Canadian Immigration News

The Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) continues to be active in inviting new immigrants to the province, with the latest MPNP draw seeing a total of 176 skilled workers being issued a Letter of Advice to Apply (LAA) to the program.

The October 28 draw, the 22nd since the Expression of Interest system in Manitoba was first launched last year, saw LAAs issued to 150 candidates in the Skilled Workers in Manitoba sub-category, each of whom had at least 654 points in the MPNP ranking system for skilled workers.

The remaining 26 LAAs were issued to candidates in the Skilled Workers Overseas sub-category who had at least 712 points and who were directly invited by the MPNP under a Strategic Recruitment Initiative.

The government of Quebec is sticking to its plan to bring around 51,000 new immigrants to the province in 2017. Quebec's Immigration Minister, Kathleen Weil, confirmed the figure this week, while also providing details on a plan to provide an additional $31 million to French language-training programs for newcomers. Total government spending in that area will now be $168 million a year.

Members of Parliament (MPs) in Ottawa have voted unanimously to settle within four months members of the Yazidi population who have been persecuted by ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The motion, which was brought forward by the opposition Conservative Party, also formally labels the persecution of Yazidis a genocide.

Canada, it seems, is going against the grain when it comes to how its citizens view immigration policy. The anti-immigrant sentiment that has come to the fore in other regions of the world, notably in the United States and in parts of Europe, is being rejected by Canada, where eight in 10 people still believe that immigration is good for the country’s economy.

A popular Canadian immigration option in the province of Saskatchewan has reopened for a limited number of applications. On Monday, October 24, the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) announced that its International Skilled Worker – Occupations In-Demand sub-category would be accepting up to 700 applications. This marks the fifth time this SINP sub-category has had an application intake so far this year. If previous intake periods are anything to go by, it can be expected that the latest intake cap may be reached within days, or even hours.

The Express Entry draw on October 19 — the second draw in eight days — saw a record number of Invitations to Apply (ITAs) issued to candidates in Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) Express Entry pool. The previous record for the number of ITAs issued in a single draw was 1,637, on March 27, 2015. Moreover, this is only the second time in 2016 that two draws have happened within the space of a week.

The Express Entry draw on October 19 — the second draw in eight days — saw a record number of Invitations to Apply (ITAs) issued to candidates in Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) Express Entry pool. The previous record for the number of ITAs issued in a single draw was 1,637, on March 27, 2015. Moreover, this is only the second time in 2016 that two draws have happened within the space of a week.

A group of former international students whose applications for Post-Graduation Work Permits (PGWPs) were refused are now able to re-submit their applications. Canada’s Minister of Immigration, John McCallum, has established a public policy to reconsider applications for three-year open work permits from certain graduates.

The International Experience Canada (IEC) program has reopened for the 2017 season, giving citizens of 32 countries that have a reciprocal agreement with Canada the opportunity to live and work in Canada on a temporary basis. As of 10 a.m. EST on Monday, October 17, 2016, eligible candidates are able to create a profile and enter the pool for their country and category.

British Member of Parliament (MP) Chuka Umunna has urged policy-makers in the UK to look to Canada’s immigration system when developing a vision for the country’s immigration system post-Brexit.

“There is a lot we can learn from our Canadian counterparts,” Umunna wrote, in a recent opinion piece. “Their communities are far more integrated and cohesive, yet they have seen both historic and faster recent immigration levels.”