Canada Immigration News

The Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) conducted four draws from Aug. 3 through to Aug. 22, issuing 604 Notifications of Interest (NOI) through the Express Entry-linked Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).

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The AAIP issued 201 NOIs to candidates with a family connection and skills and experience in a primary occupation in demand with minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores of 315 on Aug. 3.

Healthcare, construction workers among those targeted for NOIs in latest draws

Then, on Aug. 15, the provincial immigration program sent out 14 NOIs to Dedicated Healthcare Pathway (DHP) candidates with a job offer in Alberta and a minimum CRS score of 326.

The next day, the AAIP followed that up with 300 invitations to candidates in the tourism and hospitality sector who had job offers and a minimum CRS score of 408.

And then, on Tuesday this week, the province targeted construction workers who had job offers in Alberta and a minimum CRS score of 303, inviting 89 of them to apply for immigration to the province.

Alberta Express Entry 2023 Draws

Alberta has an allocation of 9,750 provincial nominations for 2023, up from 6,500 in 2022, and has issued 6,607 nominations so far this year.

Ten jobs come with longer application processing times

Due to a high number of AAIP applications received in the following occupations, Alberta immigration officials have indicated they may take longer to process:

• 62020 – food service supervisors
• 62010 – retail sales supervisors
• 63200 – cooks
• 13110 – administrative assistants
• 12200 – accounting technicians and bookkeepers
• 73300 – transport truck drivers
• 21222 – information systems specialists
• 60020 – retail and wholesale trade managers
• 65201 – food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupations
• 21231 – software engineers and designers

In order to be eligible to receive an NOI under the Alberta Express Entry system, candidates must:

• have an active Express Entry profile in the federal Express Entry pool;
• have stated an interest in immigrating permanently to Alberta;
• be working in an occupation that supports Alberta’s economic development and diversification, and;
• have a minimum CRS score of 300 points.

Factors that may improve a candidate’s chances of receiving an NOI include:

• a job offer from an Albertan employer and/or work experience in Alberta;
• having graduated from a Canadian post-secondary institution, and;
• having a relative residing in Alberta such as a parent, child and/or sibling.

Factors that decrease a candidate’s chances of receiving a notification of interest include having an Express Entry profile due to expire within the next three months and working in an ineligible occupation.

Fifty-one health and tech occupations were targeted by the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) Express Entry Human Capital Priorities stream earlier this month as Canada’s most populous province set out 2,085 Notifications of Interest (NOI) to candidates seeking to immigrate to Canada.

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The first draw took place from Aug. 11 to Aug. 16 and saw 2,084 NOIs issued to candidates with Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores of 473 to 516 who had created profiles in the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) Express Entry system from Aug. 11 last year through to July 8 this year.

Human Capital Priorities draws targeted 51 occupations

In the second draw, on Aug. 16, 751 NOIs were sent out to candidates with CRS scores of 473 to 495 who had created profiles in the Express Entry system from Aug. 16 last year through to Aug. 2 this year.

Latest Ontario Human Capital Priorities Draws

The draws targeted the following healthcare occupations:

• NOC 30010 – Managers in healthcare
• NOC 31100 – Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine
• NOC 31101 – Specialists in surgery
• NOC 31102 – General practitioners and family physicians
• NOC 31103 – Veterinarians
• NOC 31110 – Dentists
• NOC 31111 – Optometrists
• NOC 31112 – Audiologists and speech-language pathologists
• NOC 31120 – Pharmacists
• NOC 31121 – Dietitians and nutritionists
• NOC 31201 – Chiropractors
• NOC 31202 – Physiotherapists
• NOC 31203 – Occupational therapists
• NOC 31204 – Kinesiologists and other professional occupations in therapy and assessment
• NOC 31209 – Other professional occupations in health diagnosing and treating
• NOC 31300 – Nursing coordinators and supervisors
• NOC 31301 – Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
• NOC 31302 – Nurse practitioners
• NOC 31303 – Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals
• NOC 32100 – Opticians
• NOC 32101 – Licensed practical nurses
• NOC 32102 – Paramedical occupations
• NOC 32103 – Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists
• NOC 32104 – Animal health technologists and veterinary technicians
• NOC 32109 – Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment
• NOC 32110 – Denturists
• NOC 32111 – Dental hygienists and dental therapists
• NOC 32112 – Dental technologists and technicians
• NOC 32120 – Medical laboratory technologists
• NOC 32121 – Medical radiation technologists
• NOC 32122 – Medical sonographers
• NOC 32123 – Cardiology technologists and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists
• NOC 32124 – Pharmacy technicians
• NOC 32129 – Other medical technologists and technicians
• NOC 32200 – Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists
• NOC 32201 – Massage therapists
• NOC 32209 – Other practitioners of natural healing
• NOC 33100 – Dental assistants and dental laboratory assistants
• NOC 33101 – Medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations
• NOC 33102 – Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates
• NOC 33103 – Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants
• NOC 33109 – Other assisting occupations in support of health services

And the draws also sought to recruit tech workers in the following occupations:

• NOC 20012 – Computer and information systems managers
• NOC 21211 – Data scientists
• NOC 21223 – Database analysts and data administrators
• NOC 21230 – Computer systems developers and programmers
• NOC 21231 – Software engineers and designers
• NOC 21232 – Software developers and programmers
• NOC 21233 – Web designers
• NOC 21234 – Web developers and programmers
• NOC 21311 – Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers)

Human Capital Priorities candidates must qualify for FSW or CEC federal immigration programs

Candidates selected from the Express Entry pool receive their NOIs via their IRCC accounts and then have 45 days to submit a full application.

Foreign nationals can qualify to immigrate to Canada under the Human Capital Priorities Stream if they have:

• a profile under the Express Entry system and are qualified for either the Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) program or the Canadian Experience Class (CEC);
• a minimum of one year of full-time, or full-time equivalent work experience under NOC TEER Category 0, 1, 2 or 3 in the past five years if applying under the FSW or in the past three years if applying under CEC;
• the equivalent of a Canadian bachelor’s degree or higher;
• language proficiency at the minimum CLB/NCLC level 7 in English or in French;
• the intention to reside in the province of Ontario;
• legal resident status in Canada, if applicable;
• proof of required settlement funds, and’

the minimum Express Entry CRS score as determined for the particular draw.

Skilled workers were recruited from Ireland, India, Poland, Czechia, Germany, Lithuania, Slovakia, and the Ukraine on Wednesday through draws of its Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) as 646 Invitations to Apply were set out through the Occupations-In-Demand and Express Entry sub-categories.

The SINP issued those ITAs in draws on Aug. 16.

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The province is trying to recruit 35 Irish workers with two draws. The first draw on Aug. 16 saw 12 ITAs sent to Irish candidates is under the SINP’s Occupations-In-Demand with a minimum score of 60.

Saskatchewan recruiting 35 Irish workers through Aug. 16 draws

In the second, Express Entry draw, the province sent out 23 ITAs to candidates with the same score.

Those draws sought to recruit workers in the following 28 occupations, here categorized by their National Occupational Classification (NOC) codes,  to the province.

• Financial managers (NOC – 10010)
• Other business managers (NOC – 10029)
• Financial and investment analysts (NOC – 11101)
• Other financial officers (NOC – 11109)
• Professional occupations in advertising, marketing and public relations (NOC – 11202)
• Supervisors, finance and insurance office workers (NOC – 12011)
• Health information management occupations (NOC – 12111)
• Chemists (NOC – 21101)
• Data scientists (NOC – 21211)
• Cybersecurity specialists (NOC – 21220)
• Business systems specialists (NOC – 21221)
• Information systems specialists (NOC – 21222)
• Database analysts and data administrators (NOC – 21223)
• Software engineers and designers (NOC – 21231)
• Software developers and programmers (NOC – 21232)
• Web developers and programmers (NOC – 21234)
• Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers) (NOC – 21311)
• Chemical technologists and technicians (NOC – 22100)
• Land survey technologists and technicians (NOC – 22213)
• Computer network and web technicians (NOC – 22220)
• User support technicians (NOC – 22221)
• Occupational health and safety specialists (NOC – 22232)
• Business development officers and market researchers and analysts (NOC – 41402)
• Health policy researchers, consultants and program officers (NOC – 41404)
• Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants (NOC – 43100)
• Financial sales representatives (NOC – 63102)
• Construction managers (NOC – 70010)
• Facility operation and maintenance managers (NOC – 70012)

176 ITAs sent to candidates in Poland, Czechia, Germany, Lithuania, Slovakia, and the Ukraine

In support of another recruitment mission, this one to Poland, Czechia, Germany, Lithuania, Slovakia, and the Ukraine, the SINP also issued 176 ITAs in two draws, one under the Occupation-In-Demand stream and the other under the Express Entry system, to candidates from those countries to fill jobs in the following 70 occupations:

• Senior managers – financial, communications and other business services (NOC- 00012)
• Financial managers (NOC – 10010)
• Purchasing managers (NOC- 10012)
• Banking, credit and other investment managers (NOC – 10021)
• Advertising, marketing and public relations managers (NOC – 10022)
• Other business services managers (NOC – 10029)
• Telecommunication carriers managers (NOC – 10030)
• Financial and investment analysts (NOC – 11101)
• Other financial officers (NOC – 11109)
• Human resources professionals – (NOC – 11200)
• Professional occupations in business management consulting (NOC – 11201)
• Professional occupations in advertising, marketing and public relations (NOC – 11202)
• Supervisors, general office and administrative support workers (NOC – 12010)
• Supervisors, supply chain, tracking and scheduling coordination occupations (NOC – 12013)
• Executive assistants (NOC – 12100)
• Accounting technicians and bookkeepers (NOC – 12200)
• Administrative officers (NOC – 13100)
• Administrative assistants (NOC – 13110)
• Legal administrative assistants (NOC – 13111)
• Medical administrative assistants (NOC 13112)
• Engineering managers (NOC – 20010)
• Computer and information systems managers (NOC – 20012)
• Chemists (NOC – 21101)
• Biologists and related scientists  (NOC 21110)
• Agricultural representatives, consultants and specialists (NOC – 21112
• Public and environmental health and safety professionals (NOC – 21120)
• Architects (NOC – 21200)
• Data scientists (NOC – 21211)
• Cybersecurity specialists (NOC – 21220)
• Business systems specialists (NOC – 21221)
• Information systems specialists (NOC – 21222)
• Database analysts and data administrators (NOC – 21223)
• Computer systems developers and programmers (NOC – 21230)
• Software engineers and designers (NOC – 21231)
• Software developers and programmers (NOC – 21232)
• Web designers (NOC – 21233)
• Web developers and programmers (NOC – 21234)
• Civil engineers (NOC – 21300)
• Mechanical engineers (NOC – 21301)
• Electrical and electronics engineers (NOC – 21310)
• Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers) (NOC – 21311)
• Computer network and web technicians (NOC – 22220)
• User support technicians (NOC – 22221)
• Civil engineering technologists and technicians (NOC – 22300)
• Mechanical engineering technologists and technicians (NOC – 22301)
• Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians (NOC – 22310)
• Electronic service technicians (household and business equipment) (NOC – 22311)
• Medical laboratory technologists (NOC – 32120)
• Administrators – post-secondary education and vocational training (NOC – 40020)
• Managers in social, community and correctional services (NOC – 40030)
• University professors and lecturers (NOC – 41200)
• College and other vocational instructors (NOC – 41210)
• Social workers (NOC – 41300)
• Natural and applied science policy researchers, consultants and program officers (NOC – 41400)
• Economists and economic policy researchers and analysts (NOC – 41401)
• Business development officers and market researchers and analysts (NOC – 41402)
• Social policy researchers, consultants and program officers (NOC – 41403)
• Health policy researchers, consultants and program officers (NOC – 41404)
• Education policy researchers, consultants and program officers (NOC – 41405)
• Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants (NOC – 43100)
• Corporate sales managers (NOC – 60010)
• Retail and wholesale trade managers (NOC – 60020)
• Accommodation service managers (NOC – 60031)
• Technical sales specialists – wholesale trade (NOC – 62100)
• Financial sales representatives (NOC – 63102)
• Construction managers (NOC – 70010)
• Managers in agriculture (NOC – 80020)
• Agricultural service contractors and farm supervisors (NOC – 82030)
• Manufacturing managers (NOC – 90010)
• Central control and process operators, petroleum, gas and chemical processing (NOC – 93101)

Under the Occupation-In-Demand stream, the SINP issued 78 ITAs to candidates with jobs in Canada in those occupations from those countries with a minimum score of 60.

The province also issued another 98 ITAs to candidates with job offers in Canada in those occupations and minimum scores of 60 through its Express Entry.

SINP recruiting 431 workers from India in latest EOI draws

On the same day, Saskatchewan immigration issued 431 ITAs also recruited 431 candidates from India under the Occupation-In-Demand and Express Entry streams to fill the following jobs in support of a recruitment mission.

The 25 occupations the candidates from India are to being called to fill are:

• Senior managers – construction, transportation, production and utilities (NOC – 00015)
• Property administrators (NOC – 13101)
• Public and environmental health and safety professionals (NOC – 21120)
• Drafting technologists and technicians (NOC – 22212)
• Occupational health and safety specialists (NOC – 22232)
• Civil engineering technologists and technicians (NOC – 22300)
• Construction estimators (NOC – 22303)
• Construction managers (NOC – 70010)
• Contractors and supervisors, machining, metal forming, shaping and erecting trades and related occupations (NOC – 72010)
• Contractors and supervisors, electrical trades and telecommunications occupations (NOC – 72011) Contractors and supervisors, pipefitting trades (NOC – 72012)
• Contractors and supervisors, carpentry trades (NOC – 72013)
• Contractors and supervisors, other construction trades, installers, repairers and servicers (NOC – 72014)
• Contractors and supervisors, mechanic trades (NOC – 72020)
• Contractors and supervisors, heavy equipment operator crews  (NOC – 72021)
• Machinists and machining and tooling inspectors (NOC – 72100)
• Welders and related machine operators (NOC – 72106)
• Electricians (except industrial and power system) (NOC – 72200)
• Plumbers (NOC – 72300)
• Steamfitters, pipefitters and sprinkler system installers (NOC – 72301)
• Bricklayers (NOC – 72320)
• Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics (NOC – 72400)
• Heavy-duty equipment mechanics (NOC – 72401)
• Automotive service technicians, truck and bus mechanics and mechanical repairers (NOC – 72410)
• Crane operators (NOC – 72500)
• Painters and decorators (except interior decorators) (NOC – 73112)

Saskatchewan immigration issued 207 ITAs to candidates from India with minimum scores of 60 to fill these jobs under its Occupation-In-Demand stream.

Under the Express Entry stream, the SINP issued 224 ITAs to candidates from that country with minimum scores of 60 in its bid to fill jobs in those occupations during the Aug. 16 draw.

Latest Saskatchewan Expression of Interest Draw

Ireland recruitment support

Poland, Czechia, Germany, Lithuania, Slovakia, and Ukraine recruitment support

India recruitment support

Under Saskatchewan’s EOI selection process, candidates must submit and EOI profile and enter EOI candidate pool. They are then selected by the province which sends them an ITA in a regular draw and have 60 days to submit a full application.

The Occupation-In-Demand sub-category requires the candidate have a minimum score of 60 points on the SINP points assessment grid, a language score of at least Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 4 – although employers and regulatory bodies may ask for greater language proficiency – and have completed one year of post-secondary education, training or apprenticeship comparable to the Canadian education system.

Express Entry let foreign nationals gain permanent residence in Saskatchewan

The candidate must have earned a diploma, certificate or degree. Degrees and diplomas obtained outside Canada are subject to an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA).

Candidates must also have at least one year of work experience in the past 10 years in their field of education or training, and in an eligible occupation in NOC TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3.

When necessary, candidates must obtain the appropriate licensure in Saskatchewan as immigration authorities will not process an application without that licensure.

The sub-category also requires proof of settlement funds and a settlement plan – and that applicants pay a non-refundable $300 application fee online.

Under the Saskatchewan Express Entry sub-category, candidates from outside Canada, or with legal status in Canada, qualify for Saskatchewan immigration as long as they are not refugee claimants.

Additionally, Express Entry candidates must:

• have a profile in the Express Entry Pool, with profile number and job seeker validation code;
• score a minimum of 60 points on the SINP points assessment grid;
• provide valid language test results from a designated testing agency matching those in the Express Entry profile;
• have completed one year of post-secondary education, training or apprenticeship comparable to the Canadian education system and have earned a diploma, certificate or degree.

Degrees and diplomas obtained outside Canada are subject to an ECA.

Express Entry candidates must also have at least one of the following experience requirements in their field of education or training occupation:

• one year of work experience in the past 10 years in a skilled profession (non-trades);
• two years of work experience in a skilled trade in the past five years, or;
• one year of work experience in Canada in the past three years (trades and non-trades).

The work experience must be in a high-skilled, eligible occupation in NOC TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3.

Candidates in this sub-category must also obtain the appropriate licensure in Saskatchewan when their profession is regulated, or is a skilled trade. For skilled trades, a certificate is required from the Saskatchewan Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission.

Applicants must pay a non-refundable $300 application fee online and have proof of settlement funds and a settlement plan.

The Arrima Expression of Interest (EOI) system issued 1,384 Invitations to Apply (ITA) last week to candidates to immigrate to Canada under Quebec immigration  programs.

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In the Aug. 10 draw, the  Ministre de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI) targeted two categories.

Minimum score of 591 set for first category of Arrima draw

In the first category are those with scores of at least 591 points in the Quebec Expression of Interest points system and Arrima profiles created by Aug. 7 at 6:30 a.m. who have an at least Level 7 of French oral language skill as measured under the l’Échelle Québécoise Des Niveaux De Compétence En Français Des Personnes Immigrantes Adultes or its equivalency.

In the second category, ITAs were issued to candidates with valid job offers from employers outside Greater Montreal, the francophone province’s biggest city. There was no minimum score for those candidates.

Under the Quebec EOI system, candidates submit an online expression of interest profile via Arrima.

Those profiles enter into an EOI pool, where they are ranked against each other using a points system and are valid for 12-months. The highest-ranking candidates are then invited to apply for a Quebec Certificate of Selection (CSQ) under the Quebec Skilled Worker program via periodic draws.

Candidates have up to 60 days to submit their applications

Candidates receiving an invitation have 60 days to submit a full application and approved candidates who receive a CSQ may then apply to the federal government for Canadian permanent residence.

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

The human capital factors are:

• French language ability;
• French and English combined;
• age;
• work experience, and;
• education.

The Quebec labour market factors are:

• 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, and;
• job offer inside or outside Greater Montreal.

Quebec publishes lists of high demand occupations and areas of training that weigh considerably in the assessment.

Housing costs in Canada – and in particular apartment rental rates – are being driven up by international students and temporary foreign workers who are coming to the country in record numbers and putting pressure on the market, says an urban policy researcher.

Steve Pomeroy, a Carleton University Centre for Urban Research and Education (CURE) policy research consultant and senior research fellow, says international students and temporary foreign workers put a particular pressure on Canada’s rental market.

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“Temporary foreign workers and students are going to be renters, as opposed to owners,” Pomeroy reportedly told the National Post.

Opposition politicians blaming immigration for Canada’s housing woes

In Canada, right-of-centre politicians, including Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre and People’s Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier blame – at least in part – the country’s record-high immigration levels for creating too much demand on the housing market and driving up prices.

The Conservative leader has said immigration targets should be driven by the number of vacancies that private sector employers need to fill, the number of charities that want to sponsor refugees, and the families that want to reunite quickly with loved ones.

Poilievre has so far not divulged an immigration target that would accomplish that goal but has repeatedly bashed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s immigration policy as being out of control.

Further to the right on the political spectrum, Bernier, whose party failed to win a single seat in the last election, has said he wants immigration to be cut to less than a third of the current level.

“A People’s Party government will… substantially lower the total number of immigrants and refugees Canada accepts every year, from 500,000 planned by the Liberal government in 2025, to between 100,000 and 150,000, depending on economic and other circumstances,” the party’s website states.

The Conservative leader has said immigration targets should be driven by the number of vacancies that private sector employers need to fill, the number of charities that want to sponsor refugees, and the families that want to reunite quickly with loved ones.

Further to the right on the political spectrum People’s Party of Canada leader Maxime Bernier, whose party failed to win a single seat in the last election, has said he wants immigration to be cut to less than a third of the current level.

“A People’s Party government will… substantially lower the total number of immigrants and refugees Canada accepts every year, from 500,000 planned by the Liberal government in 2025, to between 100,000 and 150,000, depending on economic and other circumstances,” the party’s website states.

Immigration Minister Marc Miller has defended the country’s immigration targets and suggested they are not the primary cause of Canada’s housing affordability crisis.

But all of those criticisms of Canada’s immigration policy have so far been almost exclusively about the number of new permanent residents the country accepts every year.

At CURE, Pomeroy is quick to point out many newcomers to Canada are not permanent residents but rather temporary foreign workers and international students and they too put pressure on the housing market.

International students coming to study in Canada in growing numbers

And their numbers are rising – fast.

Last year, the number of international students, those foreign nationals who hold study permits, shot up by 30.8 per cent, to 807,750 from 617,315 only a year earlier, data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) reveals.

Since then, the IRCC has issued 238,960 study permits in the first half of this year.

During that time, rents have shot up in almost every market in Canada, jumping roughly 10 per cent across the country.

Canada is a destination of choice for international students with universities here recruiting as many foreign nationals to come study here as possible because universities can charge international students much higher tuitions and so boost their revenues, said Pomeroy.

“In Ontario, university tuition fees are frozen, grants are frozen, but the only variable that universities have to generate new revenues is international students, so they naturally go and chase those,” he reportedly said.

The urban policy expert says Ottawa should work with the universities and colleges and developers to improve housing conditions for international students and help ease the pressure on the housing market.

“If the government was smart, it would say ‘OK, we’re causing the problem by giving out these visas to international students, how can we solve this problem,’” he reportedly said.

“Let’s work with the universities, let’s work with the private developers for some incentives and stimulus.”

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC) rental construction financing initiative, a program that provides low-cost loans to encourage rental apartment projects, could be used to stimulate the construction of student housing, he suggested.

“You can wait until folks get displaced and they’re in the homeless shelter and we intervene and provide supportive housing and wraparound services to help them get out of shelters at significantly high cost, or we could build 1,000 units of student housing with no cost to government,” Pomeroy reportedly said.

Last year, IRCC data reveals there were 465,350 foreign nationals in the country who had gotten work permits through the International Mobility Program (IMP) and another 135,760 working in the country through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). That’s a total of 601,110 foreign workers who got work permits in 2022 alone.