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

N.W.T Releases New Immigration Program Aimed at Huge Labour Shortage

At least 28,000 jobs will open in the Northwest Territories within the next 15 years, thanks mostly to the territory's aging population.

A report from the Conference Board of Canada says filling those positions will be a challenge for the N.W.T. On June 30, the Government of the Northwest Territories released a new immigration plan to help address the territory's potential labour shortage.

The five-year strategy is to beef up the existing immigrant nominee program to encourage foreign nationals to settle in the territory, help increase the population, and fill jobs or create new ones. The plan also includes a focus on bringing more francophone immigrants into the nominee program.

According to the Conference Board of Canada, most of the 28,000 job openings — 98 per cent — will be to replace retirees or those moving away from the N.W.T.

More than half of those jobs will require university, college or apprenticeship training. Openings for low-skilled labour positions will represent less than 10 per cent of available jobs.

The nominee program has plenty of room to grow as the territory's population is on the decline.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/promote-immigration-nwt-nominee-1.4188206

Bill C-6 Provides Significant Changes to Citizenship Act

Bill C-6 has now received Royal Assent and has been passed into law. Some of the ammedments to the Citizenship Act have significant effect on permanent residents who are seeking to become Canadian Citizens, namely:

• Applicants must be physically present in Canada for three out of five years before applying for citizenship. (Used to be 4 years our of 6)

• Applicants may count each day they were physically present in Canada as a temporary resident or protected person before becoming a permanent resident as a half-day toward meeting the physical presence requirement for citizenship, up to a maximum credit of 365 days. (Previously, time spent in Canada prior to becoming a permanent resident did not count towards the physical presence requirement for citizenship.)

• Applicants between 18 and 54 years must meet the language and knowledge requirements for citizenship. (Previously this applied to applicants between the ages of 14 and 64).

The complete breakdown of amendments that Bill C-6 provides to the Citizenship Act can be found here:

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/2017/06/bill_c-6_receivesroyalassent0.html

Faster Processing Times Announced for High-Skilled Workers

This is great news for businesses looking to add high-skilled workers to their work force. Two-week processing time for work permits and temporary resident visas, for both the worker and their accompanying dependents.

Fast application processing, enhanced customer service now available for companies   

June 12, 2017—Toronto, ON – When companies in Canada can thrive and grow, they create more jobs. The Government of Canada’s new Global Skills Strategy will give employers a faster and more predictable process for attracting top talent and new skills to Canada, creating economic growth and more middle-class jobs for Canadians. 

Today, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Ahmed Hussen, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains and Rodger Cuzner, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, announced that employers and highly-skilled workers can now benefit from the Global Skills Strategy.

As part of the Strategy, which includes four pillars, high-skilled workers coming to Canada on a temporary basis are now able to benefit from two-week processing of applications for work permits and, when necessary, temporary resident visas. Open work permits for spouses and study permits for dependants will also be processed in two weeks when applicable.

Employers can now benefit from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s new dedicated service channel and the new Global Talent Stream. This will help them access temporary, high-skilled, global talent, scale up or expand their knowledge of specialized skills so that they can be more innovative and build their expertise.

Two new work permit exemptions have also taken effect today. Highly-skilled workers who need to come to Canada for a very short-term assignment and researchers taking part in short-duration research projects being conducted in Canada will not require a work permit. 

First announced in November 2016, the Global Skills Strategy helps promote global investment in Canada and supports the Government of Canada’s Innovation and Skills Plan. It recognizes that by facilitating the faster entry of top talent with specialized skill sets and global experience to Canada, we can help innovative companies grow, flourish and create jobs for Canadians. 

• Companies applying for workers through the Global Talent Stream now have access to a new streamlined process that provides eligible employers with:
• priority processing of applications and a client-focused service for the development of the Labour Market Benefits Plan, with a service standard of 10 business days; and
• flexible recruitment requirements.

• Two-week work permit processing will be available to workers applying from overseas whose employers have been approved to hire a foreign worker through Global Talent Stream, as well as foreign nationals with jobs at skill type 0 (executive, managerial) or skill level A (professional) of the National Occupational Classification (NOC) applying through the International Mobility Program. The two-week service standard would also apply to immediate family members accompanying high-skilled workers to Canada.
• The new work permit exemption for highly-skilled workers applies to all NOC 0 and NOC A workers. Eligible workers will be allowed one 15-day work permit-exempt stay in Canada every six months, or one 30-day work permit-exempt stay every 12 months. 
• Researchers coming to Canada will be permitted one 120-day stay every 12 months without requiring a work permit when they are working on a research project at a publicly-funded degree-granting institution or affiliated research institution. 
• Agreements have been reached with a range of partners who will be able to refer companies to IRCC’s new dedicated service channel and to ESDC’s Global Talent Stream; discussions are continuing with many other potential partners. The goal is to have referral partners in all parts of the country with the significant knowledge and insight needed to refer companies to the dedicated service channel. 

New Express Entry Rules Benefit Candidates with Siblings In Canada, and More...

Additional Points for Siblings in Canada

The Express Entry system will begin awarding 15 points to candidates with siblings in Canada. To get these points, candidates will need to show that the sibling is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident who is living in Canada and is 18 years of age or older.

The sibling in Canada must share a mother or father with the principal Express Entry applicant or their spouse or common-law partner. This relationship can be through blood, marriage, common-law partnership or adoption.

Studies have shown that as newcomers build a new life in Canada, those with siblings benefit by having improved integration into Canadian society.

Additional Points for Strong French Language Skills

Express Entry candidates with strong French language skills, with or without English language skills, will be awarded additional points by the CRS. A total of 15 additional points will be awarded for test results of the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) at level 7 or higher in all four language skills in French (listening, speaking, reading and writing) and an English test result of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 4 or lower, or no English test at all.

A total of 30 additional points will be awarded for test results of the NCLC at level 7 or higher in all four skills in French and test results of CLB 5 or higher in all four language skills in English.

French-speaking newcomers contribute to the growth, vitality and prosperity of Francophone minority communities across Canada.

Job Bank Registration is Now Voluntary, Not Mandatory

Job Bank registration for Express Entry candidates becomes voluntary for all candidates. Candidates who meet the minimum entry criteria for Express Entry will be automatically placed into the pool and immediately eligible for invitation rounds.

All Express Entry Candidates who would like to start their job search can register for Job Bank. Employers will still be able to use all of their existing recruiting methods, including Job Bank, to find Express Entry candidates.

Candidates Ranked By Their CRS Score

The Express Entry system will rank candidates in the pool by their CRS score.  Where a CRS tie exists, all tied candidates will then be ranked based on the date and time of their profile submission.

Candidates who update their profile with any new information will keep their original date and time stamp.

A new time and date stamp will be issued to candidates:

• who choose to withdraw their profile  to complete a new one instead of updating their original profile, and,
• whose profile has expired and they complete and submit a new one.