Categories for Immigration News/ Politics

Canada Announces New Immigration Stream – Agri-Food Pilot

May 15, 2020

The Honourable Marco E. L. Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship announced that, effective, today, Friday, May 15, 2020, Canada has begun accepting Applications for Permanent Residence under the Agri-Food Pilot.

The pilot, which runs until May 2023, will test an industry-specific approach to help employers in the meat processing, mushroom and greenhouse production, and livestock-raising industries fill ongoing labour needs for full-time, year-round employees. It will provide a pathway to Permanent Residence for many temporary foreign workers already in Canada.

A total of 2,750 Applications will be accepted annually throughout the pilot, which applies primarily to people who are already in Canada.

To apply for Permanent Residence under the Agri-Food Pilot, applicants need

  • eligible Canadian work experience in one or more of the eligible industries and occupations.  Eligible jobs for each eligible industry are listed below.

For meat product manufacturing, eligible jobs are

    • NOC B 6331 – Retail butchers
    • NOC C 9462 – Industrial butchers
    • NOC B 8252 – Farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers
    • NOC D 9617 – Food processing labourers

For greenhouse, nursery and floriculture production, including mushroom production, eligible jobs are

    • NOC B 8252 – Farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers
    • NOC C 8431 – General farm workers
    • NOC D 8611 – Harvesting labourers

For animal production, excluding aquaculture, eligible jobs are

    • NOC B 8252 – Farm supervisors and specialized livestock workers
    • NOC C 8431 – General farm workers

There are annual limits on the number of Applications that will be processed for each eligible occupation.  Starting on January 1 of each year, Applications will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. This pilot will last for 3 years.

Annual limits

 

Eligible occupation Number of applications accepted per year
Farm supervisor or specialized livestock worker (NOC B 8252)

50
Industrial butcher (NOC C 9462) or retail butcher (NOC B 6331)

1470
Food processing labourer (NOC D 9617)

730
General farm worker (NOC C 8431)

200
Harvesting labourer (NOC D 8611)

300

 

  • a full-time, non-seasonal job offer from a Canadian employer in one of the eligible industries and occupations (outside of Quebec)
  • to meet or exceed the language requirements (CLB 4, which is the equivalent of 4.5 in Listening, 3.5 in Reading and 4.0 in each of Speaking and Writing on the General IELTS)
  • to meet or exceed the educational requirements (the equivalent of a Canadian High School/Secondary School Diploma)
  • to have settlement funds (if applicable)
  • to maintain temporary resident status (if already in Canada)

If you believe you qualify for this new category of Immigration and are interested in obtaining legal assistance to apply, please send us a message through the Contact Us page on our website.

Some Canadian Immigration Government Fees to Increase April 30, 2020

March 23, 2020

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will be increasing some Government fees, effective April 30, 2020 and every two (2) years, thereafter, in accordance with the cumulative percentage increase to the Consumer Price Index for Canada, published by Statistics Canada, for the two (2) previous years, rounded to the nearest five (5) dollars.

A.  EXPRESS ENTRY (FEDERAL SKILLED WORKER CLASS/FEDERAL SKILLED TRADES CLASS/CANADIAN EXPERIENCE CLASS)

  1. Principal applicant processing fee will increase from 550 CAD to 825 CAD
  2. Spouse or common-law partner of principal applicant processing fee will increase from 550 CAD to 825 CAD
  3. Dependent child of principal applicant processing fee will increase from 150 CAD to 225 CAD

B.  BUSINESS CLASS (SELF-EMPLOYED/START-UP VISA)

  1. Principal applicant processing fee will increase from 1,050 CAD to 1,575 CAD
  2. Spouse or common-law partner of principal applicant processing fee will increase from 550 CAD to 825 CAD
  3. Dependent child of principal applicant processing fee will increase from 150 CAD to 225 CAD

C.  FAMILY CLASS (SPONSORSHIP OF A SPOUSE/PARTNER/DEPENDENT CHILD or PARENT/GRANDPARENT)

All processing fees will remain the same.

D.  RIGHT OF PERMANENT RESIDENCE FEE

Will increase from 490 CAD to 500 CAD.

IRCC Permanent Residence Processing Will Continue Despite COVID-19

March 18, 2020

On Sunday, March 15, 2020, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) released new instructions for those affected by COVID-19. Like other countries, Canada is working diligently to halt the spread of the virus; however, IRCC is adopting new policies and procedures to minimize any disruption to Immigration processing and to help applicants who are affected in any way by COVID-19. Among the steps being taken by IRCC insofar as Permanent Residence Applications are concerned are the following (reproduced from the IRCC website with minor text modifications):


Application Intake

Intake of new Permanent Residence Applications will continue. Files that are incomplete due to unavailable documents will be retained in the system and reviewed in 90 days.

New, complete Permanent Residence Applications under section 10 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR) will be processed as per normal procedures.

If a new Application is missing supporting documentation (associated fees are required), the applicant should include an explanation with his/her Application that he/she is affected by the service disruptions as a result of the novel coronavirus. The Application may then be promoted and reviewed in 90 days. New Applications should be promoted in the order they were received. If the Application is still incomplete in 60 days, officers should request the missing documents with an additional 90-day deadline.

Applications found to be incomplete with no explanation provided, or for reasons unrelated to the disruption of services associated with impacts of the novel coronavirus, may be rejected as per section 10 of IRPR, and all fees associated with the Application should be refunded to the applicant. The reason for rejection should be unrelated to the disruption of services.


Approved Permanent Residence Applications (COPR and PRV)

Permanent residence applicants who are in possession of a Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) and Permanent Resident Visa (PRV) and inform IRCC, by submitting a web form to IRCC, that they are unable to travel within the validity of their documentation should be processed as follows:

Valid COPR and PRV: In an effort to reduce the number of cancelled COPRs and PRVs, a note should be placed in the file explaining that the applicant is unable to travel, and the file should be brought forward to the expiration date of the COPR and PRV. If the applicant informs IRCC that he/she can travel prior to the COPR and PRV expiration, he/she is encouraged to use his/her existing COPR and PRV to land.

Expired COPR and PRV: If the applicant informs IRCC via the web form that he/she was unable to travel after the expiration of his/her COPR and PRV, or if he/she was unable to travel prior to expiration, officers are to re-open the Application, and it should be brought forward for review in 90 days.


Re-opened Applications

Approved Applications can be re-opened by cancelling the COPR and PRV and removing the final decision.


When to Review a Re-opened Application

Once the applicant informs IRCC via the web form that he/she is able to travel, a re-opened Application may be re-approved provided that the applicant and his/her family members, whether accompanying or not, have valid immigration medical examinations, criminal and security checks and passports.

If the 60-day waiting period elapses and the applicant has not informed IRCC that he/she is able to travel, a note should be placed in the Application, and it should be brought forward for review for an additional 60 days.

Government of Canada Announces Immigration Levels for 2020 to 2022

March 13, 2020

On Thursday, March 12, 2020, The Honourable Marco E.L. Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), tabled the 2020‒2022 Immigration Levels Plan in the Canadian House of Commons. Canada plans on welcoming 341,000 new permanent residents in 2020, 351,000 in 2021, and 361,000 in 2022 while reducing application processing times and improving service delivery and client services at IRCC.

Of those who will become permanent residents of Canada over the next few years, in 2020, 88,500 to 100,000 immigrants will be Express Entry applicants; in 2021, 89,300 to 100,000 immigrants will be Express Entry applicants; and, in 2022, 88,800 to 100,600 immigrants will be Express Entry applicants.

To quote the Minister:  “Our immigration system benefits all Canadians by strengthening the middle class, keeping families together and building strong and inclusive communities. This increase in immigration levels supports a system that will help Canadian business create good middle class jobs and grow the economy while ensuring Canada continues to meet its humanitarian obligations around the world.”

Government Announcement Regarding 2020 Parent and Grandparent Sponsorships

December 31, 2019

On December 30, 2019, the Government of Canada announced the postponement of the 2020 Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship Program until further notice to allow the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) sufficient time to complete the development of a new intake process for the program.  IRCC wants to develop an intake process which will ensure that all interested sponsors have the same opportunity to submit an interest to sponsor form, and a fair chance to be invited to apply.

As a result of this announcement, as of January 1, 2020, no permanent resident visa applications made by parents or grandparents of a sponsor and no sponsorship applications made in relation to those applications will be accepted for processing until further instructions are issued by IRCC.  IRCC intends to issue further instructions relating to the intake management process for the parents and grandparents program by April 1, 2020, at the latest.

Just as soon as any further instructions are released by IRCC or any announcements made, we will post them on our website.  Affected clients with questions can send an e-mail to info@akcanada.com.

New Federal Skilled Worker Class Eligibility Criteria Announced

April 18, 2013

On Thursday, April 18, 2013, Citizenship and Immigration Canada made a major announcement, concerning the Federal Skilled Worker Class.

Once again, there will be a General Occupations (Demand) List for the Federal Skilled Worker Class; however, the jobs on the List, the number of jobs on the List, the overall quota for the category and the quota per job on the List WILL change.

To be eligible to apply for Permanent Residence in Canada in the Federal Skilled Worker Class, an applicant must:

score at least 6.0 in each of Listening/Reading/Writing/Speaking on the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) exam, AND

have his/her foreign educational credentials favourably assessed by one (1) of four (4) designated Canadian assessment agencies; AND

have a valid offer of arranged employment, OR

have one (1) year of continuous full-time paid work experience or two (2) years of continuous half-time paid work experience in at least one (1) of the following twenty-four (24) occupations:

0211 Engineering managers

1112 Financial and investment analysts

2113 Geoscientists and oceanographers

2131 Civil engineers

2132 Mechanical engineers

2134 Chemical engineers

2143 Mining engineers

2144 Geological engineers

2145 Petroleum engineers

2146 Aerospace engineers

2147 Computer engineers (except software engineers/designers)

2154 Land surveyors

2174 Computer programmers and interactive media developers

2243 Industrial instrument technicians and mechanics

2263 Inspectors in public and environmental health and occupational health and safety

3141 Audiologists and speech-language pathologists

3142 Physiotherapists

3143 Occupational Therapists

3211 Medical laboratory technologists

3212 Medical laboratory technicians and pathologists’ assistants

3214 Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists

3215 Medical radiation technologists

3216 Medical sonographers

3217 Cardiology technicians and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists, n.e.c. (not elsewhere classified)

A maximum of five thousand (5,000) Federal Skilled Worker applications will be considered for processing between May 4, 2013 and April 30, 2014. Within the five thousand (5,000) cap, a maximum of three hundred (300) Federal Skilled Worker Applications per eligible occupation (any one (1) of the twenty-four (24) occupations that appears on Canada’s General Occupations (Demand) List) will be considered for processing between May 4, 2013 and April 30, 2014.

2. What does this mean?

a. Existing Clients of Abrams & Krochak

(i) Application already filed

If you are already a client of Abrams & Krochak and your Application for Permanent Residence in Canada was filed with and accepted for processing by Citizenship and Immigration Canada BEFORE May 4, 2013, the new quotas do NOT apply to you.

(ii) Application not yet filed

If you are already a client of Abrams & Krochak and your Application for Permanent Residence in Canada has not yet been filed with Citizenship and Immigration Canada, we will be sending you an e-mail shortly to advise you as to your eligibility based on the information that we have on file for you. Please ensure to check your Junk Mail folder as well as your Inbox for our e-mail over the coming days.

b. Non-Clients of Abrams & Krochak

(i) Eligibility already assessed

If you had your eligibility to immigrate to Canada in the Federal Skilled Worker Class already favourably assessed by Abrams & Krochak prior to April 19, 2013 and wish to have your eligibility reassessed, please send an e-mail to askus@akcanada.com with your request. You will receive your reassessment within one (1) business day.

If you had your eligibility to immigrate to Canada in the Federal Skilled Worker Class already favourably reassessed by Abrams & Krochak OR you are certain that you meet the eligibility requirements and you wish to apply for Permanent Residence in Canada as a Skilled Worker with our assistance, it is IMPERATIVE that you retain/engage our services AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE so that we can file your Application for Permanent Residence before the quota for your particular occupation and/or the quota for the Federal Skilled Worker Class is/are reached. Otherwise, you may have to wait until next year’s List is announced; however, should you do so, you run the risk that your particular occupation might no longer appear on that List or that selection criteria will have changed, thereby rendering you ineligible to immigrate to Canada as a Skilled Worker. If you no longer have instructions on how to retain/engage Abrams & Krochak’s services, please visit http://www.akcanada.com/resources/ind.cfm.

(ii) Eligibility not yet assessed

If you are interested in immigrating to Canada as a skilled worker but you have not yet had your eligibility to do so assessed by Abrams & Krochak, we invite you to complete our Free Online Assessment Questionnaire at http://www.abramsandkrochak.com/skilled-worker. You will receive your assessment within one (1) business day.