New immigration measures to support the families of Canadian citizens and permanent residents affected by the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza have been announced.
Study Permits and Open Work Permits are available without application fees for family members of citizens and permanent residents who have left Israel and the Palestinian territories. The same permits are available to Israelis and Palestinians already in Canada who feel it is unsafe to return.
The measures were announced by Immigration Minister Marc Miller on Thursday.
“The scale of this humanitarian crisis is devastating and the situation on the ground is challenging,” Miller said.
“Israelis and Palestinians in Canada will continue to find safety here and we will do what we can to help loved ones who have fled the region, as well as eligible family members who remain in Gaza.
“We will continue to remain flexible with our response so we can meet the unique needs of those who require our support.”
Gaza has been gripped by war since Israel retaliated to a Hamas terror attack on October 7 that killed 1,200 Israelis. The Palestinian Health Ministry says more than 20,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli air and ground incursion in the densely populated enclave.
Fee-exempt Study or Open Work Permits
To be eligible to apply for fee-exempt study or open work permits, immediate family members of Canadian citizens or permanent residents and Israelis or Palestinians already in Canada must have valid temporary resident status.
Permanent residents and family members of permanent residents and Canadian citizens who came to Canada following their assisted departure from Gaza may be eligible to apply online for time-limited medical coverage under the Interim Federal Health Program to support immediate medical needs upon arrival.
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For Those With Loved Ones Living In Gaza
Eligible applicants include the spouse, common-law partner, child (regardless of age), grandchild, sibling, parent or grandparent of a Canadian anchor, as well as their immediate family members (spouse, common-law partner, dependent child, and dependent child of a dependent child). The Canadian citizen or permanent resident must be currently residing in Canada.
Proof of relationship documents may include:
a copy of the child’s or grandchild’s birth certificate
a copy of the child’s or grandchild’s baptismal certificate
another official document naming the applicant as the parent or grandparent, such as their family book or civil registration documents.
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A new Statistics Canada report shows employers were looking for fewer workers across much of Canada in the third quarter of this year compared to the previous three months as job vacancies fell and unemployment rose.
That’s the fifth consecutive quarter that job vacancies have declined in Canada and a clear indicator that the tightness in the labour market is easing off.
“Job vacancies fell by 69,900, down nine per cent, to 706,100 in the third quarter, marking the fifth straight quarterly decline from the record high reached in the second quarter of 2022 at 990,900 job vacancies,” reports the statistical and demographic services agency in its Job Vacancies, Third Quarter 2023 report.
“The number of unemployed persons … increased by 79,500. As a result, there were 1.7 unemployed persons for every job vacancy in the third quarter, up from 1.4 in the previous quarter, and 1.1 in the third quarter of 2022.”
Due to population growth, most of which is driven by immigration in Canada, the drop in job vacancies and rise in unemployment also came with a bump up in the number of workers with paying jobs.
“Payroll employment rose by 117,600, up 0.7 per cent, in the third quarter of 2023, the 10th consecutive quarterly increase. However, payroll employment has increased at a slower pace than the population aged 15 years and older since the fourth quarter of 2022.”
The hardest-hit workers looking for jobs were those with the least amount of education in the third quarter of this year.
Largest proportional decline in vacancies for positions requiring high school diploma or less
“Positions requiring a high school diploma or less … saw the largest year-over-year declines in vacancies,” notes Statistics Canada.
Job vacancies for these positions fell by 31.3 per cent on a year-over-year basis in the third quarter.
“In comparison, the number of vacancies for positions requiring a bachelor’s degree or higher fell 15.2 per cent … over the same period,” reports Statistics Canada.
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“The average offered hourly wage for vacant positions requiring a high school diploma or less grew 5.2 per cent year over year to $20.40 in the third quarter of 2023. In contrast, the average offered hourly wage for the positions requiring a bachelor’s degree or higher was little changed at $39.95 in the third quarter.”
The biggest drop in job vacancies in the third quarter compared to the previous three months was again in sales and service where the demand fell by 14.3 per cent.
Sales And Service Sector Saw Biggest Drop In Job Vacancies In Q3
“The number of vacant positions in business, finance and administration occupations fell by 8,100, down 9.4 per cent, to 77,500 in the third quarter, following three consecutive quarterly declines from the peak of 105,000 vacancies in the second and third quarters of 2022,” reports Statistics Canada.
“There were also fewer job vacancies in five other broad occupational groups in the third quarter of 2023, while the number of vacant positions was little changed in health occupations … and in education, law and social, community and government services.”
On a year-over-year basis, job vacancies fell the most in manufacturing and utilities with a 46.9 decline to 25,900, followed by natural resources, agriculture and related production occupations which were down 35 per cent to 15,600 and natural and applied sciences and related occupations which were down 34.6p per cent to 44,500.
“Over the same period, the lowest proportional annual drop was recorded in occupations in education, law and social, community and government services down 3.9 per cent to 64,800, followed by health occupations, down 6.1 per cent to 89,400, which saw their first year-over-year decline in vacancies since the first quarter of 2015, the earliest quarter for which comparable data are available.
“The year-over-year drop in vacancies in health occupations in the third quarter of 2023 was driven by nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates … and other medical technologists and technicians (except dental health). These declines were partially offset by more vacancies for registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses … which saw the largest annual increase in vacancies in the third quarter.”
Across the country, job vacancies fell the most in Ontario, followed by Quebec and British Columbia during the third quarter. Year over year, job vacancies fell in nine provinces and were little changed in Saskatchewan.
Foreign nationals can gain their permanent residency in Canada by immigrating through the country’s many economic immigration programs.
PNPs Offer Route To Economic Immigration For Skilled Workers
Candidates’ profiles then are ranked against each other according to a points-based system called the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). The highest-ranked candidates will be considered for an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence. Those receiving an ITA must quickly submit a full application and pay processing fees, within a delay of 90-days.
Through a network of Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP), almost all of Canada’s ten provinces and three territories can also nominate skilled worker candidates for admission to Canada when they have the specific skills required by local economies. Successful candidates who receive a provincial or territorial nomination can then apply for Canadian permanent residence through federal immigration authorities.
The Global Talent Stream (GTS), a part of the TFWP, can under normal processing situations lead to the granting of Canadian work permits and processing of visa applications within two weeks.
The latest data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) reveals Canada’s spousal sponsorship program rebounded by 8.7 per cent in October after a slump in the number of spouses and common-law partners immigrating to the country in September.
In October, Canada 5,145 new permanent residents through the spousal sponsorship program, up from 4,710 in September and 4,825 in August.
The rebound in spousal sponsorships in October outpaced the 4.3 per cent increase in total monthly immigration which rose from 32,180 new permanent residents in September to 33,570 the following month.
By the end of October, Canada had welcomed 64,760 new permanent residents under the spousal sponsorship program.
That puts the country on track, provided the current levels of spousal sponsorship arrivals maintains itself, to welcome 77,713 spouses and common-law partners as permanent residents to Canada under the program by the end of the year.
That level of spousal sponsorship immigration would be 21.2 per cent higher than the 64,145 new permanent residents who immigrated to Canada under that program last year.
After maintaining a level of 6,230 new permanent residents under the spousal sponsorship program for each of the months of June and July when total monthly immigration to Canada topped 40,000 new permanent residents, the level of spouses and common-law partners fell by 22.5 per cent in August.
That same month, total monthly immigration to Canada also fell by 13.8 per cent to 35,055 new permanent residents.
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The current projected level of spousal sponsorship immigration is in line with the target of 78,000 new permanent residents set by Ottawa for spousal sponsorships for this year.
Canada’s most populous province, Ontario, saw the greatest number of arrivals under the spousal sponsorship program with 34,395 spouses making it their home in the first 10 months of this year.
British Columbia Attracted The Second-Highest Number Of Spousal Sponsorships
The other provinces and territories attracted the following number of new permanent residents under the spousal sponsorship program during that period:
Newfoundland and Labrador – 170
Prince Edward Island – 110
Nova Scotia – 775
New Brunswick – 430
Quebec – 6,395
Manitoba – 1,785
Saskatchewan – 1,150
Alberta – 8,630
British Columbia – 10,785
Yukon – 75
Northwest Territories – 45
Nunavut – 15
When a Canadian citizen or permanent resident chooses to sponsor a spouse or common-law partner to immigrate to Canada, the sponsor must sign an undertaking, promising to give financial support for the sponsored person’s basic needs, including:
food, clothing, shelter and their needs for everyday living, and;
dental care, eye care and other health needs not covered by public health services.
This agreement cannot be cancelled, even if:
the person sponsored becomes a Canadian citizen;
the couple divorces, separates or the relationship breaks down;
either the sponsor or the sponsored spouse or common-law partner moves to another province or country, or;
the sponsor experiences financial problems.
EI Payments Considered Income For Sponsor Of Spouse
Maternity, parental and sickness benefits paid under the Employment Insurance Act in Canada are all considered income and contribute to allowing a person to sponsor a spouse or common-law partner but other payments from the government, such as employment insurance and federal training allowances, are not considered income.
According to that website, the current processing time for sponsorship applications for spouses or common-law partners currently outside the country and planning to live outside of Quebec is now down to 12 months, a considerable improvement over the 20-month processing time last year.
