Author: Mercedes Sanchez

On August 24, 2023, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) updated its immigration inventory and backlog data. According to the latest update, there were 2,274,600 applications for permanent residence, temporary residence and citizenship approvals in all IRCC inventories. According to the update, 35.2% of the applications in the inventory exceeded service standards. The IRCC aims to process 80% of applications…

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will modernize its International Student Program by implementing a Trusted Institution Framework by 2024. This framework will create a two-tiered structure in which post-secondary institutions will be assessed against criteria to demonstrate that they are trusted partners. Institutions that meet the requirements will receive benefits such as expedited application processing. DLIs will be required…

On August 16, 2023, Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) updated the processing times for Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) applications under various streams. Based on statistics from all processing centers, the current average LMIA processing times have increased for the Permanent Resident Stream, Agricultural Stream, and In-Home Caregivers. Global Talent Stream - 10 working days (-3 days) Agricultural Stream…

In Canada, women who immigrated under economic programs were more likely than men to graduate from Canadian colleges and universities. This may be because immigrant women often face challenges in having their foreign educational credentials recognized in Canada. Interestingly, those with a post-secondary education before immigrating were also more likely to obtain a post-secondary diploma or degree after arriving in…

On August 3, 2023, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held the first occupation-specific Express Entry draw and issued 1,500 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) to candidates working in one of the skilled trades occupations. The cut-off score for Round #261 was 388 points. The tie-breaking rule for this round was June 7, 2023, at 07:03:08 UTC. As of August 1,…

On July 25, 2023, the Ontario Immigration Nominee Program (OINP) held the fifth round of invitations in the Ontario Express Entry French-Speaking Skilled Worker stream. In this round, the OINP issued 95 invitations to apply to French-speaking candidates. The Comprehensive Ranking Score (CRS) range of the candidates who received the Notification of Interest from the OINP was between 321 and…

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is now processing spousal temporary resident visas (TRVs) in just 30 days for applicants who have already applied for permanent residence in Canada. This means that instead of waiting in their home countries for the IRCC to make a decision, applicants can come to Canada and wait for processing to be completed. As a…

On July 13, 2023, the Government of Canada published a new program delivery update for work permit issuance under the International Mobility Program (IMP). Starting July 13, 2023, family members of students working on campus under the authority of R186(f) or with a co-op work permit (code C32 or C33) will not be eligible for a spousal open work permit.…

On July 12, 2023, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held a new Express Entry draw, selecting candidates for French language proficiency. In round #258, IRCC issued 3,800 Invitations to Apply (ITA) to qualified candidates. This round had the lowest cut-off score – 375, 64 points fewer than the previous draw for this category. The tie-breaking rule for this round…

On July 7, 2023, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held the first Express Entry draw, selecting candidates for French language proficiency. In round #256, IRCC issued 2,300 Invitations to Apply (ITA) to qualified candidates. This round had the lowest cut-off score of 2023 – 439 points! The tie-breaking rule for this round was January 20, 2023, at 17:18:32 UTC.…