Category: Immigration

Canada Immigration authorities conducted this year’s 20^th round of invitations on August 23, 2017. They sent out invitations to 3,035 applicants for permanent residence. The lowest CRS score for a candidate who was sent an invitation was 434. 30 draws and up to 70,000 invitations with CRS scores below 450 are expected to be issued in 2017 in order for the Canadian immigration authorities to meet this year’s targeted annual immigration levels.

Since its launch in January 2015, Canada has welcomed over 43,000 economic immigrants through the Express Entry system. The Express Entry system is a fast-track system for immigration for highly skilled workers and students. The skills and abilities of a candidate are assessed based on a point-based system known as the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) where the Canadian government assesses the applicants and awards scores. Canadian employers and provincial governments across Canada have access to the profiles. The best candidates are invited by the Federal government to apply for Canadian permanent residence. The system targets and gives permanent residency status to applicants who have the ability to contribute to the economic growth of Canada.

The good news for aspiring applicants is that the expected CRS score for an applicant to be issued an Invitation to Apply under Canada’s Express Entry Immigration system in 2017 is less than 450 points. Therefore, enabling a significant number of applicants to receive permanent resident status in Canada. Find out whether you qualify to apply for Canada’s Express Entry Immigration System by completing our free assessment form.

—

The CanApprove team comprises of unique and multi-talented individuals who work seamlessly and tirelessly to fulfill client needs and exceed expectations. We aim to make the complex process of preparing financial papers, authenticating documents, filling applications, obtaining visas, and acquiring work and residence permits as simple, quick and easy as possible for our clients. By delivering comprehensive and up-to-date immigration advice and services to individuals, families and SME business owners worldwide, our Immigration Services are designed to equip our clients with comprehensive information enabling them to make informed decisions.

The Government of Ontario, as part of its Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program(OINP), launched the Employer Job Offer In-Demand Skills Stream on August 16. It aims to provide an opportunity to in-demand foreign workers with specific occupations in agriculture and construction sectors to permanently settle in Canada. Remember, the stream is not aligned to the Express Entry System and only provides a provincial nomination certificate, using which the candidates can apply to the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for permanent residence.

In order to apply in the In-Demand Skills Stream, you must have a job offer signed by yourself and an Ontario employer. It must be a permanent and full-time job in an eligible occupation. It must also meet the prevailing wage in Ontario for that occupation.

The job offer must be in one of the following eligible occupations in National Occupation Classification Skill Level C or D:

• NOC 7441 – Residential and commercial installers and servicers;
• NOC 7521 – Heavy equipment operators (except crane);
• NOC 8431 – General farm workers;
• NOC 8432 – Nursery and greenhouse workers;
• NOC 8611 – Harvesting labourers;
• NOC 7611 – Construction trades helpers and labourers;
• NOC 9462 – Industrial butchers, meat cutters, poultry preparers, related workers.

Other criteria required for foreign workers to apply in this stream:

• Twelve months of work experience in Ontario in the intended occupation within the preceding 36 months
• Hold the licence or certification if its mandatory for your job offer
• English or French language level of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 4 or above in all language competencies (reading, writing, listening, and speaking)
• Have a minimum level of settlement funds in savings or income in Ontario

The employer who gives the job offer must also fulfill certain criteria which include:

• Must have been in active business for at least three years
• Must have business premises in Ontario where the applicant will work
• Must be in compliance with all provincial labour laws

If the employer is inside the Greater Toronto Area, they must have:

• A minimum gross annual revenue of $1,000,000
• Five permanent and full-time employees who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents at the location, where the applicant will work.

If outside the Greater Toronto Area, the employer must have:

• A minimum gross annual revenue of $500,000

Three permanent and full-time employees who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents at the location where the applicant will work

In the light of constantly changing immigration rules in Australia, it is always wise to seek the help of expert Australian immigration consultants to make the immigration process smooth for you. An efficient consultancy firm will have the experience and expertise to provide the right kind of guidance to the candidates and help them get through the immigration process successfully. But before entrusting your immigration with a consultancy firm you must take the following aspects into consideration.

Accreditation

Make sure that the immigration consultancy you are choosing for Australian immigration has the accreditation of MARA (Migration Agents Registration Authority). Only registered agents are allowed to provide immigration consultancy services in Australia. The consultancy services that an authorised agent can provide include preparing or helping to prepare visa application or other documents and representing the candidate in proceedings before a court or review authority in relation to a visa application or visa matter.  Always be cautious against fraudsters and illegal consultants feigning to be registered agents. You can check the website of MARA to make sure that your visa consultant is a registered one.

Transparency

Check whether the immigration consultancy firm you have chosen is transparent in its operations, especially when it comes to the immigration process and fees. Ask them beforehand what all charges you have to pay and ensure that there are no hidden charges or fees. Ask them to explain all the processes clearly and sign a mutual agreement in order to avoid misunderstandings and future disagreements.

Assess the success rate

Before choosing a consultancy firm, you must check their success rate. Even if they are registered, it is not necessary that the candidates who have subscribed to their services have succeeded in immigrating to Australia. The immigration process undergoes several changes and the consultancy must have updated knowledge and experience in handling visa applications. You can also review the testimonials and feedback given by other clients both on their website and generally on the internet so that you can take the right decision.

CanApprove can help

CanApprove Immigration Services is a legal service provider specializing in immigration, education and legal services internationally. The best Australian immigration consultants you can have, Canapprove has consistently delivered quality, reliable immigration and education services for the past 17 years. CanApprove has offices in Bangalore, Dubai and Australia. You can contact our Bangalore office in the phone number 91-80-65653355 or through e-mail can.bangalore@canapprove.com. Dubai office can be contacted by phone 971-42865134 or by e-mail: ceo@canapprove.com. Phone number of Australian office is +61-388205920 and email is can.australia@canapprove.com.

Canada is looking beyond its borders for skilled and qualified workers who can settle down in the country and contribute towards the growth of its economy. The country needs a wide range of skilled workers including nurses and IT professionals. But getting a work visa and permanent residence in Canada is not an easy task. You need to prepare well to achieve a new life and a successful career in Canada. Here are a few tips that would help you to get through the process smoothly.

Apply for PR

You can apply for Permanent Residency in Canada even if you do not have a job offer from the country. You can submit your profile through Express Entry System and based on the points you score, you can apply for permanent residency. You can apply for PR also through Federal Express Entry system. To make the application process easier, you can seek the help of an established immigration company. Canapprove has successfully helped many candidates to apply for permanent residency in Canada.

Search Canadian job sites

Exploring Canadian job sites will give you a good understanding of the trends and demands of the job market in the country. You can also check if job opportunities that suit your skills and qualifications are available. Take not of the eligibility requirements for the jobs and prepare accordingly. You can also seek the help of your contacts in Canada in order to know more about the job market and available opportunities.

Prepare a new resume

While preparing a resume to apply for jobs in Canada, you must consider the aspects such as the nature of the job market in the country, the employers and eligibility demands. The resume must conform to Canadian professional standards, which may be different from your native country.

Prepare a cover letter

Prepare a cover letter, which is short and precise. It must include important information such as visa status, qualifications, experience and more. You must also add the details regarding the status of your PR application. Employers would be wanting to know about the candidates’ visa status.

Provide contact information

While applying for jobs, give your contact details, preferably, Canadian. You must also mention your Skype ID and make it clear that you will be available for an interview via Skype.

Attach Copies

You can attach the copies of important documents to the job application that will help to prove your genuineness an overseas job seeker. You can attach copies of documents such as PR Visa, Reference letters, proofs of experience and English Proficiency.

Australia is a dream destination to settle down for many, as the country offers more security and much better standards of living. Perks of being an Australian citizen do not end there. The citizens of the country exclusively enjoy certain rights and privileges which make Australian citizenship a much sought-after status among aspiring immigrants and permanent residents. Let’s have a look at the much coveted Australian citizens’  privileges

Smooth entry and exit

After you become a citizen of Australia, you can enter the country and live there as many times as you want. As a citizen, you will not be detailed at the airport and won’t have to fulfill immigration formalities. You can exit the airport without much hassles and head towards your destination right away.

Consular support in other countries

Being an Australian citizen makes you entitled for the support of the Australian consulate or embassy, if you get into trouble in some other country. The support includes healthcare and monetary help. Even if you commit a crime, the trial will be held only in Australia. You will also get monetary help if you become a victim of theft or pickpocketing in a foreign country.

Defense Jobs

While Permanent Residency (PR) makes you eligible to apply for jobs in various sectors, you are not able to apply for jobs in certain departments such as Australian Defence, Australian Federal Police, Australian Border Force and Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. You can apply for these jobs only if you are an Australian citizen.

Contest Elections

Once you are an Australian citizen, you can contest the federal elections, if you are above 18.  And you can even become the prime minister of the country!

Visa-free travel

If you are an Australian citizen, you can visit 169 countries and territories without a visa or can have visa on arrival. When it comes to travel freedom, Australian passport is the eighth strongest passport in the world.

Support for studies

Australian citizens’ privileges include their entitlement for student loans and fee reductions for pursuing many courses in Australia. HECS‑HELP loan scheme is one such scheme to help to reduce the monetary burden of higher education for students who are citizens of Australia.

No deportation

Australian citizens will not be deported even if they commit serious crimes. But things are different for for the residents of the country, even if they are permanent residents and not Australian citizens. They can be deported if they have been sentenced to imprisonment for more than 12 months or considered a threat to the security of the country or if they fail the character test.

The Government of Northwest Territories has released its Northwest Territories Immigration Strategy 2017-2022: Building a Skilled Workforce and a Vibrant Economy that primarily aims to assist employers to build a skilled workforce while also supporting the immigration of foreign nationals who contribute to the economic development and success of the NWT.

As part of this strategy, the Government of Northwest Territories, in cooperation with The Conference Board of Canada, studied the expected labor demand over the 15 years. The results indicate that there will be 28,500 to 36,700 job openings in the NWT over the next 15 years. Seventy-eight percent of these jobs would require some form of post-secondary education and/or extensive work experience and seniority. Another forecast is that around 98 percent of the 28,500 job openings will be to replace workers who have retired or moved from the NWT.

NWT Immigration Strategy Action Plan

The strategy has an action plan that has set out five distinct goals. They are:

1. Attract foreign nationals to the NWT whose skills are aligned with current workforce needs.
2. Attract foreign investment through the establishment or purchase of a business by a foreign national, to benefit the economy.
3. Support and be responsive to settlement and integration needs.
4. Support the workforce by educating foreign nationals and NWT employers on workers’ rights and responsibilities.
5. Consolidate administrative efforts between the departments of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE) and Immigration, Tourism and Investment (ITI).

Government of Northwest Territories Nominee Program

GNWT implements its Nominee Program in cooperation with Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).  The Nominee program is divided into two streams—the Employer Stream and the Business Stream.  ECE delivers the Employer stream, and ITI delivers the Business stream.

The Employer stream is meant to support the recruitment and retention of foreign nationals in the absence of qualified Northerners or permanent residents. The employers must submit a completed application package in order to meet the program’s mandatory eligibility criteria and identify a foreign national whom they wish to employ.

The Employer stream consists of the following categories:

Critical impact workers: Critical impact workers are intended to  increase the labour pool for entry level jobs

Skilled workers:  Skilled workers category aims to attract qualified  individuals for occupations that demand formal education and/or specialized training and experience.

Express Entry for skilled workers: This category is exclusively meant for skilled foreign nationals who have been accepted into Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada’s Express Entry pool.

Business stream

The Business stream will attract entrepreneurs with business expertise and investment capital to settle in the NWT. The applicants in this stream must have a working business concept and a plan to move to NWT. They must meet the requirements and criteria in the application guidelines and submit a complete application along with a business plan.

In addition to the nominee program, the NWT may also welcome newcomers through federal programs.

Australia is currently facing a scarcity of skilled workers in the country and is, therefore, wholeheartedly welcoming skilled immigrants from different parts of the world. The fact that Australia has a strong economy and high standard of living, it is a much sought-after place among aspiring immigrants. If you are a skilled worker planning to immigrate to Australia, it is important to know about the Skilled Worker Visa for Australian migration.

Australia General Skilled Migration Visa

The first step towards attaining an Australian visa in General Skilled Migration (GSM) category is earning enough points to prove your eligibility. These points are given based on the age, trade, experience, English language ability and more. You will get additional points if you have close relatives in Australia.  You will also get more points if you have been sponsored by the state.

Getting the scores is not enough, but you have to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) via SkillSelect. If you receive an invitation, you can submit the visa application within 60 days.

Skilled Worker Visas for Australian migration: Best options

Skilled Independent Subclass 189 Visa

Skilled Independent Subclass 189 Visa is a permanent GSM visa and it does not require sponsorship from an Australian State/Territory Government or family member in the country. In order to get this visa, you must first submit an EoI through SkillSelect, and receive an invitation from the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) to apply for a visa. After receiving the invitation, you must submit the application within 60 days.

Other criteria for applicants are:

• Obtain minimum pass mark in the Skilled Migration Points Test, which presently is 60
• Be in the age group of 18 to 44 years
• Sail through Skills Assessment in a profession on the Occupations List for the Skilled Independent visas
• Have reasonably good English skills
• Fulfill the health & character conditions

Skilled Nominated Subcategory 190 Visa

In order to apply for this particular General Migration Visa, the candidate must have a nomination from a State or Territory Administration. You must first submit an Expression of Interest (EoI) through SkillSelect and receive an invitation to apply.

After you get an invitation to present an application for a skilled visa, you must submit the application within 60 days.

Other requirements are:

• Pass the skilled migration points test
• Be in the age group of 18 to 44
• Undergo and succeed in the Skills Assessment in a line of work on the State/Territory Nominated Occupations List
• Possess at least Competent English level.
• Meet health & character requirements.

The Australian Citizenship Legislation Amendment (Strengthening the Requirements for Australian Citizenship and Other Measures) Bill 2017 or the Australian Citizenship Bill, was introduced to the Parliament on June 15, 2017. Though the bill is yet to be passed in the Parliament, the changes introduced through the bill will be applicable to all applications for citizenship submitted from April 20, 2017 onwards.

Major changes proposed in the bill are regarding:

• General Residence
• Competent English
• Pledge of Allegiance

General Residence

• The applicant must, in general, have been present in Australia for a period of four years as a permanent resident
• The applicant must not have come into conflict with law during this period
• If the applicant has travelled abroad during this four-year period, the days he spent outside Australia must not be more than 365 days

In short, in order to apply for Australian citizenship, the applicant must hold the permanent visa for four years. Earlier, it was only one year.

Language efficiency

As per the Bill, the applicant must demonstrate Competent English, which demands a minimum of 6 in each band of IELTS or equivalent. Evidence of Competent English will have to be presented during lodgement for all applicants aged above 16 years.  Test results up to three years can be used.

• According to the Explanatory Statement, the following categories may be eligible for exemptions:
• Passport holders of the UK, Ireland, Canada, USA or NZ
• Specified English language studies at a recognized Australian education provider
• Applicants with a permanent or enduring physical or mental incapacity
• Applicants aged 60 or over
• Applicants with hearing, speech or sight impairment

Pledge of Allegiance

As per the Australian Citizenship Bill, Pledge of Commitment will be renamed as the Pledge of Allegiance. The Pledge of Allegiance is mandatory for citizenship by conferral for all applicants aged 16 or above. The new changes will require Pledge of Allegiance from those who would acquire citizenship through the following ways, which was not required earlier.

• Citizenship by Descent – children born overseas to Australian citizen parents
• Adopted children (Hague Convention or bilateral agreement)
• People resuming Australian Citizenship
• Children born to a former Australian citizen
• People obtaining citizenship due to being stateless or born in Papua during certain periods of time

Meanwhile, the Australian Labour Party has informed that it will oppose the Citizenship Bill. The party has also raised concerns over raising the requirements for both residence and English language. The Bill now needs the support of the cross-benches to pass and it has been referred to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee. The Committee will report on the Bill on 4 September 2017.