Latest Canada Immigration News: 2022 Edition – Yuno Learning
Updated on: 16, October 2022
Candidates for provincial immigration programs have received invitations to apply from Quebec and British Columbia this week.
Quebec
With the exception of Quebec and Nunavut, most Canadian provinces and territories run their Provincial Nominee Programmes (PNPs). On September 29, Quebec opened applications for its permanent selection of 1,195 skilled professionals. This score is lower than the previous general draw, which occurred on September 15 and had a score of 620. This is the third draw in September and the twelfth draw that Quebec has held in 2022. Quebec generally only holds draws once a month, so this is uncommon. One to two weeks after draws take place, Quebec releases the results of the draws.
The invitations were issued by the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI) to immigration candidates applying under the Quebec Regular Skilled Worker Program (QSWP).
British Columbia
On October 12, more than 364 applicants were invited to submit their applications for Provincial Nomination in British Columbia. In a general random draw, the province selected and invited 320 applicants. Candidates from the categories of International Graduates and Skilled Workers, as well as Express Entry applicants, received invitations. For Entry Level and Semi-Skilled candidates, the minimum SIRS score required for entry was 78. Similar to the Express Entry Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), SIRS only applies to the PNP of British Columbia.
While Provincial Nomination is not Permanent Residence, it can serve as the initial step toward obtaining permanent residence from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
Updated on: 12, October 2022
Canada’s most recent all-program Express Entry draw was held on October 12, 2022. It was the eighth all-program draw since they resumed on July 6.
IRCC issued invitations to 4,250 candidates with a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 500. Candidates were eligible to receive invitations from the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), all programs that operate under the Express Entry system.
Update Date: 03, September 2022
“We’ll keep finding ways to modernize and digitalize our immigration system, giving clients the experience they expect, and reinforcing Canada as a destination of choice around the world.” This is the very tweet that was made by Canada’s Immigration Minister Sean Fraser.
This comes in light of the decision of the Canadian government to modernize its immigration systemregard and the need for them to clear their backlogs in regards to the multiple applications that await some form of confirmation. Earlier this year, the government also decided to set a target of inviting a minimum of 431,000 permanent residents. They have already welcomed over 300,000 applicants as of August 22, 2022. With this, Canada has broken all its previous year’s records of permanent resident intakes. So, what does it mean for Indians who have been trying to immigrate to Canada and possibly become Permanent Residents?
This decision will greatly impact the number of Indians who wish to immigrate to Canada, and the process for doing the same has been made easier than ever before. This blog will highlight the main takeaways from the decision of the Canadian government to increase their intake of permanent residents.
Here are five ways in which the Canadian government has made the process of understanding the permanent residence application process easier and cost-effective.
1. No More Medical Exams & Evaluations
Permanent resident and temporary resident applicants who are already in Canada, and meet certain specific criteria are now exempted from immigration medical examination. This decision was taken to reduce the processing and waiting time for the applicants.
In a recent press release, the IRCC, or the Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada said that – “Simplifying this process in the coming weeks will impact approximately 180,000 clients by helping them save time and money on the medical examination process and reducing wait times on their applications.“
However, there are no notifications or information given yet in regard to the details and criteria for exemption.
2. More Virtual Interviews
During the pandemic, the IRCC introduced virtual and telephonic interviews with sponsors and applicants. This was done to fasten the process of reunification of families during the pandemic. This helped in welcoming more than 69,000 spouses, partners, and children of permanent residents of Canada in the year 2021.
The government has now decided to continue providing this facility for spousal sponsorship applications to increase flexibility and ease of applying. The IRCC said that “By modernizing our services and adding support where needed, we have now returned to the pre-pandemic service standard of 12 months for all new spousal sponsorship applications.”
It will also expand the availability of virtual interviews at overseas offices. This will be done through a pilot project allowing spousal sponsorship and other clients to use the option of virtual interviews at some visa application centres rather than having to travel to a visa office.
3. Online Permanent Residency Applications
The IRCC has decided to switch to a 100% digital application process for permanent resident applications. The process will start on 23rd September 2022 with the aim to provide a centralised system of application. However, the existing offline application process will be selectively available for those who require it.
4. Track Your Application Status
In the month of February 2022, the IRCC and launched a new application status tracker that allowed permanent residence applicants, sponsors, and their representatives in the partner, spouse, dependent child categories to check their application status online with ease. Now with the decision to modernize the immigration system, the service will be available to a few more permanent residence and temporary residence programs by the end of 2023.
Lastly, IRCC has also planned to start providing the facility of forward-looking estimates. This will immensely help in knowing how long it will take to process an application, thereby increasing the predictability for applicants.
There is also some interesting news for Canadian Citizenship applicants. In the month of May 2021, the IRCC introduced the citizenship application status tracker, which will now be expanded to include representatives. This task should come into action by the end of September 2022. All of this is being done to modernize the citizenship application process. Let’s have a look at another new innovation!
5. Modern Citizenship Applications
In August 2021, the IRRC launched a specialized tool that allowed some specific citizenship applications to be submitted online. In brief, the tool allows groups of adults over the age of 18 to apply together. IRCC, in a bid to promote a modern immigration system, hopes to expand this tool to offer online applications for minors under the age of 18 by the end of the year.
On November 26, 2020, it became one of the first countries in the world to offer citizenship testing online. By July 31, 2022, over 406,000 people had taken virtual citizenship tests.
All of the above highlights point towards a bright future for those who wish to move to Canada and/or apply for permanent residency.
Update Date: 22, July 2022
Great news for Canada PR applicants – Early this month, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced a total of 1,500 Express Entry candidates to apply via the express entry draw system.
The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) cut-off score was 557. As per the announcement, the express entry applications will be processed within 6 months.
The Canadian Government is restarting the Express Entry draws for all programs. The government is looking to fill millions of job vacancies by inviting skilled labor from outside of the country. The authorities say that this decision has been made to fill up millions of job vacancies that are going to open this decade owing to Canada’s 9 million baby boomers slated to reach retirement age this decade.
The main sectors which are going to see vacancies are construction, scientific and technical services; transportation and warehousing; finance and insurance, entertainment and recreation; and real estate.
Update Date: 13, February 2022
The IRCC has picked up all the applications that were pending till January 2021 have been picked up and sent invitations to apply for the PR. This news was confirmed when on Feb 13, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) invited 27,332 candidates, working or studying in Canada to apply for the PR. This is a very big number as compared to all the previous years. Also, the lowest cut-off points went as low as 75. As per the resources, IRCC’s goal is to offer 400,000 permanent residencies by the end of 2021 to people living in Canada or abroad. So, what does this imply? A Great Opportunity for Candidates Living in Canada All the candidates who are presently living in Canada and want a PR, this is very positive news for you. Even if you have not received the invitation this time, there is a strong hope that in the coming months, such opportunities can again knock on your door because the applications are moving very fast. Right now, Canada needs a large number of skilled people to manage their country’s work cycle.
We recently put together a blog with information on how to immigrate to Canada through express entry. We hope it answers all your questions. If you need more information or want to enroll for an IELTS course, check out the website to enroll for the IELTS comprehensive course for General Training. You can also call us at +91-8847251466.