Two New British Columbia Draws See Province Issue 383 Invitations

Colin Singer
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Two New British Columbia Draws See Province Issue 383 Invitations

Two new draws through the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program saw the province issue invitations to a total of 383 candidates.

The August 3 draws featured a general draw, and a second draw targeting two NOC codes: 0621 for Retail and Wholesale Trade Managers and 0631 for Restaurant and Food Service Managers.

In the general draw, the province issued 361 invitations across five streams, with minimum scores ranging from 74 to 91.

In the NOC-specific draw, 13 invites were issued through four streams, all featuring minimum scores of 107.

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Latest General B.C. Immigration Draw

Date Category Minimum Score Invitations Issued
03-Aug-21 SI – Skilled Worker 91 Total: 361
  SI – International Graduate 79
SI – Entry Level and Semi-Skilled 74
  EEBC – Skilled Worker 89
  EEBC – International Graduate 77

Source: www.welcomebc.ca

B.C. Draw Targeting NOCs 0621, 0631

Date Category Minimum Score Invitations Issued
03-Aug-21 SI – Skilled Worker 107 Total: 13
  SI – International Graduate 107
  EEBC – Skilled Worker 107
  EEBC – International Graduate 107

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International Students Drawn To Colleges and Universities in Ontario Over Last For 20 years

Colin Singer
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International Students Drawn To Colleges and Universities in Ontario Over Last For 20 years

Canada immigration news: Ontario was a magnet for international students during the two decades that ended in the last full year before the COVID-19 pandemic, even as their total number in Canada more than tripled during the period, a study reveals.

In it, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) show the central Canadian province’s share of international students jumped from 37 per cent in the early 2000s to almost half, 49 per cent, during the 2015 to 2019 period.

Read More Canada Immigration News

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Canada Says International Students Still Need 14-day Quarantine Plan

Ontario’s gain, though, was British Columbia’s loss.

“As the province attracting the second-largest number of international students, British Columbia saw its share fall from 31 per cent in the 2001-to-2004 period to 23 per cent in the 2015-to-2019 period,” note the authors of ‘International Students As A Source Of Labour Supply: The Growing Number Of International Students And Their Changing Sociodemographic Characteristics’. 

IRCC Sees International Students As Crucial Source of New Permanent Residents

Canadian immigration officials consider international students to be an important future source of skilled labour in Canada, as they may be eligible for permanent residency through immigration programs after graduation. 

“Attracting students from a wide diversity of countries, as well as to a variety of regions and programs, fosters sustainable growth in Canada’s international education sector and distributes benefits across the country,” notes the IRCC.

In the two decades that ended in 2019, the number of first-time study permit holders more than tripled, increasing from 70,000 annually to 250,000. Most of them came to study at Canadian colleges and universities in bachelor’s and masters’ programs. 

Prior to the pandemic, international students coming to Canada were coming in increasingly greater numbers almost every year. 

The share of first-time study permit holders for college programs grew from 28 per cent in the 2000-to-2004 period to 34 per cent in the 2015-to-2019 period. 

The share of those going to master’s programs grew by 50 per cent, while the percentage of those intending to take bachelor’s and master’s programs stayed about the same.

International Students Favour Business, Management, Public Administration Programs

The most common fields of study for international students are business, management and public administration.

The growth in international students coming to Canada has been a boon for the bottom line of educational institutions because these students pay much higher tuition than Canadian students.

“Previous analysis has shown that the reliance of universities on tuition as a revenue source has grown over the past decade and that international students are an important element of this growth, contributing an estimated 40 per cent of all tuition fees and accounting for almost $4 billion in annual revenue for Canadian universities in 2018-19,” states a previous IRCC report.

But the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the number of international students in Canada. 

As a result of the shutdowns and travel restrictions, the number of international students whose study permits became effective in 2020 decreased by 36 per cent relative to the 2019 level. 

The sociodemographic composition of international students might also have changed since the main source countries were affected by the pandemic differently, the study notes.

China, Japan, US Among Most Important Source Countries

Seven countries – South Korea, China, Japan, the United States, France, Mexico and India – remained among the top 10 source countries over the two decades that ended in 2019.

The total share of international students from these countries also grew when taken as a group, from 59 per cent in the 2000-to-2004 period to 67 per cent in the 2015-to-2019 period. 

The United Kingdom, Taiwan and Germany made up the rest of the top 10 sources for the 2000-to-2004 period, replaced by Brazil, Nigeria and Vietnam for the 2015-to-2019 period.

International students are important for more than just the revenues they bring to Canadian colleges and universities.

“International students increase the social and cultural diversity of campuses,” states a report. “In addition, while contributing to the local economy when studying in Canada, international students provide the country with a large pool of well-educated individuals who could contribute to Canada’s workforce and obtain permanent residency. 

“According to a study that examined the rate of transition into permanent residence, almost one-third of international students with a bachelor’s degree and almost half of those with a master’s degree became permanent residents in the 10 years after their first study permit was issued.”

To be allowed into Canada, international students approved for a study permit must be attending a Designated Learning Institution with a COVID-19 readiness plan approved by their provincial or territorial government. 

As Economy Rebounds And COVID-19 Wanes, Canada Jobs Are Returning

Colin Singer
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As Economy Rebounds And COVID-19 Wanes, Canada Jobs Are Returning

Canada immigration news: As the COVID-19 pandemic waned, job creation exploded throughout Canada in June and experts are now expecting that growth in employment to carry on throughout the rest of the year. 

“The stage is now set for a smoother job recovery through the second half of the year, with total employment down 1.8 per cent from pre-COVID levels,” wrote Robert Kavcic, a senior economist with the Bank of Montreal.

The tone of his latest Regional Labour Market Report Card is ebulliently titled It’s Upward from Here. 

In the second quarter of this year, Canada rode a rollercoaster of lay-offs as companies shut down during lockdowns throughout much of the country and then re-opened. That led to more people being hired than had been laid off.

Read More Canada Immigration News

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Canada Immigration and COVID-19: A Review Of The First Half of 2021

“Ontario posted the steepest decline, with employment down 67,000 in the quarter, but the province also saw a hefty 117,000 gain upon partial reopening in June,” reported Kavcic.

The francophone province of Quebec re-opened earlier and so managed to snag job growth gains of 51,000 during the second quarter of the year. 

British Columbia Has More Jobs Than Before Pandemic

On the West Coast, British Columbia pulled off the amazing feat during the pandemic of actually growing its employment levels to finish with more jobs now than before the start of the pandemic. It is the only Canadian province to have managed to pull that off, says Kavcic.

Among Canadian cities, the results are mixed. Many of the big cities didn’t do as well in terms of job creation in the second quarter of this year as the smaller ones. 

“The large urban centres generally rank in the upper-middle of the pack, but should stand to benefit most through the second half of the year,” says Kavcic. 

“Smaller cities that top the ranking could reflect work-from-home shifts (e.g., if you’ve moved to Peterborough or Abbotsford, you’re employed there, even if the employer is based in Toronto or Vancouver).”

Peterborough, Ontario Tops List Of Best Performing Labour Markets

The Top 10 Canadian Cities For Labour Market Performance in the second quarter of this year were:

  1. Peterborough;
  2. Abbotsford;
  3. Regina;
  4. Victoria;
  5. Vancouver;
  6. Kitchener;
  7. Saskatoon;
  8. Trois-Rivieres;
  9. Montreal, and;
  10. Edmonton.

Among the most notable stand-outs in this recent ranking is Vancouver, which shot up 25 spots from last year to fifth place this year; Montreal which rose 16 spots to number nine; and Edmonton which came in 10th in these rankings after soaring 18 spots in one year.

At the very top of the rankings, the medium-sized city of Peterborough sits at number one after jumping 17 spots. Regina, Saskatchewan’s capital but still one of the medium-sized municipalities, came in third after leapfrogging 11 spots. 

St. Catherines The Worst Performing Labour Market

The bottom 10 cities in Canada based on Labour Market Performance in the second quarter of this year were:

  1. St. Catherines;
  2. St. John’s;
  3. Sudbury;
  4. Barrie;
  5. Oshawa;
  6. Kingston;
  7. Saint John;
  8. Thunder Bay;
  9. Windsor, and;
  10. Saguenay.

Despite their dismal placement for job creation, both Windsor, Ontario and Saguenay in Quebec actually rose in the rankings this year compared to last year.

Not so for the others in the bottom 10. 

Barrie plummeted in the rankings, falling 28 spots to number 30. St. John’s slid 22 spots to 32nd. And Sudbury in northern Ontario dropped like a stone 19 spots to 31st place. Saint John in New Brunswick fell 10 spots to 27th.

With the rebounding of the Canadian economy and the gradual re-opening of the Canadian border announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau earlier this month, immigration will almost certainly pick back up in the second half of this year. 

Jobs Available For Economic Immigrants, Temporary Workers

There will be jobs waiting to be filled for those coming to Canada for work, including those applying under the International Mobility Program and the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.

Certainly, Ottawa has remained bullish on immigration throughout the pandemic and set ambitious immigration targets for this year and the next two.

Its 2021‒2023 Immigration Levels Plan has set immigration targets of about one per cent of the Canadian population for each of those years. That’s 401,000 permanent residents in 2021, 411,000 in 2022 and 421,000 in 2023. 

The federal government’s previous plan set targets of 351,000 in 2021 and 361,000 in 2022.

“Immigration is essential to getting us through the pandemic, but also to our short-term economic recovery and our long-term economic growth,” Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino has said. “Canadians have seen how newcomers are playing an outsized role in our hospitals and care homes and helping us to keep food on the table.

“As we look to recovery, newcomers create jobs not just by giving our businesses the skills they need to thrive, but also by starting businesses themselves,” he has said. “Our plan will help to address some of our most acute labour shortages and to grow our population to keep Canada competitive on the world stage.”

Parents and Grandparents Program: How Much Money Do I Need?

Colin Singer
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Parents and Grandparents Program: How Much Money Do I Need?

Canada immigration news: Family sponsorship immigration through the Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) is a lot cheaper this year since Ottawa has reduced the income the sponsors needed.

“Since many sponsors may have been affected financially by the COVID-19 pandemic, the income requirement for the 2020 tax year has been reduced to the minimum necessary income, instead of the minimum necessary income plus 30 per cent,” notes Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada on its website.

Read More Canada Immigration News

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Canada’s Parents and Grandparents Program: All You Need To Know

That means sponsors under the program can have earned $8,108 less last year, or $32,899, instead of the $41,007 needed in 2019 to qualify to bring two parents or grandparents to Canada. 

Since the amount needed goes up as more people are sponsored, so too do the savings under the program this year for those bringing in more of their relatives. 

A sponsor who wants to bring two parents and four grandparents to Canada needs to have earned only $62,814 last year, or $15,482 less than the $78,296 needed in income in 2019.

Not only is Ottawa giving sponsors a break on the amount of income they needed in 2020 to qualify as sponsors this year but the federal government is also loosening up the rules as to how that money can have been gotten.

Regular Employment Insurance (EI) and Canada Emergency Response B enefit (CERB) payments now count towards a sponsor’s income as do other temporary COVID-19 benefits provided they were not part of provincial social assistance programs. 

Ottawa is making these temporary changes to the program in recognition of the vast numbers of Canadians who lost their jobs during the lockdowns at the height of the pandemic. 

The lower income thresholds and use of federal social assistance programs towards the sponsor’s income does not apply to his or her income for 2019 or to 2018, both of which count towards the determination of the sponsor’s ability to take care of the financial responsibilities of his or her relatives.

Income Required To Be A Sponsor Under Parents and Grandparents Program

No. of People Sponsored 2020 2019 2018
2 people $32,899 $41,007 $40,379
3 people $40,445 $50,414 $49,641
4 people $49,106 $61,209 $60,271
5 people $55,695 $69,423 68,358
6 people $62,814 $78,296 $77,095
7 people $69,935 $87,172 $85,835
Each additional person, add: $7,121 $8,876 $8,740

In 2015, the program was responsible for 15,490 new permanent residents to Canada, with the country’s most populous province, Ontario, getting the lion’s share of these new arrivals. 

Then, over the course of the next four years, the PGP grew, resulting in 17,040 new permanent residents in 2016, then 20,495 the following year, dipping down a bit in 2018 to 18,030 but finishing off 2019 strong with 22,010 newcomers.

By then, the last full year before the pandemic, the PGP had grown by 42.1 per cent, or 6,520 new permanent residents annually.

Covid-19, though, led Canada to close its borders to non-essential travel and other countries followed suit, leading to massive drops in overall immigration to the country. 

In a single year, the number of new permanent residents under the PGP plummeted by almost 52.5 per cent to 10,455. The number of newcomers under the program last year was only a smidgeon more than two-thirds of the figure seen five years before, in 2015.

In the first five months of this year, only 3,335 new permanent residents to Canada arrived under the program. 

Ottawa is hoping the relaxed income requirements will help re-build the program as Canada recovers from the economic blow of the pandemic.

“The importance of family has never been clearer than during the pandemic,” said Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino in announcing the changes earlier this month.

“That is why we are delivering on our commitment to help more families reunite in Canada. 

“By strengthening the Parents and Grandparents Program, inviting a record number of sponsors to apply, and by adjusting our requirements to adapt to the current times, we are once again proving our commitment to helping Canadian families stay together, and thrive together.”

Provincial, Territorial and Federal Ministers Meet to Speed Up and Boost Canadian Immigration

Colin Singer
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Provincial, Territorial and Federal Ministers Meet to Speed Up and Boost Canadian Immigration

Canada immigration news: Federal Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino met virtually with provincial and territorial immigration ministers throughout Canada last week to brainstorm ways to speed up processing times and increase the number of new permanent residents.

“Immigration has never been more critical as we navigate the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic and work towards economic recovery and prosperity in all regions of Canada,” said Arlene Dunn, co-chair of the Forum of Ministers responsible for Immigration, last week.

“Today, we recommitted to meaningful partnership and collaboration between provinces, territories and the federal government to achieve flexible and responsive immigration programming that supports our diverse and evolving labour market and population growth needs and priorities,” said Dunn, who is also New Brunswick’s minister of immigration.

Read More Canada Immigration News

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Parents and Grandparents Program: How Many New Permanent Residents?

During their virtual meeting on Wednesday, the ministers discussed the regional distribution of immigration, the best ways to leverage the successes of their Provincial Nominee Programs, economic immigration, settlement services for permanent and temporary residents, and strategies to bolster francophone immigration outside of Quebec, the country’s only francophone province.

“Canada’s immigration system has played a critical role in our response to COVID-19 and will continue to help fuel our economic recovery,” said federal Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino. 

“Today, we had productive discussions with the provinces and territories on how to better and more evenly spread the benefits of immigration across the country,” he said. “Our ongoing collaboration, further strengthened today, has contributed to valuable initiatives that will help support population growth and a modern immigration system. 

“Together, we can build a stronger and more diverse Canada.”

The Forum of Ministers Responsible for Immigration is a decision-making body whose goal is to support a flexible, timely and effective immigration system for Canada. 

Last year, the organization established a vision for immigration to Canada and a mission for the FMRI: to advance joint immigration priorities and enhance Canada’s immigration policies and programs.

Nova Scotia’s minister of immigration was absent from the latest federal-provincial-territorial immigration ministers’ meeting because that province is currently in the lead-up to an election.

The francophone province of Quebec runs its own immigration system but has observer status on the FMRI.

Throughout the pandemic, Ottawa has remained bullish on immigration. Canada’s 2021‒2023 Immigration Levels Plan had set immigration targets of about one per cent of the Canadian population for each of three years. That’s 401,000 permanent residents this year, 411,000 in 2022 and 421,000 in 2023.

Ottawa Confident Canada Will Hit Immigration Targets

In July, Mendicino re-iterated that Canada will hit those targets.

“I am confident that we are doing everything we can to meet that target and we will meet that target and the reason it is important to hit that target is that immigrants create jobs … and allow us to meet our workforce needs,” he said.

Certainly, both Ottawa and the provinces have put in place measures to bolster immigration, speed up processing times, and move towards a completely online application system during the past year.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has responded to the immigration challenge by slashing the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores in an Express Entry draw that saw more than five times as many Invitations to Apply (ITAs) issued as usual.

Ottawa then followed that by launching six new pathways to permanent residency for temporary foreign workers and international grads. The cap on anglophone applicants under three of those new steams was 90,000 but there was no cap set on the number of francophone and bilingual candidates.

Another step Canada took during the pandemic was the decision to shift to a completely digital immigration process to speed things up.

“My vision for our immigration system going forward is that it is completely virtual and touchless and that each and every one of these steps is integrated so that we become the envy of the world,” said Mendicino.

Canada Leads World On Putting Immigration Online

Canada is already a world leader in putting its immigration processes online, he said.

“In a world that is increasingly going virtual, we are leading the way, especially when it comes to our immigration system,” said the immigration minister. “We are the only ones that have moved our citizenship ceremony online, to my knowledge, and now we are also moving into the digital space when it comes to testing applicants.”

In March, Canada’s transport minister further boosted travel to Canada by extending the list of occupations deemed essential.

“We are specifically talking about different groups that would be potentially considered to be essential workers, that have the need to cross the border for specific reasons,” Transport Minister Marc Garneau told a parliamentary committee.

With its innovations during the pandemic, the IRCC got top marks from a respected think-tank for its success in boosting the number of permanent resident arrivals despite COVID-19.

Conference Board Gives Thumbs Up To Immigration Innovations

“The improvement we’re seeing in permanent resident admissions is encouraging and good news for the economy,” said Iain Reeve, associate director of immigration research at the Conference Board of Canada.

“Immigration helps stimulate the economy, and with deliberate policy choices regarding settlement services and credential recognition, these economic impacts can be enhanced as we emerge from the global pandemic.”

In their meeting last week, the federal, provincial and territorial minister reviewed the measures undertaken in the past year, including offering virtual services for clients and adjusting programming for provincial nominees and international students.

The ministers also discussed their Strategic Plan for Immigration which they had approved in July last year and noted the progress made on its policy priorities, including immigration levels planning and strengthening regional economic immigration programs to support the vitality of communities and to meet labour market needs.

COVID-19: International Students’ Interest in Immigrating to Canada Grows

Colin Singer
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COVID-19: International Students’ Interest in Immigrating to Canada Grows

Canada immigration news: A poll conducted by IDP Connect gives Canada top marks from international students looking for overseas destinations to complete their college and university educations.

The education consulting firm surveyed more than 6,000 students who were either already studying at 527 colleges and universities across Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States or interested in doing so.

And, once again, Canada came out on top. 

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The biggest chunk of the surveyed students – 38 per cent of whom were Indian – wanted to study in Canada or Australia, followed by the United Kingdom, the United States and then New Zealand. Mirroring the countries of origin for international students in Canada, significant numbers of the survey sample consisted of students from the Philippines, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Nepal, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and China.

Half had either received at least one offer or had a pending offer, 18 per cent had already begun their studies, and 20 per cent had not yet applied. Twelve percent had put their studies on hold.

Canada Handled Pandemic Well: Students

The results of this latest poll mirror echo those of Navitas’ survey of international students’ view of Canada’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in September last year. 

The Australian expert in international education trends revealed then that international student looking for a place to study abroad thought Canada handled the global pandemic very well.

“In May, 2020 Navitas surveyed its global agent network to explore how COVID-19 was changing the fortunes of international study destinations,” said Jon Chew, head of strategic insights and analytics at Navitas. 

“Findings from that initial survey showed that Canada’s reputation as a study destination had been enhanced by its government’s handling of the pandemic. At that time, New Zealand, Australia and Canada were leading the pack.”

In September, Navitas repeated its survey and got similar results. If anything had changed during the height of the pandemic, it was that Canada’s handling of the pandemic had further enhanced its reputation as a favourable place to come and study.

During the pandemic, Canada allowed international students to take all of their courses via distance education in their home countries without losing their study permits and the benefits that come with them.

Canadian Study Permits Hard To Get

The one sticking point for international students eyeing Canada as a country to complete their education is the difficulty many experiences getting those study permits, the IDP Connect poll reveals.

In other countries, only 13 per cent of international students cited difficulty getting a study permit as an obstacle. For Canada, that figure was 20 per cent, higher than any other destination for international students.

When it comes to getting an education in most other countries, the big issues are usually affordability and travel restrictions. Only in Canada was the main problem the difficulty in getting a study permit.

The IDP Connect poll confirmed that Ottawa’s decision to allow international students to take their courses online during the pandemic is very popular.

“Globally, many students, 43 per cent, are willing to start online if they know they can transfer to face-to-face as soon as campuses open to in-person learning, and a significant proportion plan to defer, 31 per cent. But these proportions change – in a positive way – for Canada,” notes IDP Connect on its website.

“Students are particularly willing to begin a Canadian program online (51 per cent), and they are the least likely to say that they will defer (24 per cent) their studies in Canada. This may suggest stronger loyalty underpinned by the trust that studies will indeed move to face-to-face.”

Extra Flexibility For Post-Graduate Work Permits

Last year, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) built-in extra flexibility into its Post-Graduate Work Permit (PGWP) program. By allowing international students to complete 100 per cent of their Canadian programs online and still qualify to work in Canada after graduation, the IRCC added to the confidence they have in the Canadian immigration system. 

“Students with a keen interest in working in Canada are naturally motivated to want to get on with their studies without delay, and this may tie into their greater willingness to begin their studies online with a Canadian institution,” noted IDP Connect. 

In other positive perceptions of Canada, international students polled – especially those from India – gave high marks to Canada’s concern for the welfare of international students, its policies for international students, and PGWP opportunities. 

Canada’s 2021 Parents and Grandparents Program: What To Do If You Get Invited

Colin Singer
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0
Canada’s 2021 Parents and Grandparents Program: What To Do If You Get Invited

Canada immigration news: A record 30,000 new applications will be received in 2021 for the Parents and Grandparents Program, Canada has announced.

That will bring to 40,000 the number of applications received this year after the 10,000 delayed from 2020 due to COVID-19.

A new round of Invitations to Apply will be sent out over two weeks from September 20, 2021, with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) selecting from those who submitted interest to sponsor forms in fall 2020.

Candidates who receive ITAs have 60 days to submit a full application. The deadline will be marked clearly on the ITA. ITAs will be sent out using the email included on the interest to sponsor form.

More Canada Immigration News

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Parents and Grandparents Program 2021: Canada To Accept 30,000 More Applications
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Parents and Grandparents Program: Application Process

Once the ITA is received, there are two applications to complete:

  1. Application to become a sponsor.
  2. Application for permanent residence from the parents or grandparents.

Both applications can be submitted online at the same time.

IRCC advises candidates not to start filling out an application unless they receive an ITA, to avoid using outdated forms or old instructions. Those who apply without receiving an ITA will not be refunded the application fee.

IRCC says more information on how the application process works will be available in the coming weeks.

Applicants who live in Quebec must follow that province’s steps to sponsor their parents and grandparents.

Citizens sponsoring their parents or grandparents need:

  • The date they became a Canadian citizen.
  • Their UCI or client ID number.

Both are on the back of the citizenship certificate.

Application Fees

Application fees paid online, include:

  • Processing fees for the sponsor, the people being sponsored and their dependents.
  • Right of Permanent Residence Fee
  • Biometrics fee

Biometrics Fee

A biometrics fee is payable when the application is submitted. However, biometrics are collected after the application is submitted.

Other Fees

Candidate may also need to pay fees to third parties for:

  • Medical exam.
  • Police certificate.

Information Submitted During Processing

The following documents are not required to be submitted with the application, but will be requested during processing:

  • Medical exams.
  • Police certificate.
    • Police certificates are required for the people being sponsored and each family member 18 or older who isn’t already a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. They are valid one year from the date of issue.
  • Biometrics.

Changes of Situation During Processing

Candidates must inform IRCC if any of the following applies to them during processing:

  • Birth or adoption of children.
  • Marriage or divorce.
  • Death of an applicant or dependant.

Canada’s Temporary Foreign Workers Get More Protection After Abuse Reports

Colin Singer
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0
Canada’s Temporary Foreign Workers Get More Protection After Abuse Reports

Canada immigration news: After a government tip line received hundreds of reports of abuse earlier this year, Canada is upping the level of protection it affords to temporary foreign workers.

“The Government of Canada takes the safety and dignity of foreign workers very seriously,” said Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino in a statement. 

“Everyone deserves a work environment where they are safe and their rights are respected. These amendments will help us further improve worker protection and strengthen our ability to ensure employers follow the rules governing both the International Mobility Program and the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.”

Read More Canada Immigration News

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COVID-19: Quebec’s Temporary Foreign Farm Workers Can Now Get Vaccine

In mid-March this year, Service Canada introduced live agent support to its pre-existing tip line to assist temporary foreign workers in reporting abuse, offering services in English, French, Spanish and more than 200 other languages.

Before the arrival of the live agents, callers could only leave a voicemail message in either English or French.

Now, though, callers who reach out for help through the tip line during hours of operation and do not speak either English or French can speak with a live Service Canada agent and a qualified interpreter. 

Tip Line Has Interpreters For More Than 200 Languages

The interpreter stays on the call to provide real-time, accurate interpretation in the caller’s language of choice.

The results of the improved service for temporary foreign workers has been a growing awareness of the challenges they face.

This week, Ottawa decided to tackle those challenges with 14 regulatory amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (Temporary Foreign Workers).

Under the changes, Canada is improving the protections for temporary foreign workers by requiring employers provide these workers with:

  • information about their rights in Canada;
  • reasonable access to healthcare services, and;
  • health insurance when needed.

Employers are also being forbidden from reprisals against workers who come forward with complaints or charging recruitment fees to workers. Employers will also be held responsible for the actions of the recruiters who provide them with temporary foreign workers.

Canada Getting Tough With Employers By Adding Muscle To Inspections

Ottawa is also cracking down on employers by upping its inspections and allowing those who conduct these inspections to get documents from third parties, like banks and payroll companies that provide services to these employers. 

Officials who assess applications from new employers for temporary foreign workers are also being given the authority to put a pause on Labour Market Impact Assessments if they suspect something is amiss.

“The health and safety of temporary foreign workers continues to be a key priority for the Government of Canada,” said Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough. 

“While we have made progress, there continues to be gaps. We know that temporary foreign workers need better information about their rights, and better health and safety protections. Workers also need to be protected from reprisal if they come forward with a complaint, and bad actors need to be prevented from participating in the program.”

Each year, Canada welcomes up to 60,000 foreign agricultural workers. They make up about 60 per cent of all workers coming into the country under the TFWP. 

So far this year, Canada has welcomed more than 41,000 such workers despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) is the stream most commonly used by agricultural producers. In 2019, about 30,500 work permits were issued under the SAWP, of which 9,100, roughly a third, arrived from participating Caribbean countries. The remaining 70 per cent were from Mexico. 

They tend to go to work on farms in Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia. 

Parents and Grandparents Program: How Many New Permanent Residents?

Colin Singer
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0
Parents and Grandparents Program: How Many New Permanent Residents?

Canada immigration news: In the wake of it being dealt a devastating blow during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ottawa is attempting to re-build its Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) by lowering the income needed by sponsors and increasing the number of invitations to apply. 

Back in 2015, the program was responsible for 15,490 new permanent residents to Canada, with the country’s most populous province, Ontario, getting the lion’s share of these new arrivals. 

Then, over the course of the next four years, the PGP grew, resulting in 17,040 new permanent residents in 2016, then 20,495 the following year, dipping down a bit in 2018 to 18,030 but finishing off 2019 strong with 22,010 newcomers.

Read More Canada Immigration News

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By then, the last full year before the pandemic, the PGP had grown by 42.1 per cent, or 6,520 new permanent residents annually.

COVID-19, though, led Canada to close its borders to non-essential travel and other countries followed suit, leading to massive drops in overall immigration to the country. 

COVID-19, Border Closures Decimated Parents and Grandparents Program

In a single year, the number of new permanent residents under the PGP plummeted by almost 52.5 per cent to 10,455. The number of newcomers under the program last year was only a smidgeon more than two-thirds of the figure seen five years before, in 2015.

It might have seemed like things couldn’t get worse for the program – but they did.

In the first five months of this year, only 3,335 new permanent residents to Canada arrived under the program. 

That’s a drop in the average number of new permanent residents to Canada under the PGP this year of 23.4 per cent over the already-abysmally low results of 2020.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is tackling the challenge of the program’s poor performance this year. Earlier this month, the IRCC announced it will accept an additional 30,000 applications under the 2021 PGP.

That means a record of up to 40,000 applications will be accepted this year when added to the 10,000 already received.

The new invitations to apply will be issued over two weeks from Sept. 20 to those who have previously submitted interest-to-sponsor forms.

Immigration Minister Says Pandemic Highlights Importance of Family

“The importance of family has never been clearer than during the pandemic,” said Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino in announcing the changes earlier this month.

“That is why we are delivering on our commitment to help more families reunite in Canada. 

“By strengthening the Parents and Grandparents Program, inviting a record number of sponsors to apply, and by adjusting our requirements to adapt to the current times, we are once again proving our commitment to helping Canadian families stay together, and thrive together.”

Those adjusted requirements include accepting that the sponsors’ incomes can now be the minimum necessary – instead of the usual minimum plus 30 per cent – and that Employment Insurance and COVID-19 benefits can also count towards the sponsors’ incomes.

“This measure will ensure that applicants are not penalized for losing income during the pandemic,” the IRCC noted in a statement.

Those invited to apply have 60 days to complete a full application, through the IRCC’s new Permanent Resident Digital Intake tool.

Sponsors To Be Sent Invitation Emails In September

Potential sponsors should check their e-mail from Sept. 20 to see if they have received an invitation. They will also be able to check online.

Selected potential sponsors will have their income assessed for tax years 2020, 2019 and 2018. This is the same as those who applied as part of the 2020 intake.

Anyone wishing to sponsor a parent or grandparent under the PGP must meet the following criteria:

  • be at least 18 years old;
  • live in Canada;
  • be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or be a person registered in Canada as an Indian under the Canadian Indian Act, and;
  • have enough money to support the people you want to sponsor.

Those not lucky enough to receive an invitation should consider the Parents and Grandparents Super Visa, which allows a parent or grandparent to visit Canada for up to two years at a time. A super visa allows multiple entries for up to 10 years.

Post-Pandemic Popularity Bump For Vaccinated and COVID-19-Free Canada Immigrants

Colin Singer
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Post-Pandemic Popularity Bump For Vaccinated and COVID-19-Free Canada Immigrants

Canada immigration news: Immigrants, temporary foreign workers and international students are to enjoy a post-pandemic popularity bump when they come into Canada as the country re-opens its borders to non-essential travel starting next month.

And it’s all because they’ll be either fully-vaccinated against COVID-19 or will have been tested and found to be COVID-19 free at the border.

Under its phased re-opening of the border, Ottawa’s first step on Aug. 9 will be to allow into the country American citizens and Canadian permanent residents who are currently residing in the United States and have been fully vaccinated at least 14 days prior to entering Canada for non-essential travel

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Then, on Sept. 7, provided COVID-19 case counts remain low, Canada’s borders will re-open to any fully-vaccinated travellers who have completed the full course of vaccination with a Government of Canada-accepted vaccine at least 14 days prior to entering Canada and who meet any specific entry requirements.

That means international visitors will have what amounts to a Government of Canada COVID-19 stamp of approval, allowing many Canadians to breathe easier around these new arrivals.

Vaccinated Canadians Squeamish About Hanging Around Unvaccinated

An Angus Reid poll released last week reveals almost half of Canadians who have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine are unwilling to spend time around those who are unvaccinated.

“This, even after they are fully immunized themselves and have built up their immunity,” reports Angus Reid.

Despite their reluctance to spend time with the unvaccinated, many Canadians are just too polite to go so far as to ask people they meet about their vaccination status.

While more than half of those who have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine say it’s perfectly fine to ask someone about their vaccination status, three-quarters of those who have not been vaccinated say asking about a person’s vaccination status is rude.

Roughly a third of Canadians say whether or not it’s rude to ask about someone’s vaccination status depends on the person being asked. They might be comfortable asking family and friends about their vaccination status but not strangers. 

When the border re-opens, all travellers will have to use ArriveCAN, either as the app for cell phones or the web portal, to submit their travel information. Those fully-vaccinated travellers eligible to enter Canada will not have to quarantine upon arrival.

Health Minister Says Canada Can Reopen Borders Safely

“Canadians’ safety and security always come first,” said Health Minister Patty Hajdu. “With rising vaccination rates and fewer cases in Canada, we can begin to safely ease border measures. 

“A gradual approach to reopening will allow our health authorities to monitor the COVID-19 situation here and abroad,” she said. “Canadians have worked hard and sacrificed for each other, and because of that work, we can take these next steps safely.” 

With the re-opening of the border, Transport Canada is also expanding the scope of its existing Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) that currently directs scheduled international commercial passenger flights into four Canadian Airports: Montréal-Trudeau International Airport, Toronto Pearson International Airport, Calgary International Airport, and Vancouver International Airport. 

International flights carrying passengers will be permitted to land at the following five additional Canadian airports starting Aug. 9: 

  • Halifax Stanfield International Airport; 
  • Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport; 
  • Ottawa Macdonald–Cartier International Airport; 
  • Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport; and 
  • Edmonton International Airport. 

Everyone coming into Canada – regardless of their vaccination status – still needs to provide the results of COVID-19 molecular test before coming into the country. 

But starting Aug. 9, they will no longer need to take another COVID-19 test unless they have been randomly selected to complete one. 

There are no changes to the mandatory testing requirements for unvaccinated travellers. 

With this strategy, Canada is hoping to be able to continue monitoring COVID-19 variants in Canada and determine the effectiveness of the variants.

Public Safety Minister Bill Blair described the approach to gradually re-opening the border as one “guided by facts, scientific evidence and the advice of our public health experts.” 

All travellers, though, will still have to provide a quarantine plan and be prepared to quarantine, in case it is determined at the border that they do not meet the necessary requirements.

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