Marco E. L. Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship announced yesterday that, beginning July 26, 2021, individuals who have applied for the recently opened pathway to permanent residence will be eligible for an open work permit while awaiting the results of their application. Applications for the new work permit will be accepted online. Additional details about the application process will be added to IRCC’s website on July 26, 2021. Open work permits iss

Brazil, Colombia, and Peru are among 7 new countries that are now included in Canada's fast-track program for international students. This was announced Friday, July 9th by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. The countries are: Brazil Colombia Peru Antigua and Barbuda Costa Rica Trinidad and Tobago Saint Vincent and the Grenadines The SDS was launched in 2018, allowing students from China, India, the Philippines, Vietnam, Pakistan, Senegal and Morocco to get a study

On July 8, 2021, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held a new Express Entry draw for candidates in the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) Program. In round #196, Canada issued 4,500 Invitations to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence and the lowest score was 369 points, twelve points more compared to round #194. The tie-breaking rule for this round was June 10, 2021, at 22:46:37 UTC. In total, IRCC already issued 93,842 invitations to apply in seventeen draws of

On July 7, 2021, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) distributed 627 Invitations to Apply (ITA) to candidates under the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) in the new PNP-specific draw. The invitation round was only for candidates who had a nomination from a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). These candidates needed a score of at least 760. The tie-breaking rule for this round was June 14, 2021 at 07:44:05 UTC. As of July 7, 2021, there are 166,851 profiles regist

If you receive an invitation to apply on or after June 29, 2021, you must submit your application for permanent residence within 60 days. On June 29, 2021, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) returned to the 60-day timeframe for a complete electronic application for permanent residence (e-APR). Applicants who received an invitation to apply (ITA) on or after June 29, 2021, must submit their application for permanent residence within 60 calendar days. ITA p

On June 24, 2021, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) conducted a new Express Entry draw. In program-specific draw #194, Canada issued 6,000 Invitations to Apply for permanent residence in Canada for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) Program. The lowest score was 357 points, 11 points fewer than in the previous CEC-specific round. The tie-breaking rule for this round was February 17, 2021 at 10:15:50 UTC. In 2021, Canada already issued 82,653 invitations in

The government of Canada announced an allowance for foreign nationals who hold a valid Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) to travel to Canada. Individuals whose COPR has expired should not travel to Canada until they get a new COPR from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). A COPR’s validity lasts for up to one year. Since many applicants could not travel to Canada before their COPRs expired due to the travel restrictions, IRCC will reissue them a new v

On June 9, 2021, Canada held a new Express Entry draw, inviting 940 candidates to apply for permanent residence. In invitation round #191, Canada issued Invitations to Apply (ITA) to 940 candidates under the Provincial Nominee Program. The lowest score in this round was 711, in the previous PNP-only draw, Canada invited 500 candidates, and the score requirement was 713 points. This draw almost doubled the number of invites, the tie-breaking rule for this round was September 5

"Coming out of the pandemic, the clear message we are sending with the startup visa program is that Canada is open for business,” says Marco Mendicino, Canada’s minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship. Canada’s startup visa program began as a five-year pilot program in 2013, and was made permanent in 2018. Since its launch, foreign entrepreneurs representing some 200 startups have become permanent residents in Canada. Mendicino also said that by bringing in internat

Over the last week, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held new rounds of invitations for the pools of the International Experience Canada (IEC) program. From May 24 to May 28, the government issued 424 Invitations to Apply (ITA) for an IEC open work permit. As of May 28, there are 16,386 candidates registered in the pool, waiting for the invitation. In this round, there were 21 ITAs for Australia, 5 ITAs for Belgium, 4 ITAs for Costa Rica, 1 ITA for Croatia,

On May 26, 2021, the Government of Canada provided a new program delivery update for the Temporary Resident to Permanent Resident Pathway (TR2PR). The new instructions included clarifications of the requirements to the temporary public policies for candidates. The guidelines state that applicants must meet all of the following criteria to be approved under any of the six streams: Legal entry into Canada and status as a temporary resident Official language proficiency Current

CRS score requirement drops 39 points compared to the previous PNP-specific draw. On May 26, 2021, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) conducted a new Express Entry invitation round. IRCC invited candidates under the Provincial Nominee Program and issued Invitations to Apply (ITAs) to 500 provincial candidates, compared to the previous PNP-only draw, Canada invited 57 fewer candidates and the lowest score in this draw was 713 points, 39 points fewer than the

Canada has received more than 5,700 applications after Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced that Hong Kong residents will be able to apply for new open work permits beginning on February 8, 2021. Alexander Cohen, press secretary to Minister Mendicino, said that Canada typically received about 1,500 to 2,000 work-permit applications from Hong Kongers annually. This means that the outstanding amounts of applications submitted in the first three months a

The Canadian government hinted this week that it may raise the current limits for permanent residents admitted under its new temporary program. “I’m open to discussion on whether or not to review the current caps,” Canada’s Immigration Minister, Marco Mendicino, was quoted saying in the Globe and Mail. One of the six streams available under the program, the one for international graduates, reached its cap of 40,000 applicants in just over 24 hours. To date, two other streams

Eligible family members of the victims of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 and Ukrainian International Airlines Flight 752 can apply for permanent residence. On May 12, Canada’s minister of immigration put in a new public policy to allow families of air disaster victims to apply for permanent residence. Family members of those whose lives were lost in the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 and Ukrainian International Airlines Flight 752 will be able to apply for permanent residence.

Canada invites 176 more candidates than the previous PNP-only draw. Canada invited 557 Express Entry candidates to apply for permanent residence on May 12. Express Entry candidates needed a score of at least 752 in order to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA). They also needed to have previously received a nomination from a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). Any time someone gets a provincial nomination through an Express Entry-linked PNP, they automatically get 600 points ad

Everything you need to know about the new immigration pathways for temporary residents in Canada On May 5, 2021, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) launched guidelines for six new temporary immigration programs targeting essential workers and international graduates residing in Canada. Eligible candidates can apply through IRCC’s online portal starting May 6, 2021, at 12:00 p.m. EDT time. Workers in Canada – Stream A for health care workers (20,000 applicati

With only a few days left to apply for the 90,000 permanent residency positions on May 6, IRCC finally updated the billing details and payment link for the new program. The single application fee is $1,050 ($550 application fee + $500 permanent residency fee). The fee for the accompanying spouse is $1,050 ($550 application fee + $500 permanent residency fee). In addition, accompanying expenses for dependent children are $150. If the applicant has never undergone biometric inf

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) invited candidates with scores of at least 400, and whom may be eligible for permanent residence through the Canadian Experience Class. This is the second lowest score ever for a CEC-specific draw. “The CEC was created in 2008 to help more temporary workers and international student graduates to transition to permanent residency,” said David Cohen, Senior Attorney of Campbell Cohen. “Candidates need to have one year of Canad

On April 27, 2021, the Government of Canada updated the procedures for managing the intake process for permanent residence (PR) applications. New instructions apply to Non-Express Entry applications and provide guidance on reviewing applications for completeness and putting them into the process. This update is applicable to the following Economic class applications: Non-Express Entry Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) Start-Up Visa Program (SUV) Self-Employed Persons Program (