CANADA IMMIGRATION NEWS AND TIPS

  Dear Miss Powell, I am a 30-year-old teacher. My brother is a permanent resident in Canada. He doesn’t have a Canadian passport yet, so can he sponsor me? – B.G. CLICK THIS LINK TO BOOK YOUR APPOINTMENT NOW Dear B.G., Canada has a very generous immigration system focused on uniting family members and, at the same time, meeting the employment demands. The rules relating to sponsorship of family members have changed over the years, thus making it a little more challenging for siblings to sponsor each other, unless they can demonstrate that they qualify under the new rules for sponsorship under the Family Class. SPONSORSHIP OF SIBLINGS Your brother would only be able to sponsor you in certain specific situations, if you can both satisfy the requirements. First, your brother would be able to sponsor you under the Family Class category, and the requirement is that sponsorship of family members over 18 years old may be sponsored if he is single and does not have any other relative livi...

Immigration Corner | Can I find work as an educator? :  Dear Ms Powell, My sister lives in Saskatchewan and says that she would help me to get to live in Canada, but I'm not sure how the system works. She says she sees a lot of job postings for teachers near her home. Would I have to go back to school even though I have a bachelor's degree in education? I have five years' work experience at a prep school in Jamaica. Would I qualify as an early-childhood teacher there and be able to live and work there? - K.E. Dear K.E., There are many opportunities for trained teachers to become permanent residents of Canada. Once you have been granted permanent residence, you will be authorised to live and work anywhere in Canada. Although there is no strict occupation list under the express entry system, you should note that many provinces, including Saskatchewan, have Provincial Nominee Programmes (PNP) that offer permanent residence to individuals who are able to bolst...

Dear Ms Powell, I am a Jamaican-born citizen of Canada. My sister died recently, leaving my niece. I would like to adopt my niece as currently, she is staying with a friend who I'm paying to keep her. Can you please guide me with the steps to adopt her and take her to Canada? How long would this take? Do I need a lawyer, or are there just online forms I can fill out? What documents will I need? - B.N. Dear B.N., I'm sorry to hear of the loss of your sister, and I commend you for taking steps to assist your niece. Inter-country adoption can sometimes be a challenging process as you will be required to work with government agencies in Canada and in Jamaica to get approved. While you do not need a lawyer to assist you in the process, I strongly recommend that you get one as the process is not a simple completion of online forms. As part of the application process, you will get an adoption order from the courts in Jamaica which state that you are the permanent parent ...

Dear Miss Powell, My sister is a Canadian citizen and she would like to sponsor me and my 13-year-old brother to go to Canada to live. How can she sponsor us? I'm working, but my little brother is in high school. - A.M.  Dear A.M., A Canadian citizen or permanent resident can sponsor her siblings to become permanent residents of Canada if all the parties are able to satisfy certain requirements as outlined under the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Protection Act ( IRPA). Your sister will first need to ensure that she qualifies to be a sponsor. She cannot be receiving social assistance, be in prison, or bankrupt. She must be able to satisfy other requirements depending on the details of your application. In the case of your 13-year-old brother, there is a special provision made for persons who are orphans, single, and under the age of 18. So if both of your parents are deceased and your brother is dependent on your sister for support, she can make a special application...