Canada Welcomes Growing Numbers Of Ukrainians As CUAET Deadline Looms

Canada has welcomed almost a quarter of a million Ukrainians under the Canada-Ukraine Authorization For Emergency Travel (CUAET) – and a growing number of them are arriving as the March 31 travel deadline for the program looms.

“We’re seeing definitely more arrivals week over week, because people are trying to come, people are coming before the end of it,” Ihor Michalchyshyn, CEO and executive director of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, reportedly told the National Post.

Between March 17, 2022 and Feb. 27 this year, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) received 1,189,320 applications under the CUAET temporary residence program.

But while 960,091 of those applications were approved during that period, only 248,726 Ukrainians, or 25.9 per cent of the total, actually made the move to Canada.

That means almost three-quarters of a million Ukrainians, exactly 711,365, are still eligible to come to Canada as temporary residents under CUAET before the end of March.


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In February alone, Canada welcomed 27,495 Ukrainians through CUAET.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces invaded the Ukraine in February 2022, prompting Canada to respond by opening its arms to Ukrainians and putting in place the CUAET pathway in mid-March that year.

The CUAET pathway was meant to allow those fleeing Putin’s war in the Ukraine to stay in Canada for up to three years and make them eligible for free open work and study permits.

Ottawa also upped its immigration application processing capacity in Europe after implementing the CUAET pathway and sent mobile biometrics kits to Warsaw, Vienna and Bucharest to take the fingerprints and portrait photos of prospective Ukrainian refugees in a bid to ensure proper security precautions were taken with the surge in applications.

The government then increased its federal settlement programs to include language training, orientation, employment assistance and other supports for Ukrainians as they settled into their new communities.


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In addition to settlement services, Ukrainians fleeing to Canada were also offered transitional financial assistance of $3,000 per adult and $1,500 per child.

“These funds will help Ukrainian nationals and their family members meet their basic needs, such as transportation and longer-term housing, as they arrive in communities across Canada and find a job,” noted IRCC on its website.

“Settlement services will remain available to Ukrainians and their family members after they arrive so that they can fully participate in Canadian communities while they are here. Ukrainians and their family members will also continue to benefit from the one-time transitional financial support, as well as from access to emergency accommodations for up to two weeks, if needed, after they arrive in Canada.”

Hotline To Help Ukrainians With Legal Services

This year, Ottawa upped its offering of help to Ukrainians by pumping $475,788 into a trilingual hotline to help them access the legal services they need for the coming three years.

The money was for Pro Bono Ontario’s Ukrainian Refugee Legal Relief Initiative to allow displaced Ukrainians access legal information and advice, including the toll-free hotline that are accessible nationally and abroad.

The hotline provides Ukrainians in Canada with access to Canadian lawyers so they can ask immigration-related questions on such things as sponsorshiprefugee claims and work permits or be referred to provincial pro bono organizations or community groups across Canada

“Our government is grateful to be able to count on organizations, such as Pro Bono Ontario, that improve access to justice, a fundamental Canadian value and an integral part of a fair and effective justice system,” said Justice Minister Arif Virani.

“This investment shows how our government continues to stand with Ukraine, and that we will continue to support Ukrainians forced to flee their homes because of Russia’s illegal invasion.”

With CUAET no longer taking applications from overseas, Ukrainians wishing to come to Canada from abroad can still apply for a visa or a work or study permit through the IRCC’s existing temporary resident programs but are now subject to fees and standard requirements.

Trudeau Refuses Quebec’s Request For Full Power Over Immigration

Quebec Premier Francois Legault’s request to Ottawa for complete jurisdictional control over immigration has been refused by Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

“No, we are not going to give more power (to Quebec) on immigration,” said Trudeau at a Montreal news conference after a meeting with Legault.

“Quebec already has more powers over immigration than any other province because it’s very important to protect French.”

Trudeau did call the conversation “very constructive,” after discussing healthcare funding, economic issues, and immigration with the Quebec premier.

However, the prime minister steered away from commenting on which government has the power.


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“But what interests me is making the system function in a better way,” he said.

“It’s not a question of who has control over what. We are here to collaborate.

“We are here to work in solution mode. It’s not a question of jurisdiction or constitution. It’s a matter of arriving at a solution, and this is what I am concentrating on.”

The federal immigration department recently bypassed Quebec’s cap to speed up family reunification, which Immigration Minister Marc Miller described as “artificially low.”

“We’re talking about people who are husbands, wives, parents, grandparents, who are waiting unsuccessfully to be reunited with their families in Quebec,” said Miller in an interview with Radio-Canada.


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This shows Ottawa’s lack of reluctance to pull rank when needed in terms of immigration, and its reluctance to give complete control to Quebec.

Quebec Premier Legault, while answering a question in the National Assembly from Parti Quebecois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, indicated that he intended to make the request for full immigration powers during his meeting on Friday with Trudeau.

Him and Trudeau had not met on their own since December 20, 2022.

Quebec also recently upped its request for compensation for the cost of managing hundreds of asylum seekers entering the province to $1 billion.

Ottawa has agreed to pay $100 million so far.

Start Of 2024 Sees Canada Spousal Sponsorship Immigration Slow

The latest data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) reveals Canada’s spousal sponsorship program was down almost a third in January this year compared to the level of new permanent residents admitted under the program during the comparable month last year.

In January, the spousal sponsorship program helped 6,975 spouses and common-law partners become new permanent residents.

That’s down 30.8 per cent over the 10,080 new permanent residents who immigrated to Canada under the program during the first month of last year.

The immigration program’s performance was, however, 15.7 per cent better in January this year than it was the previous month as 2023 drew to a close.

In December last year, only 6,030 new permanent residents came to Canada under the spousal sponsorship program.


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Despite the slower start to the spousal sponsorship program this year compared to the first month of last year, the program could welcome 83,700 spouses and common-law partners this year if the monthly level of immigration in January this year were to hold up for the rest of 2024.

That would be 11.2 per cent more than the 75,250 new permanent residents who came to Canada under the spousal sponsorship program last year.

Canada’s most populous province, Ontario, once again saw the greatest number of arrivals under the spousal sponsorship program in January with 4,140 spouses making it their home last year. That was an increase of 41.1 per cent in the number of new permanent residents under that program in January compared to the previous month.

The other provinces and territories attracted the following number of new permanent residents under the spousal sponsorship program during January:

  • Newfoundland and Labrador – 15
  • Prince Edward Island – 20
  • Nova Scotia – 85
  • New Brunswick – 65
  • Quebec – 275
  • Manitoba – 200
  • Saskatchewan – 105
  • Alberta – 920
  • British Columbia – 1,125
  • Yukon – 10
  • Northwest Territories – 15
  • Nunavut – 0

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.

On its website, IRCC provides estimates of the current processing times for various types of applications, including spousal sponsorships.


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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 in 2022.

That estimated processing time includes:

  • the time needed to provide biometrics;
  • the assessment of the sponsor and the person being sponsored, and;
  • the time immigration officials need to ensure the sponsor and his or her spouse or common-law partner meet the eligibility requirements.

Quebec Issues 1,136 Canada Immigration Invitations In New Expression Of Interest Draw

Quebec immigration has issued 1,136 Canada immigration invitations to apply in a new draw through the Arrima Expression of Interest system.

The March 7 draw targeted two different groups of candidates, with March 4 listed as the date of extraction from the Arrima bank.

In the first group, candidates needed a French language speaking ability of level 7 or higher on the Quebec proficiency scale and to have scored at least 608 on the Quebec Expression of Interest points system.

In the second group, candidates also needed a French language speaking ability of level 7 or higher on the Quebec proficiency scale and a job offer outside the Montreal metropolitan area.

There was no minimum score for these candidates.


Quebec Expression Of Interest Draw

Date of invitations Invites Issued Minimum Score Date of extraction from Arrima bank
 

07-03-24

 

1,136

N/A  

March 4 at 5.25am

603

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How Does Quebec Expression of Interest Work?

  1. Candidates submit an online expression of interest profile via Arrima.
  2. Profiles enter into an Expression of Interest pool, where they are ranked against each other using a points system and are valid for 12-months.
  3. The highest-ranking candidates are invited to apply for a Quebec Certificate of Selection under the Quebec Skilled Worker Program via periodic draws.
  4. Candidates receiving an invitation have 60 days to submit a full application.
  5. Approved candidates who receive a nomination certificate (CSQ) may then apply to the federal government for Canadian permanent residence.

Quebec Expression of Interest Points System

The Quebec Expression of Interest points system is used to rank profiles submitted via Arrima to the Expression of Interest bank, with the highest-ranked profiles invited to apply for Quebec immigration under the Quebec Skilled Worker Program.

Candidates and their spouse or common-law partner can score up to 1,320 points based on human capital and Quebec labour market factors.

What Are the Requirements for Quebec Expression of Interest?

The Quebec Expression of Interest points system involves points in two categories, with some including points for the spouse of common law partner of the principal candidate.

  • Human capital factors:
    • French language ability.
    • French and English combined.
    • Age.
    • Work experience.
    • Education.
  • Quebec labour market factors:
    • Work experience in a field with a labour shortage.
    • Qualifications in one of Quebec’s areas of training.
    • Level of Quebec education.
    • Professional experience in Quebec.
    • Professional experience in the rest of Canada.
    • Job offer inside or outside Greater Montreal.

Quebec publishes lists of High Demand Occupations and Areas of Training that weigh considerably in the assessment.

Canada Mentorship Program To Help Internationally-Educated Nurses Get Jobs

Are you a candidate with skills and qualifications in one of Canada’s 82 jobs for occupation-specific Express Entry draws? We want to help you move to Canada. Please submit your CV here.

Canada is aiming to help internationally-educated nurses more quickly integrate into the country’s healthcare system by injecting $388,000 into a national association’s mentorship pilot program.

“We need a healthy workforce to get Canadians the care they need. That starts with making sure health workers are supported so they can do what they do best: care for Canadians,” said Health Minister Mark Holland.

“This investment will help more internationally-educated nurses (IEN) join the workforce in Canada to help our current workforce and get more nurses into our health care system even faster.”

The new funds are going to the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing’s (CASN) National Nurse Residency Program for a pilot mentorship program for internationally-educated nurses, workshops and training.

“Like CASN’s Nurse Residency Program, the IEN Mentorship Program will be delivered through partnerships with healthcare agencies,” said CASN executive director Cynthia Baker.


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“It will support the retention and integration of IENs in Canada’s healthcare workforce by reducing transition stress and culture shock. The IEN mentorship program offers a cost-effective solution that will help healthcare agencies achieve appropriate staffing levels and decrease costs related to human resources.”

The latest funding announcement on March 14 is in addition to the $2.4 million provided by Ottawa to the CASN in April last year for its National Nurse Residency Program to support newly-graduated registered nurses by helping them effectively manage the transition from the classroom to workplace.

“Across Canada, we are facing tremendous pressures in the healthcare system,” said Yasir Naqvi, parliamentary secretary to the minister of health.

“Our government is committed to supporting both the recruitment and retention of this vital workforce and integrating more internationally educated nurses into the workforce is a critical piece of this approach.”

The CASN, which represents more than 450,000 nurses across Canada, promotes nursing education, research and scholarship and its National Nurse Residency Program is a partnership with over 15 employers across Canada, including acute care hospitals, health authorities, specialty hospitals, and long-term care centres.


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Earlier this month, the CASN announced a new toolkit to address the challenges of on-the-job stress, anxiety, depression and even abuse which is causing so many of these healthcare professionals to burn out.

The Nursing Retention Toolkit: Improving the Working Lives of Nurses in Canada program, which came in the wake of growing efforts in Canada to recruit healthcare professionals through immigration programs, focuses on eight core themes with corresponding initiatives that employers of nurses can implement to help improve retention.

The Nursing Retention Toolkit’s eight core themes are:

  • flexible and balanced ways of working;
  • organizational mental health and wellness supports;
  • professional development and mentorship;
  • reduced administrative burden;
  • strong management and communication;
  • clinical governance and infrastructure;
  • inspired leadership, and;
  • safe staffing practices.

Nursing Retention Toolkit Recognizes Nurses As The Backbone Of The Healthcare System

“Nurses are the backbone of our healthcare system, yet too many in Canada are struggling with their mental health, experiencing burnout, distress and feeling overworked, and unappreciated, causing them to leave their jobs,” said Dr. Leigh Chapman, Canada’s chief nursing officer.

“This toolkit provides nursing leadership and health system administrators with an opportunity to contribute first-hand to making changes in our healthcare system, including improving mental health and wellness supports for nurses so they can stay mentally, emotionally and spiritually healthy, and so that they can keep caring for us.”

In last year’s federal budget, Ottawa announced plans to invest close to $200 billion to improve healthcare, including support to the healthcare workers retention, recruitment, and planning.

Part of the federal government’s plan to boost the healthcare workforce is an improved foreign credential program for healthcare workers.

In January, Ottawa announced it would invest an extra $86 million into 15 projects across the country to boost the country’s capacity to recognize the foreign credentials of roughly 6,600 internationally-educated health professionals.

“Healthcare workers deliver the care that Canadians need. By bringing in new workers and retaining those who are already there, we can help relieve the labour challenges in our healthcare system,” said Holland.

“This federal funding supports our government’s work with provinces, territories, and stakeholders to have more healthcare workers enter Canada’s workforce and to streamline that process.”

The funded projects aim to:

  • reduce barriers to foreign credential recognition for internationally-educated healthcare professionals by improving the recognition processes, simplifying steps in credential recognition and offering increased access to practice in the field;
  • provide internationally-educated healthcare professionals with relevant Canadian work experience in their intended fields, while incorporating wrap-around supports such as childcare and transportation costs, as well as mentoring and coaching, and;
  • facilitate labour mobility between jurisdictions in Canada for healthcare professionals and internationally-educated healthcare professionals to reduce the systemic and administrative barriers for healthcare professionals who wish to work in other jurisdictions within Canada.

Foreign Nurses Can Immigrate To Canada Under Express Entry Targeted Draws

In May last year, Canadian immigration also launched its occupation-targeted draws through three Express Entry streams, including the Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) program, Federal Skilled Trades (FST) program and Canadian Experience Class (CEC), as well as parts of the Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP).

Canada’s Express Entry system can now target 82 jobs in healthcare, technology, trades, transport and agriculture and so there is now a new pathway to immigration for nurses, orderlies and other healthcare workers.

The majority of Canada’s provinces have also been issuing occupation-specific invitations for several years but the labour shortages in the healthcare system persist.

“Retention and burnout are some of the most pressing issues facing our industry today and we were honoured to have been involved in the development of the toolkit,” said Terri Irwin, chief nursing executive at Trillium Health Partners.

“To invest in nurses, ensuring that they are supported physically and emotionally in reaching their full potential, is to invest in the well-being of our communities for generations to come.”

Quebec Immigrant Investor Program: How To Immigrate To Canada From Monaco

Residents of Monaco have the highest average income in the world, making it easy for its French-speaking residents to immigrate to Canada through the Quebec Immigrant Investor Program (QIIP).

Canada’s only passive investment immigration program, the QIIP allows foreign nationals to gain their permanent residence in the country by investing in that francophone province.

With population of barely more than 36,000 people, the country on the French Riviera is bordered on the north, west and east by France and the Mediterranean Sea to the south and is one of the jewels of Europe.

Monégasque who want to immigrate to Canada through the QIIP can gain their permanent residence in Canada simply by investing $1 million with IQ Immigrant Investisseurs Inc., a Quebec crown corporation, without having to establish or actively manage a business in the province.

They must additionally pay a non-refundable financial contribution of $200,000 and intend to settle in the French-speaking province of Quebec.


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Successful applicants are then issued a selection certificate from Quebec for Canada immigration, which allows them to obtain their Canadian permanent residence following health and criminality checks by federal immigration officials.

The eligibility criteria include:

  • language proficiency
  • a legally-acquired personal net worth of $2 million;
  • two years of suitable management or business experience within the five years preceding the application;
  • mandatory Residency;
  • investment of $1.2 million into a passive government-guaranteed investment for a period of five years bearing no interest;
  • a high school diploma, and;
  • the intention to settle in the province of Quebec.

Applicants To QIIP Must Demonstrate French-Language Abilities

The French language proficiency requirement is met by applicants by submitting a Certificate of Test Results (TEF, TEF Canada, TEFAQ, TCF, TCFQ) or a recognized French diploma (DELF or DALF) confirming a B2 level in oral French in speaking and listening along with their application to the QIIP.

Applicants can demonstrate that they have legally acquired the minimum net worth of $2 million by showing the net value of their current assets, as well as their history of acquiring funds over the course of their careers with supporting documentation.

That can be demonstrated using bank statements, investor booklets, real estate evaluations, audited financial statements and other pertinent and up-to-date documentation. Grants received less than six months before submitting an application cannot be included in the net worth calculation.

The principal applicant can share this net worth with a spouse or common-law partner accompanying him or her to Quebec.


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Since the intention of the QIIP is to attract business acumen and investment to Quebec, applicants must also have owned or managed by an active trade or business, which may include professional practices, rather than merely have managed investments.

Gray areas under the QIIP include professionals who don’t manage the business, passive real estate investors and investment managers. Developing real estate may qualify while merely owning real estate may not.

“(The applicant must have) … for at least two years in the five years preceding the application for a selection certificate, duties related to the planning, management and control of financial resources and of human or material resources under the investor’s authority; the experience does not include the experience acquired in the context of an apprenticeship, training or specialization process attested to by a diploma,” state the eligibility criteria.

Quebec Selection Certificate Required Under QIIP

Under the QIIP, applicants first apply for an Avis d’intention de sélection du Québec, after receipt of which they can apply for a three-year work permit from federal Canadian immigration officials.

With that Quebec certificate, the principal applicant and their spouse agree to live in Quebec for a period of at least six months within their first two years of receiving work permits – a requirement that can be completed through simultaneous residency or separate periods of six months each.

Once that is completed, the applicant can apply for the actual Certificat de Selection du Quebec (CSQ) from Quebec. As part of this application, the investor needs to establish a clean source of funds and give an interview in French to convince the officer of his or her intention to stay in Quebec.

Once issued a CSQ, they can apply for permanent residence through the IRCC.

Successful applicants are required to make their investment with Investissement Québec for a period of five years at the end of which the capital is returned without interest. The five-year period begins upon issuance of the selection certificate before the applicant has even landed in Canada.

Proceeds from the investment are used to fund various business and social programs within the province of Quebec.

The QIIP allows applicants to finance the bulk of their investment through designated securities brokerage firms and investment banks. Typically, the financing plans require a down payment before the bank loans the balance of up to $1.2 million.

The applicant then deposits that sum with Investissement Québec. The down payment is not refunded at the end of the five-year period. The bank takes fees and interest from the down payment, the immigration agent takes his or her commissions from the down payment.

The net cost to the investor is the down payment.

Prince Edward Island Could See More International Students After Study Permit Cap

The University of Prince Edward Island might need to work harder to maintain its international student population after Canada’s cap on study permit applications, its interim president says.

Although the Atlantic Canadian province of Prince Edward Island’s own data shows it could theoretically see an increase in new international students compared to last year if all those who are allowed to enrol in its post-secondary schools next year do so, not all international students attend all the universities to which they are accepted.

“Both international and Canadian students typically apply and are accepted each year at multiple universities,” UPEI interim president Dr. Greg Keefe reportedly told the CBC. “Last year, UPEI made 3,200 offers to international students, and of those, 675 enrolled. This represents a conversion rate of 21 per cent.

“What this new allocation means is that UPEI will have to develop a process to ensure that we distribute the 1,185 offers as prudently as possible so that a higher percentage of those students actually choose to come to UPEI, and we can maintain our international enrolment numbers.”

In January, Immigration Minister Marc Miller set a cap of only 606,250 study permit applications in the coming year for new international students.


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“The intent of these Instructions is to ensure the number of study permit applications accepted into processing by the Department of Citizenship and Immigration … within the scope of the instructions does not exceed 606,250 study permit applications for one year beginning on the date of signature,” the Canada Gazette reported on Feb. 3.

“As stipulated in these Instructions, certain categories of study permit applications are excluded from the conditions set out in these Instructions and the associated application cap established by these Instructions.”

Under that cap, Prince Edward Island is being allowed 2,000 new international students for all its colleges and universities. Advanced Learning Minister Jenn Redmond has reportedly said the University of Prince Edward Island will be able to enroll up to 1,185 international students, Holland College another 710 and the Collège de l’Île 105.

Colleges And Universities Say Study Permit Cap Sends The Wrong Message

Throughout Canada, colleges and universities have expressed concern over the move, saying it sends the wrong signal to international students.

President and CEO of the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) Larissa Bezo said in a webinar organised by The PIE and Student VIP that the cap on study permits is not the way her organizations would have chosen to proceed to address the housing issue.

The CBIE issued a statement in January expressing concern the cap on the number of international students might have serious unintended consequences.


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“This hasty one-size-fits-all solution may jeopardize the benefits of international education that many communities across the country experience and rapidly unravel a strong global Canadian education brand that has taken years to build,” notes the CBIE on its website.

“A 35 per cent reduction in student visas is ultimately a signal to prospective international students around the world that Canada is closing its doors. These measures have the potential to cause irreparable harm to the EduCanada brand, and in a highly-globally competitive market, students may opt to choose other countries instead, well beyond the two-year duration of these measures.”

Five Groups Exempt From International Study Permit Caps

Exempt from this new cap on international study permits are those international students who already have study permits and are seeking to renew them and the family member of a temporary resident who already has either a work or study permit.

Also exempt from the cap on study permits are:

  • members of the armed forces of a country under the Visiting Forces Act, including a person who has been designated as a civilian component of those armed forces;
  • officers of a foreign governments sent, under exchange agreements between Canada and one or more countries, to take up duties with a federal or provincial agency;
  • participants in sports activities or events, in Canada, either as an individual participant or as a member of a foreign-based team or Canadian amateur team;
  • employees of foreign news companies reporting on events in Canada;
  • people responsible for assisting congregations or groups in the achievement of their spiritual goals and whose main duties are to preach doctrine, perform functions related to gatherings of their congregations or groups or provide spiritual counselling.

The cap on study permit applications is expected to reduce the number of study permits by more than a third, The Globe and Mail has reported.

“The cap is expected to result in approximately 364,000 approved study permits, a decrease of 35 per cent from 2023,” the immigration minister has reportedly said. “In the spirit of fairness, we are also allocating the cap space by province, based on population.”

A Comprehensive Guide On How to Buy a House as a New Immigrant to Canada:

As a new immigrant to Canada, the prospect of buying a house may seem overwhelming at first, but with the right information and guidance, it can become a feasible and rewarding endeavor.

Moving to a new country can be both exciting and daunting, especially when it comes to navigating the complexities of purchasing a home.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the essential steps and considerations for purchasing a home in Canada as a new immigrant.

Understanding the Canadian Real Estate Market

Before diving into the home-buying process, it’s crucial to familiarize yourself with the Canadian real estate market. Each province and territory has its own unique market dynamics, so research is key to understanding local trends, property values, and legal requirements.

Key Considerations:

  • Research the housing market in your desired location, including average property prices and housing trends.
  • Familiarize yourself with the different types of properties available, such as detached houses, condos, and townhouses.
  • Understand the role of real estate agents, lawyers, and mortgage brokers in the home-buying process.

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Financial Preparation

Purchasing a home is a significant financial commitment, so it’s essential to assess your financial situation and prepare accordingly.

Steps to Financial Preparation:

  1. Establish a budget: Determine how much you can afford to spend on a home by considering your income, expenses, and savings.
  2. Save for a down payment: In Canada, a down payment of at least 5% of the purchase price is typically required for homes valued up to $500,000.
  3. Build your credit history: A strong credit score is essential for securing a mortgage with favorable terms, so make sure to pay bills on time and avoid excessive debt.

Securing Financing

Once you’ve assessed your financial readiness, the next step is to secure financing for your home purchase.

Mortgage Options for New Immigrants:

  • Newcomer programs: Some financial institutions offer special mortgage programs designed specifically for new immigrants, which may include lower down payment requirements and flexible eligibility criteria.
  • Traditional mortgages: New immigrants with established credit history and steady income may qualify for conventional mortgages from Canadian banks and lenders.

Exploring Housing Options

With financing in place, it’s time to explore housing options that align with your budget, preferences, and lifestyle.

Tips for House-Hunting:

  • Define your priorities: Make a list of must-have features and amenities, such as the number of bedrooms, proximity to schools, and public transportation options.
  • Work with a real estate agent: A knowledgeable agent can help you navigate the housing market, schedule viewings, and negotiate offers on your behalf.
  • Attend open houses and property showings to get a feel for different neighborhoods and housing styles.

Making an Offer and Closing the Deal

Once you’ve found the perfect home, it’s time to make an offer and navigate the closing process.


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Steps to Making an Offer:

  1. Submit a written offer: Work with your real estate agent to prepare a written offer outlining the purchase price, deposit amount, and any conditions.
  2. Negotiate terms: Be prepared to negotiate with the seller to reach a mutually acceptable agreement.
  3. Conduct a home inspection: Hire a qualified home inspector to assess the condition of the property and identify any potential issues.
  4. Finalize financing: Once your offer is accepted, finalize your mortgage financing with your lender.

Closing the Deal:

  • Sign the purchase agreement: Review and sign the purchase agreement with your lawyer or notary.
  • Pay closing costs: Budget for additional expenses such as legal fees, land transfer taxes, and home insurance.
  • Take possession of the property: Congratulations! Once all paperwork is finalized, you can officially take possession of your new home.

Conclusion

Navigating the process of buying a house as a new immigrant to Canada may seem daunting, but with careful planning and guidance, it can be a rewarding experience. By understanding the Canadian real estate market, preparing financially, exploring housing options, and navigating the closing process, you can achieve your dream of homeownership in your new country. Remember to seek advice from trusted professionals and take your time to find the perfect home for you and your family. Welcome home!

How Canada’s New Visa Restriction Will Impact Mexican Nationals

Canada enacted new regulatory changes that exclude most Mexican nationals from eTA eligibility on February 29, 2024.

In 2023, Mexicans represented 18% of total refugee claims in Canada, with conflicting views on approval rates. While government sources claim a majority of Mexican claims are abandoned, withdrawn, or rejected, data suggests increasing approval rates, now surpassing 50%.

The Background

Nationals of Mexico were visa-exempt until 2009, when a TRV requirement was imposed to address significant asylum pressures.

Canada reintroduced a full visa exemption for Mexican nationals in 2016. Since that time, all Mexican nationals are required to apply online for an eTA before flying to Canada. An eTA application seeks less information from an applicant and is less costly than a TRV application. Commensurate with the lower level of risk these clients are assumed to pose, biometrics are not collected, nor are passports systematically inspected by an officer during eTA processing. While the decision to remove the TRV requirement in 2016 has resulted in increased mobility for hundreds of thousands of genuine Mexican visitors, and significant benefits to Canada, it has also generated unsustainable migration challenges.


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Record levels of asylum intake have been received from Mexican nationals, reaching over 24 000 claims in 2023 (or 18% of total asylum intake in Canada). Most Mexican claims are made at airports on arrival, an indication that claiming asylum, not visiting, was the true purpose of travel. The majority of Mexican claims are abandoned, withdrawn, or rejected by the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB).

The regulatory amendments remove Mexico from the schedule of countries and territories whose nationals are exempt from the TRV requirement for travel to Canada under the Regulations.

The amendments also add Mexico to the list of countries and territories whose nationals may be eligible to travel to Canada on an eTA if they are travelling by air and have held a Canadian TRV in the last 10 years or hold a valid U.S. non-immigrant visa.

The eTA cancellation provisions are also amended to specify that the eTAs held by Mexican nationals remain valid provided that at the time the regulatory amendments came into force on February 29, 2024, they also hold a valid work or study permit. This protects the ability of existing Mexican students and workers to leave and return to Canada, under the previous policy.


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IRCC is targeting processing Mexican TRV applications within 30 days, although an initial application surge may result in temporary delays.

Discontinuing eTA eligibility for most Mexicans is projected to incur a present value (PV) cost of $1.0 billion over the next decade, covering IT updates and decreased tourism.

Conversely, the anticipated benefit is estimated at $6.6 billion (PV) over the same period, driven by reduced asylum claims costs and CBSA enforcement.

Canada Starts 2024 With Rise In Parent and Grandparent Immigrants

The latest data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) reveals the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) helped 11.6 per cent more foreign nationals become new permanent residents of Canada in January than during the previous month.

In January, 1,830 parents and grandparents of immigrants became new permanent residents through the PGP, up from 1,640 new permanent residents in December last year.

But while PGP immigration was up month over month, it was down by 11.6 per cent compared to the same month last year. In January 2023, the PGP welcomed 2,070 new permanent residents.

The monthly rate of immigration under the PGP in January, if projected out to the rest of the year, would see 21,960 new permanent residents arriving in Canada under the program by the end of the year, or 22.4 per cent less than the 28,305 who arrived under the PGP last year.

Canada’s most populous province, Ontario, saw the greatest number of arrivals under the PGP in January this year with 925 parents and grandparents settling there, an increase of 44.4 per cent over the 690 in December.


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The other provinces and territories attracted the following number of new permanent residents under the PGP in January:

  • Newfoundland and Labrador – 0
  • Prince Edward Island – 0
  • Nova Scotia – 15
  • New Brunswick – 5
  • Quebec – 105
  • Manitoba – 60
  • Saskatchewan – 40
  • Alberta – 330
  • British Columbia – 350
  • Yukon – 0
  • Northwest Territories – 0
  • Nunavut – 0

Across the country, Nova Scotia saw the biggest gains in PGP immigration of all the provinces in percentage terms in January as the number of new permanent residents through the program rose 50 per cent while its neighbouring province, New Brunswick, saw the biggest drop, 50 per cent, for that same month.

With growing total immigration to Canada, it seems likely PGP immigration will rise in tandem over the coming years.

Under the 2024-2026 Immigration Levels Plan, Canada is planning to welcome 485,000 new permanent residents this year, 500,000 in 2025 and then hold the line on immigration in 2026 with another 500,000 newcomers.

That’s a total of 1.485 million immigrants to Canada over those three years.

Under the PGP, applicants pay $1,050 to sponsor a parent or grandparent and the process takes up to 23 months, with the people being sponsored required to provide biometrics after they apply. That processing time includes the time to provide those biometrics


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Once a Canadian citizen or permanent resident has submitted an interest in sponsoring these relatives, he or she is sent an Invitation to Apply (ITA) and must then submit two applications to the PGP:

  • the sponsorship application, and;
  • the permanent residence application.

If those applications get the green light, the sponsor signs an agreement called an undertaking which starts on the day the sponsoree becomes a permanent resident of Canada.

Among the several requirements which need to be met to determine eligibility to sponsor a parent or grandparent, are:

  • a receipt of an Invitation to Apply;
  • being at least 18 years old;
  • Canadian residency;
  • being a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, or a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act;
  • sufficient funds to support the parent or grandparent;
  • proof of income, although a spouse or common-law partner can co-sign to combine their income with that of the sponsor, and;
  • meeting all other requirements under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations.

Sponsors Ink Deal With Government To Financially Support Parents And Grandparents

All sponsors living outside of the province of Quebec, which has its own immigration system, must promise to financially support the sponsorees for a period of time.

This undertaking commits the sponsor to:

  • providing financial support for sponsored family members for 20 years, starting when they become permanent residents;
  • repaying any provincial social assistance (money from the government) sponsored family members get during that time, and;
  • agreeing to certain responsibilities during the undertaking period in a sponsorship agreement.

That sponsorship agreement means that the sponsor will provide the basic needs of the sponsoree, including:

  • food;
  • clothing;
  • utilities;
  • personal requirements;
  • shelter;
  • fuel;
  • household supplies, and;
  • healthcare not covered by public health insurance, such as eye and dental care.

Sponsors Remain Financial Responsible For Relatives Even In Tough Times

The sponsorship agreement is not one to be entered into lightly as it is obliges the sponsor to meet those requirements even in the case of:

  • separation or divorce;
  • family rifts;
  • unemployment;
  • change in finances, and even;
  • death of the main applicant.

Sponsors who live in Quebec must meet that province’s immigration sponsorship requirements after the IRCC approves of the sponsor. The length of the undertaking is 10 years for Quebec.

Due to the need for sponsors to accept responsibility for their parents and grandparents through sponsorship agreements under the PGP, past criminality and serious financial troubles can render a Canadian citizen or permanent resident ineligible for this program.

Applicants may not be eligible to sponsor their parents or grandparents if the sponsors:

  • are in a jail, prison or penitentiary;
  • didn’t pay back an immigration loan or performance bond;
  • failed to make court-ordered family support payments such as alimony or child support;
  • didn’t give the financial support specified under a sponsorship agreement to sponsor someone else in the past;
  • declared bankruptcy and are not discharged;
  • receive social assistance for a reason other than a disability;
  • were convicted of a violent criminal offence, any offence against a relative or any sexual offence inside or outside Canada, or;
  • can’t legally stay in Canada and must leave the country because they received a removal order.

The applicant cannot sponsor his or her spouse’s parents or grandparents, aka their in-laws, but can be a co-signer on that spouse’s application to bring to Canada his or her parents and grandparents.

The PGP program also does not allow a Canadian citizen or permanent resident to sponsor someone who is otherwise inadmissible to come to Canada.

The PGP is restricted to the applicant’s own parents and grandparents, related by blood or adoption.

IRCC Urges Applicants To Keep Their Information Current To Avoid Delays

“In case of divorce, you’ll need to submit separate applications if you sponsor divorced parents and grandparents,” notes the IRCC on its website.

“If your divorced parents or grandparents have a current spouse, common-law partner or a conjugal partner, these people become dependants on the application and can immigrate to Canada with your parents and grandparents, if approved.”

A PGP application can include the sponsor’s own brothers and sisters, or half-brothers and sisters, or step-brothers and step-sisters – but only if they qualify as dependent children of the sponsor’s parents.

Delays in processing can quickly occur when the IRCC is faced with information which is no longer accurate and so Canadian immigration officials encourage applicants to keep their contact information and application details up to date.

Important information which must be updated includes:

  • changes in relationship status;
  • birth or adoption of a child;
  • death of an applicant or dependant;
  • contact information such as e-mail addresses, phone numbers, and mailing addresses.

The applicant is responsible for going into the application and updating it with this information him or herself.

“Don’t mail us changes to your contact or application information,” notes the IRCC. “If you do, we won’t acknowledge your request and we won’t update your application.”

Canadian immigration officials notify applicants under the PGP as soon as they begin to process the application, sending them both an application number and an acknowledgement of receipt of the application.

The IRCC then assesses both the applicant’s eligibility as a sponsor and the person being sponsored for permanent residence.

“If we refuse you as a sponsor, you can choose to have us keep processing the application for permanent residence for your family members,” notes the IRCC.

Choosing to have the IRCC continue processing the application at that point means the sponsor forgoes all fees which have been paid.

By choosing to withdraw the application in the eventuality of being deemed ineligible to sponsor, the applicant can get all of his or her fees back, minus the $75 sponsorship fee.

Once Canadian immigration officials have approved a sponsor under the PGP, they then turn their attention to the people being sponsored to determine their eligibility under the program.

The IRCC will typically request documents from those being sponsored, including:

  • medical exam results;
  • police certificates, and;
  • biometrics.

Letters requesting that biometric information are sent to the parents or grandparents and their dependent children as named in the application and they then have 30 days to provide the biometric information at the closest collection point.

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