In accordance with declarations made by the Manitoba Education and Training Minister, Ian Wishart, the province is clearing the application backlog and providing better services to the applicants while making the program more user friendly.  The next step of revamping the Manitoba PNP will represent the addition of new pathways to permanent residence.

Additionally, the province has reached an agreement with the Federal government to expand the PNP program by adding four new application streams:

1. international education;
2. skilled worker in Manitoba;
3. skilled worker overseas; and
4. business investor.

The new International education stream will come into effect in April 2018, and will facilitate faster nomination pathways for graduates of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) programs who are completing internships that support industry innovation.  In accordance with the announcement made by the province, post-secondary international student graduates from colleges and universities in Manitoba who find longer-term employment in an in-demand occupation consistent with their training will no longer have to work for six months before applying to the MPNP.  To find the in-demand occupation list, please click here.

Further, the Skilled Worker in Manitoba Stream has been divided in two pathways:

• the Manitoba Work Experience Pathway, and
• the Employer Direct Recruitment Pathway. To learn more about these pathways, click here.
  

Current temporary foreign workers in the province – Skilled Worker in Manitoba stream– with strong labour market attachments to Manitoba employers will continue to represent a priority in the skilled worker in Manitoba stream.   Also, the province will expand the employers’ recruitment partnerships adding more accessible ways for regional and Winnipeg-based employers to recruit and retain permanent immigrant workers graduating from training programs in Manitoba.

Under the upgraded Skilled Worker Overseas stream a new pathway to nominate qualified applicants for the federal express entry program will be implemented.  The new stream will give priority to candidates with close family connections in Manitoba and spouses who have the language proficiency, training and experience to quickly find in-demand jobs. To read more, click here.

The new Business Investor stream will give preference to candidates who start a business within the first 12 months of their arrival in the province, especially the investors who open businesses outside of Winnipeg.  Under this category, the applicants are allowed to secure a work permit based on their business plan.  Pursuant to the Manitoba Minister’s announcement, effective immediately, the applicants in this stream are no longer required to submit a deposit to the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program.  However, the candidates under this stream are required to sign a “performance agreement” undertaking to purchase an existing business or to start their own.  Upon signing the performance agreement, the MPNP will provide the candidates with a support letter for their temporary work permit. To read more, click here.

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Express Entry Draw #63: 400 candidates will receive invitation to apply under the Federal Skilled Trades Class (FSTC) program. Each will have at least 199 Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points.

Express Entry Draw #64: 143 candidates with a provincial nomination will also receive Invitations to Apply. Each will have at least 775 Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points.

For more information on Express Entry, please click here.

The post Express Entry Draws #63/64 For Federal Skilled Trades Class Program and Provincial Nominee Program first appeared on Bellissimo Law Group.

Each year, the total number of nominations permitted by OINP is capped by IRCC. OINP has now met its 2016 cap for its high-volume OINP streams, including:

• Notifications of Interest for OINP Human Capital Priorities Stream (Express Entry) steam effective February 16, 2016
• Employer Pre-screen effective May 9, 2016
• International Student – Masters Graduate and PhD Graduate streams effective May 9, 2016

All applications for Employer Pre-Screen and International Students streams sent after 5:00 p.m. EDT on May 9th, 2016 will not be processed and application packages will be returned to the applicant along with the unprocessed payment.

Currently the remaining eligible categories under the Ontario PNP are:

• International student and Foreign Worker with Job Offer

• Candidates whose job offer has been approved through Employer Pre-screen application can still apply under this stream. These applicants will have 60 days from the date of Pre-Screen approval letter to apply for either of these streams.

• Ontario Express Entry: French-Speaking Skilled Worker

• Candidates for French-Speaking skilled workers who have strong English language abilities and who want to live and work permanently in Ontario can still apply under this stream.

• Corporate Stream

• Established international corporations looking to expand into Ontario or buy an existing business are still eligible to apply under this stream

• Expression of Interest for the Entrepreneur Stream

• Applicants who are looking to implement a new business initiative or buy an existing business in Ontario.

For more information on the Provincial Nominee Program, please click here.

(Sources)

The post At Capacity: OOPNP 2016 Caps Met for Select, High-Volume Streams first appeared on Bellissimo Law Group.

1. Canadian Experience Class

International students who have completed programs from participating Canadian post-secondary institutions may apply for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP). Eligible applicants who receive this open-work permit have the opportunity to work for any employer. After gaining at least 1 year of full-time (or equivalent) skilled work experience in Canada, graduates may be eligible to apply for permanent residence under the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) program. In addition to meeting the work requirement, applicants must have had legal status in Canada, meet minimum language requirements, plan to live outside the province of Quebec and apply within three years of obtaining the skilled work experience. Self-employment and work experience gained while a full-time student does not count under this program. Potential candidates wishing to apply under CEC must go through the Express Entry system.

2. Provincial Nomination Programs

In Ontario there are several programs that facilitate permanent residence applications for International students who intend to live and work in Ontario. Successful applicants will be issued a nominee certificate from the Ontario Immigration Nominee Program (OINP) which can then be used to apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for permanent residence.

International Student with a Job Offer Stream

In order to apply as a nominee, international students must have a permanent, full-time job offer from an Ontario employer in a high-skilled occupation. The job offer must first be approved by OINP. To do so, the employer makes a separate pre-screen application establishing eligibility. In addition, international students must have graduated from or met the requirements of a full-time degree or diploma program at an eligible publicly-funded Canadian college or university that is at least two years in length, or a one year post-graduate certificate program. At least half of their studies have to be completed in Canada and students must apply within two years from the date from which they graduated.

International Student with a Masters degree

Prospective nominees who have a Masters degree from a publicly-funded university in Ontario can apply without a job offer. Masters graduates must apply within two years of the date on which their degree was granted, have legal status in Canada, demonstrate high language proficiency, meet a minimum level of savings/income, must not be intending to pursue further academic studies in Ontario, currently reside in Ontario, and intend to live and work in Ontario.

International Student with a PhD

To be eligible to apply as a PhD graduate, the prospective nominee must have successfully completed all requirements for the degree at an eligibly publicly-funded university in Ontario where they completed at least two years of study. They must apply within two years on which the PhD was grated, have legal status in Canada, and intend to live and work in Ontario. PhD applicants can also apply from outside of Canada

Ontario Express Entry: Human Capital Priorities or French-Speaking Skilled Worker

The Express Entry Human Capital Priorities stream and French-Speaking Skilled Worker streams are aligned with the federal Express Entry immigration selection system. Under both streams, Express Entry candidates who meet the requisite criteria will receive a Notification of Interest from the province of Ontario inviting them to apply under the applicable stream.

Under the Human Capital Priorities stream, applicants must have a score of at least 400 points according to the Express Entry Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), demonstrate language proficiency, have sufficient settlement funds, intend to reside in Ontario and have a degree from a Canadian institution (Bachelors, Masters of PhD) or foreign credentials verified as equivalent to a Canadian degree by an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report.

The French-Speaking Skilled Worker stream is open to French-speaking skilled workers who wish to live and work permanently in Ontario. They must have the same educational requirements as described above as well as the intention to reside in Ontario.

Successful applicants from either stream will receive a nomination and if accepted, will earn an extra 600 points to be added to their Express Entry profile. With these extra points, they have a high chance of being invited to apply for permanent residence.

For more information on Permanent migration options, please click here.

(Sources)

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Ontario PNP Nomination Re-Issued!

Our office assisted a client with respect to the re-issuance of an Ontario Provincial Nominee Program (“PNP”) nomination certificate. In October 2012, our client received a positive nomination certificate and submitted his permanent residence application before expiry. Unfortunately, his application was deemed incomplete and was unprocessed. Due to some mailing delays, our client did not receive the return of his permanent residence application package until over two years later, well past the PNP nomination certificate expiry date. The category he had been nominated under was also no longer available.

Our office assisted this client to make submissions to Ontario PNP to have his nomination certificate re-issued. Even though over two years had passed since the issuance of his original nomination certificate, the Ontario PNP office agreed to re-issue our client’s PNP certificate and he was able to re-submit his permanent residence application. His application has already passed completeness check and we expect our client to receive the approval of his permanent resident in the near future.

The post This Week’s Featured Success Story! first appeared on Bellissimo Law Group.

The program assists successful nominees to gain permanent residence status in Canada.  Each year, the total number of nominations permitted by Ontario PNP is capped by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (“CIC”). Opportunities Ontario has now met its 2014 cap of 2,500 nominations.

Applicants can still submit their applications under all streams, however, because the nomination target has been reached, Ontario PNP will be unable to issue nominations for the remainder of 2014.

Nominee applications that have not been finalized in 2014 will automatically be placed in priority for finalization in 2015. Any application received after October 31, 2014 will be assessed as part of the 2015 nomination target.

Currently eligible categories under the Ontario PNP are:

• International student graduates with a Master’s or a PhD degree from an Ontario university or graduates of a Canadian college or university with a job offer in Ontario.
• Employers who would like to hire foreign skilledworkers for professional, managerial and skilled trade positions they have not been able to fill.
• Foreign workers who have two years of professional work experience and have a permanent, full-time job offer from an employer in Ontario.
• Investors who want to bring in key foreign employees on a permanent basis to ensure the long term success of their investment.

Learn more about Opportunities Ontario: Provincial Nominee Program here:

The post Opportunities Ontario: Provincial Nominee Program – 2014 caps met first appeared on Bellissimo Law Group.

For this program no job offer is required at the time of application. However, the applicant must be eligible to work in one of the labour categories that are in demand.  When applying the applicant will be asked to complete and present an Employment Settlement Plan, where they must show their capabilities to work in one of the province’s list of occupations.

There is also no point based system required with this program in comparison to those of other provinces.  Along with being employable to one of the specified jobs, the applicant must:

• Be between the ages of 21-55;
• Have sufficient funds to reside while in Nova Scotia;
• Have a minimum of 2 years work related experience in their field;
• Hold at least a high school diploma and a diploma, certificate or degree from a post-secondary institution; and
• Minimum language proficiency must be proven.

Applications for this program can take up to a month to process or maybe more depending on the volume of applications received.

The following is a list of the required Occupations:

• Managers in Health Care
• Retail Trade Managers
• Restaurant and Food Service Managers
• Financial Auditors and Accountants
• Other Financial Officers
• Civil Engineers
• Mechanical Engineers
• Electrical and Electronics Engineers
• Computer Engineers (Except Software Engineers and Designers)
• Information Systems Analysts and Consultants
• Database Analysts and Data Administrators
• Software Engineers and Designers
• Computer Programmers and Interactive Media Developers
• Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians
• Regional Labour Market Demand Stream
• Electrical and Electronics Engineering Technologists and Technicians
• Systems Testing Technicians
• Specialist Physicians
• General Practitioners and Family Physicians
• Dentists
• Pharmacists
• Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists
• Physiotherapists
• Occupational Therapists
• Registered Nurses
• Medical Laboratory Technologists and Pathologists’ Assistants
• Respiratory Therapists, Clinical Perfusionists and
• Cardiopulmonary Technologists
• Medical Radiation Technologists
• Medical Sonographers
• Licensed Practical Nurses
• Other Technical Occupations in Therapy and Assessment
• Psychologists
• Early Childhood Educators and
• Assistants
• Retail Trade Supervisors
• Chefs
• Cooks
• Contractors and Supervisors, Metal Forming, Shaping and Erecting Trades
• Machinists and Machining and Tooling Inspectors
• Industrial Electricians
• Welders and Related Machine Operators
• Heavy-Duty Equipment Mechanics
• Automotive Service Technicians, Truck and Bus Mechanics and Mechanical Repairers
• Crane Operators
• Supervisors, Other Mechanical and Metal Products
• Manufacturing

The post Nova Scotia’s New Immigration Program first appeared on Bellissimo Law Group.

The program formerly known as “Expression of Interest” will now be referred to as “Express Entry”. Citizenship and Immigration minister Chris Alexander announced on April 8^th, 2014 that Express Entry is set to launch in January 2015.

Express Entry will be open to skilled workers and will target labor shortages where they are no available Canadian workers. The primary distinction between this program and the Temporary Foreign Worker Program is, candidates under the Express Entry program who receive a valid job offer, or nomination under the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) will be invited to apply for permanent residency.  

Qualified applicants can also look forward to faster processing times of less than 6 months when invited to come to Canada under: The Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program, Canadian Experience Class, and a portion of the PNP.

The post Express Entry Canada’s new Immigration Program first appeared on Bellissimo Law Group.

The CIIP newcomer involvement includes three components:

1. Orientation (where newcomers are informed about job prospects, job readiness, job search, and job retention).
2. Personalized Planning (focuses on integration decisions, as well as the dos and don’ts before and after arrival in Canada).
3. Online advice (provides online resources from partner organizations as an integration platform for prospective immigrants).

The program assists immigrants in preparing for the Canadian labour market by providing them with:

• Career Planning and Job Search;
• Advice to help them consider options and make decisions that are right for them and their families;
• Language Assessment and Upgrading;
• Education Institutions; and
• Essential Skills that they will need to better integrate into their communities.

Since 2007, more than 13,000 prospective immigrants have registered with CIIP and more than 9,000 have graduated from the program. The program is currently available in numerous cities in the following countries: The Philippines China, India, and the United Kingdom.

Additional service delivery locations may include: Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Finland, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Nepal, Norway, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Sweden, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

The post Canadian Immigrant Integration Program first appeared on Bellissimo Law Group.

This past month the Ontario government introduced legislation proposing an expansion of the Provincial Nominee Program. The program would grow from 1,300 economic immigrants to 5,000 accepted per year. Similar to Québec, under this new legislation Ontario would have the discretion to develop its own specific selection strategy.

Québec currently has its own set criteria for choosing new immigrants who will adapt well to life in Quebec. A skilled worker first applies to the Québec Government for a Certificat de Sélection du Québec (CSQ) and then later can apply to Citizenship and Immigration Canada programs to gain Permanent Residency.

Notwithstanding the very different historical relationship Québec and Ontario have vis-à-vis the Canadian Government, Ontario also has cause to seek a province-specific approach to immigration. Ontario is looking to grow its immigration program beyond the existing 100,000 new residents per year. Ontario also seeks to court a far grater number of skilled professionals in fields like Information Technology, which are in high demand in the province.  Annual caps to the Federal Skilled Worker Program introduced earlier this year by Citizenship and Immigration Canada, may obstruct the Province’s designs on attracting more skilled workers and their families to Ontario.

The Provincial Nominee Program allows employers to fill skilled positions when there is a shortage of qualified candidates to be found within Ontario.  Under the proposed new legislation, new immigrants would apply first to an expanded Ontario Provincial Nominee Program. The role of Citizenship and Immigration Canada would then be to clear these applicants on the basis of security and medical admissibility.

Sources

The post Ontario proposes a Québec style Provincial Nominee Program first appeared on Bellissimo Law Group.