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Parent/Grandparent Sponsorship Program to Reopen

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November 28, 2014

Citizenship and Immigration Canada will resume accepting applications of Canadian citizens/permanent residents, wishing to sponsor their parents and grandparents to immigrate to Canada, on January 2, 2015.

Application forms, guides and information on how to apply to the Parent/Grandparent Sponsorship Program became available this week.

Highlights of the Parent/Grandparent Sponsorship Program include:

1. The sponsorship undertaking period is twenty (20) years.

2. Sponsors must meet or exceed a minimum necessary income threshold for three (3) consecutive years prior to the date of Sponsorship.

3. Income evidence is limited to official documentation from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

4. Immigration officials have the authority to request updated evidence of income.

5. A maximum of 5,000 new complete Applications for the sponsorship of parents and grandparents will be accepted, beginning January 2, 2015.

Because of the quota and the high demand for this category (it was filled, last year, in just THREE (3) WEEKS), individuals who are interested in sponsoring their parents and grandparents to immigrate to Canada with Abrams & Krochak’s assistance are encouraged to contact the law firm at http://www.akcanada.com/contact.cfm with a request for assistance as soon as they can or to complete Abrams & Krochak’s Parent Grandparent Sponsorship Program Online Eligibility Assessment Questionnaire at http://www.akcanada.com/assessment4.cfm.

DEADLINE FOR FILING FEDERAL SKILLED WORKER APPLICATIONS

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November 28, 2014

Citizenship and Immigration Canada has just amended its website and has confirmed that, in order for a Federal Skilled Worker Application to be assessed under CURRENT eligibility and selection criteria (i.e. May 1, 2014 General Occupations (Demand) List and 67 point pass mark), the Application MUST be received by Citizenship and Immigration Canada BEFORE January 1, 2015.

What does this mean?
(a) Existing Clients of Abrams & Krochak
If you are a Federal Skilled Worker Program client of Abrams & Krochak who has not yet filed his/her Application for Permanent Residence in Canada but wishes to be assessed by Citizenship and Immigration Canada under the CURRENT Federal Skilled Worker eligibility/selection criteria (i.e. May 1, 2014 General Occupations (Demand) List and 67 point pass mark), your COMPLETE Application package (including forms/supporting documents/IELTS scores/Educational Credentials Assessment/Government fees) MUST be received by Abrams & Krochak NO LATER THAN December 15, 2014.  Otherwise, you run the risk that your Application will not be filed before January 1, 2015 and you will be subject to the new Express Entry processing system.
If your COMPLETE Application package arrives at Abrams & Krochak’s office AFTER December 15, 2014, we cannot guarantee that your Application will be filed with Citizenship and Immigration Canada prior to January 1, 2015.  However, should clients wish to pay a 400 CAD priority processing fee to Abrams & Krochak, our staff will work over the Christmas holidays to ensure that your Application is filed prior to January 1, 2015.
Any questions should be sent, via e-mail, to info@akcanada.com.

(b) Potential Clients of Abrams & Krochak

If you have had your eligibility to immigrate to Canada in the Federal Skilled Worker Class favourably assessed by Abrams & Krochak PRIOR TO November 28, 2014 and wish to become a client of the firm, but have not yet retained/engaged Abrams & Krochak’s services, Abrams & Krochak will NOT be able to file your Application under the current Federal Skilled Worker Program (i.e. May 1, 2014 General Occupations (Demand) List and 67 point pass mark), should you subsequently become a client of the firm.  Your Application will be subject to the new Express Entry system to take effect on January 1, 2015 and you should send an e-mail to askus@akcanada.com, with the request for a reassessment of your Immigration eligibility under the Express Entry system.
WHAT IS EXPRESS ENTRY?

The Express Entry system will take effect on January 1, 2015 and involves two (2) steps:Step 1

Potential candidates will complete an online Express Entry profile where they will provide information about their skills, work experience, language ability, education, and other details. Those who meet the criteria of one of the federal economic Immigration programs (i.e. Federal Skilled Worker) subject to Express Entry will be placed in a pool of candidates.
Candidates will be ranked against others in the pool. Only the highest-ranked candidates (those deemed to have the best chances for economic success), and those with qualifying offers of arranged employment or provincial/territorial nominations, will be invited to apply for Permanent Residence.
If a candidate does not already have a valid job offer from a Canadian employer or a provincial/territorial nomination, he or she must register with the Government of Canada’s Job Bank which will connect him or her with eligible Canadian employers.
Where applicable, employers will be required to obtain a Labour Market Impact Assessment from Employment and Social Development Canada. There will be no government fee for Labour Market Impact Assessments for Permanent Residence Applications under the Express Entry system.
Completing an online Express Entry profile does not guarantee that a candidate will receive an Invitation to Apply for Permanent Residence.

Step 2

Candidates will receive an Invitation to Apply for Permanent Residence if they rank among the top in the pool, based on their skills and experience. Candidates who have a valid job offer from a Canadian employer (subject to the Labour Market Impact Assessment process in place at that time) or have been nominated by a province or territory will be given high scores in the ranking system.
Candidates will have sixty (60) days to submit an electronic Application for Permanent Residence through one of the following programs:
Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP);
Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP);
Canadian Experience Class (CEC); or,
A portion of the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)
Citizenship and Immigration Canada will process the majority of complete Applications (i.e. Applications including all the necessary supporting documents) within six (6) months or less.
Candidates in the Express Entry pool who do not receive an Invitation to Apply for Permanent Residence after twelve (12) months may resubmit their profile and re-enter the pool if they still meet the criteria. This provision will prevent backlogs and ensure quick processing times.

Canada Day Office Closure and Ramadan

•
June 27, 2014

July 1 is Canada Day, the national day of Canada. It is a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867 enactment of the British North America Act, 1867 (today called the Constitution Act, 1867), which united three colonies into a single country called Canada within the British Empire. Originally called Dominion Day, the holiday was renamed in 1982, the year the Canada Act was passed. Canada Day observances take place throughout Canada as well as among Canadians internationally.

Because Canada Day is a federal statutory holiday, our offices will be closed on Tuesday, July 1, 2014 but will reopen on Wednesday, July 2, 2014 at 9:00 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish all our clients a Happy Canada Day and to wish all of our Muslim clients Ramadan Mubarak!

Change of Age of “Dependent Child”

•
June 18, 2014

Please be advised that as of August 1, 2014, the definition of a
“dependent child” will change to be a person who is LESS THAN 19
years of age and is not a spouse or common-law partner; or a person
who is 19 years of age or older who has depended substantially on the
financial support of the parent since before the age of 19 and is
unable to be financially self-supporting due to a physical or mental condition.

Anyone seeking to include a dependent child under the age of 22, or
over the age of 22 who has been enrolled in a full-time program of
study since before turning 22 years of age who remains financially
dependent on the parent MUST have his/her Application for Permanent
Residence received by Citizenship and Immigration Canada prior to August 1, 2014.

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