Alberta Introduces New Appeal Process for AINP Refusals

The province of Alberta has introduced a new appeal process for immigration candidates whose applications have been refused.

The new process allows candidates to submit a request for reconsideration if the grounds for their appeal are:

• a. Directly related to the reason(s) stated in the decision letter; and
• b. They can demonstrate that an error was made in applying program criteria to the application.

A request for reconsideration must be submitted within 30 calendar days of the date the decision letter was issued. Only the applicant named in the letter can submit a request and it must be the only request submitted on their application.

The Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) says a response will be issued within 30 calendar days of the date the reconsideration request was received.

If you have had an AINP application rejected and feel that you have caused for appeal, get in touch with us at Prudent Immigration. We can help. (403) 402-7900.

Increased AINP Intake in 2018; New Streams Coming Soon

Alberta Announces Increased AINP Intake for 2018

Alberta has announced an increase in its Provincial Nominee Program allotment for 2018, up to 5,600 nominations. Alberta is receiving a slightly higher allotment in 2018 as a result of the federal government’s multi-year immigration plan announced in November of 2017. The federal plan includes an increased Provincial Nominee Program target of 55,000 for 2018, up eight per cent over 2017’s target of 51,000.

New streams coming in 2018

The AINP is currently divided into three immigration streams, the Strategic Recruitment Stream, Employer-Driven Stream and the Self-Employed Farmer Stream. In 2018, the Strategic Recruitment Stream and the Employer-Driven Stream and their sub-categories are due to be merged into one stream, called the Alberta Opportunity Stream. This change was originally expected to come into effect on Jan 2, but has been postponed while details of the program continue to be ironed out. The current streams shall continue to be in effect until the opening of the Alberta Opportunity Stream is announced.

Alberta is also expected to introduce a second stream aligned with the federal Express Entry pool in 2018, but the criteria for this stream have yet to be made public. The Alberta Express Entry Stream will allow the AINP to nominate a limited number of candidates in Express Entry pool, which includes candidates from the federal government’s three economic immigration classes — the Federal Skilled Worker Class (FSWC), the Federal Skilled Trades Class (FSTC), and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC).

According to the AINP, the following National Occupational Classification codes make up more than half of applications for provincial nomination certificates.

• 6311 – Food Service Supervisors
• 6211 – Retail Sales Supervisors
• 7511 – Transport Truck Drivers
• 6315 – Cleaning Supervisors
• 7284 – Plasterers, Drywall Installers and Finishers and Lathers
• 1241 – Administrative assistants
• 0631 – Restaurant and Food Services Managers
• 0621 – Retail and Wholesale Trade Managers
• 6421 – Retail Salespersons
• 1221 – Administrative Officers

www.prudentimmigration.ca

ITA's To Candidates With No Job Offer Increases Dramatically

2016 Changes to Express Entry CRS Providing Huge Increase in ITA’s to Candidates Without Job Offers

Stats recently released by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) reveal that 90 per cent of Express Entry candidates who received an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence in the first half of 2017 did not have a Canadian job offer, up from 62 per cent in the 11 months before IRCC reduced the number of points it awards for a job offer in November 2016.

The data suggests that this change has significantly shifted the number of ITAs for Canadian permanent residence in favour of candidates with greater human capital scores (age, level of English and French ability, education, work experience), namely candidates in the Federal Skilled Worker Class. 

The data released by IRCC compares the ITA’s in the 11 months prior to the November 2016 changes and a six-month period after they were introduced. IRCC’s comparison confirms the following:

• The percentage of ITA’s without a Canadian job offer rose from 62 per cent to 90 per cent.

• The percentage of ITA’s who studied in Canada has increased from 30 per cent to 40 per cent.

• The percentage of Federal Skilled Worker candidates invited to apply increased from 25 percent to 48 per cent.

• The number of profiles deemed eligible for the Express Entry pool increased as a result of the changes.

Number of ITAs issued to candidates with and without job offers,
and with and without Canadian study experience

	Pre-November 2016 changes	Post-November 2016 changes
With job offer	10,795 (38%)	5,151 (10%)
Without job offer	17,614 (62%)	48,098 (90%)
With Canadian study experience	8,592 (30%)	21,433 (40%)
No Canadian study experience	19,817 (70%)	31,816 (60%)

While a job offer is not necessary to file an Express Entry profile or apply for permanent residence, the 600 CRS points allocated prior to the November 2016 changes provided a significant advantage to candidates who had one. That’s now changed with the reduction in job offer points (between 50 and 200), which IRCC says is making candidates in the Express Entry pool more reliant on their human capital scores to receive an ITA.

IRCC reports that the reduction in job offer points also appears to have had a significant impact on the occupation mix of invited Express Entry candidates. Following the job offer change, the top occupations now receiving ITA’s is as follows:

NOC 21 – Professional occupations in natural and applied sciences

NOC 11 – Professional occupations in business and finance

NOC 01-05 – Specialized middle management occupations

NOC 12 – Administrative and financial supervisors

NOC 22 – Technical occupations related to natural and applied sciences

NOC 40 – Professional occupations in education services

NOC 62 – Retail sales supervisors and specialized sales occupations

NOC 31 – Professional occupations in health (except Nursing)

NOC 05 – Middle management in retail and wholesale trade and customer services

NOC 63 – Service supervisors and specialized service occupations

Citizens of India were issued the most ITAs, both before and after the job offer change, with their share jumping by 12 percentage points after the change from 31 per cent of ITAs to 43 per cent. Chinese citizens were second, with 10 per cent post-change. Nigerian citizens placed third, with their share rising by two percentage points to five per cent of all ITAs in the six months after the job offer change in November 2016.

www.prudentimmigration.ca

Express Entry Invitations Now Given For 435 Points on CRS.

Candidates in the Express Entry pool for immigration to Canada with 435 or more Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points were issued an Invitation to Apply(ITA) for Canadian permanent residence in the latest draw from the pool, which took place on September 6.

A total of 2,772 candidates were invited this time around, bringing the total number of ITAs issued so far this year to 66,549, far more than were issued in the whole of last year. More than half of all ITAs issued since Express Entry was first launched in January, 2015 have been issued in 2017.

Invited candidates have 90 days to submit a complete application for permanent residence, including supporting documentation. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) aims to complete the processing of applications within six months.

Contact us for help with your Express Entry profile, or for Applications for Permanent Residence.

More on this news here...

https://www.cicnews.com/2017/09/september-6-express-entry-draw-invites-candidates-with-435-or-more-crs-points-099530.html

Express Entry Issuing More ITAs for PR Based on Human Capital Factors

Improvements made to Canada’s Express Entry immigration selection system last November led to far more candidates being issued an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence based on their human capital factors alone, without needing to obtain additional points for factors such as obtaining a job offer or a provincial nomination.

Prior to the set of reforms that came into effect on November 19, 2017, around three-in-five (62 percent) of invited candidates had sufficient point totals under the Comprehensive Ranking System(CRS) to receive an ITA based on human capital alone. Over the period from November, 2016 to February, 2017, however, this share increased to 90 percent.

This fact is just one of many contained in a presentation that was put together by senior staff at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) last spring. Importantly, the information revealed that more candidates outside Canada, specifically those eligible under the Federal Skilled Worker Class (FSWC), were being invited to apply than previously following the changes made last November.

It was also found that more candidates in the Natural and Applied Sciences (including STEM occupations) were being invited to apply, with 35 percent of those invited between November and February being in these occupations, up from 28 percent. Meanwhile, the share of candidates in lower skilled occupations being invited decreased from 11 percent to three percent.

Informational Technology (IT) workers in particular have benefited from recent changes to Express Entry, with the number of candidates with IT work experience being invited to apply having increased over time.

Contact us today for help with your Express Entry profile or your Application for Permanent Residence.

More on this news here...

https://www.cicnews.com/2017/09/express-entry-reforms-in-2016-led-to-more-candidates-invited-based-on-human-capital-factors-099539.html

IRCC to Invite More Applications Under Parent and Grandparent Program

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will invite more sponsors of foreign parents and grandparents to submit an application under the Parent and Grandparent Program (PGP).

The upcoming round of invitations, which will begin on September 6 and continue over a few days, is the second round to take place in 2017. Potential sponsors who were not invited to apply in the first round, which took place in April, now have a second chance of being invited to apply.

The upcoming invitation round will be restricted to potential sponsors who submitted an Expression of Interest through the PGP ‘Interest to Sponsor’ form in early 2017, but who have not yet been invited to apply. Invited sponsors will have to submit their application by December 8 in order for it to be accepted.

Individuals who were invited in the first round, but who did not submit an application by the August 4 deadline, will not be invited in the upcoming round, nor will individuals who did not submit a form in early 2017.

However, IRCC also confirmed that registration to enter the PGP ‘Interest to Sponsor’ pool of potential sponsors will reopen in early 2018, allowing more potential sponsors to plan on bringing their parent(s) or grandparent(s) to Canada as permanent residents.

Sponsors must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents, and must meet certain minimum income criteria.

More information on this announcement can be found here:

https://www.cicnews.com/2017/09/ircc-to-invite-more-applications-under-parent-and-grandparent-program-099525.html

Express Entry CRS Invitation Threshold Now At 434

Contact Prudent Immigration to assist you with your Express Entry Profile, or if you have received an Invitation to Apply, we can help prepare your Permanent Residency Application.

A total of 3,035 candidates for immigration to Canada have been issued an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence in the latest draw from the Express Entry pool, which took place on August 23. Candidates with 434 or more Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points at the time of the draw were invited to apply.

The August 23 draw is the third Express Entry draw to take place so far this month, and the fifth since changes to the CRS were implemented in early June.

Invited candidates have 90 days to submit a complete application for permanent residence, including supporting documents. The spouse/common-law partner of the principal applicant, as well as dependent children, may be included on the application.

The latest draw brings the number of ITAs issued so far this year to 63,777, a far higher figure than the total for the whole of 2016. Indeed, nearly half of all ITAs issued since Express Entry was first launched in January, 2015 have been issued in 2017.

More information here...

https://www.cicnews.com/2017/08/august-23-express-entry-draw-crs-cut-off-threshold-434-089488.html