In a May 28 draw, 63 skilled workers and international graduates received invitations to apply through the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program stream.
The minimum score was 90 for the direct provincial streams targeting skilled workers and international graduates.
Express Entry streams for both candidate types also saw a minimum score of 90.
The BC PNP Tech Pilot sees IT workers given priority through the existing British Columbia immigration streams.
Manitoba immigration has conducted a new draw focusing mainly on skilled workers with work experience in the province.
The May 23 Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program draw saw 119 out of 196 Letters of Advice to Apply (LAAs) issued through the Skilled Workers in Manitoba stream.
SWM candidates required a minimum score of 548 points.
Candidates through a Strategic Recruitment Initiative (SRI) received 60 LAAs, with a minimum score of 506 points.
An SRI, part of the Skilled Workers Overseas stream, is when candidates are invited to fulfill a specific labour market need.
The final 17 LAAs issued were through the International Education Stream, for which a minimum score is not published.
This was the 66th draw in the history of the MPNP.
Saskatchewan immigration officials have conducted a new draw through the province’s Expression of Interest system, issuing invitations to apply to 325 candidates.
The May 22 draw did not feature specific target occupations, as was the case in the previous two Saskatchewan EOI draws.
There were 221 candidates invited through the Occupations In-Demand stream, with a minimum score of 82 points.
Through the province’s Express Entry-linked stream, 104 candidates received invites, with a minimum score of 82 points.
All of the EOI candidates invited had Educational Credential Assessments, which is required for Saskatchewan applications.
Invited Candidates had Educational Credential Assessments
Occupations In-Demand
82
221
Invited Candidates had Educational Credential Assessments
01-May-19
Express Entry
67
81
Occupations included in the selection: Managers in social, community and correctional services, Conference and event planners, Medical sonographers, Psychologists, Instructors of persons with disabilities, Butchers and Bakers.
Invited Candidates had Educational Credential Assessments.
Occupations In-Demand
67
121
Occupations included in the selection: Managers in social, community and correctional services, Conference and event planners, Medical sonographers, Psychologists, Instructors of persons with disabilities, Butchers and Bakers.
Invited Candidates had Educational Credential Assessments.
17-Apr-19
Express Entry
60
114
Occupations included in the selection: Land Surveyors, Technical occupations in geomatics and meteorology, Tailors, dressmakers, furriers and milliners, Appliance servicers and repairers.
Invited Candidates had Educational Credential Assessments.
Occupations In-Demand
60
210
Occupations included in the selection: Land Surveyors, Technical occupations in geomatics and meteorology, Tailors, dressmakers, furriers and milliners, Appliance servicers and repairers.
Invited Candidates had Educational Credential Assessments.
06-Mar-19
Express Entry
67
70
Invited Candidates had Educational Credential Assessments
Occupations In-Demand
81
68
Invited Candidates had Educational Credential Assessments
27-Feb-19
Express Entry
68
83
Invited Candidates had Educational Credential Assessments
16-Jan-19
Express Entry
63
362
Invited Candidates had Educational Credential Assessments
Occupations In-Demand
66
234
Invited Candidates had Educational Credential Assessments
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has conducted a first all-program Express Entry draw in four weeks, issuing 3,350 Invitations to Apply (ITAs).
The minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score rose to 470 points in the May 29 draw, up from 450 in the previous all-program draw.
The rise of the minimum CRS score can be put down to two main factors:
1) Four-week gap since previous draw
All-program draws normally take place every two weeks. However, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) chose to target the May 15 draw at Federal Skilled Trades Program candidates only, with a minimum CRS of 332 points. This allowed the number of higher-scoring candidates to build up over a longer period, increasing the minimum CRS.
2) No provincial-specific draw alongside Federal Skilled Trades draw
In three of the four previous program-specific draws, IRCC has conducted draws for both Federal Skilled Trades and provincial nominee programs. However, there was no PNP draw accompanying the FSTP draw on May 15, allowing the number of candidates with 600 points for a provincial nomination in the Express Entry pool to build up, increasing the minimum CRS.
Canada has now issued 35,100 ITAs in 2019, against a high-skilled immigration target of 81,400.
IRCC broke the record for annual Express Entry ITAs in 2018 with 89,800.
The draw saw the tie-breaking rule implemented on May 23, 2019 at 6.18am EST. If more than one candidate had the lowest score, the cut-off is based on the date and time they submitted their Express Entry profiles.
There is no minimum points requirement for the stream. Candidates must have a minimum of Canadian Language Benchmark 7 in French and 6 in English to qualify.
What Are The Details of The Latest FSSW Stream Draw?
The May 21 draw saw invites issued across five streams of the BC PNP.
Express Entry skilled workers and international graduates both required 105 points to qualify.
A minimum score of 105 was also recorded under the direct provincial international graduate stream, while direct provincial skilled workers required 95 points.
Lastly, entry level and semi-skilled workers required a minimum score of 75 points to qualify.
Manitoba is to invest $3.1 million in settlement services for new immigrants, the provincial government has announced.
A project funded entirely by funds generated by the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program will see settlement and integration hubs created in Winnipeg and rural areas, extra support for newcomers with special needs and funding for access and community partnerships.
Funding will be provided to 17 provincial organizations, raised through the MPNP’s new $500 skilled worker application fee and the existing $2,500 application fee for business streams.
“Our strategic investments will improve the settlement, language, employment and community supports newcomers that need as soon as they arrive in Manitoba to put them on a path to success,” said Kelvin Goertzen, Manitoba Education and Training Minister.
“Our province continues to grow largely because of immigration, and we’ve seen the many ways newcomers benefit our culture, communities and economy.”
The MPNP is the oldest provincial nomination program, introduced in 1998. It celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2018, issuing a record 5,207 nominations across four main streams.
The province has a federal government nomination allocation of 6,000 for 2019, including 250 spaces specifically for semi-skilled workers.
Manitoba relies heavily on its provincial program to fuel its annual immigration intake.
Figures show the province received just 6 per cent of its annual intake from the federal Express Entry system in 2018, the lowest of any province.
Manitoba welcomed just 960 permanent residents through Express Entry in 2018, against a total immigrant intake of 15,220.
Integration is viewed as a crucial part of the federal government’s immigration strategy.
Canada recently began offering pre-arrival services to new immigrants.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is spending $113 million on ways to help newcomers before they arrive in Canada.
The help available includes settlement and employment services as well as licensure applications for economic class, family class, refugees and Francophone immigrants.
The move is designed to cut the period of integration required for new immigrants by preparing them for Canadian life before they arrive.
With Canada’s federal government planning to welcome more than one million new permanent residents over the next three years, it knows investment in integration infrastructure is required.
Quickly integrating newcomers allows them to better contribute to Canada’s economic growth.
In-person services will be offered in China, India, and the Philippines, along with a pilot project for in-person Francophone services in Morocco.
Canada Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen believes pre-arrival services are important.
“Pre-arrival services provide permanent residents with information and settlement support so they can make informed decisions about their new life in Canada and begin the integration process before they arrive,” he said.
“IRCC’s renewed pre-arrival program will deliver consistent, high‑quality client-centered services to people around the world.”
International students from Vietnam coming to study in Canada are the fastest growing cohort in colleges and universities.
Canada recorded 20,330 Vietnamese Study Permit holders at the end of 2018, up from 13,960 a year earlier, an increase of 46 per cent.
Indian Study Permit holders showed the next highest annual growth rate, at 40 per cent.
But the Vietnam figure is even more remarkable, given that four years ago there were just 4,850 Study Permit holders here, revealing 419 per cent growth since 2015
Canada is the fifth most popular country of destination for Vietnamese students, behind Japan (72,354), the US (29,788), South Korea (27,061) and Australia (24,094).
Figures show the number of Vietnamese students in the U.S. is dropping, put off by the anti-immigration policies of Donald Trump’s administration.
As the U.S. figures fall, Canada is best positioned to pick up the slack.
Vietnam students are currently the fifth largest group in terms of actual numbers.
Indians and Chinese dominate the landscape, with Study Permit holders totalling 172,625 and 142,985 respectively.
South Korean (24,195) and French (22,745) sit just above Vietnamese in the list, but will be usurped this year if the current growth trends continue.
Vietnam is one of the qualifying countries for Canada’s Student Direct Stream, which offers 20-day Study Permit processing for international students.
As well as Vietnam, students from China, India and the Philippines can access the expedited processing provided they meet certain requirements.
Applicants must submit up front proof of:
Tuition payment for the first year of study at a designated learning institution.
Purchase of a Guaranteed Investment Certificate of $10,000.
Completion of an upfront medical examination and police certificate (if required).
Qualifying score of at least 6 for English (IELTS), or Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens score of 7 for French (TEF), or graduation from a Canadian-curriculum high school.
Importance Of International Students To Canada
New federal government figures show international student contribute $15.5 billion per year to the Canadian economy, supporting nearly 170,000 jobs in 2016.
At the end of 2018, there were 572,415 study permit holders in Canada. University enrolment alone increased by 15 per cent between 2017 and 2018, according to figures from Universities Canada.
Study Permit numbers have increased 180 per cent in the last decade, as successive governments have recognized the benefit to the Canadian economy of increasing international student levels.
A three-step process has been established in Canada targeting international students. First, they hold Study Permits while in full time education, second, they become eligible for a Post Graduation Work Permit, and third, they can use all the experience gathered to qualify for permanent residence.
It had made Canada one of the more attractive countries in the world for foreign students considering their study options.
Skilled workers and international graduates proficient in 29 targeted technology occupations have been invited to apply for British Columbia immigration.
A BC PNP Tech Pilot draw that took place on May 14, 2019, saw 77 invitations issued to candidates across four British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program streams.
Skilled workers and international graduates through the province’s Express Entry streams required 90 points to qualify.
The same minimum score was registered through the direct provincial streams for skilled workers and international graduates.
Through the Tech Pilot, candidates are given priority processing for existing British Columbia streams.
