March 24, 2017 – Attracting candidates for the Atlantic Immigration Pilot is the key aim of a UK career opportunities expo hosted by four Canadian provinces.

New Brunswick, Newfoundland & Labrador, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island will aim to find suitable candidates for Canada immigration under both the federal AIP and their individual provincial nominee programs.

Candidates will be able to meet directly with employers to increase the chance of getting a job offer.

The Atlantic Immigration Pilot is an employer-driven program, which means a job offer from a Canadian company is required to qualify for Canada immigration.

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• New Brunswick Immigration
• Prince Edward Island Immigration
• Newfoundland Immigration
• Nova Scotia Immigration

Many of the provincial programs are also employer driven, and while a job offer scores extra CRS points under Canada Express Entry, a provincial nomination all but guarantees an invitation to apply.

The Atlantic Immigration Pilot, which opened in March 2017, includes programs for high-skilled and intermediate-skilled workers, plus international graduates.

Up to 2,000 new immigrants will be accepted through the program in 2017 to the four Atlantic provinces.

The Canada East Coast Career Opportunities Expo takes place on March 25 and 26 2017, at the Ibis Hotel in Earls Court. To register, click here.

Atlantic Immigration Pilot: The Programs

1. Atlantic High-Skilled Program
2. Atlantic Intermediate-Skilled Program
3. Atlantic International Graduate Program

The work experience, education, and job offer a candidate needs will depend on whether they are applying as a worker or an international student graduate. The other requirements are the same for both.

Work Experience

Workers

You must have worked for at least one year (1,560 hours total or 30 hours per week) within the last three years. It can be full-time, non-continuous, or part-time, as long as it adds up to 1,560 hours.

The work must be:

• In one occupation (but can be with different employers)
• Paid (volunteering or unpaid internships do not count)
• At skill type/level 0, A, B, or C of the National Occupational Classification (NOC)
• Under the Atlantic High-Skilled Program, workers need one year of experience at skill type/level 0, A, or B.
• Under the Atlantic Intermediate-Skilled Program, workers need one year of experience to be at the skill level C.
• The experience can be gained inside or outside Canada.

International Graduates

Candidates do not need work experience.

Education

Workers

Candidates must have:

• A Canadian secondary (high school) or post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree,

OR

• A foreign degree, diploma, certificate, or trade or apprenticeship education credential. Candidates need an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) to make sure it is valid and equal to a Canadian credential. The ECA must show your education is equal to a completed Canadian secondary (high school) or post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree. Your ECA must be less than five years old when you apply.

International Graduates

Candidates must have:

• A minimum two-year degree, diploma, certificate, or trade or apprenticeship credential from a recognized publicly-funded institution in an Atlantic province.
• Been a full-time student in Canada for at least two years.
• Graduated in the 12 months prior to the application date.
• Lived in one of the Atlantic provinces for at least 16 months in the last two years before graduation.
• Had a visa or permit to work, study or train in Canada.

A candidate does not qualify if their study or training included:

• English or French second language courses for more than half of the program.
• Distance learning undertaken for more than half of the program.

A candidate cannot apply if their scholarship or fellowship required them to return to their home country after graduation.

Note: Starting in early March 2017, Atlantic Immigration Pilot candidates will be able to apply for a temporary work permit if the job needs to be filled urgently. If an employer wants a candidate to apply for a temporary work permit first, the candidate will need to commit to applying for permanent residence within 90 days of the temporary application being submitted.

Job Offer

Under the high-skilled, intermediate-skilled and international graduate programs, candidates must have a job offer that is:

1. From a designated employer in an Atlantic province.
2. Non-seasonal.
3. Reviewed by the province (details on a new endorsement process will be available in early March 2017)

Job offers for high-skilled workers must:

• Be skill type/level 0, A, or B
• Last at least one year

Job offers for intermediate-skilled workers must:

• Be skill type/level 0, A, B, or C
• Be indeterminate (permanent)

Job offers for international graduates must:

• Be skill type/level 0, A, B, or C
• Last at least one year

A candidate’s job offer does not need to be in the same occupation as past work experience. However, a candidate does need to meet employment requirements for the job, as listed in the NOC.

The employer does not need an LMIA. Each province will communicate a list of employers hiring under the Atlantic Immigration Pilot.

Language

Requirements applicable to all three programs

Candidates must:

1. Score at least a level 4 in the Canadian Language Benchmark exam in English or the Niveaux de Compétence Linguistique Canadiens in French.
2. Take an approved language test and meet the level for speaking, listening, reading and writing.

Results must be less than two years old on the date of application.

Proof of Funds

Requirements applicable to all three program

Candidates need to show they have enough money to support themselves and their families after immigration. Amounts depend on the size of the family and includes family members a candidate supports that are not immigrating.

Proof is not required if a candidate is already living and working in Canada with a valid work permit.

Settlement Plan

A candidate must have a needs assessment before immigrating. After the assessment, a candidate will get a plan with information about the community they are moving to and where they can get help after arrival. To find out about the needs assessment, click here.

Endorsement Certificate

Immigration authorities will publish information about the endorsement process in March 2017.

The Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program was announced in July 2016 and is designed to combat the aging demographic and difficulty holding on to new immigrants in the Canadian region.

It is part of a new Atlantic Growth Strategy, aimed at boosting the economy in eastern Canada in five priority areas:

• Skilled workforce and immigration
• Innovation
• Clean growth and climate change
• Trade and investment
• Infrastructure

Interested employers: Kindly contact us here to receive further information.

Interested candidates: Find out whether you qualify to Canada by completing our free on-line evaluation. We will provide you with our evaluation within 1-2 business days.

Read more news about Canada Immigration by clicking here.

March 24, 2017 – The Manitoba Nominee Program issued more than 310 Invitations to Apply for Manitoba immigration in the most recent draw of its Provincial Nomination Program (PNP), made on March 16, 2017.

Of those ITAs, 250 went to skilled workers already in Manitoba, with a minimum points score of 684.

A further 63 ITAs were issued under a Manitoba PNP Strategic Recruitment Initiative (SRI) to skilled workers from overseas, for which a minimum score of 703 was required. An SRI is when a batch of permanent residents are invited to apply to fill a specific labour market need.

This was the 28^th overall draw for Manitoba immigration.

The Manitoba Nominee Program’s previous draw, made on February 27, 2017, saw a total of 324 ITAs issued, with 200 of them going to skilled workers in Manitoba. The lowest ranked candidate issued with an invite scored 719 points.

The remaining 124 ITAs went to overseas workers under another SRI. The minimum score was 575 in this category.

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Provincial Nomination Program Manuals

Overseas skilled workers from several professions were not included in the latest Manitoba PNP draw.

Those professions were:

• Registered nurses
• Secondary and elementary school teachers
• Vocational and college instructors
• University professors
• General and specialist physicians

The Manitoba immigration draw statement said this could be because of a large backlog of applications, low labour market demand, or significant barriers labour market participation.

If candidates with scores higher than the thresholds stated above did not received ITAs, this could be down to not providing a valid language test number, or an existing language test may no longer be valid.

Otherwise, if you received an ITA as part of an SRI, you may not have provided the invitation number in your expression of interest.

The draw statement urged candidates to make sure their expression of interest files are fully updated with the latest information.

All candidates working in regulated occupations and fully licensed to work in Manitoba have been selected in the latest draw, but the statement warned that if you cannot prove this, your subsequent application will be rejected.

Where this applies, the Manitoba program advises candidates to reject their ITAs.

Interested employers: Kindly contact us here to receive further information.

Interested candidates: Find out whether you qualify to Canada by completing our free on-line evaluation. We will provide you with our evaluation within 1-2 business days.

Read more news about Canada Immigration by clicking here.

March 24, 2017 – High and intermediate-skilled workers plus international graduates can now apply for Canadian permanent residence through the Atlantic Immigration Pilot.

The federal government program, being operated in partnership with the four Atlantic provinces, is open as of March 2017.

Up to 2,000 new immigrants will be accepted in 2017 to the four Atlantic provinces: New Brunswick, Newfoundland & Labrador, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

The pilot is employer-driven, meaning candidates will require a job offer from a designated business in one of the Atlantic provinces. However, that employer will not require a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), which should significantly streamline the application process.

A key requirement of the pilot is the completion of a needs assessment and settlement plan before immigration, informing the candidate and the candidate’s family about the community they are moving to, and where they can get help once they have arrived.

Under the international graduate program, candidates must have graduated from a publicly-funded university in one of the four provinces, as well as have a job offer.

Atlantic Immigration Pilot: The Programs

1. Atlantic High-Skilled Program
2. Atlantic Intermediate-Skilled Program
3. Atlantic International Graduate Program

The work experience, education, and job offer a candidate needs will depend on whether they are applying as a worker or an international student graduate. The other requirements are the same for both.

Work Experience

Workers

You must have worked for at least one year (1,560 hours total or 30 hours per week) within the last three years. It can be full-time, non-continuous, or part-time, as long as it adds up to 1,560 hours.

The work must be:

• In one occupation (but can be with different employers)
• Paid (volunteering or unpaid internships do not count)
• At skill type/level 0, A, B, or C of the National Occupational Classification (NOC)
• Under the Atlantic High-Skilled Program, workers need one year of experience at skill type/level 0, A, or B.
• Under the Atlantic Intermediate-Skilled Program, workers need one year of experience to be at the skill level C.
• The experience can be gained inside or outside Canada.

International Graduates

Candidates do not need work experience.

Education

Workers

Candidates must have:

• A Canadian secondary (high school) or post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree,

OR

• A foreign degree, diploma, certificate, or trade or apprenticeship education credential. Candidates need an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) to make sure it is valid and equal to a Canadian credential. The ECA must show your education is equal to a completed Canadian secondary (high school) or post-secondary certificate, diploma or degree. Your ECA must be less than five years old when you apply.

International Graduates

Candidates must have:

• A minimum two-year degree, diploma, certificate, or trade or apprenticeship credential from a recognized publicly-funded institution in an Atlantic province.
• Been a full-time student in Canada for at least two years.
• Graduated in the 12 months prior to the application date.
• Lived in one of the Atlantic provinces for at least 16 months in the last two years before graduation.
• Had a visa or permit to work, study or train in Canada.

A candidate does not qualify if their study or training included:

• English or French second language courses for more than half of the program.
• Distance learning undertaken for more than half of the program.

A candidate cannot apply if their scholarship or fellowship required them to return to their home country after graduation.

Note: Starting in early March 2017, Atlantic Immigration Pilot candidates will be able to apply for a temporary work permit if the job needs to be filled urgently. If an employer wants a candidate to apply for a temporary work permit first, the candidate will need to commit to applying for permanent residence within 90 days of the temporary application being submitted.

Job Offer

Under the high-skilled, intermediate-skilled and international graduate programs, candidates must have a job offer that is:

1. From a designated employer in an Atlantic province.
2. Non-seasonal.
3. Reviewed by the province (details on a new endorsement process will be available in early March 2017)

Job offers for high-skilled workers must:

• Be skill type/level 0, A, or B
• Last at least one year

Job offers for intermediate-skilled workers must:

• Be skill type/level 0, A, B, or C
• Be indeterminate (permanent)

Job offers for international graduates must:

• Be skill type/level 0, A, B, or C
• Last at least one year

A candidate’s job offer does not need to be in the same occupation as past work experience. However, a candidate does need to meet employment requirements for the job, as listed in the NOC.

The employer does not need an LMIA. Each province will communicate a list of employers hiring under the Atlantic Immigration Pilot.

Language

Requirements applicable to all three programs

Candidates must:

1. Score at least a level 4 in the Canadian Language Benchmark exam in English or the Niveaux de Compétence Linguistique Canadiens in French.
2. Take an approved language test and meet the level for speaking, listening, reading and writing.

Results must be less than two years old on the date of application.

Proof of Funds

Requirements applicable to all three program
Candidates need to show they have enough money to support themselves and their families after immigration. Amounts depend on the size of the family and includes family members a candidate supports that are not immigrating.

Proof is not required if a candidate is already living and working in Canada with a valid work permit.

Settlement Plan

A candidate must have a needs assessment before immigrating. After the assessment, a candidate will get a plan with information about the community they are moving to and where they can get help after arrival. To find out about the needs assessment, click here.

Endorsement Certificate

Immigration authorities will publish information about the endorsement process in March 2017.

The Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program was announced in July 2016 and is designed to combat the aging demographic and difficulty holding on to new immigrants in the Canadian region.

It is part of a new Atlantic Growth Strategy, aimed at boosting the economy in eastern Canada in five priority areas:

• Skilled workforce and immigration
• Innovation
• Clean growth and climate change
• Trade and investment
• Infrastructure

Interested employers: Kindly contact us here to receive further information.

Interested candidates: Find out whether you qualify to Canada by completing our free on-line evaluation. We will provide you with our evaluation within 1-2 business days.

Read more news about Canada Immigration by clicking here.

March 17, 2017 – Ontario immigration applicants who want to appeal a refusal take note: you can no longer submit your request by conventional mail.

As of March 10, 2017, the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) only accepts appeals by email, and they must be submitted within 30 calendar days of the refusal letter date.

Email Address For OINP Reconsideration

[email protected]

Ontario immigration officials have also been very clear about what the email needs to say.

“In the email, applicants must clearly identify what error(s) they believe was/were made in the assessment of their application,” official guidance says.

“The error(s) identified must be related to the stated reason(s) for the refusal of their application.”

The guidance note also says applications will only be reconsidered based on a candidate’s eligibility at the time they applied.

This means that new information, such as a new or improved job or newly acquired education, cannot be considered as part of an appeal.

The guidance reads: “A decision will not be reconsidered on the basis of a change in circumstances after the application was submitted and will not take into consideration new information or documentation that was not submitted to the program during the initial application assessment.”

Candidates with improved circumstances must submit a new application, which also means paying the application fee over again.

Status of Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program Streams

Ontario immigration is currently undergoing a drive to move its application processes online.

The website struggled to cope after a 10-fold increase in interest in its categories for masters graduates and PhD graduates.

Several would-be candidates were unable to complete their applications because of a number of frustrating error messages being generated by the system.

Officials too the step of extending the window from seven to 14 days for applications to be completed after initial registration.

Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program officials say the website is now more stable, with staff on hand to tackle any further problems.

The website buckled under the weight of more 117,000 visits in four days as candidates attempted to register their applications for popular immigrations streams for master’s and PhD graduates.

Registration limits were reached in two days for the master’s program and three days for the PhD program. Both programs are expected to open again in the next three months.

Once registered, applicants were initially given seven days to complete their application. This has now been extended to 14 days.

Interested employers: Kindly contact us here to receive further information.

Interested candidates: Find out whether you qualify to Canada by completing our free on-line evaluation. We will provide you with our evaluation within 1-2 business days.

Read more news about Canada Immigration by clicking here.

March 13, 2017 – British Columbia immigration has continued its shift to ex-students when issuing invites for Canada immigration for the BC PNP.

In the most recent draw, on March 8, 2017, British Columbia immigration officials issued 377 invites under its five main streams, with 211 of them going to foreign graduates.

A further 128 went to skilled workers, with the remaining 38 invitations going to entry level and semi-skilled workers.

BC PNP: Invitations Issued March 8, 2017

Source: www.welcomebc.ca

The latest draw continues an overwhelming trend seen at the end of 2016 and the beginning of 2017, with awarding permanent residence to more international graduates a stated aim of the federal Canada immigration department.

The previous draw, on February 23, 2017, saw 269 out of 343 invitations go to international graduates.

Skilled workers were issued with 60 invitations, while entry level and semi-skilled workers received just six invitations under the February 23 draw. There were also a further eight invitations in the British Columbia Entrepreneur Immigration category.

BC PNP: Invitations Issued February 23, 2017

Source: www.welcomebc.ca

A recent tweak to the Canada immigration system, plus Donald Trump’s anti-immigration stance in the U.S., is expected to push more international students to study in Canada.

For the first time, points are now specifically awarded under Canada Express Entry to candidates with Canadian education experience to allow them to easily achieve permanent residence.

Points Awarded for Canadian Education Under Canada Express Entry

Source: IRCC

Meanwhile, Trump’s policies may not have directly targeted international students, but they have served to cast the U.S. as an unwelcoming place for foreigners.

Previously, students who held the dream of studying in the U.S. are now switching focus, and Canada is waiting with open arms and progressive immigration policies.

The top universities in Canada are already seeing hoards of international student enrollments.

Read More

• Montreal Is World’s Best City For Students
• International Students Pushed To Canada By Trump Protectionism
• Calling International Students: Here Are Canada’s Best Universities

At McGill in Montreal, a quarter of the student population is international. The University of British Columbia, meanwhile, is spending $127 million on a language college specifically for international students who need to improve their skills before they can enrol in the mainstream school.

Equally as important for the universities themselves is the extra tuition fees paid by international students, which can be up to triple the amount paid domestically. Another by-product of Canada’s population is also seeing the domestic cohort beginning to fall.

Interested employers: Kindly contact us here to receive further information.

Interested candidates: Find out whether you qualify to Canada by completing our free on-line evaluation. We will provide you with our evaluation within 1-2 business days.

Read more news about Canada Immigration by clicking here.

March 13, 2017 – Ontario immigration has sought to clarify application deadlines for Canada immigration as part of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP).

The province has issued a advisory warning applicants their deadline may be approaching for the Express Entry Human Capital Priorities Stream.

Potential confusion stems from there being a six-month window for registering a profile on the OINP website from the day a Notification of Interest is issued.

However, once that profile is registered, the completed application for Ontario immigration must be submitted in 14 calendar days.

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Ontario Immigration: Masters and PhD Graduates Given Application Window Extension
Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program Opens Popular Canada Immigration Streams

“The 14-day deadline to apply following registration for the HCP Stream must not be confused with the validity period of your NOI from Ontario,” says a guidance note on the OINP website.

Ontario’s recent move to begin accepting applications online for its popular Canada immigration programs suffered from technical problems.

Several would-be candidates for masters graduate and PhD graduate streams were unable to complete their applications because of a number of frustrating error messages being generated by the system.

As a result, Ontario immigration officials were forced to extend the window from seven to 14 days for applications to be completed after initial registration.

Status of Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program Streams

Source: ontarioimmigration.ca

Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program officials say the website is now more stable, with staff on hand to tackle any further problems.

The website buckled under the weight of more 117,000 visits in four days as candidates attempted to register their applications for popular immigrations streams for master’s and PhD graduates.

Registration limits were reached in two days for the master’s program and three days for the PhD program. Both programs are expected to open again in the next three months.

Once registered, applicants were initially given seven days to complete their application. This has now been extended to 14 days.

Interested employers: Kindly contact us here to receive further information.

Interested candidates: Find out whether you qualify to Canada by completing our free on-line evaluation. We will provide you with our evaluation within 1-2 business days.

Read more news about Canada Immigration by clicking here.

March 10, 2017 – The Quebec government has published a new Areas of Training List. An important component in the assessment of candidates under the Quebec Skilled Workers Program, it serves as a high demand occupations list to evaluate an applicant’s employability in relation to his or her education.  Quebec is the only province in Canada which directly examines education and areas of training in the context of future employability in the labour market.

The new rules clearly favour young professionals with strong French language skills.  Yet, many individuals will qualify to Quebec without any French proficiency.  This is especially the case for occupations in computer science, engineering, accounting, financial services, nursing and other fields.   Ideal candidates are those in their mid thirties with a bachelor’s degree and a strong knowledge of English.

At face value the new rules reduce the maximum number of points for areas of training from previous levels and raise the passing score needed to qualify.  The combined practical effect is that most intending applicants, will need to show competency in the French language, an area with significant importance under the selection factors.  Applicants with experience in high demand occupations will still be able to qualify under the new selection grid without any knowledge in French.

The revised list enumerates a wide range of studies awarding points to applicants and a spouse or de facto spouse for diplomas acquired outside Quebec or obtained in Quebec or recognized as Quebec equivalent.

The Quebec Skilled Worker program aims to select candidates with the highest probability of successful economic settlement potential.

The Province of Quebec administers its own immigration programs with selection criteria that are distinct and more predictable from those of federal and other provincial immigration programs.

Foreign nationals wishing to settle permanently in Quebec must undergo a two-step immigration process.

1. They must undergo a first come first served selection process. Selected applicants will receive a Quebec Certificat de Sélection (CSQ).
2. An approved CSQ holder must file an application with Canadian federal immigration authorities. The federal government’s role in evaluating a Quebec application for permanent residence is mainly limited to issues of health and criminality.

The following list is a partial reference to the Quebec Immigration High Demand Occupation List. The list of occupations provides applicants from outside Canada, who do not have intermediate French abilities, the best chances to qualify under Quebec.

Quebec is expected to adapt a federal style, expression of interest application management system, in 2017.

Interested employers: Kindly contact us here to receive further information.

Interested candidates: Find out whether you qualify to Canada by completing our free on-line evaluation. We will provide you with our evaluation within 1-2 business days.

Read more news about Canada Immigration by clicking here.