Author: Mercedes Sanchez

On July 5, 2023, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held the first occupation-specific Express Entry draw for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professionals and issued 500 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) to qualified candidates. The cut-off score for Round #254 was 486 points. The tie-breaking rule for this round was November 23, 2022 at 00:01:29 UTC. As of July…

On July 4, 2023, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued 700 Invitations to Apply (ITA) to candidates under Express Entry. In this draw, IRCC invited candidates under all immigration programs. In round #253, the cut-off score was 511 points, 25 points more than in the previous all-program draw. The tie-breaking rule for this round was July 1, 2023, at…

According to the latest announcement from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), starting in 2023, category-based selection under the Express Entry system will prioritize candidates with strong French language skills. The new selection system will also prioritize experience in occupations that are expected to experience shortages between 2022 and 2031, based on Employment and Social Development Canada's (ESDC) Canadian Occupation…

Non-permanent residents, such as international students, foreign workers, and asylum seekers, make up a growing portion of Canada's population. In 2021, almost 1 million non-permanent residents (NPRs) were counted in the census, representing 2.5% of Canada's population. Most NPRs had a work permit, comprising 40.1% of NPRs. An additional 14.2% of NPRs held a study permit in addition to their…

According to a report by the International Monetary Fund, Canadian officials have agreed that more homes need to be built as mortgage rates rise and more people move here. To make housing more affordable, the Canadian government will make it easier and faster to get permission to build new homes in existing neighborhoods. While the government has provided funding to…

On June 16, 2023, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) updated its immigration inventory and backlog data. According to the latest update, there were 2,248,000 applications for permanent residence, temporary residence and citizenship approvals in all IRCC inventories. According to the update, 36.4% of the applications in the inventory exceeded service standards. The IRCC aims to process 80% of applications…

On June 15, 2023, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) introduced a temporary policy that will allow eligible Post-Graduate Work Permit (PGWP) holders to apply for an additional open work permit valid for up to 18 months. All applications must be received between April 6 and December 31, 2023, and their PGWPs have expired or will expire between September 20,…

The Citizenship Act was amended by a committee of MPs to allow individuals born abroad to adopt the citizenship of their Canadian parents. This decision was made over the objections of the Conservatives. In 2009, the Conservative government amended the law to prohibit Canadian parents born abroad from passing on their citizenship unless their child was also born in Canada.…

The Quebec Immigrant Investor Program (QIIP), Canada's top business immigration program, is about to be relaunched. The new program will remove the requirement to establish and manage a new business in Canada, making it even more accessible for foreign investors to participate. Regulated investment dealers and trust companies will serve as financial intermediaries, providing investor confidence and compensation for agents.…

On June 7, 2023, Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) updated the processing times for the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) applications under various streams. Based on statistics from all processing centres, the current average LMIA processing times have increased for all streams except the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program and Permanent Residence stream. Global Talent Stream - 20 business days…