At a three-day Western Premiers’ Conference in Yellowknife, Premiers from the seven western provinces and territories pressured the federal government to immediately boost immigration. West Canada may need more than a million new workers in the near future. As reported…
Category: Canada Immigration and Visa Matters
Blog on Canadian permanent residency or temporary residency matters written by Toronto immigration lawyer Jeff Li.
Due to the strike at Canada Post, I cannot mail out my application to renew my temporary resident status that has expired, what can I do?
To maintain your legal status in Canada, you need to ensure that the CIC receives your application before your status expires. For this you may consider using courier or online application. A little bit good news is that, if your…
The Cap System Needs Reform for the Skilled Worker Program
The new Federal Skilled Worker Program will celebrate its first anniversary on June 26, 2011. The new program introduced a cap system, which places a limit of 20,000 on the total number of applications, and a limit of 1000 on…
Federal Skilled Worker program update: Less than 100 spots remain for NOC #3111 applicants
The federal skilled worker program was substantially changed on June 26, 2010 (see my previous blog). For the year between June 26, 2010 and June 30, 2011, the cap on the total number of the skilled worker applications is 20,000.…
In application for foreign workers, what is the substantially the same assessment? Are there any consequences if an employer fails the assessment?
Substantially the Same (STS) assessment is a new mechanism introduced in the recent amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations. The test determines whether employers of foreign workers have provided wages, working conditions and employment that were substantially the…
In issuing a work permit or labour market opinion, how is the genuineness of the job offer assessed?
Genuineness of job offers may be assessed by different officers. In applying for a labour market opinion (LMO), a Service Canada/Human Resources and Development Canada officer will make the assessment. If no LMO is required, an overseas visa officer will…
The Temporary Foreign Worker Program has been substantially amended recently. What are the major changes?
The regulatory changes made to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) came into force on April 1, 2011. The highlights of the changes are: All employment offers will be subject to a new Genuineness assessment; Employers who have hired foreign…
Good news for returning citizens and permanent residents, but it need go further
The Citizenship and Immigration Canada Operational Bulletin 229, entitled “Pilot Project for Foreign Spouses and Dependent Children of High-Skilled Canadians or Permanent Residents Returning to Work in Ontario,” has been in force for more than 6 months. Accordingly, if a…
What are the requirements and processing times for the current federal skilled worker applications?
On June 26, 2010, the new Ministerial Instructions (MI2) came into force. Unless people have a valid arranged employment offer, only those with at least one year of experience in one of the 29 occupations (within the past ten years) are…
What is happening to federal skilled worker applications filed between February 28, 2008 and June 25, 2010?
Processing time for applications filed after February 28, 2008 is substantially shortened. As per the Ministerial Instructions (MI1) in force between Feb 28, 2008 and June 25, 2010, all applications must be sent to the Central Intake Office in Sydney,…