A Message From our President

It's that time of year again where the weather is changing here in Canada, and we need to pull out our winter coats. It is also a time of change in relation to Canada's immigration programs. We wanted to share with you a few of these changes. As always, we encourage you to contact our office if you have any questions about these pathways to immigration or any other programs through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. In the meantime, best wishes from the Solutions Team to you and your loved ones - Keep Warm!

Cari Gombinsky

Updates to Group of 5 Applications for Privately  Sponsoring  Refugees

Last month, the Canadian government revised the Guide on Group of 5 Applications. Updates include changes to the sponsorship forms and new requirements for sponsors under the Program Integrity Framework.

Changes to forms:

• The Sponsorship Undertaking and Settlement Plan – Group of Five (IMM 5670) now includes an expanded settlement checklist that lists all required tasks and the time period in which they are to be done.

• All sponsorship forms can now be signed with a digital signature.

Changes to requirements:

• Cases submitted as of January 1, 2024 may be randomly selected for pre-arrival verification.
• New Post-arrival Support Requirements for Private Sponsorships
  • This document explains the support sponsors need to provide and when. It consolidates and clarifies existing requirements and addresses gaps in areas such as timelines for providing support.

Changes to application submission:

• Beginning in the new year, IRCC is transitioning from receiving Private Sponsorship of Refugees (PSR) applications by email to accepting applications through the online Permanent Residence Portal. By January 1, 2024, all PSR applications must be submitted through the portal or by mail. Email applications will no longer be accepted.

Please reach out to our office to learn more about Group of 5 applications.

New humanitarian pathway for Colombian, Haitian and Venezuelan foreign nationals 

On November 17, 2023, The Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship,  introduced a new dedicated humanitarian pathway to provide permanent residence for Colombian, Haitian and Venezuelan foreign nationals. This new pathway will allow up to 15,000 people to immigrate to Canada in an effort to alleviate migration pressures in the Western Hemisphere.

To qualify for the pathway, the principal applicant must be a child (regardless of age), grandchild, spouse, common-law partner, parent, grandparent or sibling of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident who agrees to support them and their family members as an anchor for one year.

If you have any questions regarding this program or any other immigration pathway, please contact our office for a consultation.

Changes to The International Student Program

The Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) recently announced plans to implement several measures to strengthen Canada’s International Student Program and better protect genuine students from fraud. These measures include the following:

• Beginning December 1, 2023, post-secondary Designated Learning institutions (DLI) will be required to confirm every applicant’s letter of acceptance directly with IRCC. This new, enhanced verification process aims to protect prospective students from letter‑of‑acceptance fraud, and help them avoid problems that some students faced earlier this year as a result of fraud investigations. This measure will also ensure that study permits are only issued based on genuine letters of acceptance.
• In time for the fall 2024 semester, IRCC will adopt a “recognized institution” framework to benefit post-secondary DLIs that set a higher standard for services, support and outcomes for international students. One of the benefits these DLIs will qualify for is priority processing of study permits for applicants planning to attend their school.
• In the coming months, IRCC will complete an assessment of Post-Graduation Work Permit Program criteria and begin introducing reforms to better align it to meet the needs of the Canadian labour market, as well as regional and Francophone immigration goals.