Tag Archives: Canada Immigration Programs

IRCC launches Parents and Grandparents (PGP) 2021 program

Canadian Government launches its Parents and Grandparents Program (PGP) 2021 sponsorship program. IRCC is all set to invite around 30,000 applicants to sponsor their parents and grandparents through a lottery (Draw) to immigrate to Canada. 

The lottery is scheduled to be conducted in the third week of September 2021. After the lottery, the Canadian Government will send invitations for the next two weeks. The lucky ones whose requests will be accepted will have to submit their requests for sponsorship to the Canadian Government within a time frame of 60 days.   

The parents and grandparents accepted under the PGP program will be granted permanent residence status and eligible to apply for Canadian citizenship later on.

Eligible terms and conditions for PGP applicants

Individuals seeking permanent resident status in Canada for their parents and grandparents must fulfill the following eligibility criteria. 

Age and Essential support: The sponsorship applicant should be 18 years or above. One should be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, or status First Nation possessing all the resources and means to upkeep the family member to be sponsored. 

Financial Status: The applicant should be financially strong with a regular source of income. Therefore, applicants should know the financials they need to maintain to support each member they are willing to sponsor. The Minimum Necessary Income (MNI) is thus the eligibility criteria for the PGP. 

For Quebec: For individuals who live in Quebec and want to sponsor parents or grandparents will have their financials assessed by the Quebec Immigration Ministry. 

A signed undertaking is required both by the IRCC and the Government of Quebec, mentioning the tenure for which the sponsor is responsible for the finances of the family members they are sponsoring. The tenure of the undertaking is 20 years for parents and grandparents in Canada and 10 years in Quebec.        

To know more about PGP program, call Options Abroad, Today. Options Abroad has answers to all your immigration queries.    

Largest Expression of Interest draws ever held by Ontario

Three major PNP draws inviting international workers, students, and applicants with a job offer in rural communities on July 13, 2012, were held by the Ontario province.

The OINP invited 1,685 candidates who submitted their profiles in the new Expression of Interest (EOI) pool.  Invited candidates might be qualified for one of two Employer Job Offer streams. In this year so far, this is the largest Expression of Interest draws held by Ontario.

Under the general draw, 1,211 candidates are invited who are eligible for the Foreign Worker Stream. The score requirement for such candidates is at least 33, and no targeted occupations and location requirements were applicable under this draw.

Another 431 applicants were sent invitations through the International Student Stream, and the score requirement for these candidates was at least 62.

43 candidates are invited under the Regional Immigration Pilot program.

About the Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker stream

Any candidate who has an eligible job offer from an employer in Ontario can apply under Ontario Employer Job Offer: International Student Stream. The candidates who meet the eligibility requirements do not necessarily need to be in Canada. They are required to have:

•          Two years work experience in a skilled occupation,

•          An eligible Job Offer from Ontario, and

•          An intention to immigrate to Ontario

About the Employer Job Offer: International Student Stream

Any candidate who has an eligible job offer from an employer in Ontario can apply under Ontario Employer Job Offer: International Student Stream. The candidates who meet the eligibility requirements do not necessarily need to be in Canada. They are required to have

•      A recognized qualification from Canadian Designated Learning Institution,

•          An eligible Job Offer from Ontario, and

•          An intention to immigrate to Ontario

To apply for the PNP, an EOI profile has to be registered on the website of Ontario. Post-registration, the profile is entered in the EOI pool. Based on the profile, a score is given. Factors on which the score is based include skill level of job offer, professional experience, wage, qualification, language ability, the region in which education or experience is gained, etc. Ontario uses the National Occupational Classification (NOC) system to calculate points for the candidates.

All the PNPs are focused on filling skill shortages in the labor market by bringing skilled immigrants to various provinces. The OINP systematically explores the Express Entry pool to invite candidates meeting Ontario’s stream eligibility criteria.

What is the Regional Immigration Pilot?

The Regional Immigration Pilot helps address labour shortages in various communities. Three rural locations, namely Chatham-Kent, Cornwall, and Quinte West/Belleville are allocated with 150 nominations in 2021. The program will stay here for two years before review. Depending on the performance, it will be extended or discontinued.

To apply for one of the programs leading to Canadian Permanent Residency, contact Options Abroad powered by a board of experienced IRCC members, immigration lawyers, and leading visa and immigration experts. https://www.optionsabroad.ca/

Third largest PNP draw of 2021 held by British Columbia

Until now, B.C. has held 23 draws through PNP, and a total of 3,441 invitations are issued in 2021. 452 candidates were invited in four PNP draws held by British Columbia on April 13, 2021.

Invitations issued were from the following streams:

  • Skilled Worker
  • International Graduate as well as Entry Level
  • Semi-Skilled sub-categories of Skills Immigration and Express Entry BC

In the largest draw, 420 immigration candidates were invited, wherein minimum scores ranged between 79 and 95 points. A separate draw was conducted in 2021 for NOC 0621and NOC 0631, where 21 ITAs were issued to aspiring immigrants having at least 113 scores. B.C also issued 11 invitations through the Entrepreneur Immigration stream.

About the BC PNP

The BC PNP is separated into two immigration streams which are further divided into sub-categories:

  • Skills Immigration
  • Express Entry

Skills Immigration

Aspiring migrators must register an account under B.C.’s Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS). After registering, candidates are given a score based on factors such as educational qualifications, professional experience, and language abilities. Candidates with maximum scores are then invited for PNP through B.C.’s regular draws.

After receiving the ITA, 30 days are given to submit a complete application through the online system, after which, within two to three months, a decision from the province is received. A successful nomination allows candidates to apply for P.R. through IRCC under Provincial Nominee Class, and this nomination is valid for six months.

Express Entry (B.C.)

The EEBC stream is linked to the federal Express Entry system. Candidates are assessed on various factors like education, work experience, language ability, age, etc. Express Entry is an online application system that allows aspiring skilled migrators to submit their profiles under three federal immigration programs;

  • Federal Skilled Workers Program (FSWP)
  • Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)
  • Canadian Experience Class (CEC)

When receiving a nomination from one of the Provinces, aspiring migrators who have submitted their Express Entry Pool profiles are awarded 600 additional points. A nomination that adds 600 points under PNP ensures that the nominated candidate will be receiving Invitation to Apply (ITA) for Canadian permanent residence in the succeeding express entry draw.

PNPs are all operative throughout the COVID pandemic. The Canadian government is focused on inviting 80,000 candidates through the PNPs. With the right guidance, aspiring migrators can achieve their goal of settling in Canada in one of their favorite provinces.

Online Application Portal launched by IRCC for 7 immigration programs

For traditional paper based immigration programs, the IRCC is digitizing the application process. The application portal for permanent residence in Canada was launched on April 1. The following seven programs that were previously paper based will now follow a more efficient and transparent online application process like most of the other Canadian immigration programs:

  1. Québec Selected Investor
  2. Québec Entrepreneur
  3. Quebec Self-Employed Persons
  4. Non-Express Entry Provincial Nominee Program
  5. Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot
  6. Agri-Food Pilot
  7. Atlantic Immigration Pilot

Applicants will still have the option to apply for these immigration programs on paper. The portal is introduced with a limited group of applicants to initiate a new procedure and improve the application process for prospective immigrants to Canada. The Canadian immigration department is also digitizing other paper-based immigration programs.

This online portal is focused towards providing immigration applicants with more options to apply for permanent residence and it will help the applicants avoid mailing delays they previously experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

IRCC is always developing tools and practices so that the immigration system can become more efficient and due to the pandemic the need for upgrading the current system has been accelerated.

Citizenship tests have been digitized and citizenship ceremonies are taking place online since March 2020 in Canada. An online landing process was also introduced by IRCC due to which approved permanent residents could avoid appearing for in-person interviews, in most cases.

For more updates and information regarding Canadian immigration programs, contact our Options Abroad today.