Author Archives: admin

On October 13, 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 19 applications, and 441 spots remain available. SINP updates this data every Monday. Since the launch of the program, SINP has accepted 559 applications from international graduates.

On October 12, 2021, Alberta published the update of the inventory of the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP). Currently, there are around 600 Alberta Opportunity Stream applications and 600 Expressions of Interest in the Alberta Express Entry pool. In addition, on September 30, 2021, Alberta held a new round in the Alberta Express Entry Stream and issued 275 Notifications of Interest (NOI). The lowest score in this round was 300 points, the same as it was in the previous draw. In 2021, AINP already invited 5,617 Express Entry candidates to apply for a provincial nomination in the Alberta Express Entry. For 2021, IRCC provided 6,250 nomination certificates to Alberta.

Due to the pandemic, the sharp decrease in the numbers of new immigrants has exacerbated the shortage of skilled workers in Canada. Recently, the Royal Bank of Canada released a report that pointed out that if Canadian employers and policymakers do not make changes, the shortage of skilled workers will continue to worsen in the next decade. The immigration trend in Canada always follows the demand of the labour market. The report stated that before the pandemic, Canada had been working hard to maintain a stable flow of skilled workers in the labour market.

Prince Edward Island experienced a sharp decline in employment trends due to business closures and other disruptions as a result of the pandemic during spring 2021. According to Occupational Outlook – Prince Edward Island 2020 – 2021, the province’s labour force declined by nearly 10% in both full-time and part-time employment. Despite some increase in certain in-demand jobs, there are still considerable risks for the province’s economic progress. Closed borders with the US, slower recovery in the tourism sector, productivity constraints, as well as fiscal deficit, negatively affect the Island’s economic and employment prospects.

On October 7, 2021, Nova Scotia invited carpenters and job offer holders under the Labour Market Priorities Stream of the Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP). In this round, the province issued Letters of Interest to Express Entry candidates who have a valid job offer from a Nova Scotia employer, have one year of skilled work experience related to the job, and have a Canadian high school credential or equivalent.  For the carpenter draw, candidates must have a primary occupation of a carpenter (NOC 7271), and provide letters of reference from employers. All candidates must demonstrate the language skill at a CLB level 5 or higher in English in all four bands and submit the application no later than 11:59 PM, November 6, 2021.

On October 8, 2021, the Government of Canada introduced new instructions for the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program (AIPP). According to the new regulations, when an AIPP applicant who has a permanent residence (PR) application in processing decides to change his or her employer, he/she has to inform the province and IRCC, get a modified endorsement certificate and request a letter of support from the province. In this situation, officers will put the AIPP PR application on hold until the required documentation is received.

In September, Canada managed to evacuate 75% of the 1,250 Canadian citizens and permanent residents and 15% of the vulnerable Afghans. After the withdrawal of US troops, Canada’s foreign affairs department announced that around 950 people have been able to leave Afghanistan, including 440 Canadian citizens, 150 permanent residents, and 350 family members. Canadian authorities did not specify how these people were able to leave Afghanistan, which is now under Taliban rule. Several tweets from Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau indicate that many people left on special charter flights to Qatar.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada rejected an applicant’s permanent residency (PR) application for the reason of not submitting the document as proof of completed degree. The applicant, a former international student from the United Kingdom who came to Canada in September 2014 to complete a Master of Science degree at the University of Alberta requested a formal confirmation from the university, which IRCC later did not accept as proof. The Federal Court of Canada decided that considering the wording on the IRCC website, it is unreasonable for IRCC to reject Express Entry (EE) applications if applicants provide other proof of education. According to the decision of the court, IRCC must review the applicant’s EE application, taking into account the copy of the diploma issued by the university.

Nova Scotia announced a $2.5-million marketing campaign to attract more immigrants to fix serious labour shortages in the province. According to provincial Immigration Minister Jill Balser, the province needs more people to ‘fill labour gaps, rebuild the economy and set a bold new course for business and financial growth.’ Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and travel restrictions and delays in federal processing, immigration numbers have decreased in the province. Between January 2, 2020, and April 1, 2021, Nova Scotia’s population increased only by 6,428 that is expected to increase as the restrictions ease and federal processing returns to pre-pandemic levels.