General Alberta Express Entry Stream:

The government may request applications from candidates with strong ties to Alberta or who can contribute to its economic development and diversification priorities. The program may also be open to international graduates from Canadian post-secondary institutions.

Accelerated Tech Pathway:
If a candidate is currently employed by one of the Alberta-based tech industry employers in a qualifying tech occupation or has a job offer from one, they may be eligible for expedited processing under the Alberta Express Entry Stream.

Alberta Advantage Immigration Program – Accelerated Tech Pathway NOC Codes:

0013 Senior managers – financial, communications and other business services 0112 Human resources managers

0131 Telecommunication carriers manager 0211 Engineering managers

0212 Architecture and science managers

0213 Computer and information systems managers

0512 Managers – publishing, motion pictures, broadcasting and performing arts 0601 Corporate sales managers

1123 Professional occupations in advertising, marketing and public relations 1121 Human resources professionals

1223 Human resources and recruitment officers 2131 Civil engineers

2132 Mechanical engineers

2133 Electrical and electronics engineers

2147 Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers) 2161 Mathematicians, statisticians and actuaries

2171 Information systems analysts and consultants 2172 Database analysts and data administrators 2173 Software engineers and designers

2174 Computer programmers and interactive media developers 2175 Web designers and developers

2221 Biological technologists and technicians

2232 Mechanical engineering technologists and technicians

2233 Industrial engineering and manufacturing technologists and technicians

2241 Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians 2253 Drafting technologists and technicians

2281 Computer network technicians 2282 User support technicians

2283 Information systems testing technicians 3211 Medical laboratory technologists

3212 Medical laboratory technicians and pathologists’ assistants

3219 Other medical technologists and technicians (except dental health)

4163 Business development officers and marketing researchers and consultants 5131 Producers, directors, choreographers and related occupations

5241 Graphic designers and illustrators

7241 Electricians (except industrial and power system) 7242 Industrial electricians

7246 Telecommunications installation and repair workers

Application Steps Overview:

The Alberta Express Entry Stream has 3 steps:

1. Candidates must have an Express Entry profile with the Government of Canada to be considered under this stream.

• In order to apply for the Accelerated Tech Pathway, candidates must send information about their Express Entry profile as well as their Alberta employment or job offer with a tech employer in Alberta to the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) using an online form.
• Other Express Entry candidates must receive a Notification of Interest (NOI) letter from AAIP in their Express Entry profile. Candidates must email a copy of the NOI letter to AAIP and state they are interested in applying.

2. Candidates who meet the minimum eligibility criteria for applying will receive an email from AAIP inviting them to apply.

3. The candidate must meet assessment criteria and submit a completed application. Completed applications will be considered for processing from a pool of eligible applications.

Read about the exact eligibility requirements , application process and post-nomination procedures. Please feel free to reach our office at 519-954-1526 or support@easycanadavisa.com for guidance on this new and exciting process.

Note:

• Candidates cannot apply directly to the Alberta Express Entry Stream.
• Candidates must be invited to submit an application. The AAIP invites candidates who demonstrate they meet minimum eligibility criteria. See the steps outlined above.
• You cannot use a nomination under a different AAIP stream to apply under the Alberta Express Entry Stream or the federal Express Entry system.
• If the AAIP discovers fraud or misrepresentation in an application, a candidate may be banned for up to 5 years from reapplying to the AAIP.
• Alberta Express Entry Stream nominees cannot extend their nomination.

Six thousand caregiver applications will be prioritized by the end of 2021; 1,500 by June 30, 2021

A new processing plan drafted by the IRCC for 2021 which caters to caregivers from abroad has now been made official. In brief, listed below are the new features of this plan:

• Approve Permanent Residence to 6000 eligible caregivers (including their immediate family members) who have completed their in-Canada work experience by December 31, 2021.
• For Home Child Care Provider and for Home Support worker pilot applications, at least 1500 first-stage decisions shall be made by June 30, 2021.
• Guarantee that applicants receive acknowledgment of receipt letters by May 31, 2021.

Caregiver Eligibility Criteria :

 Applicants must meet the following criteria to be approved:

• education
• official language proficiency

In addition, applicants must provide proof of either of the following:

• at least 24 months of qualifying Canadian work experience
• a job offer and the ability to perform the work

Education:

The applicant should have ANY of the following:

• Canadian one-year post-secondary (or higher) educational credential
• foreign educational credential and an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report issued by an organization designated by IRCC.

Foreign Credentials:

For applicants with a foreign educational credential, the ECA report must

• indicate that the credential is equivalent to a completed Canadian one-year post-secondary (or higher) educational credential
• be less than 5 years old on the date of application receipt

have been issued on or after the date the ECA organization was designated by IRCC

Applicants With 24 Months of Experience

The applicant should submit proof of qualifying full-time work experience (at least 30 hours per week) of at least 24 months in Canada in the last 3 years before applying. The work done must meet the following requirements:

Home Child-Care Provider Pilot applicants must have qualifying work experience as Home Child-Care Providers (NOC 4411). In this job, they must have looked after children under the age of

Note: Foster parents cannot apply under this pilot program.

Home Support Worker Pilot applicants must have qualifying work experience as Home Support Workers and related occupations (NOC 4412).

Note: Among the sub-occupations under NOC 4412, housekeepers and related occupations are not eligible to apply under the home support worker class. It is the applicant’s job to convince the IRCC officer that they mainly performed the personal care and support services as outlined in the NOC description (other duties such as housekeeping duties including laundry, washing dishes etc., may be included only as additional responsibilities).

Breaks in work experience: At the time they apply for permanent residence through the Home Child-Care Provider Pilot or Home Support Worker Pilot, applicants do not have to be employed.Canadian work experience does not need to be continuous to qualify, but the period of 24 months of required employment does not include

• any extended absence from Canada (including any time worked for an employer outside Canada)
• periods of unemployment
• prolonged sickness
• parental leave

A reasonable period of vacation time will be counted towards meeting the work experience requirement. For example, a 2-week period of paid vacation leave within a given 52-week period in which the applicant was engaged in qualifying work would qualify, whether that period of vacation was taken in Canada or outside Canada. Any periods of self-employment or periods of employment during which the applicant was engaged in the full-time study will not be included when calculating the period of qualifying work experience. All applicants must have had temporary resident status during the period of work experience acquired in Canada. Only authorized work will be counted towards the work experience requirement..

Applicants Without 24 Months of Qualifying Canadian Work Experience

Applicants who do not have at least 24 months of qualifying Canadian work experience must also provide proof of both of the following:

• a job offer
• the ability to perform the work

Job Offer

• from a single Canadian employer
  • The employer cannot be an embassy, high commission or consulate in Canada.
  • The employer can comprise more than one individual (for example, Mr. and Mrs. Smith), but must constitute one simple employer (that is, one single CRA business number).
• for a position outside the province of Quebec
• for full-time employment (full time means at least 30 hours of paid work per week)
• non-seasonal
• in a home child-care provider or home support worker occupation
• genuine and likely to be valid when the applicant is issued the initial occupation-specific open work permit

The job offer must also describe the work and duties to be performed by the applicant. These duties must align with the actions described in the lead statement for the eligible occupation, as set out in the occupational descriptions of the NOC.Note: The main duties of a job offer cannot be for foster parent or housekeeper occupations.

Ability To Perform The Work

Note: If the applicant has provided proof of at least 24 months of eligible Canadian work experience in their initial application, they do not need to be assessed for their ability to perform the work.Applicants who have not obtained at least 24 months of qualifying Canadian work experience must demonstrate that they are able to perform the work described in the lead statement of the occupational description of the NOC.

• NOC 4411 if applying for the Home Child-Care Provider Pilot
• NOC 4412 if applying the Home Support Worker Pilot

Failure to do so may result in a refusal.Note: Foster parents are excluded from NOC 4411 and housekeepers are excluded from NOC 4412.

Supporting Documentation

When assessing an applicant’s ability to perform the work, officers can refer to supporting documentation provided in the application. This may include, but is not limited to

• proof of relevant previous work experience (either paid or unpaid), for example:
  • employer reference letters
  • employment records
  • work contracts
  • pay stubs
• copies of relevant education credentials or training, which can include diplomas or certificates
• a copy of the applicant’s most recent work permit in Canada (if they’ve been working in Canada)

The new public policy will take effect on May 3, 2021. Applicants to the Home Child Care Provider and Home Support Worker pilots in 2020 will not need to reapply.

As things look bleak amid the pandemic, Canada has introduced 3 new measures to ensure individuals are provided with ample opportunities to obtain study and work permits.

 The following are the new measures made public by the IRCC on PGWP (Postgraduate Open Work permit) eligibility for international students who did their courses online during the COVID-19 outbreak.

• If students would be completing 50% of their studies in Canada, they can continue to study online while being overseas up until April 30, 2021, without any deduction from the length of their PGWP.
• If a student had enrolled in an 8-12 months program that has a start date from May to September 2020, they may complete the entirety of their studies abroad and still be eligible for PGWP! (no need to be in Canada)
• International students who have done more than one eligible program, with one program that has start date between May and September 2020 (and study online up to April 30, 2021) can combine the lengths of their programs while applying for a PGWP given that at least 50% of studies is done in Canada.

For international students to qualify for the above measures, they need to have submitted a study permit application prior to starting a program  with a designated learning institution in the Spring/ Summer/ Fall 2020 semester or Jan 2021 semester. They need to be approved eventually for a study permit to be eligible.

The IRCC is closely monitoring the spread of COVID-19 and keeping a close watch on the changing international situations and one can expect additional announcements/ changes in the upcoming weeks or months.

There’s good news and bad news. First the bad news: Canada is set to invite 170,000 fewer immigrants this year. The good news: Canada is going to invite 170,000 fewer immigrants this year. Confused? It is good news for those immigrants already in Canada and bad news for those trying to come to Canada.

Since Canada has temporarily shut its door to foreign nationals for a while now, and to keep up its immigration targets for 2020, its only viable choice at the moment is to issue more ITAs to aspiring candidates who are already within its borders. This has been made evident through the latest string of Express Entry draws with scores plummeting down all the way to 440 CRS points recently. Not only that, but it also seems very likely that the CIC is going to continue posting up to 4 draws a month for the Canadian Experience Class stream.

What this means is that now is the most opportune moment to tally up your points and get into the Express Entry pool by boosting your existing scores, either through IELTS/CELPIP or updating your profile to see if it is within reach.

From the way things have been shaping up, the IELTS organization has made plans to reopen its many testing centers across the globe to ensure that candidates can take a dig at clearing it. If one were to check the exam dates now, the earliest one could book an exam date will be somewhere in July. So, hurry up as seats are being filled as you read this!

Coming to the PNPs, they have become unpredictable as of late. However, BC is one province that keeps holding the BC Tech Pilot ( BC PNP) practically every week. More details would be released this month regarding its future. It has already held two draws on June 2^nd. The provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario are slated to resume their respective nomination programs later this month. Quebec is in talks to introduce two new pilot programs for nurses aides and tech workers, the details of which would be released “ within a few weeks”.

Last, but not least, Canada is about to decide whether or not to renew its Open Work Permit Pilot for spouses and Common-law partners for the fifth time. The deadline for the renewal is estimated to be June 31^st. Speaking of spouses and common-law partners, it is highly likely that if the current trend of curve-flattening (coronavirus pandemic) continues, family members who are stuck overseas with the COPR (Confirmation of PR) could enter Canada post-July 1^st.

The role that international students play in the Canadian economy is one that cannot be looked over.
The 640,000 international students in addition to creating a diverse and wholistic learning
environment, contribute some $22 billion to the economy each year which supports around 200,000
Canadian jobs.
Recognizing that difficulties that international students face during COVID-19, Canada has
announced a variety of special measures to help the international students already in the country,
and those who hope to come into the country soon. The following are the latest updates concerning
international students:
Implied status
Current and Post-Graduation Work Permit holding international students who wish to extend their
stay in Canada during the coronavirus impact may be eligible for implied status. Implied status
provides international students the chance to continue their studies and/or work while Immigration,
Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) reviews their work/study permit extension application
Working hours
IRCC has temporarily allowed international students to work more than the previously allowed 20
hours if they are working in 10 priority sectors. This rule holds water until August 31. These 10
sectors are:

 Energy and utilities
 Information and Communication Technologies
 Finance
 Health
 Food
 Water
 Transportation
 Safety
 Government
 Manufacturing

CERB

The federal government provides income support through the Canada Emergency Response Benefit
(CERB) which offers $500 per week for up to 16 weeks to eligible workers whose lives have been
disrupted by the pandemic. International students who qualify for the requirements may receive the
benefits.

PR pathways

Since the start of the coronavirus crisis, both levels of government have issued more invitations to
apply for permanent residence to those with Canadian experience due to the high levels of
education and linguistic proficiencies that international students bring with them to the Canadian
economy.

More time to submit immigration applications

IRCC understands the impact that COVID-19 might have had on the abilities of immigration
applications. IRCC announced that it will not turn incomplete applications and that they will provide
an additional 90 days to complete the application considering the COVID-19 pandemic.

PGWP

The Post-Graduation Work Permit helps international students gain Canadian work experience.
International students have no need for concern with regards to their PGWP since IRCC has
announced that students who were slotted for a study permit to begin their Canadian education in
May or June will be able to begin their program online without affecting their eligibility to eventually
apply for a PGWP. The same applies to international students already in Canada.

More support for international students on the way

Canadian response to the pandemic situation has surpassed that even of the United States. It has
done more than what anyone could have expected when compared with other countries. The care
and concern that the government has shown to accommodate its foreign nationals have helped
cement Canada’s status as a truly inclusive and diverse country made up of a cultural mosaic.
Considering the current trends, it is highly probable that more help would be coming for international
students.

Due to the swelling number of cases relating to the coronavirus (COVID-19), Canadian universities/colleges have either shut down their on-campus activities or shifted to online classes. The following is an advisory from The Consulate General of India Toronto issued on March 22, 2020, for Indian students who may be affected by such decisions.

• Check with your institution on how to avail essential services such as student health insurance, international student services, etc.
• Students are advised to reach out to their respective institutions to seek clarity on study permit extension and how the online mode of class delivery could impact their course credit and visa status
• Although most colleges and universities are requesting students to move out of Residence, international students may not be in a position to do so or return home due to travel restrictions. In such cases, they would need to fill out the Residence Extension Request form (available with each institution) explaining their individual situations. Most colleges so far have given encouraging responses. However, if your institution cannot provide a viable solution, it must be brought to the notice of the Consulate if that institution is under its jurisdiction.
• As of now, Canada has closed its borders to foreign travelers. So, in order to remain updated regarding local situations visit https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/coronavirus-disease-covid19.html for more information.
• All plans to travel to India from Canada would have to be set aside for now as India has barred all international commercial flights from landing on its soil till March 29, 2020. For more clarifications regarding travel advisories issued by the Government of India regarding this matter, do refer to https://www.mohfw.gov.in/.
• Indian students are advised to register with the Government of India’s MADAD portal to receive regular updates. You can register on https://portal2.madad.gov.in/AppConsular/user/RegistrationBaseAction?request_locale= en&userType=Student
• If you experience the COVID-19 symptoms such as dry cough, fever, and difficulty in breathing, it is advised that you isolate yourself and use the self-assessment tool available on https://ca.thrive.health/covid19/en to know what to do next.

For all other emergencies, students can reach out to the help-line numbers of the Consulate at +1647-668 4108

Valid study permits and work permits accepted at the border for coming
to Canada now.

After a dismal week shutting down hopes of international students and workers alike as a result of talks
surrounding the international border restrictions, there is a silver lining to be seen today as the Deputy
Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland made it clear that “ valid study and work permits to come to Canada
will be respected at the border, and this includes temporary workers too”. The same shall also be
respected at the US-Canada border as well as other international borders. The only caveat is that those
individuals must self-isolate for a minimum of two weeks in line with national preventive measures,
which sounds more than reasonable. The following is a list of situations deemed as “essential travel”
that shall be permitted through the borders. Travel for the purposes of tourism and recreation is
deemed as “non-essential” travel and is prohibited at the moment.

   Citizens of the USA and legal Permanent Residents returning back to the States.
   Travel for medical purposes ( for instance, to obtain treatment in the United States)
   To attend educational institutions( aka international students with valid study visas)
   For work in the United States (individuals working in farming or agricultural sectors who need
to travel between US and Canada to further their work)
   Travel as part of emergency response or public health response( government
officials/emergency responders who need to go to US to support efforts regarding COVID-19)
   Truck drivers for the movement of cargo across the border for lawful cross-border trade.
   Travel for diplomatic
   Active personnel and family members of U.S Armed Forces, military-related travel/operations
As the Deputy Minister stated, work that requires 2 to 6 months is being done in just 2-3 days, and so a
lot of information is yet to come out. At the moment, there is uncertainty regarding the case of those
with CoPR.

LATEST EXPRESS ENTRY DRAW

In other news, the latest Express Entry draw has been announced which is inviting 668 candidates to
apply for Permanent Residence. The minimum CRS points required was 720. This draw only includes
candidates that had provincial nominations aligned with Express Entry.
Despite the coronavirus measures dragging down IRCC services, Canada is still in the process of
striving to meet its immigration targets set for 2020. Those express Entry candidates with a provincial
nomination would receive an additional 600 CRS points, thereby effectively guaranteeing ITAs.
In the last few weeks, PNP in Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, and the Prince Edward Islands
issued more than 5000 ITAs to express entry candidates. To effectively find out how to increase your
CRS points, there are plenty of options available including improving your language assessment bands
(write IELTS) or consult with an immigration agent to find out more.
The IRCC shall continue to process applications related to draws in the coming weeks too.

With many provinces slowly opening up to corporates and the seamlessly vast variety of jobs
available, it makes Canada look like an authentic land of opportunities. But unsurprisingly, along with
this ocean of job postings lurks employment scams that are specifically tailored to take advantage of
a person’s desires and ambitions.

Make no mistake; a Canadian job offer is a precious document earnestly sought after by international
skilled workers. It is when a person decides to just turn a blind eye and throw wind to the caution
would he/she be sucked into the deceiving hole of fraudulent job offers. Fortunately, listed below are
some practical tips to identify the unethical tactics along with their warning signs of some of such

1) TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE COMPENSATION PACKAGE

When what you get for you are supposed to give doesn’t sound proportional to you or sounds
fantastical, more often than not, your gut instincts are true. Always check the average Canadian
salary for the corresponding occupation which can be cross-checked on the Government of
Canada’s Job Bank Site.
Another sign to watch out for is if besides salary, a myriad of highly attractive job-related benefits are
mentioned that often sound too lofty and can support the big dreams a foreigner can have when
looking for a job in Canada. Some of them include paid airfare from the country of origin, free
accommodation and more than ideal holiday periods.

2) ALL YOU NEED TO DO TO GET A WORK AUTHORIZATION IS TO PAY

This is probably one of the biggest giveaways. It’s the king of all suspicious signs due to some
reasons.
Primarily, it is extremely rare for a company to take the initiative and burden of going through the
application process and red tape surrounding Canadian Immigration bureaucracy to hire a person
without even first conducting a face-to-face interview with the potential employee.
Second of all, it is near impossible for a foreign national to be accorded a work permit without his/her
participation in the process. In most cases, the “company’ would try to convince you that no
involvement is needed on your part and all you got to do is pay.
Finally, the cost mentioned. You see, the Government work permit application fee is $155. If the
job offer for whatever reason mentions a higher amount, in all likelihood you are about to be duped.

3) VAGUE OR INCOMPLETE/INCORRECT EMPLOYER CONTACT DETAILS

This is a no-brainer. The first sign to look for here is the area code mentioned where the business
firm is supposed to be located. The same goes for the contact number provided which in most cases
do not exist, has been disconnected or nobody answers.
The one sign you may not be that aware about is the email address used to relay this offer to you.
To discern this you may use the following template: if a legitimate company’s website is
www.ABC.com and the name of the person sending you this alleged offer is XYZ, then his/her
official company email is supposed to be XYZ@ABC.com. If the email address looks very similar to
the company’s website , it’s not an issue; but if it doesn’t exactly match we have a fraudster at the
other end. Also, it is high time we realize that legitimate companies do not communicate through
gmail. They have their own domains and corresponding emails.

4) INCONSISTENCIES IN LANGUAGE

It is common sense that if you are in a position that requires you to send out emails regarding
employment in Canada, you should already have a good command of the English Language.
Subpar word choices, verb conjugations, lack of punctuations and frequent spelling errors are the
recipe for fake offer letter as the real deal from a legit Canadian company would be devoid of them.

5) UNCONVENTIONAL FORMAT OF THE OFFER LETTER

In certain cases, the formatting of the letter itself, especially the graphics or images used might put
you off. This is more so in the case of font choice and size used, especially in the section where the
salary and benefits seem to look highlighted.

Although fraudsters are also evolving and changing their gimmicks every now and then, the
aforementioned strategies can be used to effectively discern in less than a minute if you have been
made the victim of fraud or not.

Other provinces like Alberta, Manitoba and Nova Scotia also see hikes in hiring.

Job seekers in Quebec remain upbeat as employment rates have been shooting up steadily over the last 3 months and according to the statistics, nearly 66,000 people were hired the last 90 days. This puts the unemployment rate for Quebec at 4.5, its lowest since Statistics Canada first became available in 1976. A significant chunk of the jobs went to the youth aged between 15 and 24, indicating that students are readily getting part-time jobs.

What does this low unemployment rate spell for aspiring immigrants?

This means, in simpler terms, there are more jobs and vacancies to choose from in a certain region, putting pressure on the employers to both lure and retain their talents. This period right now can be termed a “job-seekers market”.If you are thinking this is just a temporary thing, think again. By 2030, as much as 9 million baby boomers are charted to retire. That’s almost ¼ th of Canada’s entire population. And who would Canada set its eyes upon to sustain its economic situation then? The answer is quite simply, more immigrants.As mentioned in an earlier blog, Canada’s Immigration Minister Marco Banderas is behind the notion that 80-100 % of Canada’s population growth is slated to come from immigration and needless to say, foreigners are going to take center stage.While the rest of the country didn’t see any major changes, the employment rates are picking up in the provinces of Manitoba, Alberta and Nova Scotia.

A whooping 11,000 jobs were filled last month in Alberta, while the figure was 3,700 in Nova Scotia and 3,500 in Manitoba.

New Brunswick’s employment rate remained mostly unchanged last month, and unemployment somehow fell to 6.9 percent. Other than that British Columbia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Saskatchewan had little to no change in terms of unemployment.

Factors contributing to economic uncertainty which may affect the coming labor force

By now, every province in Canada is gearing up for a potential outbreak of the coronavirus and this has steepened the economic uncertainty in Canada and abroad. Unsurprisingly, the IT sector hasn’t been affected much thanks in part to its work being alternatively accomplished through remote work (work from home option).To alleviate significant impacts on the Canadian economy, the Bank of Canada even cut its overnight interest rate.Oil-rich provinces such as Alberta are likely to face the heat of the global oil price crash due to ongoing price wars between the major suppliers mainly Saudi Arabia.

Putting all these factors together, some unemployment strain is to be expected in the coming months.

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program Is Accepting applications.

The OINP is in essence, an immigration program for immigrants who already have an existing job offer in Ontario. By virtue of this program, it aids employers to find the right fit of suitably skilled workers foe enterprise. Similar to LMIA, the employers or investors strive to recruit, in some cases recruit, foreign nationals or temporary residents, and the corresponding applications are subject to approval by the province of Ontario. Once the potential employee receives the nomination, he/she can then apply for Permanent Residence with IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada). As far as the categories of nominees go, here’s a quick glance at the various streams through which you can apply:

• General Category
• Employers can aim to recruit through Employee Job Offer International Student Stream
• Individuals can apply for themselves through International Masters Graduate Category & Ph.D. Graduates Category
• For business owners and entrepreneurs, the applications can be sent through the Corporate Stream and Entrepreneur Stream

General Category

To be considered eligible to apply through this stream, the following criteria need to be met:

• You either live outside or in Canada presently with legal status ( like a work permit)
• Possess a valid job offer in Ontario that comes under Skill Type 0 ( titles that resemble managerial positions and occupations) or Skill Level A ( those with professional designations) or at the very least, Skill Level B ( technical jobs and skilled trades category) as seen on the Canadian National Occupational Classification ( NOC).
• Have the support of an employer who has been pre-screened and approved by Opportunities Ontario.

The application process can be initiated only after your employer has nominated you and only the employer can begin the application; not by yourself.

Employer Job Offer: International Student Stream

To apply under this stream, you must:

• Possess a diploma or degree from an eligible Canadian College or University
• Have a Job offer that corresponds to Skill type O, A or B
• Have an employer who has been pre-screened and approved of by Opportunities Ontario is

The highlight of this stream is that the job offer you have need not necessarily be related to your field of study.

International Masters and Ph.D. Graduates

A major advantage of this stream is that the Ph.D. graduates and those who have completed their International Masters do not require a job offer. Through this stream, you don’t even need an employer. To be eligible for this stream:

To be eligible under the International Masters Graduates category, you must:

• Have to apply within 2 years of completing a Masters Degree
• Have legal status in Canada and reside in Ontario.
• Plan to live and work in Ontario in the future on top of having lived in Ontario for at least one cumulative year during the past two years.
• Be able to demonstrate a high level of English and French proficiency
• Have no intention of pursuing further studies in Ontario.

To be eligible under the International Ph.D. Graduates category, you must:

• Apply within two years of earning your Ph.D. Degree
• Have legal status in Canada (although you can apply from outside Canada)
• Intend to live and work in Ontario.

Corporate and Entrepreneur Streams

To be eligible under the Corporate stream, your corporation and its key staff must:

• Have at least invested $5 million in a business in Ontario.
• Allocate 5 full-time and permanent positions for permanent residents or Canadian Citizens for every key staff position.
• The hired key staff must not only be essential to the business, but they also need to exhibit a minimum language requirement ( Canadian language Benchmark 5 at the very least )

To be eligible under the Entrepreneur stream, you must:

• Personally invest a sum no less than $500,000
• Create or fill at least two full-time permanent positions for Canadian citizens or permanent residents
• Demonstrate t a minimum language requirement (Canadian Language Benchmark 5)

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) is now in the process of accepting applications to the Employer Job Offer: International Student Stream.

One must act fast as once the intake limit has been met, the system shall automatically prevent any further registrations from being submitted. At the moment, the opening has been paused due to some technical issues, but the OINP is investigating the issue and shall have it continue operations at the earliest Also, on a side note, the Employee Job Offer: Foreign Worker Stream shall be reopened shortly in 2020. Stay tuned!

It comes as a big relief for those in the Canadian business community who have been understandably frustrated with the existing process for hiring foreign temporary labor. The new initiative (online portal) aims at making the process more modern and smoother.

In case you are wondering, the LMIA is near mandatory in almost all cases where an employer desires to bring in overseas talents. It initially has to prove that it tried to recruit Canadian workers before reaching out globally. The cost involved in submitting an application to fill in each vacancy at their establishment exceeds $1000, which is not refundable even when the application has been denied. Ambitious employers are often left in the dark as to why their applications were denied and are seemingly caught contemplating if the decision to do so is worthwhile.

Certain business development groups, namely the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) have put forth several recommendations for improving the process after voicing their disdain with the red tape surrounding it. The former had appealed to the federal government way back in 2017 to streamline the process by making it possible to do the same online.

Just this past month, the CFIB gave its own report on the concerns surrounding small to medium-sized business firms regarding hiring foreign skilled workers through the current process.

FEATURES OF THE NEW ONLINE PORTAL

This new LMIA online pilot portal shall, upon registration, permit employers with the TFWP (Temporary Foreign Worker Program) to electronically manage their accounts, perform transactions and remain posted in their correspondence with Service Canada, according to the government’s website.

The following are some key features of the new online portal:

1. 1)  The portal access shall be based upon the original and existing login credentials for the Job Bank for Employers.
2. 2)  Embedded within shall be an e-questionnaire that serves a guide to the user for the completion of the application as well as to keep track of its progress.
3. 3)  Users can upload their supporting documents
4. 4)  Return at any time to their previously saved LMIA application
5. 5)  View Service Canada decision letters

Previously, one would not be able to track the applications or get a handle on the appropriate wait times ( which usually take around 3 to 12 months). The new portal can hopefully make the process more transparent and attract more employers to opt for this route.

A well known Canadian immigration stream in Nova Scotia will reopen interestingly since 2015 “in the coming weeks,” the territory has declared. The Nova Scotia Demand: Express Entry stream is a piece of the Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP), and is one of two NSNP streams lined up with the government’s Express Entry immigration selection system.

The NSNP is one of Canada’s Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs), through which Canadian territories may name people who are regarded to have the certifications to settle rapidly.

Nova Scotia Demand: Express Entry is interested in hopefuls in the Express Entry pool who additionally satisfy qualification criteria for the stream. Fruitful candidates will get 600 new Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points, prompting an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for Canadian permanent residence at a resulting draw from the pool.

Nova Scotia Demand: Express Entry will turn into the most recent such stream to wind up plainly dynamic so far in 2017. Over late months, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia have additionally been especially dynamic in inviting applications to their particular PNPs from competitors in the Express Entry pool.

Canada intends to get up to 51,000 new perpetual inhabitants through the PNPs in 2017, a seven percent expansion on a year ago objective. A significant number of these newcomers will touch base through “improved” Express Entry streams.

Nova Scotia additionally reported that this stream might be delayed and revived intermittently during the time until the yearly distribution of spaces given by the government is come to, enabling the territory to process applications all the more first served. A similar technique was as of late executed by Ontario for its own particular Express Entry-adjusted Human Capital Priorities stream.

Qualification

To apply, hopefuls must:

• Have a dynamic profile enrolled in Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada’s Express Entry framework;
• Have no less than one year of talented work involvement in one of Nova Scotia’s objective occupations;
• Have no less than a Canadian secondary school certification or universal comparable;
• Demonstrate dialect capacity in English or French at Canadian Language Benchmark 7 or better;
• Score 67 points or more on the stream’s focuses appraisal framework; and
• Indicate enough budgetary assets to settle in Nova Scotia effectively.

Directed occupations

For the latest application cycle, which occurred in 2015, the accompanying occupations were incorporated on the focused on occupations list. This rundown may change for the up and coming cycle

e latest Express Entry draw has continued two trends that have marked the recent history of the Canadian federal immigration selection system: the draws keep growing, and the number of Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points required for a candidate to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) continues to decrease. The latest draw, which took place the morning of January 25, issued ITAs to 3,508 candidates with 453 or more CRS points.

The last time the CRS score requirement was lower than this was in October 2015. Moreover, the January 25 draw was the largest of all time.

Candidates who receive an ITA are now in a position to submit an application for Canadian permanent residence to the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Accompanying family members, including spouses or common-law partners, as well as dependent children, may also come to Canada along with the principal applicant.

Comprehensively, there are two primary contributing elements to the late abatement in the CRS prerequisite. To start with, the quantity of ITAs issued has gone up extensively. In fact, more ITAs have been released in January 2017, than in some other month since Express Entry was initially presented over two years prior.

Second, CICNews.com as of late revealed that ‘Movement, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) anticipated that the upgrades made to the framework last November would permit more possibility to be welcome to apply given their human capital, aptitudes, and experience. For example, there are currently far less focuses accessible for a qualifying work offer; as a rule, competitors with an occupation offer get 50 focuses (however 200 focuses are available for individual senior administrative positions) — down from 600 centers before the progressions were presented.’

People, who want to apply for Canadian permanent residence through the Federal Skilled Worker Class (FSWC), Canadian Experience Class or Category (CEC), or the Federal Skilled Trades Class (FTSC), are initially required to enter the Express Entry pool. After entering the pool, they are doled out a CRS score in light of variables including current status data, training, work understanding, dialect capacity, and other criteria. Competitors are positioned in the pool as per their CRS score, and IRCC intermittently leads attracts to welcome the highest positioning possibility to present an application. Candidates in the pool may create their positioning in various ways.

Take in more and learn about expanding CRS score and positioning.

For more data on draws from the Express Entry pool that have occurred up until now, counsel this table.

Express Entry fast certainties, from January 1, 2015, to January 25, 2017

• Dispatch Date: January 1, 2015
• To begin to withdraw from the pool: January 31, 2015
• Latest draw from the pool: January 25, 2017
• Least CRS focuses required for choice in any one draw: 450 (September 18, 2015, and October 2, 2015)
• Biggest number/amount of solicitations to apply issued in any one draw: 3,508 (January 25, 2017)
• Least solicitations to apply published in any one draw: 559 (November 30, 2016. Take note of: This draw welcomed hopefuls with a commonplace selection as it were.)
• Biggest diminishing in CRS focuses required between two back to back draws: 273 (from May 22, 2015, to June 12, 2015, draws)
• Littlest decline in CRS focuses required between two back to back draws: 0 (on three events)
• The biggest increment/addition in CRS focuses required between two consecutive draws: 316 (from November 16, 2016, to November 30. Take note of: The last draw welcomed hopefuls with a commonplace selection as it were.)
• Littlest increment in CRS focuses required between two sequential draws: 0 (on three events)
• Longest hole between two back to back draws: 35 days (from April 17, 2015, to May 22, 2015, draws)
• Most limited crevice between two back to back draws: 6 days (from December 16 to December 22, 2016)
• Add the total number of ITAs issued in 2015: 31,063
• Add up to number of ITAs issued in 2016: 33,782
• Add the total number of ITAs published in 2017: 9,744
• Add up to number of ITAs issued since framework was propelled: 74,589

Draws from the Express Entry Pool (Updated)

Express Entry Draws: 2017

2015 Express Entry Draws