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IMPACT – MEDIUM
What is the change? Quebec’s immigration minister recently announced that the province will soon replace the current first-come, first-served program for economic immigrants with a new Expression of Interest program designed to give priority to immigrants with skills that are in high demand in Quebec.
What does the change mean? The new system will likely be similar to the federal Express Entry program, where candidates are given a score based on skills, education, work experience, language ability and other factors. In making the announcement, Quebec Immigration Minister David Heurtel also said he wants to reduce processing times for economic immigrants to less than 12 months. He said the changes will be implemented Aug. 2.
Background: Heurtel announced the change on Twitter last week after officials had talked about moving to a new Expression of Interest system for months. He linked to a news report which quoted him as saying the new system will allow Quebec to “give priority to the people who have the skills we need” and that processing times for economic immigrants would drop from 32 months to less than 12 months. The launch of the new system will coincide with the introduction of changes to the popular Quebec Immigrant Investor Program, which is also expected to open a new application period in August.
BAL Analysis: Quebec’s new immigration system will be designed to give priority to economic immigrants with skills that meet labor needs and is expected to significantly improve processing times. BAL will provide additional information on how the program will work as it becomes available.
This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group. For additional information, please contact your BAL attorney.
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What is the change? The province of Saskatchewan has updated its list of in-demand occupations for which skilled foreign workers are eligible to apply under the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program.
What does the change mean? Employers should refer to the updated list of 33 occupations that are projected to be in demand for the next five years and the professional licensure requirements for each job title. Seven of the listed occupations do not require proof of professional status or licensure.
Background: The in-demand occupations list applies to the two subcategories of SINP’s International Skilled Worker program—Express Entry and Occupations In-Demand. The Express Entry stream is linked to the federal Express Entry program and successful candidates receive an additional 600 points in the federal Comprehensive Ranking System scheme. Candidates must be in an NOC O, A or B occupation considered to be in-demand in the province, a minimum level of work experience, and score at least 60 out of 100 points in the SINP ranking system. The Occupations In-Demand stream processes candidates outside the Express Entry system and also requires a minimum score of 60 out of 100 in the SINP points system, and applicants must be in an NOC O, A or B occupation considered in-demand in Saskatchewan and have at least one year of paid work experience in the past 10 years in a job that is both in their education field and that is on the in-demand occupation list.
BAL Analysis: Employers in Saskatchewan recruiting foreign skilled workers should consult the updated occupations list and contact their BAL professional for questions regarding eligibility criteria.
What is the change? Canada’s Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship has shortened the length of time that successful candidates in the Express Entry system have to apply for permanent residency.
What does the change mean? Express Entry candidates who are issued an invitation to apply after today’s date will have 60 days instead of 90 days to submit their application for permanent residency.
Background: Express Entry candidates are ranked according to a Comprehensive Ranking System, based on factors such as a job offer in Canada, education, work experience and language skills. Draws are conducted roughly twice a month, to select the top-ranked candidates. Those selected are issued invitations to apply for permanent residency.
BAL Analysis: Individuals do not need to take any steps to update their Express Entry profile, but should be aware of the shorter deadline to apply for permanent residency if they are selected in a draw.
What is the change? The provinces of Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan have announced updates to their immigration streams.
What does the change mean? Alberta has introduced two new streams—the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program for federal Express Entry candidates and the Alberta Opportunity Stream for foreign employees currently working full-time in Alberta. British Columbia conducted two Tech pilot draws on June 6 and June 20, issuing 26 invitations to apply in each draw, and a wider draw on June 13, issuing 163 invitations to apply across various subcategories. Saskatchewan’s International Skilled Worker category of the federal Express Entry program reached the cap of 400 invitations to apply hours after it reopened June 13.
Background: The new AINP stream opened June 14 and is capped at 5,600 nominations for 2018. Under the old streams that the AINP replaced, 2,277 nominations have already been used so far this year. The Alberta Opportunity Stream is a new stream for full-time workers in eligible occupations seeking permanent residence without needing an employer to sponsor them.
The British Columbia provincial nominee program consists of three streams—Skills Immigration stream, Express Entry BC stream, and the Entrepreneur stream—with numerous subcategories each having their own eligibility criteria. Generally, candidates must have a full-time job offer from an employer in British Columbia to be eligible for a provincial nomination.
Saskatchewan’s International Skilled Worker – Express Entry category has a federal cap of 2,600 applications. The most recent draw was the second of 2018 and reached its cap of 400 within hours after opening. The program does not require a job offer in Saskatchewan, and candidates may be nominated from the federal Express Entry pool.
BAL Analysis: The provincial nominee programs remain extremely popular, providing significant additional points toward a candidate’s federal Express Entry ranking. Applicants should apply as soon as possible, as nominations are capped based on annual allocations by the federal government.
Canada conducted its 12th Express Entry draw of the year Wednesday, issuing 3,750 invitations to apply for permanent residency. The lowest qualifying Comprehensive Ranking System score was 451.
The number of invitations increased over recent draws, although the minimum qualifying score was the highest since March.
*Draw limited to two programs
BAL Analysis: The high number of invitations and low qualifying scores are good news for Express Entry candidates. Canada continues to issue invitations for permanent residency at a rate outpacing previous years, consistent with its projections to accept more than 300,000 new immigrants per year in the next three years.
What is the change? Canada has introduced a streamlined study permit system for nationals of China, India, the Philippines and Vietnam.
What does the change mean? Under the Student Direct Stream, nationals of the four countries benefit from faster processing of their study permits but must also meet stricter language criteria.
Background: Canada’s Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship announced the new stream Friday. Although there is a regular study permit route for nationals of the four countries, the Student Direct Stream will unify the rules into one regime to ensure consistency. Applicants must prove upfront that they have the financial resources and language skills to succeed academically in Canada. If applicants do not qualify under the Student Direct Stream, they will be considered under the regular study permit system, but will not get faster processing.
BAL Analysis: The Student Direct Stream will allow qualifying nationals of China, India, the Philippines and Vietnam to obtain faster processing to study in Canada and position them to gain points toward permanent residency eligibility under the Express Entry system. Canada also announced that it is exploring expanding the scheme to Africa, specifically Kenya and Senegal.
Canada issued 86,022 invitations to apply for permanent residence through the federal Express Entry program in 2017, according to a new report from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. The number of invitations was more than double the 33,782 in 2016, with the bulk of the increase coming in the Federal Skilled Worker Program and the Canadian Experience Class.
Some of the report’s key points:
BAL Analysis: The IRCC report highlights the efforts Canada is making through the Express Entry program to invite more applicants to apply for permanent residence. On the whole, Canada is aiming to accept nearly 1 million new immigrants between 2018 and 2020 and officials have continued to issue a high number of invitations to apply in Express Entry draws so far this year. IRCC said it would “continue to monitor Express Entry results, and adjust processes and policies as needed,” but for now, the high number of invitations and relatively low CRS-score cutoffs are good news for applicants.
Canada conducted its 11th Express Entry draw of the year Wednesday, but limited it to two of the skilled migration programs. The government issued 500 invitations to apply for permanent residency to candidates under the Federal Skilled Trades program with the minimum Comprehensive Ranking System score of 288 to qualify, and 200 invitations to apply under the Provincial Nominee Program with the lowest qualifying score of 902.
The following table lists all Express Entry draws thus far in 2018.
902 (Provincial Nominees )
*Program-specific draw
BAL Analysis: Canada continues to invite a high number of individuals to apply for permanent residency. The increased number of invitations in previous draws and the low minimum scores are good news for applicants.
What is the change? Canada’s immigration minister announced that the country’s visa waiver program will be extended to citizens of the United Arab Emirates on June 5.
What does the change mean? UAE nationals may travel to Canada without needing to apply for a visitor visa for stays of up to six months for business, tourism or family visits.
Background: The visa waiver was announced at a meeting between the Canadian Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship and the UAE’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation on Monday. To apply for an eTA, travelers must have a valid passport, an email address and a credit card to pay the CA$7 government processing fee.
BAL Analysis: The visa waiver is good news for UAE business travelers. The UAE continues to actively pursue visa exemptions, having secured visa waiver agreements with several other countries in the past year, including China, Ireland, Paraguay, Switzerland, Uruguay and Ukraine. Emiratis intending to conduct work activities in Canada are reminded that work is not permitted on a visa wavier, and they must apply for the appropriate work permit.
What is the change? Portugal will join Canada’s International Experience Canada Program through a bilateral arrangement that was signed Wednesday.
What does the change mean? Through the agreement, each year up to 2,000 Canadian nationals and up to 2,000 Portuguese nationals between the ages of 18 and 35 may work and travel in each other’s countries through the Working Holiday, International Co-op and Young Professionals streams of the IEC Program. Additional information on the IEC Program is available here for Canadians and here for nationals of countries participating in the program.
Background: The IEC Program is available to Canadian citizens who want to travel and work abroad and to foreign nationals who want to travel and work in Canada. Portugal joins 32 other countries and territories already participating in the program.
The IEC Program is divided into three streams:
BAL Analysis: While the IEC Program offers a limited number of work permits each year, expanding the program to include Portugal may provide a new avenue for Canadian and Portuguese employers seeking to hire young foreign nationals from each other’s country.
This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group and our network provider located in Canada. For additional information, please contact your BAL attorney.