Author Archives: admin

A recent survey by IRCC found that in August 2021, the employment rate for recent immigrants who have been living in Canada for five years or less reached 70.4%, a 6.1% increase compared to August 2019. Business groups are calling for more immigrants to increase labour market flexibility. 80% of foodservice employers were finding it difficult to fill vacancies for kitchen staff, while 67% were struggling to find front-of-house employees (servers, bartenders, and hostesses) that make Canadian employers hire immigrants to fill the labour market gaps.

On October 19, 2021, British Columbia held a new draw in the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Tech Program (BC PNP Tech). In this draw, the province invited 85 candidates in four categories: Skills Immigration – Skilled Worker, Skills Immigration – International Graduate, Express Entry British Columbia – Skilled Worker, and Express Entry British Columbia – International Graduate. The lowest score in all categories was 75 points, 5 points more than in the previous draw. In 2021, British Columbia invited 1,581 candidates to apply for a provincial nomination in the BCPNP Tech. In total, BCPNP issued 9,703 ITAs to date.

On October 19, 2021, the Government of Canada updated the instructions for the temporary public policy for graphic designers working on the live-action television and film industry that will be in effect from September 10, 2021, to March 9, 2022. The new R01 Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) exemption code, as well as links to the Canadian Heritage page on tax credits and the Telefilm Canada page on funding, were added to assist officers. As of now, employers must use the administrative LMIA exemption code “R01 A25.2 Public policy” when submitting the offer in the Employer Portal, and write in the LMIA exemption justification field that they “apply under the Graphic Designer public policy, and attestation letter has been provided to the temporary worker.”

On October 19, 2021, the Government of Canada updated the Overseas Processing Manual (OP 24) and introduced new program delivery instructions. These instructions are for officers to process the application in Canada applicants whose family members reside outside of Canada. Family members of the following in-Canada applicants for permanent residence are applicable for the new instructions – spouse and common-law partner in Canada class, live-in caregiver class, protected persons in Canada, protected temporary residents, temporary resident permit holder class, and applicants for permanent residence on humanitarian and compassionate considerations who applied in Canada.

According to Statistics Canada’s quarterly job vacancy report, Canada’s job vacancy rate in the second quarter of 2021 is the highest on record. From April to June 2021, Canada’s job vacancy rate was 4.6%, the highest level since comparable data was provided in 2015. The high vacancy rate was affected by the rise in the job vacancy rate and the decline in employment over the same period. There were 731,900 vacancies in the last quarter, an increase of nearly 26% over the same period two years ago. Before the pandemic, Canada had been experiencing a labour shortage problem. This problem has always been solved through immigration. However, due to the decrease in the number of new immigrants entering Canada in 2020, the tension in the labour market has been exacerbated. However, the low immigration rate is only one factor. Some people say that the government’s employment benefits also prevent people from returning to work. But economists say it is mainly due to the decrease in new immigrants.

Some internationally educated nurses in British Columbia said the language proficiency requirement to become a registered nurse is an unnecessary barrier forcing them to give up their career and look for other jobs. Amid the strain of the pandemic on other nurses, they say they feel frustrated and unable to help. Many internationally educated nurses immigrated to Canada almost a decade ago with hopes of continuing to work in their profession. However, after multiple attempts at passing the English proficiency exam, they had to make the difficult decision to switch careers. Multiple nurses are unable to score above the IELTS requirements for nurses and give up after multiple attempts

The US will open land and sea borders starting November 8, 2021. All travellers must be fully vaccinated cross the border into the US for non-essential travel. This policy requires international travellers to provide only proof of vaccination. However, air travellers have to show a negative COVID-19 test in addition to the proof of vaccination. Those who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 or are partially vaccinated will not be allowed to cross the border. In early January 2022, the second phase of this policy is expected to be applied that will require both essential and non-essential travellers to be fully vaccinated.

On October 18, 2021, Saskatchewan updated the number of spots remaining through the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) for international graduates in the framework of the temporary immigration policy. The provincial government has allocated 1,000 spots for direct submission of a nomination application for those who resided in the province on September 1, 2020, and has completed an academic program in the province. Since the last week, the province has accepted 17 applications, and 424 spots remain available. SINP updates this data every Monday. Since the launch of the program, SINP has accepted 576 applications from international graduates.

On October 18, 2021, the government of Canada exempted Afghanistan nationals from the 12-month bar due to the worsening conditions in Afghanistan that put individuals at risk. Afghan applicants whose previous pre-removal risk assessment (PRRA) decision was made between October 19th, 2020 and October 18th, 2021, and whose refugee claim or previous application for a PRRA is rejected or withdrawn, or dismissed by the Federal Court, can apply for a PRRA. Those whose decisions were made after October 18th, 2021, will still be subjected to the 12-month bar.

The latest issue of Lexbase disclosed that an internal immigration department document emphasized if people residing in Canada want to officially land in Canada after obtaining permanent residence, they must have a legal TR (temporary resident) status. This internal document dated November 3, 2020, states that in order to complete landing procedures in Canada, the applicant must hold a valid temporary residence visa in order to prove they are in the country legally. This is a general basic requirement for all permanent resident applications. If the person overstayed their residency, but is still within the 90-day period to apply to restore their status, they need to first apply to restore their legal residence status and wait until the documents are approved before completing the permanent residency approval.