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.

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.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced today that the federal government intends to spend up to a whopping $82 billion to alleviate Canadian concerns amid the Coronavirus pandemic, out of which $27 billion is intended exclusively to directly support Canadian workers and businesses. This is said to meet the liquidity needs of Canadian households and businesses mainly through tax deferrals. This figure alone accounts for more than 3 % of Canada’s GDP.

The following are some of the highlights and takeaways of his speech today:

 SICKNESS BENEFITS BEYOND EI

There are those Canadians amongst us who remain in isolation without paid sick leave or access to Employment Insurance sickness benefits. For them, a new Emergency Care benefit is being introduced which would provide up to $900 bi-weekly for a maximum of 15 weeks. This translates to about $10 billion to the federal government. The coverage is extended to those who are caring for a family member diagnosed with COVID-19 and parents who have to perform childcare duties while schools remain closed.

Applications for the same shall be available in April 2020.

UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS BEYOND EI

Ottawa is also considering providing income supports to workers who lost or will lose their jobs as a result of this pandemic. The estimated cost of this budget is said to be $5 billion.

WAGE SUBSIDY

To avoid businesses from doing lay-offs, the government plans to provide a subsidy equal to 10% of employee wages (that’s up to $1,375 per employee and $25000 per employer). This subsidy could cost around $3.8 billion

INCOME SUPPORTS

Good news for those currently receiving Canada Child Care Benefits (CCB)! Over the coming months, Trudeau has announced that a maximum of $300 extra shall be given per child for the benefit year. Families are expected to receive this extra benefit in May.

Another benefit deduced from his speech is that Ottawa will also double the Goods and Services Tax Credit (GSTC), thereby providing an additional $400 for low-income individuals and nearly $600 extra for couples.

Bill Morneau, the Finance Minister stated to reporters saying that single parents would thus be eligible for roughly $1500 in support thanks to both the measures combined

TAX DEADLINE POSTPONED

Following suit of the US, the tax deadline is now set to be on June 1. However, those with tax balances owing shall be able to defer the respective payments interest-free until July 31. Businesses shall be allowed to defer their tax payments until after August 31 (no interest or penalties will get accumulated).

MORATORIUM ON STUDENT LOAN PAYMENTS

The PM also was heard stating that the government will also be proposing a six- month, interest-free moratorium on the repayment of federal student loans.

WHAT’S OPEN & WHAT’S CLOSED NOW:

Listed below is a quick glance at what’s still open and what remains closed in Ontario:

• All publicly-funded schools in Ontario are to remain closed till April 5.
• Gyms and health centers (including YMCAs) to remain closed till at least mid- April
• Bars and restaurants to shift to a drive-through and take-out only mode (no dining in)
• Cinemas will only reopen on April 2 or until further notice.
• Visitor and Cultural Attractions
• Shopping (Costco and other grocery retail chains are exempted. However, restrictions on the number of people that can enter at a time shall be implemented)
• LCBO, the Beer Store, and Cannabis stores remain open
• Banks (till now only CIBC has all of its branches operational with modified hours, along with RBC. Do check in with your respective bank as it changes from city to city)

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.

Innovation and technology organizations have put themselves at the bleeding edge of the fight against Donald Trump’s crackdown on U.S. immigration.

Canada looks set to be the main recipient – with the likelihood of real firms like Amazon and Google moving expansive parts of their operations here as immigration stresses proceed with south of the border.

What’s more, Canada’s homegrown innovation and technology industry – including commonly known names like Shopify and Hootsuite – are likewise set to profit by a swathe of the best and brightest ability hoping to move from the U.S., or exchanging their concentration far from America as a result of Trump’s dubious strategies.

As of now, Amazon is doing what it can to help the fight in court against the Trump organization, while Google made the stride of reviewing its staff from everywhere throughout the world in the wake of the immigration crackdown.

While Canada’s legislators, prominently Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and new Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen, have been solid with words since Trump marked his official request, there has been little in the method for the arrangement.

The government is mindful as a result of the approaching renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which Trump needs to modify for the U.S.

A great many Canadian innovation organizations marked an open letter to the Canadian government asking them to make an extraordinary visa particularly went for high-gifted refugees from the seven nations Trump has prohibited.

The uplifting news is that a specifically pertinent program is now in transit in the state of the Global Skills Visa, went for getting high-talented different specialists with only a two-week preparing time.

The arranged visa will likewise observe the production of a 30-day work allow that can be spread over a year, which means organizations can get laborers for short stretches without the need to apply for new printed material every time.

Trump marked an official request on Friday, January 27, 2017, which set a brief prohibition on a section to the U.S. for natives of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Sudan and Yemen. The 90-day ban lapses on April 27, 2017, with a view to giving time for the Trump organization to set up its ‘extraordinary checking’ methodology.

The request additionally hindered all refugees from entering the U.S. for 120 days and hindered the section of refugees from Syria uncertainly. It cut by the greater part the quantity of exiles the U.S. arrangements to acknowledge in 2017, from 110,000 to 50,000. The request rejected authorities with discretionary certifications.

Trudeau drove Canada’s response, provoking features far and wide with a tweet which read: “To those escaping abuse, fear and war, Canadians will welcome you, paying little respect to your confidence. Assorted qualities are our quality #WelcometoCanada.”

At that point Hussen said those stranded at the Canadian border would be given brief temporary residence.

Canada’s provincial politicians and chairmen and mayors have been straightforward in their feedback.

Canadian technology and innovation officials say foreign ability is presently much more inclined to look to Canada over the U.S., with some expression they are as of now handling calls from people hoping to move north.

People are by all account not the only ones hoping to move. Significant universal enterprises are presently considering Canada as a preferred place to develop their organizations rather than the U.S.

The vulnerability made by Trump has these organizations searching for a steadier base for their business.

Microsoft as of now has a noteworthy nearness in Vancouver, manufactured due to the progressing battle to acquire foreign laborers under the U.S. immigration procedures.

Significant technology/innovation and medicinal research firms were at that point truly looking here before the Trump ban– now they are very nearly making the move.

Canada is as of now home to set up bases for a few of the major U.S. Silicon Valley giants.

Google owns a staff of 900, up from 40 in 2006, the dominant part including engineers.

Amazon is likewise continually developing its Canadian programming advancement wing, with 500 staff in Vancouver and 400 in Toronto, also an as of late opened Ottawa office.

As of late as October, Thomson Reuters uncovered its arrangement to make 400 high-talented positions in Toronto with another downtown innovation focus.

As far as unusual approach activity against the U.S. what’s more, Trump, Canada seems to have its situation is dire given NAFTA. Be that as it may, there seem, by all accounts, to be immigration approach driven ways it cannot just help those stranded by the immigration ban, additionally advantage its business group.

Ontario has consoled hopefuls that applications got for its Provincial Nominee Program in 2016 will number towards its 2017 immigration allotment.

The province says the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (ONIP) assignment, set by the national government, was gone after 2016, and now it is taking a shot at satisfying its allocated number of immigrants for 2017.

Four of the ONIP streams remain incidentally shut to applications.

They are:

• Human Capital Priorities (Express Entry)
• Boss Pre-Screen
• Global Student (Masters Graduate)
• Global Student (Ph.D. Graduate)

The Ontario immigration streams that stay open to applications include:

• French-Speaking Skilled Worker (Express Entry)
• Financial specialist Immigration (Corporate)
• Financial specialist Immigration (Entrepreneur)

Ontario is likewise dealing with moving a greater amount of its immigration application framework on the web, to decrease handling times and make it less difficult for applicants.

In August it propelled another online application handle for the Entrepreneur stream.

Candidates can enroll an Expression of Interest (EOI) through the Ontario commonplace government site in a move went for enhancing handling times. You can enlist here.

The designation for common projects got a little lift from the national government’s migration numbers arrange, discharged in October 2016.

In 2016, a distribution of 47,800 immigrants was set for the commonplace projects (barring Quebec). In 2017, that objective has expanded to 51,000.

Ontario as of late reported a $3.35 million interest in its commonplace Bridge Training Program, intended to help newcomers in exploring the work showcase.

The Ontario Bridge Training Program (OBTP) unites immigrants and businesses and highlights transferable abilities and capabilities.

The province additionally gives free dialect preparing to all workers, a plan in which it as of late reported a $60 million venture.