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Category Archives: Canada

May 26, 2024

Published: April 29, 2024

There are many ways that recipients of an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for Canadian permanent residence can start looking for jobs in Canada.

Foreign nationals often seek to immigrate to Canada through the popular Express Entry application management system operated by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

Note: Express Entry is the application management system for three of Canada’s top economic immigration programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).

In short, successful Express Entry candidates are invited to submit an Application for Permanent Residence (eAPR) after they receive an ITA from an Express Entry draw.

Applicants are given 60 days to submit their eAPRs to IRCC, after which there is a service standard that determines how long IRCC is expected to take to process eAPRs. At the time of writing, IRCC expects to process 80% of eAPRs within its service standard of six months.

During this six-month waiting period, applicants who have submitted their eAPR and have a good degree of confidence that their application will be approved can start looking for a job in Canada using the following three strategies:

Online Networking

Establishing a network is important because having a strong network is crucial for effective job performance and accessing employment opportunities that may not be publicly advertised.

Networking is the practice of “sharing … information and ideas [with] individuals who share a common profession or special interest, typically in a casual social setting.”

This practice can be used to help a prospective immigrant to Canada broaden their connections (or network) in Canada, even before they arrive. This is because networking can be done through many online mediums, including social media sites like X (formerly Twitter) and professional web platforms such as LinkedIn (more on LinkedIn later).

Networking is a way to discover potential job prospects within the industry you hope to work in when you arrive in Canada, while also being a valuable tool for staying updated on news and trends in a particular industry or in general.

Although building a network might seem overwhelming, especially for a new immigrant to Canada, online resources such as this dedicated webpage can be a great tool for understanding the importance of networking, understanding how to build and maintain professional relationships and finding resources for effective networking.

Government of Canada Job Bank

The Government of Canada Job Bank is a national employment service run by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) as both a website and mobile application. Operated “on behalf of the Canada Employment Insurance Commission, in collaboration with provincial and territorial governments”, ESDC says that this job bank “helps Canadians find work and plan their careers, [while making] it easier for employers to recruit and hire across the country.”

Providing access to over 150,000 job postings, which can be filtered by the name of the position, the location, the job type (remote, part-time) and more, the Canada Job Bank provides prospective immigrants* with job search and career planning resources they can avail even before they come to Canada.

*The Job Bank is not for temporary foreign workers. ESDC and the Government of Canada have a separate tool designed to help temporary workers in Canada find employment.

Note: The Job Bank also allows users to filter and sort available postings by “best match” and “date posted”, which is ideal for immigrants looking for recently available positions.

LinkedIn

Social media platforms such as LinkedIn, one of Canada’s top employment-related web platforms*, can be leveraged in many ways to help ITA recipients find employment in Canada.

*In a 2023 study conducted by Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), LinkedIn was the second most popular tool among newcomers looking for “information about work prospects before coming to Canada.”

Through its job search tools, including a platform that allows users to navigate through thousands of job postings through similar filters as the Canada Job Bank, and its proficient networking capabilities, LinkedIn can be a valuable resource for ITA recipients who are job searching before they arrive in Canada.

The same TMU study indicated that within the information search stage of the pre-arrival process, “LinkedIn was found to be the go-to information source for three of these information types – job search advice, job interview advice and salary information.” LinkedIn also appeared among the top three information sources for newcomers looking for information related to “further education or skill training.”

Proof of social media’s effectiveness, including LinkedIn, as a job search tool can be found in the positive post-arrival labour outcomes outlined by the TMU study. Specifically, this study indicated that:

  • Roughly 75% of survey respondents who said they used social media before arriving in Canada said the work they obtained “was either ‘very’ or ‘quite’ related to their skills”
  • Almost four in every five “immigrants who secured high-paying jobs” were pre-arrival social media users*.

*Meanwhile, the study indicated that, on the other hand, nearly 75% of immigrants “who gained precarious, low-paying employment” did not take advantage of social media before coming to Canada.

Three tools to start looking for jobs after receiving an ITA from IRCC

May 26, 2024

Published: April 26, 2024

French language proficiency will dominate category-based selection Express Entry draws in 2024 according to a recent Access to Information Request (ATIP).

The ATIP, shared with CICNews by Carry Immigration, shows that throughout draws in 2024, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will issue 78.5% of all Invitations to Apply (ITAs) to Express Entry candidates in category-based selection draws. The remaining 21.5% of ITAs will be issued in general draws.

Candidates eligible for selection through the French proficiency category will receive 30% of these with STEM occupations making up the next highest at 25% and healthcare at 15%.

The percentages of ITAs by category break down as follows:

 

According to the 2023 ATIP, when the category was first proposed IRCC noted that between anywhere from 11% to 15% of candidates invited through category-based selection would be from this category. However, to date, French proficiency draws have invited the highest number of candidates of any category (17,300 ITAs since July 2023).

The department also noted that inviting a high percentage of French-speaking candidates would help ensure that IRCC meets its mandated target of 4.4% of all francophone newcomers settling outside of Quebec in 2023.

The department was successful in this. Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced in January this year that 4.7% of all newcomers outside of Quebec. He said the target for 2024 would rise to 6%.

The same ATIP noted that support for this category was mixed. While 54% of stakeholders supported the category 42% indicated that they felt the category would have no impact or were unsure of the impact. Support was at its lowest levels from stakeholders in Alberta and British Columbia. They felt that there would be no significant economic impact outside of Francophone minority communities.

Other respondents in support of the category said there is a need for bilingualism in healthcare, tourism, hospitality, and education. They also pointed out the non-economic benefits that would come from the category such as removing barriers for French-speaking minorities to access services in their first language.

When will draws occur and how big will they be?

According to the 2024 ATIP, IRCC has developed a schedule for Express Entry draws in 2024. However, most details have been redacted. It says that draws will occur in a way that will “provide predictability to provinces and territories and clients with a consistent schedule.”

This is the first indication that draws will be held on a schedule this year. Draw frequency throughout 2023 was difficult to predict following the introduction of category-based selection.

Thus far in 2024, IRCC has conducted one general draw and at least one category-based draw every two weeks, although there have been occasions with three draws in one week. There is no way to confirm if this pattern will continue throughout the rest of the year.

In terms of how large the draws will be, IRCC says it will invite candidates based on admissions targets outlined in the current (2024-2026) Immigration Levels Plan. In 2024, IRCC has a target of welcoming 110,770 new permanent residents in 2024 and 117,500 in 2025. The number of candidates invited each year will not be the same as the target because Express Entry applications have a processing standard of six months. This means that candidates invited in the latter half of this year will not land in Canada until 2025.

Impact on CRS scores

The 2024 ATIP also says, “Anticipated round sizes at this frequency [of draws] should be feasible based on current expectations for pool vitality, although Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score and composition of the pool may deviate from expectations depending on PT (Provincial and Territorial) behaviour and pool replenishment.”

Put another way, this means the number of candidates in the Express Entry application pool, and their CRS scores, will have an impact on the minimum CRS cut-off scores for upcoming draws.

In the 2023 ATIP, IRCC said it expected to see a drop of approximately 10% in the total average CRS score following the introduction of category-based selection rounds. It anticipated that this drop would likely help widen source country and occupational diversity but also noted that there could be a negative impact on newcomer’s economic outcomes since higher CRS are correlated with stronger economic outcomes.

Express Entry draws in recent months have seen higher minimum scores for general draws, with none lower than 524. Meanwhile, some category-based selection draws have required much lower scores, such as 336 for a French-language proficiency draw on February 29.

 

French language proficiency will lead category-based selection Express Entry draws in 2024 | CIC News

May 26, 2024

Published: May 24, 2024

Immigration Minister Marc Miller has tabled a bill with Canada’s parliament to allow a first-generation limit to citizenship by descent.

This means that if the bill passes, children of Canadian citizens who were born abroad can pass their citizenship on to their children.

The bill, also known as Bill C-71, An Act to amend the Citizenship Act (2024,) will also “restore citizenship to ‘Lost Canadians’”. These are people who have lost or were never able to gain Canadian citizenship due to previous and outdated legislation.

“The current rules generally restrict citizenship by descent to the first generation, excluding some people who have a genuine connection to Canada,” said the Minister. “This has unacceptable consequences for families and impacts life choices, such as where individuals may choose to live, work, study, or even where to have children and raise a family. These changes aim to be inclusive and protect the value of Canadian citizenship, as we are committed to making the citizenship process as fair and transparent as possible.”

However, the legislation also states that “parents born abroad who have or adopt children also born outside Canada will need to have spent at least 1,095 cumulative days of physical presence in Canada prior to the birth or adoption of their child to pass on citizenship.”

In other words, children born, or adopted, by Canadian citizens born abroad will not be eligible for citizenship if their parents cannot prove that they have lived in Canada for a total of three calendar years before the birth or adoption of their child.

The Minister said more details will be available if the bill passes in parliament and receives royal assent. He did not provide a timeframe for the bill’s approval.

The proposed bill follows a similar decision by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. Last December, the court declared that the second-generational limit is unconstitutional. The presiding judge ruled that the second-generation cut-off creates a distinction based on national origin because it treats those who are Canadians at birth because they were born in Canada differently from those Canadians who obtained their citizenship by descent on their birth outside of Canada.

The Government of Canada had the option to appeal the ruling but chose not to on the grounds that it agreed that the current law has “unacceptable” consequences for Canadians whose children were born outside the country.

How to get Proof of Citizenship

Under the current laws, Canada’s government requires a Canadian citizenship certificate to confirm citizenship status for those born abroad.

Eligible individuals can apply for a Canadian citizenship certificate at any point in their lives. It does not matter if their Canadian parent is living or deceased.

Applicants must prove that at least one of their biological or legal parents was a Canadian citizen at the time of their (the applicant’s) birth.

After Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) receives an application, they will issue an “acknowledgement of receipt” and process the application.

According to the latest processing time data available, it can take up to three months for applicants in Canada and the United States, and longer for those in other countries.

Canada’s immigration minister proposes new legislation for Canadian citizenship by descent