Posted by: Mario D. Bellissimo
We have filed the appeal today on behalf of many appellants at the Federal Court of Appeal.
We will continue to diligently advance the interest of our clients in the ensuing months.
Please check back for more updates!
Canadian Immigration Blog 
Thursday, May 16th, 2013
Extended Deadline – Federal Skilled Worker Litigation Appeal
Posted by: Mario D. Bellissimo
Dear Applicants,
Please note that we have extended the deadline to join the Federal Skilled Worker Litigation Appeal. All interested applicants who wish to proceed with the appeal are asked to contact Parminder Kaur in our Accounting Department at pk@bellissimolawgroup.com by 12:00 PM EST on Friday, May 17, 2013. If you have already retained for the purposes of the appeal, please disregard this message.
Tuesday, May 14th, 2013
Minister Kenney announces new Citizenship Judge for the Greater Toronto Area
Posted by: Fabiola Arevalo
Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced today that Marian Sami, LL.B., has been appointed as a Citizenship Judge for the Greater Toronto Area.
Marian Sami, LL.B., practiced law in Toronto prior to her appointment. She is an active member of the community through her involvement in a number of children’s charities. She has served as a community liaison to lawmakers and as a consultant for cultural events.
Citizenship judges are responsible for making decisions on citizenship applications, presiding over citizenship ceremonies and administering the oath of citizenship to new citizens.
Citizenship judges are appointed by the Governor in Council on the recommendation of the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism. New appointees are chosen from a list of qualified candidates who have gone through rigorous screening, including a written exam, reference check and oral interview. Candidates for citizenship judge appointments are evaluated against the skills required by the position: information-seeking, judgment/analytical thinking, decision making, effective communication, cross-cultural sensitivity, leadership, self-confidence, self-control and writing ability.
Monday, May 13th, 2013
Canada’s Tourism Market to Shift Focus from the States
Posted by: Alexa Woods
Tourism is an important market in Canada’s economy, so when a faction of that market isn’t paying off, it’s time to cut it loose. Which is exactly what Canada is doing. With the cut in the Canadian Tourism Commission’s (CTC) funding last year, and the U.S falling far behind other countries in regards to the amount they spend when visiting the country, Canada has decided to stop wasting time and money trying to lure our southern neighbours here.
Canada’s share of revenue from the tourism industry dropped from 35 % in 2000 to 19%, largely due to the decrease in travel from the U.S. market.
Reallocating funds from the expensive marketing campaign in the States will allow Canada to spend more on advertising in countries such as Brazil, whose visitors to Canada spend, on average, $1,874 per trip, as opposed to the mere $518 that American visitors spend. Brazil, Australia, China, South Korea and Japan have all outspent American visitors in Canada. By apportioning more funding to these countries, CTC hopes to improve Canada’s competitive position in the tourism market. As of 2011, Canada stands at No. 18 as a top destination for arrivals, down from a Top 10 spot.
Monday, May 13th, 2013
IRB Board Members
Posted by: Alexa Woods
The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) has published the names of all its Board members, organized by division and region.
Click here to read the list of members.
Monday, May 13th, 2013
Sending in the Right Application
Posted by: Alexa Woods
The immigration process to Canada can be quite confusing, and it is easy to submit the wrong application or to incorrectly assess which application would be best for you. This is why we recommend you always consult an expert, both when deciding what type of application to submit, either for temporary or permanent residency status, and also before you submit your application. This avoids problems later on when your application is rejected because it wasn’t the correct one under which you should have applied. Consulting an expert could save you a lot of time, frustration and ultimately money, since it is costly to make a second application and produce submissions explaining why you applied in error.
If you are in any way confused as to what type of application to make, please consult an expert before deciding and submitting what could be an incorrect application.
Looking for help on an immigration matter? Contact us today!
Friday, May 10th, 2013
New Parent and Grandparent program re-opens January 2, 2014
Posted by: Fabiola Arevalo
News Release —Action Plan for Faster Family Reunification on track to cut backlog in half
According to Citizenship and Immigration Canada, the Parent and Grandparent (PGP) program will re-open for new applications on January 2, 2014, by which time the backlog and wait times in the program are expected to have been cut in half.
“The Action Plan for Faster Family Reunification is on track to meet the goals of cutting in half the backlog and wait times in the Parent and Grandparent program,” said Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney. “It is very important that we continue to make progress and not return to the old broken system with wait times as long as a decade—that would be unfair to families.”
Phase II of the Action Plan for Faster Family Reunification will provide even faster processing times, reduce the backlog further, prevent future backlogs, ensure that families have the financial means to support those they sponsor, and protect the interests of taxpayers.
First – In 2012 and 2013, Canada will admit 50,000 parents and grandparents as permanent residents. This represents the highest level of parents and grandparents admitted in 20 years. In 2014, Canada will maintain high levels of admissions for parents and grandparents.
Second – The Super Visa will become permanent and will continue to provide flexibility for families who access the 10-year multiple-entry visa, allowing visa holders to remain in Canada up to two years at a time. Over 15,000 Super Visas have been issued since the program’s launch in December 2011 with approval rates averaging 86 percent.
Third – New qualifying criteria for permanent residency sponsorship of parents and grandparents will increase the financial responsibility of sponsors to ensure they have the means to support those they sponsor, while limiting the program’s cost to taxpayers and Canada’s strained health and social programs.
Fourth – 5,000 new sponsorship applications will be accepted in the program in 2014. By accepting 5,000 applications in 2014 while maintaining high levels, the government will be able to further reduce the remaining backlog so that families can be reunited more quickly.
“These new criteria ensure sponsored family members are well supported by their sponsors throughout their time in Canada,” said Minister Kenney. “The redesigned Parent and Grandparent program reunites families faster while respecting Canadian taxpayers and the limited resources for health and social programs.”
Canada has one of the most generous family reunification programs in the world. The United States, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand do not allow grandparents to be sponsored at all or only in very limited circumstances, and they have very restrictive criteria for the sponsorship of parents.
The amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations that are being proposed will be pre-published in theCanada Gazette (Part I) and the public will be able to comment for a 30-day period.
Click here to learn more about Family Class Sponsorship
Friday, May 10th, 2013
Canada’s Diversity Continues to Grow
Posted by: Alexa Woods
The recently released data from the 2011 National Household Survey highlighted the trend of continuing change in Canadian society. As immigration numbers continue to rise, it is no surprise that so too does diversity. Canada now boasts 200 ethnic groups and 100 religions, and 19% of its population (about 6.3 million people) as members of a visible minority.
Ontario currently maintains status as the province of choice for immigrants, understandably so with cities like Markham which is 72.3% immigrants, the highest in the country.
In 1981, a mere 4.7 % of the Canadian population deemed themselves members of a visible minority. Twenty years later, this percentage had increased almost threefold, and by 2011 it had increased to one in five.
Asia and the Middle East accounted for the vast majority of immigrants between 2006 and 2011, and the Philippines being the country with the highest number at 152,300. While European-born immigrants were the most common during the 1960s, their percentage has gone down sharply with only 159,700.
This first set of data released by Statistics Canada focused on citizenship, visible minorities, place of birth, ethnic origin, religion, aboriginal people and language. Still to come are statistics relating to labour, education, workplaces, migration, income, earnings and housing.
Wednesday, May 8th, 2013
Notice to the Profession
Posted by: Mario D. Bellissimo
A Notice to the Profession (Re: Adjournments) was issued by the Honourable Paul S. Crampton, Chief Justice of the Federal Court.
Click here to read the Notice.
Wednesday, May 8th, 2013
The Importance of Document Checklists
Posted by: Alexa Woods
Documentation is the foundation of an immigration application so it is important to be thorough when checking over your list of required documents. Always check when original documentation is required and when photocopies will suffice. In some cases the document checklist provided by the Centralized Intake Office (CIO) will differ from that of the visa office. Not providing complete documentation may result in an application being returned, which is inconvenient enough, but in some cases can result in severely adverse effects in regards to applications under a time-sensitive program, such as those that are capped.
There is no procedural or legal recourse available to applicants who find themselves in this situation. Therefore always remember to check both CIO and visa office specific document lists when compiling such an application.
Looking for help on an immigration matter? Contact us today!
Mario D. Bellissimo
Mario D. Bellissimo, C.S., Lawyer
About Me
Mario D. BellissimoThank you for your visit! Much of my life has been dedicated to the practice and study of immigration law. My passion grew from my own immigrant background and the fascination of persons leaving everything behind and beginning anew. Growing to learn the powerful role an immigration representative plays in peoples lives began a lifelong passion I enthusiastically hold to this day. Although I enjoy writing, speaking at conferences and TV/radio it cannot compare to working with people like you, each day helping make dreams come true. I have been privileged to travel the world to represent people at various stages of the immigration process and court levels to make a real difference. Effective representation as well as client satisfaction has fueled the growth of our law firm over the past several years. We speak many of the languages of the world to make you feel comfortable as a partner in the process. I cannot believe how my team has grown and I am blessed to work with committed professionals second to none in Canada impassioned like me to find that solution for you. Welcome to Bellissimo Law Group!
