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Tag: Immigration

16 Mar 2023

Express Entry Update: IRCC Holds Largest All-Program Draw in 2023 to Date

On March15, 2023, 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 all Express Entry programs, including the Federal Skilled Worker, Federal Skilled Trades, Provincial Nominee Program, and Canadian Experience Class. This week’s draw invited 7,000 candidates […]

2 Mar 2023

Express Entry Update: Provincial Nominee Draw

On March 1, 2023, 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 748, and 667 candidates were invited to apply. This draw invited only candidates who qualify […]

2 Mar 2023

Temporary Policy to Allow Visitors to Obtain Work Permits from Inside of Canada

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada has extended for two (2) years a temporary policy, allowing certain visitors to apply for work permits without leaving Canada. Visitors must have valid status in Canada and a valid job offer (either an LMIA or an LMIA-exempt offer of employment) and meet all other admissibility criteria to be eligible […]

2 Mar 2023

New measures for Iranian citizens in Canada beginning March 1, 2023

As of March 1, 2023, the Government of Canada has introduced a new public policy to extend the temporary stay of Iranian Citizens in Canada. Iranian citizens, currently in Canada under valid temporary status, can apply to extend their stay from inside of Canada or change their temporary status. These measures include eligibility to apply […]

2 Feb 2023

Express Entry Update: Federal Skilled Worker Draw

On February 2, 2023, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued a new round of invitations to apply for permanent residence under the Express Entry system. Invitations were issued to candidates who qualify for selection under the Federal Skilled Worker Class. This draw indicted 3,300 candidates to apply. The minimum score selected was 489. This […]

2 Feb 2023

Work Permits for Dependent Children and Spouses of Foreign Workers

As of January 30, 2023, the Government of Canada has increased the eligibility of accompanying family members to obtain work permits. Dependent children (under the age of 22) can now obtain an open work permit if their parent is authorized to work in Canada and is currently employed. In addition, spouses of low skilled workers […]

2 Feb 2023

Update on Ukraine – February 2, 2023

Since March 2022, over 800,000 individuals have applied for temporary residence in Canada under the Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel (“CUAET”). To date, over 500,000 of these applications have been approved. Currently, the CUAET program remains open and available for Ukrainian nationals and their family members to apply for temporary status in Canada. The CUAET […]

11 Jan 2023

Express Entry Update: First Draw of the New Year

On January 11, 2023, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued a new round of invitations to apply for permanent residence under the Express Entry system. Invitations were issued to candidates who qualify for selection under all Express Entry programs, including the Federal Skilled Worker, Federal Skilled Trades, Provincial Nominee Program, and Canadian Experience Class. […]

11 Jan 2023

The New Year Ushers in Accelerated Growth for Canadian Immigration

The pandemic has made sharp and lasting changes to immigration law and policy. As the threat of the pandemic receded, the government re-opened our borders. What is next on the Immigration front in Canada? What will the new year bring? The following is a list of the main Canadian immigration rules and trends we can […]

10 Jan 2023

Open Work Permits for Youth and Adults 18-35

This week the government has announced eligibility for work permits for youth and adults 18-35, under the international experience work permit category, if they are nationals of partner countries. Processing of the work permit takes approximately six weeks. Eligibility criteria is minimal and it is an excellent opportunity for youth to receive an open work […]

10 Jan 2023

PGWP program transitioning back to restrictions on distance learning

In response to the unprecedented impact of COVID-19 public health measures on international students and the unavoidable shift to distance learning that had to occur, IRCC put in place temporary public policy changes to the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) Program which were intended to minimize the impact of pandemic public health restrictions on affected students. […]

10 Jan 2023

Negative COVID-19 tests required for travellers from China, Hong Kong, and Macao

Following an abrupt increase in COVID-19 cases in the People’s Republic of China and surrounding regions and given the limited available data on this new variant of the virus, the Government of Canada has put in place temporary public health restrictions on air travel from the People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong, and Macao. As […]

10 Jan 2023

Five new occupations eligible for expedited LMIAs and work permits

Since its introduction in 2017, the Global Talent Stream has been one of the most effective and efficient pathways for Canadian employers to both attract and hire skilled talent from around the world. Under this stream, the government maintains a Global Talent Occupations List setting out the occupations that they have determined to be in-demand […]

10 Jan 2023

Canada welcomes over 430,000 new permanent residents in 2022

In the past year, Canada welcomed the largest number of new permanent residents in the country’s history, with over 431,645 new permanent residents having been accepted. This exceeds the previous record set in 2021, when Canada welcomed just over 401,000 new permanent residents. To build on this success, the federal government has continued to set […]

19 Dec 2022

Season’s Greeting & Happy New Year!

17 Nov 2022

Significant Updates to the National Occupational Classification (“NOC”) System

The National Occupational Classification (“NOC”) is Canada’s national system for describing and categorizing occupations. This system is overhauled every ten (10) years to reflect changes in the economy and nature of work. The NOC 2021 iteration has been released, and effective today (November 16, 2022) IRCC has switched the programs to reflect the new NOC […]

17 Nov 2022

New Youth Mobility Agreement between Italy and Canada

In December 2020, Canada and Italy signed a Youth Mobility Agreement to allow the bilateral movement of youth for work and travel. That agreement has now come into force. As a result of this agreement, Italian youth between 18 and 35 (inclusive) will have more options to apply for Canadian work permits through the International […]

10 Nov 2022

Express Entry Update

On November 9, 2022, 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 all Express Entry programs, including the Federal Skilled Worker, Federal Skilled Trades and Canadian Experience Class. This week’s draw invited 4,750 candidates to apply, […]

10 Nov 2022

New Employer Compliance Requirements in Force

On September 26, 2022, amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, SOR/2002-227 came into force placing additional compliance requirements on employers of temporary foreign workers under both the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (“TFWP”) – pursuant to a Labour Market Impact Assessment (“LMIA”) – and the International Mobility Program (“IMP”). The purpose of these measures […]

27 Oct 2022

Express Entry Scores Drop Below 500

On October 26, 2022, 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 all Express Entry programs, including the Federal Skilled Worker, Federal Skilled Trades and Canadian Experience Class. This week’s draw invited 4,750 candidates to apply. […]

27 Oct 2022

Are You Missing Something? Immigration Liabilities in Mergers and Acquisitions

There is nothing more frustrating than completing a long and complex project, only to discover that you have overlooked a key component in making that project a success. In mergers and acquisitions, corporate lawyers, in-house counsel, tax experts, and many others spend countless hours conducting due diligence, pouring over details of contracts, sales numbers, capital, […]

13 Oct 2022

Express Entry Update

On October 12, 2022, 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 all Express Entry programs, including the Federal Skilled Worker, Federal Skilled Trades and Canadian Experience Class. This week’s draw invited 4,250 candidates to apply. […]

13 Oct 2022

New Invitations to Apply Issued for Parent/Grandparent Sponsorship Program

On October 11, 2022, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced they are issuing another round of invitations to apply to the parent/grandparent sponsorship program. 23,100 invitations to apply will be issued to potential sponsors over the next two (2) weeks. In light of the covid-19 pandemic, IRCC has also lowered the minimum necessary income […]

7 Oct 2022

Canadian travel restrictions lift, facilitating entry of skilled workers to Canada

On October 1, 2022, the Canadian government lifted all travel restrictions relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, which were in effect for over two years. Prior to October 1, 2022, certain skilled workers were unable to enter Canada due to vaccination status and quarantine requirements. Following the removal of Canada’s pandemic-related travel restrictions, employers can now […]

7 Oct 2022

Unlimited Working Hours for International Students Subject to Conditions

Beginning on November 15, 2022, Canada will temporarily lift the cap on the number of hours eligible study permit holders can work per week. Currently, study permit holders who maintain full-time studies are eligible to work part-time off campus, to a maximum of twenty (20) hours per week. In response to Canada’s current labour shortage, […]

4 Oct 2022

Canada To Revise Express Entry Criteria in 2023

The Canada government has decided to modify its Express Entry system in a bid to counter its persisting labour shortage woes post pandemic. The new rules will be effective from 2023. In addition, IRCC is also planning to issue Invitations to Apply for Permanent Residence (ITA) to candidates with specific work experience and education. On […]

27 Sep 2022

COVID-19 Border and Travel Restrictions in Canada to be Lifted on October 1, 2022

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Canadian government has been committed to taking all necessary steps to keep Canadians safe and minimize the spread of COVID-19. The public safety measures that travelers have had to follow over the last two years – including masking, vaccination and quarantine requirements – have been some of […]

16 Sep 2022

Express Entry: Draw Sizes Continue to Increase

On September 14, 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 all Express Entry programs, including the Federal Skilled Worker, Federal Skilled Trades and Canadian Experience Class. This week’s draw invited 3,250 candidates to apply. The […]

2 Sep 2022

Expansion of the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot Program

On August 26, 2022, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship announced pending changes to the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot Program (RNIP), to expand on the existing pilot program. The following will be implemented effective fall of 2022: Expanding the geographic boundaries of the following participating communities, so more employers are able to participate: […]

2 Sep 2022

Express Entry: CRS Scores Continue to Decline

On August 31, 2022, 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 all Express Entry programs, including the Federal Skilled Worker, Federal Skilled Trades and Canadian Experience Class. This week’s draw invited 2,750 candidates to apply. […]

18 Aug 2022

Express Entry Draw Scores Continue to Drop

On August 17, 2022, 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 all Express Entry programs. This week’s draw invited 2,250 candidates to apply. The minimum score selected was 525, down from 533 in the previous […]

3 Aug 2022

Permanent Residence: Express Entry Selection Scores Continue to Decrease

On August 3, 2022, 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 all Express Entry programs. This week’s draw invited 2,000 candidates to apply. This marks an increase from the previous draw, in which 1,750 candidates […]

3 Aug 2022

Canada Allows Post-Graduate Work Permit 18-Month Extensions

Former foreign students, whose post-graduation work permit expired or will expire from September 20, 2021, to December 31, 2022, will have the opportunity to work in Canada for an additional 18 months by either extending their work permit or applying for a new one. Those currently in Canada will also be allowed to work in […]

21 Jul 2022

Second Express Entry Draw in 2022 High Minimum Selection Score

On July 20, 2022, 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 all Express Entry programs. This week’s draw invited 1,750 candidates to apply. This marks an increase from the July 6, 2022 draw, in which […]

7 Jul 2022

After a 2 ½ Year Pause, Immigration to Canada Resumes for Foreign Applicants (under the Federal Skilled Worker Category)

We are pleased to announce that overseas immigration applicants are now eligible for selection for immigration to Canada. On July 6, 2022, 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 all Express Entry programs, including the […]

22 Apr 2022

Extension of Temporary Public Policy Allowing Visitors in Canada to Apply for Employer-Specific Work Permits

Finally, the Minister announced today that the temporary public policy allowing visitors in Canada to apply for employer-specific work permits without having to leave Canada will be extended until February 28, 2023.

22 Apr 2022

Changes to the Temporary Resident to Permanent Resident Pathway Program

The Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced three changes today to the Temporary Resident to Permanent Resident pathway program. While intake under this program is now closed, these changes will affect those with applications currently in process. The changes are as follows: Applicants will no longer be required to remain in Canada while […]

22 Apr 2022

New Temporary Policy: Extension of Post-Graduate Work Permits

The Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced today a new temporary policy for extension of post-graduate work permits. The policy will take effect in the summer of 2022. Post-graduate work permit holders with permits set to expire between January and December 2022 will be eligible to apply for a new open work permit, […]

22 Apr 2022

Federal Skilled Worker (and CEC and FST) Draws to Resume in July 2022

Federal Skilled Worker draws have been paused since December 2020. Today, April 22, 2022, The Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced that draws under the federal Express Entry system will be resuming in early July 2022. Draws under the Federal Skilled Worker, Federal Skilled Trades, and Canadian Experience Class programs have been […]

6 Apr 2022

Good News For Canadian Employers: ESDC Announces Facilitative Measures to Temporary Foreign Worker Program

As Canada’s unemployment rate has now dropped to 5.5% – its lowest level since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic – the number of job openings available has been steadily outpacing the ability of employers to find and hire workers. To help employers meet their labour needs in the current job market, ESDC has committed […]

1 Apr 2022

Express Entry Update: Provincial Nominee Draw

On March 30, 2022, 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 785, and 919 candidates were invited to apply. To qualify for selection under the Provincial […]

17 Mar 2022

Immigration Update

Canada’s Very Special (And Exceptional) Measures for Ukrainians Fleeing the War Our Canadian government has provided a swift immigration response to Russian’s violent invasion of Ukraine by introducing several new immigration streams for Ukrainians who wish a safe refuge in Canada temporarily or permanently. For Ukrainians who wish to travel to Canada temporarily, the Canadian […]

3 Mar 2022

Immigration Update

New Travel Measures Allow for More Facilitative Entry to Canada As of February 28, 2022, Canada has amended some travel measures allowing for greater ease of entry for vaccinated travellers. Antigen tests taken the day prior to travel may now be used as pre-entry tests, or travellers may continue to use molecular tests taken within […]

16 Feb 2022

Immigration Update

Express Entry Update: Provincial Nominee Draw On February 16, 2022, 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 710, and 1082 candidates were invited to apply. To […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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, […]

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 […]

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. […]

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 […]

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. […]

25 Nov 2020

Immigration Update

Border Closures in Effect to December 21, 2020 The COVID-19 travel restrictions in place at the Canada-U.S. land border will remain in effect for at least another month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced last Friday. The current agreement on the U.S.-Canada border closure to non-essential travel was first imposed in March to limit the spread […]

19 Nov 2020

Immigration Update

Canada Invites 5,000 Candidates to Apply for Permanent Residence in Yesterday’s Draw In the largest permanent residence draw from Canada to date, on November 18th, 2020, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued a new round of invitations to apply for permanent residence under the Express Entry system. Yesterday’s draw invited candidates who qualify under […]

29 Jul 2016

The Intersection of Immigration and M&A Law

In our previous newsletter, we outlined the regulatory amendments and the risks associated with overlooking immigration in an M&A due diligence process. In this newsletter, we will continue our review of the impact of immigration regulations on M&A transactions

15 Jun 2016

Immigration Due Diligence Requirements in Mergers and Acquisitions

In December 2015, a number of regulatory amendments came into force in Canada that could create significant liability for businesses who are engaged in an M&A or other corporate restructuring without addressing the immigration implications.

8 Mar 2016

Higher Immigration Levels Announced For Canada

Today, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, John McCallum, announced that Canada will welcome a greater number of immigrants in 2016.The Government of Canada plans to bring in between 280,000 and 305,000 new permanent residents in 2016.

4 Jan 2016

BARTLAW LLP Immigration Update

On December 18, 2015, the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) announced the eligibility criteria for their new Entrepreneur stream. To apply, applicants must meet the following minimum eligibility criteria

4 Nov 2015

Canada’s Trudeau Government: A New Era for Immigration

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was officially sworn into office as Canada’s 23rd leader today. The new Liberal Government has announced a 31 member cabinet that includes new ministers for Immigration, Public Safety, and Employment.

25 Jun 2014

Government Announces Fundamental Changes to Various Immigration Programs

On Friday, June 20, 2014, major changes were announced by Ministers Kenney and Alexander to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). The TFWP is being re-organized into two distinct programs. The Labour Market Opinion has now been renamed the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)

21 Apr 2014

BARTLAW LLP Immigration News: Global Immigration Seminar in Toronto

BartLAW is pleased to announce that it is sponsoring and hosting a Global Immigration Seminar in Toronto which is the first of its kind in the world. The seminar is a joint collaboration between the International Association of Lawyers and the International Association of Young Lawyers

25 Mar 2014

Ontario Is Requesting More Provincial Immigrants

The Ontario government has introduced legislation proposing an expansion of the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). Under the proposal, Ontario would select 5,000 immigrants per year, which is a dramatic increase from the current 1,300 economic immigrants accepted in the program each year.

29 Aug 2013

Four New Developments in Canadian Immigration Law

Chris Alexander is Canada’s new Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. He replaces Jason Kenney, who is the new Minister of Employment and Social Development (formerly Human Resources and Skills Development). Mr. Alexander, who was elected to the House of Commons for the riding of Ajax-Pickering in 2011

12 Apr 2013

Canada Opens a New Immigration Category Pilot: The Start Up Business Class Immigration Program

After announcing the creation of a new type of entrepreneur application process in 2012, on March 30, 2013, Citizenship and Immigration Canada ( “CIC”) changed the law and policy in Canada to implement the Start-Up Business Class, which is currently in a Pilot (ie. test) format subject to further CIC assessment.

21 Jan 2013

Canada’s New Immigration Rules 2013

Canada’s efforts to counteract an ageing population and the need for young skilled workers has led to a re-evaluation of the Federal Skilled Worker program and the introduction of new immigration rules by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (“CIC”). The FSW program has been in suspension since July 1, 2012

23 Nov 2012

November 2012 Canadian Immigration Updates

The new regulations apply to spouses or partners in a relationship of two years or less and who have no children in common with their sponsor at the time they submit their sponsorship application. The spouse or partner must live in a legitimate relationship with their sponsor

19 Sep 2012

Canadian Immigration Changes: A 10-Point Summary

Federal Entrepreneur program is closed. CIC is currently redesigning a new program with the goal of having it implemented by the end of 2012. Investor program has been suspended and the current program has backlogs with a wait time of up to nine (9) years. CIC is currently looking at pilot programs to complement the existing program.