If you have been nominated by Ontario’s Provincial Nominee Program, Opportunities Ontario, be it under the General Category or the International Student Category, you must be wondering what would be your next step after receiving the nomination to be in Ontario. Let’s discuss a few things you should know after being nominated by the provincial nominee program.

Once you are a successful nominee of the Opportunities Ontario, you can file your application with the Citizenship and Immigration Canada to be a permanent resident in the country. However, you are eligible to apply for the same within six months of being nominated by the provincial program. You should know that the fact that being nominated by Opportunities Ontario you do not have legal status in Canada. Until you obtain the permanent resident status in the country, you must obtain authorization to stay and work in Canada.

While your application for PR is being processed by the CIC officials, you can apply for a temporary work permit. In this case as well, you would be required to approach the Citizenship and Immigration Canada, since the government agency is responsible for the issuance of the permit to stay in Canada and work for a temporary period of time. When you are issued with a temporary work permit you would be able to travel to Ontario to start working for your sponsor in the province.

For your information, individuals nominated by the Ontario Provincial nominee Program are not accountable for the Labor Market Opinion process. To know more about the whole process, contact an Immigration and Visa Consultant!

Saudi Arabia has got rid of its dark clouds which were hovering over many aspiring Saudi Arabians who are willing to immigrate to Quebec and Canada. As Saudi Arabia now holds the secure position after the deal between the two countries which allows the people from Saudi Arabia to immigrate to Quebec and Canada based on relaxed immigration laws.

The immigration laws and policies were quite relaxed and simple for Saudi national from 1984 to 2002 but after the terrorist attack of 9/11 in the United States forced the Canada government to think twice before allowing any Saudi Arabian to enter inside their territories. Many requirements and conditions were imposed on them in relation with visa and immigration for security reasons. This is because many attackers of 9/11 attack were from Saudi Arabia only. For security purposes, Canadian foreign affairs, immigration and security officials used to ask the Saudis to first apply for the entrance visas and only then they can be allowed to work or study in Canada.

But now with the new visa deal , Saudis are allowed the visas which gives them the liberty to enter and exit in Canada for complete five years for as many times as they want to . The Canadian ambassador David Chatterson made an announcement of changes on the May 24th by saying that Canada welcomes the students and business people from Saudi Arabia with open arms. But no special announcement was made in relation to flexible visa rules.

The flow of Saudi Arabian immigrants has increased since 2002 and about 5,292 Canadian visas were granted to Saudi students and 1,665 visas to Saudi Arabian workers in 2009. This is quite large in numbers in comparison to the numbers of visas granted to Saudi nationals in 2002 which were only 199 to Saudi workers and 351 to Saudi students. There are about 8,200 students studying in Canadian educational schools who belong to Saudi Arabia and there are expectations of admitting two thousand more students from Saudi later this year.

Reports say that according to new guidelines and regulations announced by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), IELTS would be made more valuable for prospective applicants who are intending to work and reside in Canada. They would be required to show the proof of their language proficiency in accordance with the new approved test score for the applications made under Skilled Migration category. The changes are applicable for Federal Skilled Worker category and Canadian Experience Class.

According to Christine Nuttall, who is the Communication and Stakeholder Relations Director with Cambridge ESOL, IELTS is a great way for prospective applicants to prepare themselves for working and living in an English speaking nation. The test proves that the applicant has the caliber to hold conversations in a variety of circumstances.

He went on to say that they have been closely working and associated with various immigration authorities in countries like Canada and the UK, to name a few, and ensured that IELTS meet their requirements perfectly well.

As it is made clear by the CIC, the test takers are provided with the additional benefits as a lot of industries ask for the proof of language proficiency. Therefore, when these test takers go for ILETS, they are found one step ahead in gaining entry in the labor market of the nation.

Applicants intending to give IELTS to go through these links:

http://blog.abhinav.com/english-language-proficiency-requirements-for-australian-general-skilled-migration-category/
http://blog.abhinav.com/road-to-ielts-is-the-road-of-immigrate/
http://blog.abhinav.com/don%e2%80%99t-take-%e2%80%98english-language-tests%e2%80%99-lightly/
http://blog.abhinav.com/preparation-tips-for-ielts-reading-module/
http://blog.abhinav.com/ielts-test-%e2%80%93-manage-your-time-accordingly/
http://blog.abhinav.com/preparation-tips-for-ielts-speaking-module/
http://blog.abhinav.com/importance-of-ielts-test/

In addition, consult an Immigration expert for more info on the same.

Plumbers are in high demand in Canada as they are present on the List of 29 Occupations under the Federal Skilled Worker Program. Plumbers are linked with the task of installing and fixing pipelines, in addition to the disposal of waste water, to name a few. Plumbers can be employed in residential, commercial or industrial tasks or may be self-employed. People related with this profession have high chances to immigration to Canada.

Qualifying Criteria for Immigration

• The applicant must have completed secondary school education and completed a trade or vocational training as a plumber
• Even those with apprenticeship certification in plumbing trade may apply.
• An applicant for Immigration under this category must have experience of at least one year as a Plumber or related field.
• An applicant must have experience of around 2-4 years; actual number of years of experience to apply under this occupation is dependent on many factors such as whether the applicant is married and his English language skills.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Repair plumbing fixtures
• Determine the layout if the plumbing procedure, along with taking care of the water supply and drainage system.
• Take care of the pipe connections and see where to fit passage holes and other such facets. Make openings for the fittings after cutting pipes in accordance with the need.
• Join the pipes using various equipments and see whether right pipes are fitted (without leaks)
• Prepare cost estimates.

Additionally, there are other such qualifying criteria and responsibilities linked with the profession of Plumbers. Write to ajay@abhinav.com and know your chances to work in Canada.

In a news conference in Tunis, Canada’s Ambassador Ariel Delouya stated that Immigration is one of the vital aspects and Canada cannot afford to ignore this facet, keeping in mind the nation’s need of Skilled Workers.

The news conference was held on the procedures of Canadian Immigration and if we go with the words of the Canadian diplomat, around 100 to 800 Tunisians arrive to the country every year. Additionally, almost 2,000 applicants on student visa are studying in Canada and nearly 200 people are on temporary work permits (annual statistics). He confirmed that the Canadian Immigration procedures are kept same no matter what the nationality of the applicant is. In order to get further information, please click upon tunis.gc.ca and cic.gc.ca.

In order to immigrate to Canada, it is mandatory for the applicant to have the required number of work experience in the highly requested sectors. As far as the students working in Canada are concerned, they have the freedom to work in Canada, provided they fulfill the requirements linked with the same. They could be granted open-work permit in order to gain professional experience to work in Canada.

Moreover, Tunis will also hold a Canadian education fair in the month of October. The same will be held by Sousse so that students could get all the information and answers to their unsolved queries. The fair will see the participation of around twenty Canadian higher education providers, which would further facilitate the process.

He said that the processing time may take somewhere between 18 and 24 month.

Nationals of Saudi would now be granted multiple-entry Temporary Resident Visa that would hold its validity for five years for Canada. Final decision is yet to be implemented on the same, but speculations are that the relief in the Canadian Visa Rules is surely on the cards. The amendment would be viable for applicants planning to study and work in Canada too.

Canadian ambassador David Chatterson has elaborated that if implemented, the new amendments would surely aid out and pace the process between both the nations. In addition, it will assist in the creation of better understanding and bilateral affair between Saudis and Canadians.

Also, courtesy the eased out regulations, it will become quicker for the Saudis who are enrolled in study institutions in Canada to travel back and forth with ease. The business people would also face the same benefits, once the amendment would be implemented.

Under the present visa regulations, the visas to Canada were authorized for a maximum time limit of 18 months. The recent amendments have surely created a huge sign of relief for Saudi students and workers who have already migrated to the Canadian land plus those who are expected to move to the country after these new regulations.

Stats say that more than 8,200 Saudi students are enrolled in various Canadian universities and institutions at present. This year, Canada is expecting the arrival of 2,000 more students. All in all, a good news for all of them!

The Government of Canada accepts many visa applications from Indians who intend to live and work in Canada. But its recent refusal of personnel who were former defense and intelligence officers has created quite a stir amongst the Indian scenario. With Nirupama Rao, the Indian Foreign Secretary reacting tough to the allegations made by the Canadian High Commission, the issue has come quite far.

There are more than 1 million immigrants living in Canada who are of Indian origin. Agreed that the decision on giving a visa permit totally rests with the visa officer and is highly discretionary in nature! At the same time, it is not apt on a nation’s part or a visa officer of a particular nation to act rather irresponsible and terming the armed forces of a nation as being violent. The defense personnel of a nation serve the country and in the process do not hesitate to lay down their lives. This can be considered as sheer insult to the uniform and the nation as a whole.

Even though the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi has practiced visa refusal over the recent years, but this concern has become an issue, when the Border Security Force of India demanded a public apology from Canada, following the most recent case of visa application rejection of Fateh Singh Pandher.

As per the latest news, the Canadian Citizenship and Immigration Minister, Jason Kenney has expressed remorse over the row of visa rejection cases that has been recorded in the recent times. He was caught saying that both the countries- Canada and India have always maintained a cordial relation and the undesired incidents have made him uneasy. This is very unfortunate that the Canadian commission in the capital of India has created such an unfavorable situation among the Indian public service officials, as well as the political arena. The minister has further confirmed that he has the utmost respect for the sub-continent and its public institutions and their operations.

The question may look as if it holds an association merely with BSF or IB staff members, but in its broader perspective, it can be applauded as a big political issue involving the image of both the countries at stake. Can we depict the refusal of visas as a strong political statement from Canada’s side? Why is this prejudice coming against the Indian applicants from defense services and intelligence background?

Coming back to embarrassment which India as a country and the applicants had to face during this overall episode, does offering an apology serve the purpose and allow the Indian defense and intelligence officials who suffered against such failures to forget about their humiliation?

Crux says that the apology can be seen as damage control, but real purpose will be solved if all the files so closed and refused are reopened and visa granted to all concerned! Needless to say, corrective changes in the legislation should be carried out at the earliest so that such unfortunate events do not reoccur again.

Canada is expected to fall short of skilled workforce with major part of its population aging. As per the Conference Board of Canada, there would be a shortage of the human resources in the coming years starting 2015 to 2030 when the number of retirements would increase. According to the Board, an increase in the rate of immigration could be a possible answer to this problem. As per the data in 2008, the current rate of immigration involves permitting around 250,000 people per year. This number is being planned to be extended by another 100,000 to make it 350,000 intakes annually.

Despite increasing the number of immigrants walking into the country, the aging trend cannot be reversed. However, a balance would be maintained catering to the skill and labor shortages. This would ensure a stable growth of population during the above mentioned period of forecast.

It is being presumed by the Conference Board that the rate of 350,000 immigrants each year till 2030 are being considered as positive and would be the answer to all their problems. Although, the resources are not enough to build a growth pattern for the economy that is required to support the relevant social programs.

Despite inviting more immigrants to live and work in Canada, there would be challenges from other nations as well which would further increase the competition to target foreign migrants.

According to a spokesperson from the Citizenship and Immigration Canada, the government of Canada is planning on a number between 240,000 and 265,000 immigrants annually. This range can easily be considered as one amongst the highest for the industrialized nations. More so, there is no target available catering to long-term immigration. However, the immigration program has been evolving regularly over a period of time with the changing trends in economic goals.

The Government of Canada conducts an internship program known as the Young Newcomers Internship Program. This program is being extended to permit more immigrants to come and learn in Canada.

According to Jason Kenney, the Immigration Minister for Canada, this program is the perfect instance of how refugees and new immigrants could be helped by the Government of Canada to integrate with the local Canadian crowds. This would help them leap over certain obstacles which they might face post landing. Work experience in Canada would definitely help them in the right way.

When the scheme was first introduced, the immigration department of Canada enrolled twelve immigrants from various countries such Ethiopia and Afghanistan. All the immigrants were granted an internship for the duration of four months which was then followed by another four months in some cases. The very next year, twenty immigrants were selected from the same program.

This particular program is being expanded to many other departments in the government. This would aid in providing more opportunities for many young immigrants as well as refugees to live and work in Canada. More so, gain experience and expertise and thus, contribute to the economy of Canada.

This amend has been supported by the Minister of Human Resources and Skill Development, Diane Finley. This program is definitely a good way to bring in more immigrants who could be trained according to Canadian standards and bank on the necessary skills that are required by the Canadian economy.

A Chinese who was accused of smuggling and is also known as the most wanted in China has been permitted in Canada on a temporary work permit. Lai Changxing alias   Lai Cheong Sing is accused in a smuggling racket involving multibillion dollars. His other offences include cases of bribery as well as avoidance to paying taxes. He escaped to Canada in 1999. However, officials in Canada have made many attempts to get him deported.

The news has been confirmed by Jason Kenney who is the Citizenship and Immigration Minister for Canada. He also said that the decision on the legal battle is still awaited for the Canadian government to announce. Kenney made the announcement in the foyer of the House of Commons.

Post one year after landing in Canada, Lai had applied for the status of a refugee which was denied to him several times. In his defense, he said that he was innocent and if deported, he would be subject to harsh punishment or even be given death penalty by the Chinese government.

As the last alternative prior to being deported to China, Lai had undergone a “Pre – Removal Assessment” conducted by the Immigration Department. This was to find out if the level of risks involved pertaining to torture and death penalty in China. The outcome saw no such threats. More so, the government of China assured that he would not be subject to any ill treatment.

However, a Federal Court judge ordained for another assessment after Lai has appealed for the same to the Federal Court of Canada. The new assessment was ordered for after determining that the original one did not precisely look into the risks pertaining to torture.

As per the work permit granted to Lai, he would be allowed to live and work in Canada. In the meantime, he would have to wait for the judgment involving the risk assessment. However, it has to be noted that the work permit does not provide for any form of status in Canada.

It is also being speculated that Lai’s stay in Canada can turn out to be sour for the relations between Canada and China with the latter asking for the immigrant’s deportation to be brought to justice.