On Wednesday, April 23, 2014, Citizenship and Immigration Canada announced new eligibility criteria for the Federal Skilled Worker Class. A maximum of twenty-five thousand (25,000) Federal Skilled Worker Applications will be considered for processing from May 1, 2014 until April 30, 2015. Within the twenty-five thousand (25,000) cap, a maximum of one thousand (1,000) Federal Skilled Worker Applications per eligible occupation (any one (1) of the fifty (50) occupations that appears on Canada’s General Occupations (Demand) List) will be considered for processing from May 1, 2014 until April 30, 2015.

In addition to meeting or surpassing a sixty-seven (67) point pass mark, in order for an individual to be eligible to apply for Permanent Residence in Canada in the Federal Skilled Worker Class, he/she must either:

• have an offer of Arranged Employment in Canada in:

(a) a management occupation; or

(b) a professional occupation; or

(c) a technical, skilled trade or paraprofessional occupation, OR

• be a skilled worker who has at least one (1) year of paid full-time experience or two (2) years of continuous paid half-time experience in one (1) or more of the following fifty (50) occupations, whose quota has not yet been filled, within the past ten (10) years.

Senior managers – financial, communications and other business services (0013)

Senior managers – trade, broadcasting and other services, n.e.c. (0015)

Financial managers (0111)

Human resources managers (0112)

Purchasing managers (0113)

Insurance, real estate and financial brokerage managers (0121)

Managers in health care (0311)

Construction managers (0711)

Home building and renovation managers (0712)

Managers in natural resources production and fishing (0811)

Manufacturing managers (0911)

Financial auditors and accountants (1111)

Financial and investment analysts (1112)

Securities agents, investment dealers and brokers (1113)

Other financial officers (1114)

Professional occupations in advertising, marketing and public relations (1123)

Supervisors, finance and insurance office workers (1212)

Property administrators (1224)

Geoscientists and oceanographers (2113)

Civil engineers (2131)

Mechanical engineers (2132)

Electrical and electronics engineers (2133)

Petroleum engineers (2145)

Information systems analysts and consultants (2171)

Database analysts and data administrators (2172)

Software engineers and designers (2173)

Computer programmers and interactive media developers (2174)

Mechanical engineering technologists and technicians (2232)

Construction estimators (2234)

Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians (2241)

Industrial instrument technicians and mechanics (2243)

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

Computer network technicians (2281)

Nursing co-ordinators and supervisors (3011)

Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses (3012)

Specialist physicians (3111)

General practitioners and family physicians (3112)

Dietitians and nutritionists (3132)

Audiologists and speech-language pathologists (3141)

Physiotherapists (3142)

Occupational therapists (3143)

Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists (3214)

Medical radiation technologists (3215)

Medical sonographers (3216)

Licensed practical nurses (3233)

Paramedical occupations (3234)

University professors and lecturers (4011)

Psychologists (4151)

Early childhood educators and assistants (4214)

Translators, terminologists and interpreters (5125)

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 1, 2014, 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 23, 2014 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 is reached OR the quota for ALL Federal Skilled Worker Applications is reached. Otherwise, you may have to wait until a new “Express Entry” Immigration system is implemented in January 2015, whereby individuals will only be able to apply for Permanent Residence in Canada if they express an interest in immigrating to Canada and are chosen by either the Federal Government or a Provincial/Territorial Government or by a prospective Canadian employer. 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.akcanada.com/assessment1.cfm You will receive your assessment within one (1) business day.

On Thursday, March 20, 2014, the Nova Scotia Office of Immigration published new information, regarding the Provincial Nominee Program (Regional Labour Market Demand Stream).

Nova Scotia continues to accept Applications from interested candidates. Although Nova Scotia will only be nominating 150 applicants in 2014, those who are not chosen will be given the option of keeping their Application in the queue for reconsideration next year. The applicants with the best chance of being nominated are those who file a complete Application (i.e. include all of the information and documents that are required) and show a sincere intention to live in Nova Scotia. Once an Application is filed, supplementary documentation will NOT be accepted.

Because of the large number of Applications that Nova Scotia is receiving, selection decisions will be made within a period of three (3) months or less from the date of receipt.

Nova Scotia is one of Canada’s three Maritime provinces and constitutes one of the four Atlantic Canada provinces. It is the second-smallest province in Canada with an area of 55,284 square kilometres (21,300 sq mi), including Cape Breton Island and another 3,800 coastal islands. As of 2011, the population was 921,727, making Nova Scotia the second-most-densely populated province in Canada. For more information about Nova Scotia, please visit our website and, in particular, the following URL: http://www.akcanada.com/lic_novascotia.cfm.

Recently, the Government of Nova Scotia introduced the new Nova Scotia Nominee Program – Regional Labour Market Demand Stream, which is aimed at selecting individuals who meet the labour market needs, are destined to join the labour market with a full-time and permanent position, and wish to live in the Province of Nova Scotia permanently. It is ideal for those wishing to immigrate to Canada who do not otherwise qualify under the Federal Skilled Worker Program.

Applicants are not required to have a permanent, full-time job offer from a Nova Scotia employer at the time of submitting their application; however, they must intend to pursue employment in an occupation that is in demand in the Province.

Currently, the list includes the following occupations:

• Managers in Health Care
• Retail Trade Managers
• Restaurant and Food Service Managers
• Financial Auditors and Accountants
• Other Financial Officers
• Civil Engineers
• Mechanical Engineers
• Electrical and Electronics Engineers
• Computer Engineers (Except Software Engineers and Designers)
• Information Systems Analysts and Consultants
• Database Analysts and Data Administrators
• Software Engineers and Designers
• Computer Programmers and Interactive Media Developers
• Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians
• Electrical and Electronics Engineering Technologists and Technicians
• Systems Testing Technicians
• Specialist Physicians
• General Practitioners and Family Physicians
• Dentists
• Pharmacists
• Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists
• Physiotherapists
• Occupational Therapists
• Registered Nurses
• Allied primary health practitioners
• Medical Laboratory Technologists and Pathologists’ Assistants
• Respiratory Therapists, Clinical Perfusionists and Cardiopulmonary Technologists
• Medical Radiation Technologists
• Medical Sonographers
• Licensed Practical Nurses
• Other Technical Occupations in Therapy and Assessment
• Psychologists
• Early Childhood Educators and Assistants
• Retail Trade Supervisors
• Chefs
• Cooks
• Contractors and Supervisors, Metal Forming, Shaping and Erecting Trades
• Machinists and Machining and Tooling Inspectors
• Industrial Electricians
• Welders and Related Machine Operators
• Heavy-Duty Equipment Mechanics
• Automotive Service Technicians, Truck and Bus Mechanics and Mechanical Repairers
• Crane Operators
• Supervisors, Other Mechanical and Metal Products Manufacturing

The outlook for an applicant’s intended occupation must be good-to-fair in the area he/she intends to settle in order for his/her application to be considered under the Regional Labour Market Demand stream.

Applicants eligible for nomination must meet all of the eligibility criteria below:

• An applicant must be between the ages of 21 and 55 at the time the Nova Scotia Office of Immigration receives his/her complete application;
• An applicant must have achieved a minimum language standard on the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) scale or Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) of at least CLB/NCLC Level 5;
• An applicant’s intended occupation is a National Occupational Classification (NOC) level 0, A, or B and there is demonstrated demand for this occupation in the regional labour market in the community in which the applicant intends to live;
• An applicant must be a citizen of or hold a passport or other documentation permitting him/her to legally reside in his/her current country of residence;
• An applicant must have the required amount of funds;
• An applicant must have completed the equivalent of a Canadian high school diploma with a minimum of twelve (12) years of education and/or training from a recognized educational institution AND an applicant must have completed and received a degree, diploma or certificate from a recognized post-secondary educational institution or training program. The post-secondary education or training program must have been at least one academic year in length;
• An applicant must have at least two (2) years of continuous full-time work experience within the last five (5) years, in a field of work related to his/her intended occupation in Nova Scotia;
• An applicant must demonstrate that he/she will become economically established in Nova Scotia and that he/she intends to live in the province permanently;
• An applicant must have completed an Employment and Settlement Plan which outlines his/her potential economic, labour market and social contributions to the community; and
• If required, an applicant must be able to attend an in-person interview in Nova Scotia.

Applicants are INELIGIBLE to apply if they are:

If you had your eligibility to immigrate to Canada in the Federal Skilled Worker Class previously assessed by Abrams & Krochak and would like to have your eligibility to immigrate to Canada reassessed under the Nova Scotia Nominee Program – Regional Labour Market Demand Stream, please send an e-mail to askus@akcanada.com with your request.  If you are already a client of Abrams & Krochak, and wish to obtain more information about this program, please send an e-mail to info@akcanada.com.  Otherwise, please complete our Online Eligibility Assessment Questionnaire at http://www.akcanada.com/assessment1.cfm and we will be pleased to assess you under this new and exciting program!

On Tuesday, February 11, 2014, the Government of Canada delivered its Budget, wherein it announced its intent to eliminate both the Federal Immigrant Investor Program and Federal Entrepreneur Program. By doing so, the Government of Canada’s goal is to eradicate a large and longstanding backlog of applications, and pave the way for new pilot programs that it claims will actually meet Canada’s labour market and economic needs.

According to the Government of Canada, the current Immigrant Investor Program provides limited economic benefit to Canada. The Government states that research has shown that immigrant investors pay less in taxes than other economic immigrants, are less likely to stay in Canada over the medium- to long-term and often lack the skills, including official language proficiency, to integrate as well as other immigrants from the same countries.

By eliminating both the Federal Immigrant Investor Program and Federal Entrepreneur Program – and the associated backlog of applications – the Government states that it will be able to focus on attracting experienced business people and raising investment capital that is of maximum benefit to Canada’s economy.

The Government of Canada states that it will replace these programs with more focused and effective pilot programs that will ensure that immigrants who come to Canada deliver meaningful benefits to our economy. Details of the new pilots will be announced in the coming months.

If you are an existing client of Abrams & Krochak and have applied for Permanent Residence in Canada as either an Investor or Entrepreneur and your case is still in process, please monitor this blog as Abrams & Krochak will post further information about the elimination of the Investor and Entrepreneur categories (and how it will affect your Application in process) once further information becomes available from Citizenship and Immigration Canada.