There is an intention to expand the program to other countries in 2019 if it is successful, such as Kenya and Senegal. Expansion to Senegal is of particular interest, as it would be in line with Canada’s goal to attract more French-speaking students to Canada.

Applicants from these 4 designated countries are not automatically eligible for SDS; there are certain criteria that must be met by providing upfront proof of the items below:

• Accepted at a Canadian learning institution that is designated to host internationals students
• Tuition payment for the first year of study at a designated learning institution in Canada
• Purchase of a Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC) of $10,000
• Completion of an upfront medical examination
• Qualifying score of at least 6 for English (IELTS), or Niveaux de competence linguistique canadiens score of 7 for French (TEF), or graduation from a Canadian-curriculum high school

Of note is that the language levels are stricter than with a regular study permits. If an applicant applies under SDS and is found not to be eligible under the program, they will be transferred to the regular study permit processing stream and will not receiving the faster processing benefit.

For more information on applying under Student Direct Stream, please click here.

The post Welcome, Students! IRCC Announces New Program – Student Direct Stream first appeared on Bellissimo Law Group.

The top 20 cities were ranked as follows:
1. London
2. Tokyo
3. Melbourne
4. Montreal
5. Paris
6. Munich
7. Berlin
8. Zurich
9. Sydney
10. Seoul
11. Vienna
12. Hong Kong
13. Toronto
13. Boston
15. Singapore
16. Edinburgh
17. Vancouver
18. New York
19. Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe
20. Taipei

To view the full list, click here.

The post See How Many Canadian Cities Have Made the 2018 Best Student Cities List! first appeared on Bellissimo Law Group.

This month the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Chris Alexander, announced some changes to the Canadian Experience Class.  These changes were brought into effect on November 9, 2013, and are part of a series of Ministerial Instructions issued to streamline the processing of Permanent Residency applications.

The Minister plans to introduce a new annual cap of 12,000 CEC applications to be considered each year.  However, for the period of Nov 9, 2013 to October 13, 2013, Canada will receive 15, 000 applications in order to address the existing backlog awaiting decision.

Language requirements of CEC applicants will stay the same. However, the results of language skills testing in either English or French will now be reviewed prior to commencing the processing of an application.  This is intended to prevent future backlogs in the system; to reduce wait times for all applicants; and also to provide timely feedback to those who do not qualify based on the language criteria.

For certain occupation types, the Minister has introduced a new sub-cap of 200 applications per year.  This primarily affects technical and skilled trades classed as Skill Level B by the National Occupation Classification (NOC).  A further six occupations have now been deemed ineligible for consideration.  These include the following:

• Cooks (NOC 6322)
• Food service supervisors (NOC 6311)
• Administrative officers (NOC1221)
• Administrative assistants (NOC 1241)
• Accounting technicians and bookkeepers (NOC1311)
• Retail sales supervisors (NOC6211)

Managerial and professional occupations classed as NOC Skill Level A will not be subject to a sub-cap, but only to the total cap of 12,000 applications considered each year.  Applicants who are graduates of Canadian post-secondary institutions, will have their education taken into consideration along with the work experience required for a CEC permanent resident application.

Any applications that were received prior to November 9, 2013 will continue to be considered based on the previous criteria for eligibility.

To learn more about the Canadian Experience Class itself, please see our summary of the CEC and eligibility criteria.

The post Changes to the Canadian Experience Class first appeared on Bellissimo Law Group.