Abramovich & Tchern Immigration Lawyers presents the latest news of the second week of November. In this blog, we present a comprehensive review of the latest immigration news and updates. Follow us on our social media accounts to stay updated with the latest news on Canadian immigration!
IRCC invited 4,750 candidates in the new Express Entry draw
On November 9, 2022, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) invited 4,750 candidates under Express Entry. This time, the cut-off score was 494 points – the lowest for this year. As of November, there were 233,619 profiles registered in the Express Entry pool. In the first ten months of 2022, Canada issued 41,788 ITAs through Express Entry. To tackle the labour shortage issue in the country, IRCC will start hosting targeted Express Entry draws specifically for skilled workers.
Immigration Minister Sean Fraser stated that by holding targeted draws, the government would be able to pick workers based on the sector they work in and the location they want to live in Canada. Furthermore, he expressed his plans to make it easier for immigrants with foreign credentials to have them assessed in Canada. The first targeted Express Entry draw of the year is expected to take place in January 2023. If you want to start your journey to Canada, get in touch with our team of experienced immigration lawyers today. We will be happy to assess your eligibility and provide you with the best options available.
Ontario published details of the Entrepreneur Immigration Pilot
On November 8, 2022, the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) announced its new two-year immigration pilot program for entrepreneurs that allow 100 foreign entrepreneurs to invest a minimum of $200,000 CAD by starting or buying a business outside of the GTA. The new pilot will incorporate the existing OINP Entrepreneur Stream, but it will focus on select regions of Ontario that have been most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Candidates who had a company in Ontario for at least 20 months may be nominated for Canadian permanent residency under this program.
The Ontario Entrepreneur Stream is an immigration program that allows foreign entrepreneurs and businesspeople to start a new business or acquire an existing one in Ontario. This stream provides opportunities for those who would like to contribute to the growth of the province. This year, Ontario invited 82 entrepreneurs and their families to apply for permanent residence under this stream. In total, the OINP issued invitations to 20,025 candidates under all streams. If you are an entrepreneur who is interested in immigrating to Ontario, our team at Abramovich & Tchern can help you navigate the process and increase your chances of success.
Canada celebrated the National Francophone Immigration Week
Last week was National Francophone Immigration Week, a Canadian initiative designed to bring together Francophones from all backgrounds. This event encourages new French-speaking immigrants to move to 14 participating communities across Canada. The event was organized for employers who are interested in hiring new Francophone immigrants. The idea behind the initiative came from the 2012 Atlantic Francophone Immigration Week, which was organized by the Atlantic Committee on Francophone Immigration.
In Canada, there are many provinces that accept French-speaking immigrants. Even though Quebec is mostly known as a French-speaking province, New Brunswick holds the title for the largest Francophone population in any Canadian province outside of Quebec. Furthermore, 4% of the population in Manitoba and Ontario are French speakers. Therefore, as more French speakers immigrate to Canada, many programs started supporting their integration into areas outside of Quebec. Newcomers receive help and information from these programs about housing, banking, transit usage, etc.
British Columbia invited entrepreneurs under the BCPNP’s Entrepreneur Stream
The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) held new draws for business candidates on November 8, 2022. In the Base Category of the Entrepreneur Stream, BC PNP invited 8 candidates, while fewer than five business candidates were invited under the Entrepreneur Immigration – Regional Pilot category. The Entrepreneur Stream rewards a maximum of 200 points to qualifying candidates. 120 of those points come from self-declared achievements such as experience, investment ownership, and net worth. Another 80 are given based on the business plan submitted by the applicant. In 2022, the province invited up to 49 entrepreneurs under the program.
The BCPNP Entrepreneur Immigration (EI) stream offers an opportunity for international entrepreneurs to immigrate and set up businesses in the province. The EI pathway is “temporary to permanent,” which means that applicants come to the province as temporary residents and then apply for permanent residency once they have successfully established a business venture. If you are an experienced entrepreneur looking to expand your business, entrepreneur streams provide plenty of opportunities. Our experienced business immigration lawyers can help you with application preparation and ensure a successful outcome. Contact us today to get started.
Nova Scotia invited candidates under the Labour Market Priorities Stream
The Nova Scotia government has released the November 7 draw criteria for the Labour Market Priorities Stream. Candidates who have French as their first official language and meet Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) score requirements in French and English have been selected under the new draw. Applicants for this position must have earned a bachelor’s degree or have completed at least three years of study at an accredited university, college, trade school, or technical institute. The application deadline was December 7, 2022.
According to auditor general Kim Adair, the Government of Nova Scotia needs to restructure its immigration system to achieve the population growth goals set forth by the Federal Government as well as help immigrants integrate better into society. On November 8, Kim Adair released a report revealing that the provincial government spends $6.4 million yearly on immigrant settlement assistance without investigating whether or not this money helps newcomers stay in the province. She claims that if the provincial government wants to increase the current retention rate of 70% to 75%, the population growth has to jump from 10,000 annually to 25,000.
IRCC will invite even more candidates under the PNP draws
The newly announced Immigration Levels Plan will bring in a significant number of new permanent residents to Canada, with the majority coming through the Provincial Nominee Program. In 2022, 83,500 new permanent residents were invited to come to Canada under this program – but next year, that number is set to jump by 20,000 due to changes in the Immigrations Levels Plan. By 2024, the PNP target will increase to 110,000, and by 2025, it will be 117,500. Consequently, approximately 20 percent of all new permanent residents admitted in 2025 will come to Canada via the PNP. It is expected that the Government of Canada will solve the immigration backlog by mid-2023 to process a high number of applications.
Recent data from Canada’s Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship department (IRCC) shows that the immigration backlog has decreased to 2.4 million. This recent decrease is largely due to a significant reduction in applications for temporary residence, while the number of permanent residence applications has slightly increased. Although the IRCC webpage showed that there was progress made in reducing the backlog over the past month, 2.6 million applications were still backlogged as of September 30th. Out of those immigration applications, 1.1 million applications met service standards, while 1.5 million fell below expectations.
Canadian provinces continue inviting new candidates and publishing updates
On November 7, the Government of New Brunswick introduced a new immigration stream called the New Brunswick Critical Worker Pilot (NB CWP) to encourage skilled workers to move and fill positions that are difficult to staff in the province. The new stream will help employers with training, language acquisition, and integration for newcomers. The five-year pilot program will be monitored and evaluated regularly to make sure it is meeting immigration needs and providing the best possible outcomes for the province.
On November 8, Saskatchewan conducted new rounds of invitations in the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) and invited 31 candidates under the Express Entry and Occupations In-Demand categories. In addition, the province also invited 4 Ukrainian candidates. So far, in 2022, Saskatchewan invited 9,800 candidates. The Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) also updated the inventory of applications. According to the newest update, there were around 935 Alberta Opportunity Stream applications and 240 Expressions of Interest in the Alberta Express Entry pool. This year, Alberta nominated 5,837 applicants and invited 2,320 candidates.
There are many reasons why people choose to immigrate to Canada. Whatever your reason for coming to Canada is, Abramovich & Tchern Immigration Lawyers can help you make the process as smooth as possible. We are a team of experienced immigration lawyers who have helped countless people immigrate to Canada. We know the ins and outs of the Canadian immigration system, and we can help you navigate through the often-complex application process. Contact our office today to schedule a consultation. We would be happy to answer any of your questions and help you get started on the path to Canadian citizenship.
