developed world, and it appears that the trend will continue in 2014.

Spousal Sponsorship

This sponsorship stream will continue accepting high levels of spouses, common-law and conjugal partners. Two major changes came into effect in roughly the last 12 months, and it is anticipated that they will remain in place for 2014. They are:

Five year sponsorship ban – An individual who has been sponsored as a spouse is banned from sponsoring another spouse in turn for 5 years after receiving Canadian Permanent Residency; and
Two year legitimate relationship regulation – Spouses or partners who have been in a relationship for two years of less, and who have no children together, will receive conditional permanent residency. They must prove that they continue to live with their spouse or partner in Canada, in a legitimate relationship, for two years before full permanent residency is received.

Because application numbers in this stream are liable to fluctuate, there is at present no cap on the number of applications that are or will be accepted. However, submitting an application as early as possible is the best way to ensure that partners are brought to Canada in the speediest way possible.

Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship

For the first time in recent years, the Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship stream will open and begin accepting applications on January 2, 2014. There will be a cap of 5,000 applications accepted for the upcoming time window.

After facing growing backlogs in this stream, in 2011 CIC implemented the Action Plan for Faster Family Reunification. Thanks to this plan, backlogged applications have been steadily worked through and waiting times have reduced dramatically. By 2014, CIC anticipates that parents and grandparents will have to wait only 2 – 2.5 years to receive a permanent resident visa. This time period is expected to e decrease to 1-2 years in 2015.

Although only 5,000 new applications will be accepted, a total of 20,000 parent and grandparent visas are expected to be issued as CIC continues to process remaining backlogged cases.

“The reopening of the parent and grandparent stream is long awaited,” said Attorney David Cohen. “I have no doubt that the application cap will fill up quickly. Families who wish to bring their elders to Canada as permanent residents would be well advised to start preparing their applications today.”

Another option – Parent and Grandparent Super Visa

Canada has introduced another option for families that wish to bring their parents and grandparents to Canada. The Super Visa provides parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents with a visitor visa that can be renewed for two years at a time, for a period of up to 10 years.

This program is already open and enjoying great popularity, which is expected to continue in 2014. With an acceptance rate of 87%, the program is one of the country’s most welcoming to applicants. CIC announced that it currently issues over 1,000 new Super Visas each month.

Dependent Child Sponsorship

As always, Canada welcomes the children of Canadian citizens and permanent residents year-round. There is no cap on child sponsorship, and children both biological and adopted may come to Canada through this program. Approximately 2,000 foreign adoptees become Canadian permanent residents each year, in addition to other dependents.

The Final Word

Family reunification is a stated goal of Canadian immigration policy. It builds strong communities and affirms the country’s commitment to human rights, quality of life, and commitment to its residents’ happiness. 2014 will see this practice of welcoming families from all over the world continue in earnest.

“Canada is always welcoming to family members, and in recent years we have seen this policy expand greatly,” said Attorney David Cohen. “As more immigrants settle within our borders, the demand to bring loved ones from abroad grows steadily. Thankfully, our country remains steadfast in its stance that family sponsorship helps strengthen our society at its core.”

Source: http://www.cicnews.com/2013/11/scope-family-sponsorship-2014-113069.html

Immigrants Head West for Canadian Job Opportunities

Map of the Western provinces. See Image:Canada provinces blank vide.png for additional information. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Results from a recent Statistics Canada survey, released this past Monday, have revealed a growing trend of migration to the country’s western provinces. These provinces, especially Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, are currently seeing an upswing in employment and economic growth. Workers from across Canada and across the world have taken note of this prosperity, and are relocating westward in unprecedented numbers.

Why the West?

Western provinces have recently seen great economic expansion, largely due industries such as mining and natural resources management (including oil and natural gas). Thousands of workers have answered calls for specialists in these industries, and along with their arrival has come a renewed need for workers in complementary fields such as construction and food services.

However, despite recent migration these provinces are still in acute need of workers of all kinds. Last November, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business assessed the job vacancy rate in Alberta alone to stand at around 276,000 unfilled part- and full-time jobs.

Of course, those who answer the call for workers will not be traveling to the ‘wild west’ of yesteryear. Instead, they will have the opportunity to settle in some of Canada’s most cosmopolitan cities, such as Calgary, Edmonton, and Winnipeg.

“Over the years, I have seen what we call the ‘prairie provinces’ become major drivers of Canada’s economy,” said Attorney David Cohen. “

Alberta – Canada’s Powerhouse

Nowhere can this population increase be more clearly felt than in the Province of Alberta. So many workers have arrived in the province that the number of 30 to 44 year olds, relative to its overall population, is quadruple that of any other part of Canada.

When it comes to immigration, Alberta is also seeing an all-time high. This past year over 36,000 newcomers settled in the province, the largest number in its history.

The cities of Calgary and Edmonton, as well as their surrounding towns, are home to approximately three quarters of the province’s population. Here, according to a 2003 study by TD Bank, high salaries allow many residents to obtain a “US level of wealth” while maintaining a “Canadian-style quality of life” with social services such as public healthcare.

Immigration: A Large Role to Play

This year, the provinces of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Alberta had the highest immigration rates, relative to their populations, in all of Canada. In the past few years, their total numbers have slowly chipped away at Ontario’s place as the top destination for immigrants.

Part of these provinces attraction lies in the way they have structured their immigration programs. Most Canadian provinces and territories operate Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs), which allow provinces to nominate eligible applicants to the federal government for permanent residency.

PNPs have been a particularly central part of western Canada’s success story. This is in part because each province is given the liberty to tailor their programs to attract immigrants who are most likely to succeed in their unique communities and labour markets.

Immigration programs can vary greatly from one province’s PNP to another. For instance, the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) has dedicated streams for food service workers, graduates of Canadian educational institutions, engineers, tradespersons, and even self-employed farmers. The Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP), on the other hand, has streams for long-haul truck drivers, family members of Saskatchewan residents, farm owners and operators, health professionals, and hospitality workers.

“Western provinces have had great success bringing in qualified immigrants from around the world,” said Attorney David Cohen. “Immigrants that arrive through one of these programs integrate quickly and usually find high-paying jobs in their fields. Because of this, many provinces have been lobbying the federal government for greater power to select the immigrants they want.”

Source: http://www.cicnews.com/2013/11/immigrants-head-west-canadian-job-opportunities-113090.html

Information for foreign-trained cardiology technologists

English: Sir Howard Douglas Hall - the Old Arts building on the University of New Brunswick Campus in Canada. Français : Université du Nouveau-Brunswick (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

(3217) Verified: 2010 07 16

Information on requirements to practise

The occupation of cardiology technologist is not regulated in Canada except in New Brunswick, where technologists are required to be registered with the New Brunswick Society of Cardiology Technologists. To practise in Canada, it is preferable for cardiology technologists to be registered with the Canadian Society of Cardiology Technologists (CSCT).

Affiliated with the Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS), the CSCT is the self-governing body that sets the standards for the profession and administers the examination and certification process for membership in the society. You may consult their CSCT Hand Guide about examination policies and procedures.

Information on assessment of qualifications

Foreign-trained cardiology technologists may contact the CSCT for an evaluation of their qualifications prior to arrival in Canada.

You should note that if you are already licensed to practise your occupation in a province or territory of Canada, and later wish to work in a non-regulated occupation, employers may request that you provide them with a formal assessment of your academic credentials.

If that is the case, or if you wish to have your credentials assessed for a purpose other than practising a regulated occupation in Canada, you may consult our Fact Sheet No. 2, "Assessment and recognition of credentials for the purpose of employment in Canada" and contact an academic credential evaluation service. Although evaluation services offer expert advice on how qualifications obtained abroad compare with academic credentials obtained in Canada, their evaluations are advisory only and do not guarantee recognition of your qualifications for employment or certification purposes in Canada. Please note that evaluation services charge a fee for their assessments.

Information on assessment for immigration purposes, under the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)

The Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) is an immigration program administered by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), the department responsible for immigration to Canada.

CIC has listed this profession (NOC 3217) as an eligible occupation under the FSWP. To apply for immigration to Canada under this program, one of the requirements* is to obtain an “Educational Credential Assessment” (ECA) for immigration purposes from a CIC-designated organization. We invite you to communicate directly with one of the designated organizations to begin this process from outside Canada.

*It is important to note that this requirement is for immigration purposes only. It is separate from the process to obtain a license to practice from the relevant regulatory body listed below. Obtaining a license to practice is not required to apply for immigration.

Other relevant information

For a general description of duties and employment requirements, you can refer to the information prepared by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada regarding: