If you are a permanent resident of Canada and are planning to apply for a Canadian citizenship, the following article would be of great help to you. To become a citizen of Canada, there are certain pre – requisites to be catered to. The applicant should not have undergone any form of immigration enquiry or investigation and so on.
The following are the key points to be noted before applying for citizenship:
You must have lived in Canada for a minimum of three years or 1095 days in the last fours year. This period of residence should be prior to applying for citizenship. However, children are exempt from this requirement. Accurate time period of residence should be provided with, prior to becoming a permanent resident as well, if it is within the above mentioned four year period. This is because there are instances where in an applicant would be considered as residing in Canada when he was physically not present in the country.
In order to apply, you should be atleast 18 years of age.
You should not have been convicted of any crime or offence that is prohibited under the Citizenship Act or imprisoned. The time spent in prison does not count for the residency period.
Proficiency in English or French is a must to communicate with the local citizens.
As a future citizen of Canada, you must be aware of the rights and responsibilities of a Canadian citizen. This includes the right to vote as well. Others include the history, geography and the political aspects of the country.
After the ensuring that you clear the above pre-requites, the following steps should be followed to apply for citizenship:
Check your eligibility criteria, as mentioned above.
Submit the application for citizenship.
Incase, you are between the age group of 18 and 54 years, you have to appear for the Citizenship test.
Incase you are 14 years of age or older, you must be present for the citizenship ceremony.
It has to be remembered that it is not mandatory for all the permanent residents in Canada to apply for citizenship. They are free to apply for an extension or renewal of their PR card if it expires. This PR card is permitted for five years at a stretch. However, on the PR card, certain rights are not available which are only applicable for the citizens of Canada.
Canadian Employment Insurance is a federal program designed to help its citizens financially who have lost their jobs. Or in other words, this program provides temporary financial assistance to those who are struggling with their jobs for various reasons, including sickness, parenting, or childbirth etc. Like any other insurance program, an employee is required to pay premiums during his/her work, so that when situation like job lost arises, he/she gets the benefits. The basic idea is more premiums you pay, the more benefits you get!
The Employment Insurance Act R.S. 1996 c. 23 governs the program and is run by Human Resources and skills Development Canada (HRSDC). The Employment Insurance program has its own rules and limitations. If an employee who paid employment insurance premiums loses his job for some reason, he/she can apply for benefits. Basically, there are four types of Employment Insurance Benefits available in Canada. They are:
Regular Benefits: This type of Employment Insurance Benefit is for those people who are out of work, without having their mistake, but they can still, however cannot find a job. In order to be eligible for this benefit, the Canadian workers must have worked for definite insurable hours, over a qualifying period of fifty-two weeks. However, the number of insurable hours may differ from person to person, depending upon their location where they live in Canada, as well as the unemployment rate of that area.
Compassionate Care Benefit: Canadian workers who take time off work in order to care a sick family member or relative can reap the advantage of Compassionate Care Benefit.
Maternity, Parental and sickness Benefit: This type of benefit is for those Canadian workers who are pregnant, or have valid reasons like childbirth or childcare.
Fishing Benefits: People who occupy themselves in fishing are entitled to Fishing Benefits in Canada.
In an effort to help the earthquake stuck Haiti, the Canadian government has decided to come up with a plan that would ensure priority processing for the immigrants from Haiti. For this purpose, the rules for the refugees are thought of being revised so that the Haitian refugees could be permitted to live in Canada.
To begin with the relief operation, three military air planes carrying those evacuated from Haiti have already been brought to Montreal. These consisted of two hundred and seventy two people. The evacuees have been selected by the Canadian Embassy staff in Haiti for transport.
On the other hand, according to reports, four Canadians have also died in the massive earthquake with thirteen others injured and others consisting of almost five hundred and fifty people have been found. However, around one thousand four hundred and fifteen Canadians are still missing. A total of around six thousand Canadians were living in Haiti but only seven hundred people were registered with the Port-au-Prince embassy.
The Canadian government is also expected to consider policies that would allow Haitians who have Canadian relatives to come and live in Canada. However, deciding on whom to permit would be a major task.
Additionally, immediate amends include free passage of Haitians including those who are not traveling via commercial flights. With this, the government has permitted transports for aid purposes to stop in Canada for refueling purposes without the passengers to have a temporary visa for residency. The first two planes to have stopped by include that of a Russian and Chinese transport that were permitted to land based on the above grounds.
Whether you have just moved to Canada or planning to move here soon, the blog serves as a perfect guide for new immigrants moving to Canada. The content provides an inside scoop on the Canadian way to get employment and what all it takes to apply for a good job in Canada. Read further
Know that Canadian jobs are achieved based on merit. A professional and well-crafted resume is a must when it comes to get a good job in Canada. It should be compiled of your experience and qualification till now that can be easily evaluated by your interviewer. Never add any irrelevant qualification by applying for a job of an altogether different field. For instance, adding a qualification in Tourism while applying for a Teacher’s job is not advised at all. In addition, getting a professionally done resume would add on to the advantage. Recruiters might scan the resume automatically or manually. Therefore it becomes essential to craft your resume in the most presentable manner.
Cover letter forms another critical aspect of finding a good job in Canada. It makes the first impression and elaborates as to why your employer should consider your resume. Until and unless an employer requests for a handwritten copy, you must always keep it in the typed form. The paragraphs should be short, have personal touch and limited to one page content!
Last but definitely not the least… Go for the Company and job research. Find out the answers to some of the questions like:
What is the background of your prospective company and what field it deals with?
What is the position that you are applying for and what are the qualifications that are needed for the position?
Are there some particular skills that your employer is looking for in the applicants?
Visit the company’s website and know more about its services and clientele.
You can also consult an experienced Immigration expert and know more about the application process. All the Best!
Are you on the look out for immigration options? Finding it hard to decide as to which country is the best – Canada or Australia? Given the recent circumstances such as the recession and the racial attacks in Australian, a prospective immigrant has to weigh his options more carefully. Both the countries more or less follow a similar pattern to judge candidates for immigration. This is done on the Points Based System for both the countries.
Also, both the countries are two of the developed nations of the world which puts them at a very enviable position. This makes it a tough choice for a prospective immigrant to select which country to opt for.
On one hand, Canada is closer to the United States and to UK. Thus, it leads to easier and less travel costs for the frequent travelers to these countries. The country has a perfect climate except for the places close to the Arctic. This means Christmas falls in the winters. The commonly spoken languages are English and French. Here, the costs of fast moving consumer goods and other electronic items are comparatively cheaper. All the provinces in the country are more or less independent of each other. Thus, there is a lot of variation in the laws for each and every state.
On the other hand, Australia has a better process of accreditation for the foreign trained professionals. Climate is another plus point since it’s an island continent. However, it cannot be generalized for the entire Australia. The specifications for all the white goods especially the electronics would require a separate configuration altogether. This might pose as a problem. Although, the country is in close proximity to Asia. With an Australian passport, you are liable to be a resident of New Zealand.
Above all, both the countries are not highly populated giving space to each and every individual. With this, immigrants are welcomed with open arms and are considered as an asset to the development to the country’s economy. Both have a multi – cultural society with immigrants coming from across the globe. This makes both the places apt for immigration.
However, based on your individual preferences, an Immigration and Visa Expert would be able to guide you better. He would be updated with the latest in this regard. So, get in touch with one today!
It is mandatory for all the children residing in Canada to receive the basic education. The Canadian government offers it for free of cost to all children. This education is paid for via the taxes and is looked after by the particular provincial governments in collaboration with the local school boards.
This public education starts from the age of 4 or 5 years depending on the territory or province. The child should continue this education till 15 or 16 years of age. This has to be done in compliance with the provincial or the territorial laws where the child resides.
It would be better if you get to know about the education system in advance so that it is easier for you and your child to cope with the changes. To know more, you can visit the particular provincial website for the Ministry of Education which would enlighten you on the same.
Select a particular school for your child. Your selection should be based on the distance from where you reside. The best is to select one which is at a walking distance from your house. If not, then school buses are available for transportation at a very minimal cost. Also, there are many different types of school systems in Canada. So, you have to get to know on that aspect as well.
For this, you have to contact the local school board which administers the procedures for all the public schools in the community. It is mandatory that you submit the relevant documentation as requested by the officials.
Also, new students especially if they are immigrants would be tested before they are enrolled into a particular school. This is to ensure that the child is allotted the right class or grade to continue his education further.
Apart from enrolling, you have to see to it that the child is making constant progress. Extra effort has to be put in since the child would be under culture shock and may find it difficult to cope with it.
To know more on the educational aspects in Canada, contact an Immigration and Visa Specialist who deals with the same. He can provide you with more accurate information on the same.
As an immigrant to Canada, you would have to get accustomed to traveling long distances. Most families own more than one car. If it is difficult for you to buy a car as soon as you land, it is suggested that you look for all the possible options. Another option is to get a car on lease which is a form of car rental.
Manage your finances accordingly before you plunge in to transportation costs. Incase you buy a car; your costs would include all the maintenance charges, cost for the gas, the timely loan payments, insurance and other administrative costs. It would be the same if you hire a vehicle. However, incase of a lease, you would sign an agreement with the contractor.
In Canada, it is mandatory to sign for car insurance and get your car registered with the local provincial government. This insurance would be handy to all the drivers in case of any accidents. To know more, you can contact the Insurance Bureau of Canada.
Other options include public transport or walking or using a bike since they are the cheaper modes of transportation. The public modes include buses, the subways and the metro or the suburban trains or commuter trains.
The costs for the transportation vary according to the city you live in. It would be more if you live in a big city such as Toronto, Montreal and so on when compared to the rural or the smaller towns.
It is best to contact an Immigration and Visa Specialist dealing with Canadian Immigration since he would be the best person to guide you. He can give you the exact position of the place where you plan to immigrate. This would help you better plan your expenses. So, contact one today!
Now that you have arrived in Canada, certain mandatory requirements are a must to be fulfilled. The initial culture shock of the new place would make it a difficult for you to settle down. But, worry not! The service of an immigration and visa specialist is an important guiding factor at this stage.
You would need to find a job for yourself so that you can support self and dependents. Along with this, comes chalking out a suitable accommodation. The following details would help you with the same –
Apply for a Canadian identification which includes a driver’s license, a health insurance card which are mandatory to be carried at all times.
Open a local bank account, apply for private health insurance incase you do not qualify for the immediate public health insurance coverage of the local province.
A Social Insurance Number (SIN) has to be applied for.
Last but the not least, start searching for a job.
In your initial days of landing, you can prioritize the below mentioned activities as the major ones –
Look for accommodation and housing options.
Get accustomed to the local area. It would be ideal if you go through a map and find out about the various modes of transportation available.
Exchange money to get and use the Canadian currency.
Get your hand on a local telephone and make a record of all the telephone numbers that are important.
Get to know more about Canada and enroll your children to an appropriate school.
The first few months should see you doing the following –
Work on your language and communication skills.
Register with a doctor in the community.
Immunize your children.
Know more about the various services offered in your local community which is now your home.
Get in touch with the Language Instruction for Newcomers (LINC) assessment centre in your community. It is suggested that you enroll yourself for language classes.
Apply for tax and the various tax benefits and other credits.
As time passes and you get acclimatized to your surroundings, you can slowly learn more about your rights and responsibilities as put forth by the Canadian laws.
Above all, it is best to consult an Immigration and Visa firm where the consultants would see to it that you go through a smooth ride post landing in Canada.
Now that you have landed in the new country, there would be many changes you would experience, some expected and others unexpected. This article gives you an insight on such instances.
It is always better to get acquainted with the changes you would need to adapt to. To help you with this, consult an Immigration and Visa Specialist who is adept with all the information in this regard. A Visa Expert would provide you with all the relevant information which would help you better adjust with your new environment. And the more you learn, the better it is.
Since, it is going to be extremely challenging dealing with the extreme weather or the culture shock, it is highly important that you are mentally prepared for the same. Some such challenges include the following:
Canada could be considered as a mix of cultures where you can find people from different ethnicities from across the world. Thus, you would meet people totally different from you in all aspects. You would have to get used to the local customs and traditions followed by the citizens.
You might end up feeling uncomfortable, alienated, insecure and uncertain of the decision you took. This would lead to an increase in your stress levels. You might feel helpless and how to react to situations initially.
You might have to get used to the Canadian accent or even learn English or French according to the province in which you reside.
Getting your children enrolled into a school, get yourself a job and a house to live in a decent community.
During such circumstances, it is important that you do not give up hope. It is all a matter of time for you to adjust to the new country. All you need to do is keep trying and learn at every step.
A Visa Veteran would help you contact an Immigrant – Serving Organization which would help you with the necessary resources to cope with the circumstances.
The Canadian government offers various services to all the newly landed immigrants on its soil. These are executed via the Immigrant Serving Agencies or organization in the various communities throughout the country.
For some of the provinces, the respective provincial governments are responsible are implementing such programs. These include British Columbia, Quebec and Manitoba. You can contact the concerned provincial authorities to know more on the same.
The various Immigrant Serving Organizations cater to the following services –
Getting in touch with the local Canadian officials who could help with the various services.
Housing and accommodation facilities.
Applying for the Social Insurance Number (SIN) and a Health Insurance Card.
Register with a Doctor to rush to incase of emergency.
Helping to enroll your children in a good school.
Availing language skills classes.
Referring to the services offered by the government and the community.
Making you familiar with the day to day activities such shopping, banking and so on.
To know more, contact an Immigration and Visa veteran who is updated in this regard. He would help you find an Immigrant – Serving Organization in your community which will make it easier for you and your family to better acquaint with the new country.
