Effective July 1, 2011, three important Canadian immigration programs will have significant changes, again.
1. For the Federal Skilled Worker program, there will be a cap of 500 applicants in each of the 29 “priority occupations,” and a cap of 10,000 for all occupations. Applicants with valid job offer from a Canadian employer (including those who have obtained an Arranged Employment Opinion, and those who have been working in Canada on a work permit and the employer promises to hire them permanently if they obtain permanent residence) are not affected by the caps.
2. The Federal Entrepreneur program will no longer accept applications.
3. The Federal Immigrant Investor program will accept only 700 applications for 2012.
Applicants planning to apply for permanent residence under the above programs will have to act quickly, as some caps will be reached within weeks, if not days. Applicants may wish to talk to an immigration lawyer to see how they can expedite preparation and submission of their applications.