Canada’s francophone province of Quebec is pumping $246 million into programs to attract and retain immigrants, according to its latest budget. “Attracting and retaining immigrants to our communities, particularly those in the outlying regions, allows businesses to grow due to these skilled workers and helps resolve labour shortages in several of our economic sectors,” said Immigration Minister Nadine Girault in...

Saskatchewan immigration has targeted 58 jobs with 279 invitations to apply across two streams in a new provincial Expression of Interest draw. In the April 8 Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program draw, Occupations In-Demand candidates with skills and experience in one of 58 National Occupational Classification (NOC) codes received 146 invitations, with a minimum score of 70 points. A further 133 invitations...

The latest federal government figures released Friday show Canada’s unemployment rate dropped to its lowest level since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March. The Statistics Canada Labour Market Survey recorded unemployment of 7.5 percent, as Canada jobs increased by 303,100 during the month, moving employment within 1.5 percent of pre-COVID levels. The gains covered both full and part-time work,...

Letters of Advice to Apply to skilled workers and international graduates. The April 8 draw saw LAAs issued through three MPNP streams. Skilled Workers in Manitoba received 208 LAAs, with the lowest-ranked candidates scoring 456 points. International Education Stream candidates received 21 LAAs. The remaining 14 LAAs went to Skilled Workers Overseas candidates through a Strategic Recruitment Initiative, with a minimum score of...

French-language testing for Quebec immigration could be changed after a tradesman from France – educated in the French language – failed to make the grade. “This is a test that seems designed to make people fail,” tradesman Yohan Flaman reportedly told the francophone daily newspaper Le Devoir in French. “I thought I had this in the bag but the instructions...

Quebec immigration has opened a four-week application window for its collective sponsorship program for refugees abroad. In this first intake period under the program this year, only groups of two to five Quebec citizens or permanent residents can sponsor these refugees.  In a decision published in the Gazette officielle du Québec on Nov. 1 last year, organizations were prevented from sponsoring...

British Columbia immigration has conducted a new BC PNP Tech Pilot draw, issuing 80 invitations to skilled workers and international graduates. The April 6 draw featured invitations through four streams of the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program.  Minimum scores were 80 for all four streams. The featured streams were: SI – Skilled Worker SI – International Graduate EEBC – Skilled Worker ...

Canada’s immigration department is promising to give partial refunds starting this month for citizenship and International Experience Canada program fees – and a few other fees related to passports and travel documents – when they get sub-par service. Under the Service Fees Act, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and other federal governments are obligated to return a portion of...

Newfoundland & Labrador’s shrinking population makes immigration especially important as its economy struggles to recover post-COVID-19. In its provincial economic outlook, the Royal Bank of Canada notes growth in the Newfoundland & Labrador economy this year will trail that of other Canadian provinces despite the easing of public health restrictions imposed during the pandemic. “We expect the boost the Newfoundland &...

Canada’s immigration department is helping refugees fleeing ISIS terrorists – especially the much-persecuted Yazidis – under a new policy expected to help more of them come here as permanent residents. “Having survived abuse, torture and even genocide at the hands of Daesh (the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant), the Yazidis and other groups are...