On October 4, 2020, Canada’s Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister, Marco E. L. Mendicino, announced relaxed travel restrictions to support greater family reunification, entry to Canada for compassionate reasons and the safe and gradual entry of international students. Starting October 8, 2020, the government will expand the list of family members of Canadian citizens and permanent residents who are considered exempt from Canada's COVID-19 travel restrictions. Curren

Canadian Visa Application Centres (VACs) around the world experienced shutdowns in response to the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The government of Canada has announced that some of them are re-opening for certain services, having implemented new health and safety protocols. As of June 24, 2020, the list of VACs 'open with limited services' is the following: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Accra, Ghana Athens, Greece Auckland, New Zealand Bangkok, Thailand Beijing,

Note: see important update regarding this post below. On June 8, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced that the processing of Temporary Resident Visas (TRVs) and electronic Travel Authorizations (eTAs) will resume on June 9. This will take place once the "Ministerial Instructions 39 (MI39): Ministerial Instructions with respect to the processing of certain new and existing applications for temporary residence" expire on that same day. It appears from t

On June 8, the Canadian government announced modifications to the travel restrictions put in place to prevent the propagation of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). These changes, which have been highly anticipated, touch on the rights of direct family members to visit Canadian citizens and permanent residents during the period of border shutdown. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced that as of June 8, 2020 23:59 EST, foreign nationals who are immediate family m

On June 5, the Canadian government announced further measures to accelerate the issuance of certain work permits overseas, in order to safeguard the continuity of Canada’s food supply and health services. This is part of the measures taken by the government to battle the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The new policy provides that certain workers will be temporarily exempt from having to give their biometric data (photo and fingerprints) before coming to Canada, if the biomet

On May 14, the Canadian government announced further measures to mitigate the impact of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the lives of international students. Back in April, the government announced that students who had been forced to switch from in-person courses to online learning for their May and June sessions, would not find their Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) eligibility jeopardized. This directive has now been extended to students whose fall 2020 courses will

In order to accommodate the rapidly changing job market that has resulted from the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, the Canadian government announced on May 12 a temporary policy that will allow foreign workers on closed work permits the possibility to change jobs while their new permit is processing. Under existing rules, when a foreign worker wants to change the conditions of their work permit (including their employer or position within a company), they need to app

On April 29, Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) updated its online Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) – Program Delivery Instructions. The update includes an important clarification regarding a term that is at the heart of the travel restrictions imposed by the Canadian government to try and control the spread of COVID-19. Two Orders in Council set the framework for the prohibitions to enter Canada in order to minimize the risk of expoure to COVID-19. One order rela

Employers under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TWFP) and their immigration representatives received a new notice from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) regarding new Special Compliance Inspections for Employers of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program during COVID-19. The notice advises that in accordance with new regulations that were introduced to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR), employers have a specific responsibility in helpi

On April 22, 2020, the government announced that it is removing certain barriers for international students working in essential services to work off-campus while their classes are in session. This is part of the government's response to help battle the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Normally, international students are authorized by immigration regulations to study outside their campus for a maximum of 20 hours per week while classes are in session. There is no res

On April 16, 2020, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held the 11th Express Entry invitation round of 2020. In round #144, Canada issued 3,782 Invitations to Apply to Canadian Experience Class candidates with a score of 455 or more in the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). The tie-breaking rule for this round was set on January 20, 2020, at 17:37:33 UTC. This draw follows another program-specific draw from the day before, April 15, aimed at provincial nomine

On April 10, the government announced that due to the current travel restrictions implemented to tackle the spread of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Canada is suspending the processing of non-essential visitor visa applications. The suspension will allow Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to focus resources on critical services. The authority for this suspension is provided by the Ministerial Instructions 37 (MI37): Ministerial Instructions with respect to t

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) updated its online guidelines regarding the impact of COVID-19 on international students. An important development is that students who have been forced to switch from in-person courses to online learning may still be eligible for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) after they graduate from their studies from an eligible Canadian institution. The directive includes students who have an approved study permit for a program st

On April 4, 2020, Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) released several guidelines regarding changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) in light of the Canadian government’s response to the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). ESDC’s main site on COVID-19 can be accessed here. Frequently asked questions regarding changes to the TFWP in light of COVID-19 can be found here. Also available is a joint letter to employers from the Canadian Minister of Health, Pat

Following advice from Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, on April 3, 2020, Ontario updated the list of essential businesses that can remain open. The restrictions are part of the efforts undertaken by the province in order to reduce the spread of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The list has been brought down from 74 workplaces to 44. Item 34(vii) continues to list "professional and social services that support the legal and justice system". This means that lawyers' of

On March 29, 2020, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) posted new online guidelines regarding "How the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is affecting immigration, refugees, citizenship and passport services". The guidelines deal with a number of important topics relating to the services offered by IRCC and how these have been affected by the measures implemented by the Canadian government to tackle the spread of COVID-19. The topics discussed in these guidelines

According to data by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), more than one million Canadian citizens and permanent residents returned home last week following government warnings over the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. During March 14-20, 959,600 Canadians and 43,890 permanent residents returned to the country following a call from Global Affairs Canada for Canadians who are still abroad to return home while they still can. Almost half of those returning to Canad

Canada has taken further measures to curb the spread of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from those who recently arrived in the country from abroad. Making use of the federal Quarantine Act, Canada will legally require all travellers returning to Canada to go into self-isolation for 14 days, rather than simply being urged to do so. Travellers will also be barred from using public transportation to get to the location where they will be isolating. Only those considered to be doi

On March 23, 2020, Ontario Premier, Doug Ford, ordered the temporary closure of non-essential businesses, as the province attempts to manage the spread of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). When the list of "essential" workplaces in Ontario was later made public by the government, we learned that immigration practitioners appear to be exempted from the temporary shutdown. In particular, the list includes the following: 61. Professional and social services that support the legal

On March 23, 2020, Ontario Premier, Doug Ford, ordered the temporary closure of non-essential businesses, as the province attempts to manage the spread of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The province also anticipates that schools will not reopen by the previously announced date of April 6. The list of businesses that will be allowed to remain open include grocery stores, pharmacies, takeout and delivery restaurants, as well as essential manufacturing industries and supply cha