CANADA IMMIGRATION NEWS AND TIPS

BOOK A TELEPHONE MEETING  Foreign nationals who are in Canada are required to always maintain status when they are in Canada. That means that if you are a temporary resident, such as a visitor, student, or foreign worker, and you apply to extend your temporary resident status before the permit expires, you can legally remain in Canada until a decision is made on the application. During the period that you are waiting for your application to be processed, you are deemed to have implied status or considered to have maintained status in Canada.  If you remain in Canada, this status is recognised by the government of Canada, and you are not regarded as remaining illegally, or seen as someone who has overstayed or run afoul of the immigration rules. However, if you leave Canada, this status will no longer be applicable to you. You will be required to reapply to renter Canada. Since, in your case, your work permit has expired only a month ago, and you applied for perman...

BOOK A TELEPHONE MEETING    Dear Miss Powell, I was doing some research about how to apply to go to Canada and I came across on of your articles. You mentioned that not all work experience after university would be acceptable under the Express Entry System, as Canada is looking for work experience based on certain NOC codes. I am a little confused about where my work experience falls, as I see various codes for the same occupation. I look forward to your response. – HB Dear HB Your question comes at an opportune time as Statistics Canada has recently published an update to the National Occupational Classification (NOC). These codes are usually used by government departments such as Immigration Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), and to review applicants’ eligibility under the Express Entry System, as well as for temporary foreign worker programme . WHAT IS A NOC CODE? This is a national reference code used to identify occupations. Under the current system, each occupation i...

   REQUEST A ZOOM/TELEPHONE MEETING  Dear Miss Powell, I have two cousins living in Alberta. They both went to Canada under the Express Entry System, but I notice that lately. nobody is being selected from outside of Canada. Do you know if they are accepting applications from international persons? I haven’t heard of anyone getting accepted lately. I don’t want to waste money getting my documents together if Canada isn’t selecting people to emigrate there. What do you think are my chances of being selected? What programmes can I apply for to go to Canada? – KB  REQUEST A ZOOM/TELEPHONE MEETING  Dear  KB, Each week, I am asked, “What are my chances of immigrating to Canada?” My answer is, your chances are excellent, if you are able to qualify. To qualify, you need to understand the various programmes that are available for persons to come to Canada and the requirement for each programme. Canada is still accepting applications from international persons and w...

BOOK A TELEPHONE MEETING  Dear Miss Powell, I am married to a Canadian citizen. We got married three years ago and since then, she has not returned to Canada. She is a stay-at-home mom and does not work. Since the pandemic, we have decided that it’s best for our family to move to Canada, but we are not sure how this would work. I am the main breadwinner and rely on the support of my wife, who takes care of the children and our home. We cannot afford to be apart, and so we want to know if she can sponsor us even though she is not living in Canada? What if I co-sign to be responsible, would that help? I own a lot of properties in Jamaica and a business. Also, the children are mine. Can they be added to the application? How long does the application take? I look forward to your response. MT The application for sponsorship of a family member is a two-step process. The first step is for your sponsor to prove that she is qualified, and the second is for the sponsored individuals to prove...

BOOK A TELEPHONE MEETING  Dear Miss Powell, I was born in Jamaica, and I am now a citizen of Canada. I have a small business in Canada and I’m trying to hire someone from overseas, as I haven’t been able to find suitable workers in Canada. When I gave her the job offer, she asked me if I’m LMIA-exempt, or if I have an LMIA. What is the purpose of an LMIA? I can’t find workers in Canada, and everyone knows there is a labour shortage. Why is such a report necessary? Please tell me how to get that report so that I can forward it so she can apply to come to Canada and help me in my business. I look forward to your response in  The Gleaner . Thank you. OP A Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) report is an opinion prepared by an officer of the federal government who has evaluated several factors to determine if the employer is indeed experiencing a labour shortage, and access the genuineness of the job offer. It is a report which signals to the department of Immigration Refugee a...