GTR Canada

Category: Immigration

  • Around 40,000 applicants issued PR by IRCC in January 2019

    Around 40,000 applicants issued PR by IRCC in January

    This year, January has seen the biggest opening of Express Entry till date. Around 40,000 potential applicants were invited to apply for permanent residency through various economic immigration and family sponsorship programs. For this year alone IRCC has set a target of admitting 331,000 new permanent residents to Canada. The target further increases to 341,000 for 2020 and 350,000 for 2021. It is all part of Canada’s new three-year immigration levels plan.

    Express Entry Draws in January
    In January, IRCC issued a total of 11,150 ITAs (Invitations to Apply) to eligible candidates. The Federal Government held three draws for Express Entry. The minimum CRS (Comprehensive Ranking System) score was 438.

    Other Express Entry linked Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) also held multiple draws this January. They were as follows:

    Ontario: OINP (Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program) held a draw for the Human Capital Priorities Stream candidates on January 14. They issued 1,493 NOIs, and the cut-off score was 439.

    Other provinces that held draws for Express Entry draws were Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

  • An encyclopedic guide to the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot program

    An encyclopedic guide to the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot program (RNIP)

    The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot Program is one of the successful ideas generated in the year 2019 right after the success of the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program, which was introduced in the year of 2017. Now the very recent is Yukon Community Pilot Program which is also introduced just to stimulate economic growth by attracting skilled immigrants.

    Canada is always known for attracting immigrants in terms of giving quick permanent residence. The majority of immigrants choose to live in cities like Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. The RNIP came into action just to bring skilled immigrants to Canada’s rural areas and by doing so they are looking for a stable economy.

    Rural and Northern Immigration
    RNIP

    What is RNIP?

    The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot Program is community-driven, where various communities selected for this program are all in all. Permanent Residence is one of the key ingredients of this program.
    RNIP

    Communities with their provinces are below listed

    A. Ontario (North Bay, Sudbury, Timmins, Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay)
    B. Manitoba (Brandon, Altona/Rhineland)
    C. Saskatchewan (Moose Jaw)
    D. Alberta (Claresholm)
    E. British Columbia (Vernon, West Kootenay)
    F. Nunavut
    G. The Northwest Territories
    H. Yukon
    RNIP

    What is the process to apply?

    You are just four steps away from the permanent residence application
    You need to check the requirements as per the IRCC eligibility list and the community-specific list.

    a. IRCC requirements:

    i. Minimum 1 year of work experience inside or outside of Canada with mentioned hours and you should mention your essential
    duties which are listed in your National Occupational Classification (NOC).

    ii. International students are exempted from work experience if they have completed >= 2 years of course within the community.

    iii. Language requirement as part Canadian Language Benchmark(CLB) standard.

    NOC 0 & A: CLB-6

    NOC B: CLB-5

    NOC C & D: CLB-4

    iv. Educational must be a minimum of high school level/diploma and should have the Educational Credential Report.

    v. You need to show settlement funds as per the IRCC list.

    b. Each community will also have its process

    i. Eligibility requirements

    ii. Job search process

    iii. Recommendation Process: You can find that in the specific community website.

    Find a job from the specific community employer you are applying for.

    Above all, if you intend to participate in this pilot program you should have a clear plan to live in the community.

    After getting a job offer you need to apply for a community recommendation.
    If the community recommends you then you can apply for permanent residence.

  • BC Holds Another Weekly Tech Pilot Draw

    British Columbia conducted the latest draw for Tech Pilot on February 5, 2019.

    British Columbia conducted the latest draw for Tech Pilot on February 5, 2019. British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) issued 32 ITAs (Invitations to Apply) for Permanent Residency. The candidates were chosen from Skills Immigration and Express Entry streams. The Express Entry candidates who received an invitation in this draw received an extra 600 points in their CRS score.

    What is BC Tech Pilot?

    British Columbia is one of the booming markets for tech jobs in Canada. However, the province does not have enough skilled worker to meet the increasing demands for talents. The BC PNP Tech Pilot is a program launched under the BC Provincial Nominee Program. This program is aimed at recruiting top foreign talents in British Columbia’s tech sector. BC had launched its Tech Pilot Stream to hire more skilled talents for its growing tech jobs market.
    To be eligible, candidates must meet the following criteria:
    Have an offer letter for a job which has at least a 1-year term.
    Your job must be in the tech pilot’s 29 priority occupations.
    The BC PNP Tech Pilot has some appealing benefits
    Issuing of weekly invitations to “tech-only” applicants;
    Priority-based processing;
    One-on-one employer support and other PNP sessions and events.
    BC PNP Tech Pilot has priority processing. Thus, applications are usually processed within 2-3 months.

    The Tech Pilot conducts draws every week. Hence, don’t miss the next deadline!

  • New Federal Program to Assist Permanent Residency Immigration in Rural and Northern Canada

    New Federal Program to Assist Permanent Residency Immigration in Rural and Northern Canada

    On January 24, the Government of Canada announced the launch of its new immigration program. The program is called Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot. It is a five-year plan and is similar to the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program. The objective of the program is to provide various assistance to small rural communities to help foreign workers in settling as a Permanent Resident:

    The participating provinces and territories are:

    • Ontario
    • Manitoba
    • Saskatchewan
    • Alberta
    • British Columbia
    • Yukon
    • Northwest Territories
    • Nunavut

    This program will be operating simultaneously with the Provincial Nominee Programs. Communities, willing to participate, have to submit an application to IRCC by March 1, 2019. They also have to fulfil all the eligibility requirements.

    The launch of this program is a major effort in promoting permanent residency among new immigrant in Canada!

  • Canada to reopen Parents and Grandparents Program in late January

    Canada to reopen Parents and Grandparents Program in late January

    The Government of Canada had announced the reopening of the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) last week. The program is scheduled to reopen from January 28, 2019.

     

    What is the Parents and Grandparents Program?

    The PGP allows the permanent residents and citizens of Canada, who are 18 years of age or above, to sponsor their parents/grandparents for Canadian Permanent Residence.

     

    How to Apply?

    Interested applicants should complete the Interest to Sponsor form. The form will be available from 12 PM (EST) on January 28. They should also check the eligibility requirements beforehand. One of the main eligibility criteria is the Minimum Necessary Income. Applicants will also have to submit a copy of the document with their status in Canada document.

    After submission, IRCC will notify all invited candidates. They will have a minimum of 60 days to submit their complete application and other required documents.

    Candidates will be selected for the invitation on a “first-come, first-serve” basis.

  • Canada PNP has started holding new draws for 2019

    Canada PNP has started holding new draws for 2019

    Canada’s Provincial Nominee Programs or PNP had seen major developments last year. PNP allows the participating Canadian provinces and territories to nominate candidates from the Federal Express Entry pool. Nominated candidates receive an additional 600 points to their CRS score. It increases their probability of receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA) in the next Federal draw.

    n 2018, 34,700 candidates were nominated through PNP (an increase by 1300 from 2017). It is expected that there will be more nominations this year. However, IRCC has not released any numbers yet.

    Within the first week of 2019, a couple of draws has already been held in the provinces of British Columbia and Saskatchewan.

    • On January 2, BC issued the first invitations to candidates in Skilled Worker, International Graduate and Skills Immigration — Entry Level and Semi-Skilled. The lowest scores were 85 for Skilled Worker, 95 for International Graduate and 68 for Entry Level and Semi-Skilled. A total of 151 invitations were issued.
    • On January 3, Saskatchewan issued invitations to candidates in the Entrepreneur category. 90 invitations were issued in this draw. The scores range of the nominated candidates was 115 – 150.

  • Huge targets for Canada Permanent Residency

    Huge targets for Canada Permanent Residency

    Canada’s Minister of Immigration, the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, announced the new immigration plans for Canada Permanent Residency for 2019-2021.

    The new three-year plan includes updated targets for 2019 and 2020 of 330,800 and 341,000 new permanent residents respectively. It also set a new target of 350,000 in 2021.

    Canada has always been welcoming to immigrants. Newcomers and immigration contribute a big part to the country’s economy.

    The Minister of Immigration tweeted yesterday –

    “Today, I was proud to table the new multi-year immigration plan, which sets ambitious targets to welcome newcomers to help contribute to our economy.”

    – The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

    Pathways to Canadian Immigration                                                                                   

    Canada has many pathways for immigrants to apply for Permanent Residency.

    The current Canadian Immigration Programs include:

    • Skilled Worker – Qualification in this program depends on the candidate’s education, age, work experience and other factors.
    • Family Class Sponsorship – For candidates who can be sponsored for immigration by close relatives already living in Canada.
    • Canadian Experience Class – For skilled candidates with professional or technical work experience who wishes to settle permanently in Canada.
    • Investors and Entrepreneurs – For individuals who wish to own or invest in any business while residing permanently in Canada.
    • Provincial Nominee – Some provinces in Canada has PNP Programs where eligible candidates are nominated by the Province to apply for PR.

    Applicants need to meet specific eligibility criteria before they can apply. Our expert consultant can guide through the application process!

    Have you submitted your applications? Contact us today to know how to apply for Canadian PR.

  • Canada to introduce new Visible Minority Newcomer Women Pilot

    Canada to introduce new Visible Minority Newcomer Women Pilot

    The Canadian Government recognizes the difficulties faced by women of colour who are new immigrants to Canada. Visible minority newcomer women also face many employment challenges in Canada. Hence, the Visible Minority Newcomer Women Pilot is launched to address these challenges. The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced the launch of this program onDecember 5, 2018.

    What is the Visible Minority Newcomer Women Pilot?

    The Visible Minority Newcomer Women Pilot is a three (3) year program. Its objective is to strengthen the professional and career progression for visible minority newcomer women. It aims at addressing discrimination based on race and gender. Through this program, the Government hopes to resolve many social problems for visible minority newcomer women including:

    • eliminate low-income employment,
    • availability of affordable childcare and
    • provision strong social supports.

    The ICCRC is providing funding of up to $7 million for new, innovative programs and services to support visible minority women in employment. Also, the ICCRC is launching the ‘Expression of Interest: Visible Minority Newcomer Women Pilot Initiative’ to look to fund new partners on schemes that especially address this issue.

    All these recent changes show Canada as a progressive nation on a global level. Canada offers an amplitude of opportunities that help you progress in your career and live a better life!

  • Canada Immigration focuses on Business Immigration

    Canada Immigration focuses on Business Immigration

    In the recent week, Canada Immigration has made a significant focus on Business Immigration.

    What is Business Immigration?

    This program is most suitable for entrepreneurs. This program is for those individuals, who are looking to make an investment in Canada or to start/acquire a business in Canada. Candidates are required to own a business and/or have managerial experience.

    In the last week, many new developments have been made in Business Immigration. They are:

    • In a draw held on November 23, Ontario issued 15 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) to entrepreneur immigrants. The minimum score for the candidates in the OINP’s Entrepreneur Stream was 112.
    • In another draw held on November 21, Saskatchewan issued 84 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) to entrepreneur immigrants. The minimum score for the candidates in the SINP’s Entrepreneur Stream was 115. The highest score was 135.
    • British Columbia PNP announced the launch of the Entrepreneur Immigration — Regional Pilot. Through this program, entrepreneurs can come to the smaller localities in BC, and grow a business there. The program is planned to launch next year in 2019.

    Under Business Immigration, there are several options available:

    • Federal Start-Up Visa Program.

    It is a part of Canada’s federal immigration program. Candidates must be an owner of a business, meet the language requirement and have adequate financial support before they can apply. 

    • PNP Business Immigration.

    Many provinces have Business Immigration Programs as a part of their Provincial Nominees Program. Each province has different conditions for eligibility.  

  • British Columbia opens new category for business immigration

    British Columbia opens new category for business immigration

    British Columbia PNP announced the launch of a new pilot program in its immigration system. The program intends to attract foreign entrepreneurs to invest in the growth of the province’s economy.

    The program is named Entrepreneur Immigration — Regional Pilot. The program is planned to launch next year in 2019.

    Through this program, entrepreneurs can come to the smaller localities in BC, and grow a business there. This initiative is taken to boost the economy of the small communities. Enrolled communities must be situated 30 kilometres or more from a population centre of more than 75,000 people.

    Candidates interested in applying must have the intention of settling in British Columbia. They also need to make an “exploratory visit” to BC and obtain a referral letter from the community where they wish to establish their business.

    Other criteria include:

    • Have a minimum business investment of $100,000 and individual net worth of $300,000,
    • Have 3+ years of experience as an acting business owner/manager etc.