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Year: 2021

22 Dec 2021

Immigration Update

Express Entry Update: Provincial Nominee Draw On December 22, 2021, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued a new round of invitations to apply for permanent residence. Invitations were issued to candidates who qualify for selection under the Provincial Nominee Class. The minimum score selected was 720, and 746 candidates were invited to apply. To […]

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10 Dec 2021

Immigration Update

Omicron’s Effect on Canadian Immigration: New Rules In light of the new dangers presented by the Omicron variant of concern, the Government of Canada has established entry prohibitions from certain designated countries and reinstituted testing requirements for all individuals who have travelled to a country other than Canada or the United States within the past […]

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29 Nov 2021

Immigration Update

Travel Ban from the Southern Africa region Due to the detection of the COVID-19 variant Omicron in the Southern African region, Canada has implemented new travel restrictions for travellers who have been to South Africa, Eswatini, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Namibia within 14 days of their arrival to Canada. This measure will remain in […]

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24 Nov 2021

Immigration Update

Express Entry Update: Provincial Nominee Draw On November 24, 2021, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued a new round of invitations to apply for permanent residence. Invitations were issued to candidates who qualify for selection under the Provincial Nominee Class. The minimum score selected was 737, and 613 candidates were invited to apply. To […]

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1 Nov 2021

Immigration Update

BARTLAW LLP welcomes Sean Fraser, Canada’s new Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Mr. Fraser is a 37-year-old former lawyer from Nova Scotia that was first elected as a Member of Parliament in 2015. He was re-elected in 2019 and 2021. He replaces Marco Mendicino, who now becomes Canada’s public safety minister. Mendicino had held […]

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29 Oct 2021

Immigration Update

Express Entry Update: Provincial Nominee Draw On October 27, 2021, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued a new round of invitations to apply for permanent residence. Invitations were issued to candidates who qualify for selection under the Provincial Nominee Class. The minimum score selected was 744, and 888 candidates were invited to apply. To […]

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1 Oct 2021

Immigration Update

Express Entry Update: Provincial Nominee Draw On September 29, 2021, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued a new round of invitations to apply for permanent residence. Invitations were issued to candidates who qualify for selection under the Provincial Nominee Class. The minimum score selected was 742, and 761 candidates were invited to apply. To […]

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15 Sep 2021

Immigration Update

Express Entry Update: Provincial Nominee Draw On September 15, 2021, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued a new round of invitations to apply for permanent residence. Invitations were issued to candidates who qualify for selection under the Provincial Nominee Class. The minimum score selected was 732, and 521 candidates were invited to apply. To […]

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14 Sep 2021

Immigration Update

Express Entry Update On September 14, 2021, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued a new round of invitations to apply for permanent residence under the Express Entry system. This draw invited only candidates who qualify for selection under the Canadian Experience Class. To qualify for selection under the Canadian Experience Class, candidates must have […]

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3 Sep 2021

Immigration Update

Express Entry Update: Provincial Nominee Draw On September 1, 2021, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued a new round of invitations to apply for permanent residence. Invitations were issued to candidates who qualify for selection under the Provincial Nominee Class. The minimum score selected was 764, and 635 candidates were invited to apply. To […]

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19 Aug 2021

Immigration Update

On August 18, 2021 and August 19, 2021, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued two new rounds of invitations to apply for permanent residence under the Express Entry system. The August 18, 2021 draw invited candidates who qualify for selection under the Provincial Nominee Class. The minimum score selected was 751 and 463 candidates […]

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5 Aug 2021

Immigration Update

Express Entry Update On August 4, 2021 and August 5, 2021, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued two new rounds of invitations to apply for permanent residence under the Express Entry system. The August 4, 2021 draw invited candidates who qualify for selection under the Provincial Nominee Class. The minimum score selected was 760 […]

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22 Jul 2021

Immigration Update

Canada To Re-Open to International Travellers on September 7, 2021 On September 7, 2021, assuming that Canada’s epidemiologic situation remains under control, the Government intends to open Canada’s borders to any fully vaccinated travellers who are fully vaccinated with a Government of Canada-accepted vaccine at least 14 days prior to entry and who meet immigration […]

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21 Jul 2021

Immigration Update

Borders Restrictions Lifting for Fully Vaccinated Travellers Since March 2020, our border has been closed for optional and discretionary travel to Canada.  In order to enter Canada, international travellers have had to fit into certain exemptions to be able to cross the Canadian border. Starting next month, the restrictions will be eased to allow for […]

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9 Jul 2021

Immigration Update

Canada will ease quarantine requirement for fully vaccinated travellers on July 5, 2021 When the Canadian government introduced new vaccine quarantine exemption rules for fully vaccinated eligible travelers, immigration lawyers and their clients were ecstatic. Fully vaccinated eligible workers will be quarantine exempt, as of July 6, 2021, if they meet the following conditions: Have […]

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21 Jun 2021

Immigration Update

Canada will ease quarantine requirement for fully vaccinated travellers on July 5, 2021 As of July 5th, 2021 at 11:59 PM EDT, Canadian citizens, permanent residents and other eligible travellers who are entitled to enter Canada will be able to do so without quarantining, provided they have received all required doses of their COVID-19 vaccine […]

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10 Jun 2021

Immigration Update

Full Vaccination Will Reduce Quarantine Requirements Well over seventy percent of Canadians have received one vaccine and twenty percent are fully vaccinated.  That is good news for quarantine restrictions.  Canadian citizens and permanent residents and other exempt travelers who are fully vaccinated will soon have a reduced quarantine requirement when arriving from abroad. Health Minister […]

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8 Jun 2021

Immigration Update

On June 8, 2021, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced the opening of two (2) new programs offering a pathway to permanent residence for Hong Kong residents. Both programs are only applicable to Hong Kong residents currently living in Canada. The eligibility requirements for each program are as follows: A: In-Canada Graduate Stream • Applicants […]

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1 Jun 2021

Immigration Update

Express Entry Draw This Week: Canadian Experience Class Scores Drop to 380 On May 31, 2021, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued a new round of invitations to apply for permanent residence under the Express Entry system. The May 31, 2021 draw invited candidates who qualify for selection under the Canadian Experience Class. The […]

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26 May 2021

Immigration Update

Government extends flight ban from India, Pakistan until June 21 The Canadian government has extended its ban on flights from India and Pakistan until June 21, 2021 in a move to prevent and control the spread of the novel coronavirus and its variants. Express Entry Update: Provincial Nominee Class Draw Today On May 26, 2021, […]

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21 May 2021

Immigration Update

Canada-U.S. border restrictions extended another month to June 21, 2021 The Canada-U.S. border will remain closed to non-essential travel for at least another month, just days before the current agreement was set to expire. Non-essential travel restrictions have been in place between the two countries since March 21, 2020. The provision exempts the flow of […]

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13 May 2021

Immigration Update

Will China take Canada’s Immigrants? The recent Globe and Mail article by John Ibbitson (April 28, 2021), and Doug Saunders’ tweet one day earlier, stating that the reduced birth rate in China ‘will help make immigration a seller’s market’ which will compete against Canada’s immigration targets is a good point.  However, it misses a fundamental […]

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29 Apr 2021

Immigration Update

Express Entry Update On April 29th 2021, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued a new round of invitations to apply for permanent residence under the Express Entry system. Today’s draw invited candidates who qualify for selection under the Canadian Experience Class. The minimum score selected was 400, and 6,000 candidates were invited to apply. […]

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28 Apr 2021

Immigration Update

Ontario Re-Opens the Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker and Employer Job Offer: International Student Streams, with New Expression of Interest System On April 28th 2021, the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) announced the re-opening of the Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker and Employer Job Offer: International Student streams. These programs are pathways to permanent residence […]

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19 Apr 2021

Immigration Update

Express Entry Update On April 16th 2021, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued a new round of invitations to apply for permanent residence under the Express Entry system. This draw invited candidates who qualify for selection under the Canadian Experience Class. The minimum score selected was 417, and 6,000 candidates were invited to apply. […]

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15 Apr 2021

Immigration Update

Generous and Exceptional New Permanent Residence Programs for Essential Workers and International Graduates, Including Essential Workers in National Occupation Classification (NOC) C or D Occupations  On April 14th 2021, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced extremely generous and unprecedented new permanent residence programs for essential workers and international graduates in Canada. IRCC will begin accepting […]

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1 Apr 2021

Immigration Update

Express Entry Update On March 31st 2021 and April 1st 2021, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued two new rounds of invitations to apply for permanent residence under the Express Entry system. The March 31st 2021 draw invited candidates who qualify for selection under the Provincial Nominee Class. The minimum score selected was 778 […]

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18 Mar 2021

Immigration Update

Express Entry Update: First Canadian Experience Class Draw since February 13th 2021 On March 18th 2021, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued a new round of invitations to apply for permanent residence under the Express Entry system. Today’s draw invited candidates who qualify for selection under the Canadian Experience Class. The minimum score selected […]

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17 Mar 2021

Immigration Update

St. Patrick’s Day’s Provincial Nominee Class Draw On March 17th 2021, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued a new round of invitations to apply for permanent residence under the Express Entry system. Today’s draw invited candidates who qualify for selection under the Provincial Nominee Class. The minimum score selected was 682, and 183 candidates […]

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3 Mar 2021

Immigration Update

Newly Opened Youth Mobility Work Permit Options Welcomed by Canadian Employers On March 1, 2021, the Government of Canada opened the 2021 International Experience Canada (IEC) applicant pool for certain countries. Selected applicants through this youth mobility program will be eligible to work in Canada with either an employer-specific or open work permit, depending on […]

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16 Feb 2021

Immigration Update

New Testing and Quarantine Rules for Entry to Canada The Canadian government has announced a new COVID-19 test requirement for entry at land border crossings. Travelers entering at a land border must present evidence of a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) COVID-19 test. The test must be taken within 72 hours prior to arrival at […]

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25 Jan 2021

Immigration Update

Border Closures Extended for Another Month The pandemic travel restrictions in place at the Canada-U.S. land border were extended for another month. Prime Minister Trudeau confirmed that the current border restrictions will now remain in effect until February 21st, 2021. He said this “important decision” was taken to keep citizens on both sides of the […]

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8 Jan 2021

Immigration Update

Express Entry Update On January 8th, 2021, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued the second round of invitations to apply for permanent residence under the Express Entry system for the 2021 year. This draw invited only candidates who qualify under the Canadian Experience Class. The minimum score selected was 461, and 4,750 candidates were […]

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7 Jan 2021

Immigration Update

Express Entry Update On January 6th, 2021, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued the first round of invitations to apply for permanent residence under the Express Entry system for the 2021 year. This week’s draw invited only candidates who have received a nomination from a Canadian province or territory. The minimum score selected was […]

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4 Jan 2021

BARTLAW LLP, Canadian Immigration, Barristers and Solicitors: Announcement of Promotion to Senior Associate — Annsley Kesten

Promotion Announcement: Annsley Kesten, Senior Associate BARTLAW LLP is pleased to announce the promotion of Annsley Kesten to Senior Associate, effective immediately. Since joining BARTLAW LLP in December of 2015, Annsley has practiced exclusively in the area of Canadian immigration and citizenship law. Annsley’s practice area is primarily focused on corporate immigration matters, with emphasis […]

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4 Jan 2021

Immigration Update

COVID Testing Required for People Travelling to Canada Starting January 7, 2021, at 12:01 a.m. EST, all air passengers five years of age or older will be required to test negative for COVID-19 before travelling from another country to Canada. Proof of a negative laboratory test result must be presented to the airline prior to […]

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