Prospective clients are requested to contact immediately with Global Immigration Consultancy Services branch office, agent offices and Business Associate offices in India, Nepal and Bangladesh or send your resumes at info@gicscan.com / surajit.bhowmick@gicscan.com.

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New Federal Skilled Worker Program is ready to accept applications beginning May 4, 2013 onwards. CIC deleted all occupations except Physiotherapists and Medical Radiation Technologists and create a new 24 occupations priority list instead of previous 29 occupations priority list, based on recent high demand of all 24 occupations in Canada market with effect from May 04, 2013 onwards untill further notice from CIC. The new occupations and its descriptions are available under Federal Skilled Workers Category in our website. 

Ottawa, December 19, 2012 — The new selection system for the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) will take effect on May 4, 2013 at which time the program will re-open for applications, Citizenship, Immigration, and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced today.

“The government’s number one priority remains jobs, economic growth, and long-term prosperity,” said Minister Kenney. “The new Federal Skilled Worker Program criteria will ensure Canada is selecting the skilled immigrants our economy needs, who are the most likely to succeed and fully realize their potential in Canada.”

The improvements to the FSWP points grid are based on language proficiency and youth, both are the most important factors in the economic success of immigrants.

The final changes to the FSWP selection criteria include:

• Minimum official language thresholds and increased points for official language proficiency, making language the most important factor in the selection process;
• Increased emphasis on younger immigrants, who are more likely to acquire valuable Canadian experience, are better positioned to adapt to changing labour market conditions, and who will spend a greater number of years contributing to Canada’s economy;
• Introduction of the Educational Credential Assessment (ECA), so that education points awarded reflect the foreign credential’s true value in Canada;
• Changes to the arranged employment process, allowing employers to hire applicants quickly, if there is a demonstrated need in the Canadian labour market; and
• Additional adaptability points for spousal language ability and Canadian work experience.
• New applications under the FSWP will be processed in a few months, rather than a few years.

“Our Government’s number one priority remains economic and job growth,” said Minister Kenney. “Newcomers bring their skills and talents, contribute to our economy and help renew our workforce so that Canada remains competitive on the world stage.

CIC plans to admit a total of 240,000 to 265,000 new permanent residents in 2013. This represents the highest sustained level of immigration in Canadian history.

In particular, the 2013 Immigration Levels Plan makes room for the rapid growth in the Canadian Experience Class (CEC). The CEC, which was created in 2008, facilitates the transition from temporary to permanent residence for those with high-skilled work experience in Canada, including international students and temporary foreign workers. Admissions under the CEC have increased from about 2,500 people in 2009 to more than 6,000 in 2011, with more expected this year than ever before. In 2013, CIC intends to accept a record high of up to 10,000 permanent residents through this popular program.

Canada’s growing demand for skilled tradespersons, a new Federal Skilled Trades Program is being launched on January 2, 2013.

“The new Skilled Trades Stream will help address serious labour shortages in some regions of the country, and support economic growth,” Minister Kenney said. “For too long, Canada’s immigration system has not been open to these in-demand skilled workers. These changes are long overdue and will help us move to a fast and flexible immigration system that works for Canada’s economy.”

The program criteria are built around four requirements that ensure applicants will have the right skills and experience needed to succeed here in Canada. In order to qualify, applicants will need to:

1. have an offer of employment in Canada or a certificate of qualification from a province or territory to ensure that applicants are “job ready” upon arrival;
2. meet a basic language requirement;
3. have a minimum of two years of work experience as a skilled tradesperson, to ensure that the applicant has recent and relevant practice as a qualified journeyman; and
4. have the skills and experience that match those set out in the National Occupational Classification (NOC B) system, showing that they have performed the essential duties of the occupation.

The program criteria are built around four requirements that ensure applicants will have the right skills and experience needed to succeed here in Canada.

The Federal Skilled Trades Program will help transform Canada’s immigration system into a fast and flexible system focused on jobs, growth and long-term prosperity.

Eligible occupations will include electricians, welders, heavy-duty equipment mechanics, and pipefitters, among others. CIC is currently working with the provinces, territories and federal government partners on the list of skilled trades’ occupations that are experiencing acute labour shortages and which will qualify under the program. This list will be announced prior to the program opening on January 2, 2013.

The Federal Skilled Trades Program will complement other avenues already in place for skilled tradespersons to immigrate to Canada, such as the Canadian Experience Class and Provincial Nominee Programs.

The 2013 Levels Plan, which includes the admission of 25,000 parents and grandparents for the second year in a row, for a total of 50,000 between this year and next. This is a 60 percent annual increase from 2010 and the highest level in nearly two decades.

The Action Plan also took immediate steps to address a backlog of PGP applications that had ballooned to approximately 165,000 applicants, with wait times stretching to an unacceptable eight years. By the end of this year, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) expects to have reduced the backlog by about 20 percent. Of the applications cleared from the backlog, the majority met the requirements of the program and have been approved.

Furthermore, there has been strong uptake of the new Parent and Grandparent Super Visa, which allows parents and grandparents to visit Canada for up to two years at a time. The Super Visa is very popular, with over 10,000 Super Visas being issued since its launch in December 2011, and the acceptance rate is high at 87 percent.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has introduced amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (the Regulations) which apply to spouses, common-law or conjugal partners in a relationship of two years or less with their sponsor and who have no children in common with their sponsor at the time they submit their sponsorship application. The sponsored spouse must cohabit in a legitimate relationship with their sponsor for two years from the day on which they receive their permanent resident status in Canada. If they do not remain in the relationship, the sponsored spouse’s status could be revoked. The conditional measure only applies to permanent residents whose applications are received on or after October 25, 2012—the day that the amendments came into force.

 

 

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 Aside from the need to satisfy the two-year requirement, conditional permanent residence does not differ from normal permanent residence. These sponsored spouses have access to the same rights and benefits as other permanent residents. They will be allowed to work and study without a work or study permit; they will not be subject to different tuition fees in post-secondary schools; and they will have the same access to health coverage and social benefits, including social security (or income support).

If the relationship breaks down, the sponsor remains financially responsible until the end of the three-year.

Most applicants under provincial nominee programs for semi-skilled and low skilled occupations, will have to undergo mandatory language testing of basic proficiency in IELTS.

The Parent and Grand parent Supervisa is a great success. Our government is committed to family reunification since it was introduced on December 1, 2011, with an overall approval rate of 83%.

The provincial nominee program acknowledges that provinces and territories are well placed to recognizes and react to labour market needs in their jurisdiction.

CIC will continue to work with provinces and territories to determine how to improve the program design, integrity, selection standards and management of the provincial nominee programs.

The number of provincial nominees admitted by CIC has grown steadily in recent years, from 8047 in 2005 to 36,428 in 2010. In 2010, total includes more than 8,600 temporary foreign workers who became permanent residents as provincial / territorial nominees. In Canada, federal and provincial governments continue to work together to manage growth in the provincial nominee programs and to make sure that provincial and federal immigration programs better complement each other.

CIC is working with provinces and territories, with the exception of Quebec, on a longer-term approach for planning immigration levels.

Facts in Canada's Immigration History:

Canada is often referred to as a land of immigrants because million of newcomers have settled here and help to build and defend our way of life, starting with settlers from France and England.

Important Notice:

Citizenship and Immigration Canada will place a temporary pause on new applications to the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) and federal Immigrant Investor Program (IIP) with effect from 1st July 2012, in view of making lots of changes to our economic immigration system. We will see lot of changes in Canada Immigration within 6 (six) months to make faster and flexible Immigration systems. This is an important step in moving towards a faster, more flexible immigration system, while immigration levels are at a historic high. “This temporary pause on new Federal Skilled Worker applications will allow us to set the program on a new course as we intend to launch revised selection criteria soon,” said Minister Kenney.

Since the launch of Canada’s Economic Action Plan 2012, Minister Kenney has announced a series of changes to CIC’s economic immigration programs. They include:

• eliminating the backlog of old FSWP applications;
• improving the selection of FSWs;
• creating a new Federal Skilled Trades Program;
• modifying the Canadian Experience Class to help transition successful skilled temporary workers to permanent residence;
• changing business immigration programs to target more active investment in Canadian growth companies and more innovative entrepreneurs; and
• moving towards a new application management system, to develop a pool of skilled workers who arrive in Canada ready to begin employment.
• CIC will also introduce a pause on new federal IIP applications. This pause will remain in place until further notice, allowing the Department to make progress on processing its existing inventory.                                    

The temporary pause on FSWP applications does not apply to candidates with offers of arranged employment or those applying under the PhD eligibility stream.

Building a stronger Canada: Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) strengthens Canada’s economic, social and cultural prosperity, helping ensure Canadian safety and security while managing one of the largest and most generous immigration programs in the world.

An excerpts from Citizenship and Immigration Canada website.