CANADA IMMIGRATION NEWS AND TIPS

Click link to c omplete our free online form to FIND OUT IF YOU QUALIFY TO COME TO CANADA. Dear Miss Powell, My husband is a farm worker in Canada. He heard that there is a new programme that can help him to get citizenship. His employer said it is called the Agri-Food Pilot programme and he should talk to a lawyer about it. Can you tell us more about it, and if my husband can apply for us and our children to become citizens in Canada? – K.W. Dear K.W., Immigration Refugee and Citizenship Canada launched a new programme called the Agri-Food Immigration Pilot which is designed specifically to assist foreign workers in the agri-food industry to get permanent resident status. After living and working in Canada for a few years, the applicant and family could be eligible to apply for Canadian citizenship. The three-year industry-specific programme is intended to assist Canadian employers in livestock rearing, the meat industry, mushroom and greenhouse production to recruit ...

Dear Ms Powell, I am a farm worker in Ontario, and I am really trying to upgrade my skills. I want to do a trade certificate and get qualified to work as a landscaper, technician, or something in construction. Can you tell me what I need to do to get a visa to study in Canada? Can I get a work permit so that I can work part time with the company that I work with while I go to school? Would that help me to get to live as a citizen in Canada? Thanks for your help. - D.H . Dear D.H., I am pleased to hear that you are interested in upgrading your education and skills to be more marketable in Canada. There is a genuine shortage of skilled tradesmen in Canada, and so the government of Canada and the provinces have various programmes available for tradesmen to become permanent residents, and later, citizens, provided that they qualify. There are several colleges in Canada to which you may apply to study to become a certified tradesman. Since you are in Ontario, I ...

www.deidrepowell.com Dear Ms Powell, I have a visitor's visa, and a friend of mine needs help on his farm. My mother lives there, too. I plan to visit my mother next month and just apply for a work permit while I am there, but I am worried that I could lose my visitor's visa if I apply for the work permit. Would I be able to visit Jamaica on a work permit only? - F.E. Dear F.E, A visitor's visa, also known as a temporary resident visa, grants you authority to visit Canada and stay for up to six months, and this does not authorise you to work. You will be required to submit an application to change conditions and apply for a work permit as well. A work permit is not a visa and does not give you a right to travel to and from Canada. The temporary resident visa is the document that grants you the right to travel to and from Canada. This is the sticker that is placed in your passport that shows that you have met the requirements to be able to travel to Canada f...

Immigration Corner | I want to extend my time in Canada :  Dear Ms. Powell,  I'm a farm worker and I want to apply to extend my visa to stay in Canada. I also want to bring up my wife and son from Jamaica. My wife is a teacher. What can we do to become citizens of Canada?- NC Dear NC, A recent study by Statistics Canada revealed that one out of five foreign workers become permanent residents. Immigrants now represent 20.6 percent of the total population in Canada and the numbers are growing. So there is a strong possibility that you, your son and wife can become citizens of Canada with the correct application and with time. Your ability to renew your work permit depends on the type of permit that you received or the programme under which you came to Canada in the first place. The rules differ for each category of temporary foreign worker. Since I do not know the details concerning your permit, I will provide you with possible options.   Seasonal Agric...

Money spent and still no job - News - Jamaica Gleaner - Tuesday | August 12, 2014 Dear Miss Powell, I travelled to Canada via a recruiter who promised to provide employment. I was charged CAD$3,000 prior to departing Jamaica for his efforts. To date, he has not provided any employment. He says I need an LMO. What is that? How can I acquire an LMO if I am offered employment? In addition, my visa will expire in July 2016. Can I file for an extension? - WP Dear WP, I'm very concerned about your letter as I'm unclear about your status in Canada. I have many questions. Are you in Canada on a temporary resident visa? Study permit?   Work permit?  How long have you been in Canada? The answers to these questions can affect the approach that you should take at this time. I trust that you have not exceeded the time that you were granted to stay in Canada under a temporary resident visa/visitor's visa. Usually, the maximum amount of time that individuals are granted i...

Opportunity for Relatives of Temporary Foreign Workers to Canada Published in the Jamaican Gleaner,  May 28, 2014 Dear Ms. Powell, What is an open work permit? My father is working at a hotel as a temporary foreign worker and heard that I can get an open work permit. I am very hardworking and just would like to be close to my father.  How can I do that? MC Dear MC, When you are granted an open work permit to Canada that means that you have permission to work in Canada without first getting either a job offer or a positive labour market opinion (LMO) from the Employment and Social Development agency and you are not restricted to one particular employer. Since your father is already in Canada as a temporary worker, you may be able to get an open work permit under various new programmes and pilot projects through a special arrangement between provinces and the federal government. Some provinces are in desperate need of certain workers and they are current...

I want to apply for permanent residency - News - Jamaica Gleaner - Tuesday | December 10, 2013 Dear Miss Powell, For the past 12 years, I have worked in Canada as a seasonal worker. Someone told me that I can apply for permanent residency, but I'm not sure if I qualify or how to go about it. I want to do things the right way, so I'm writing to you to help me. - KJ Dear KJ, You can apply to become a permanent resident under the Canadian Experience Class (CEC). This category is open to temporary foreign workers and foreign students. To be eligible, you must have acquired a minimum of 12 months of legitimate full-time or equal amount of part-time work experience within the last 36 months; plan to live outside of the province of Quebec; and meet the language requirements. I am not sure what type of work you were doing, but there are a few major changes of which you should be aware. Since April 2012,  Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) reduced the wor...