Message From Our President

Happy Spring to everyone! I know that the last 12 months have been challenging for everyone, but there are hopeful signs that if we practice a little more patience and vigilance we can start to feel more optimistic about the future. While immigration, like all areas, has been greatly impacted by the global pandemic, the Canadian government has been consistent in its messaging regarding the high priority of immigration to our country.

In his Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration the Honourable Marco Mendicino, Canada's Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, highlighted an objective of 401,000 new immigrants for 2021 of which more than 25% would by processed through Express Entry programs. In February, to help catch up on achieving its immigration goals, an unprecedented 27,332 invitations were processed for those who had profiles in the Canadian Experience Class of Express Entry. While the majority of those invitations were for applicants already in the country with temporary status, this reinforced the importance of eligible individuals creating an Express Entry profile. Even if your CRS score might not be high enough for current selection, you can always improve that score through steps, such as improving your language proficiency, while having a current profile.  Please do not hesitate to call our office if you’d like to discuss this in more detail.

I want to thank our clientele again for all of your support in the last year and wish you all the best during this busy holiday time of Nowruz, Easter, Passover, Holi and Ramadan.

"If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.” — Anne Bradstreet

Cari Gombinsky
 

Update on IRCC processing capacity for Spouses & Partner Applications 

The IRCC has asked that we share the following letter with our clients. 

Dear client,

Thank you for your interest in Canada. We are looking forward to having you here.

Due to the impacts of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), we’re experiencing longer than usual processing delays. Rest assured, we are still actively processing your Family Class – Spouses & Partners application, but it will take longer than usual to get back to you.

This also means that we are unable to provide accurate processing times on individual applications at this time. As a result, we have removed the progress bar in the online account of Family Class – Spouses & Partners clients. You can still get the most current information about the status of your Family Class – Spouses & Partners application by checking the ‘Details about application status’ section in your online account.

In order to provide you with the most up-to-date information about our current processing capacity, we are posting weekly updates on expected processing delays by type of application.

Keep us informed of your situation

While you wait, please contact us to let us know of any changes in your application, such as a change to your situation or contact information.

Important information about Canada’s travel restrictions due to COVID-19

To protect Canadians from COVID-19, travel restrictions are in place for individuals travelling to Canada. Even when your application is complete, you may not be able to travel to Canada right away. As the COVID-19 situation changes, we regularly update our website. Visit the coronavirus disease page on the IRCC website to find the latest information before you make travel plans, and again before departing for Canada, to avoid being denied boarding or entry in Canada.

We are sorry to keep you waiting and thank you for your patience,

Sincerely,

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

Changes to the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) Program

The Canadian government has implemented temporary changes to the PGWP policy in response to challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.

"This new policy means that students hoping to work in Canada after graduation won’t miss out on opportunities, while ensuring that Canada meets the urgent needs of our economy for today and tomorrow. Our message to international students and graduates is simple: We don’t just want you to study here, we want you to stay here."     - The Honourable Marco Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship.

Here are a few very important things to know to ensure that you are eligible to take advantage of this temporary policy:

• Students must have a study permit, be approved for a study permit, or submit a study permit application before starting their program - the  application must ultimately be approved.
• Students must be enrolled in a PGWP-eligible program that was in progress in March 2020 or a program of study from spring 2020 up to and including the fall 2021 semester.
• A PGWP should be issued for a minimum of 8 months and all other program requirements must be met. 

Ordinarily, courses completed outside of Canada are not included in the calculation of the length of a PGWP, and 50% of a student's courses must be completed in person within Canada. However, in order to assist international students during the pandemic, the following benefits are applicable to eligible students under the temporary policy:

• Time spent studying outside Canada (up to December 31, 2021) counts towards the eligibility for and length of a future PGWP.

• Students who complete as much as 100% of their program online from outside Canada are still eligible for a PGWP.

Please call our office if you are interested in learning more about your eligibility for the current PGWP program. 

Entrepreneur Pathways to Canada

Effective April 1, 2021, Employment and Social Development Canada is making significant changes to the Owner-Operator category of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. The Owner-Operator LMIA category has been an attractive way for an entrepreneur to open or purchase a business and subsequently use their role in the new business as an building block for a Permanent Residence application.

While these changes make it more difficult for an entrepreneur to qualify under this category, there are still many other options available for entrepreneurs.  Depending on the business owner’s background and objectives, available options may include Federal programs like Start-Up Visa and Self-Employed, Provincial Nominee Entrepreneurial Programs as well as various applications through the International Mobility Program. 

If you have any questions on how you can come to Canada as a business owner, please call our office to schedule a consultation with our business specialist.

New Expression of Interest system for the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP)

The Ontario government is in the process of implementing an Expression of Interest system for the OINP. The Expression of Interest system will be a points-based registration system to assist the government in selecting skilled economic immigrants to meet Ontario's labour market needs. This Expression of Interest system replaces the ineffective first come-first served approach. The new system will help the government meet its objectives: 

• to strategically manage intake;
• to increase the OINP’s labour market responsiveness; and
• to better respond to regional labour market needs

The system will apply to the following OINP streams:

• Employer Job Offer Category streams (Foreign Worker, International Student and In-Demand Skills)
• Masters Graduate stream
• Ph.D. Graduate stream

Please call our office to learn more about the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program.