Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is currently approving a greater number of temporary work permit applications based on provincial assessments submitted through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).

The British Columbia (B.C.) Construction Association’s says that 50 per cent more workers in the industry are needed to fill the shortage. This represents an additional 60,000 people than are currently employed in the sector.

Gulf residents applying for Canadian Permanent Residency in pre-defined categories will be processed through the Abu Dhabi Embassy, instead of the previous London (UK) Visa Office beginning on January 1, 2006.

With the resignation of four board members in less than four months, The Canadian Bar Association expressing concern, and an independent auditor describing its expenses as “unusually high”, the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants (CSIC) is raising considerable doubt over its ability to self-govern.

Q: I recently received my Canadian Permanent Resident Visa but I have not yet landed in Canada. I am planning to get married soon and would like to know if my future wife can accompany me to Canada?

Immigration levels to increase by 35% over five years.

Canada to fast-track existing family class immigration for individuals affected by the South Asian earthquake.

Minister Volpe wants to regularize illegal immigrants. Proposes changes to deal with “Out-of-Status” immigrants.

Question: what is the difference between Permanent Residency and Citizenship?

Michaëlle Jean immigrated to Canada from Port-au-Prince in 1968 and studied at the University of Montreal as well as Universities in Italy before beginning her career as a Quebec television journalist in 1988. While Jean tended to her pursuit of higher education she assisted hundreds of women and children in crisis, and passionately donated her time to the establishment of a network of emergency shelters throughout the province of Québec and elsewhere in Canada.

Almost 400 years since Nova Scotia’s founding fathers embarked on their journey across the Atlantic, John Russell, originally from Clackmannanshire Scotland, is leading a new wave of Scots to the second smallest province in Canada.

On the days leading up to Monday August 29 Hurricane Katrina had set her vengeful eye on America’s Gulf Coast and as she clawed her way inland the people aligned in her path were anticipating the very worst, and rightfully so. Thousands of people eventually made it out with only precious hours to spare before the “big wind” hit, and yet countless others were left to defend themselves against nature’s fury with little more than hope and a prayer to save them. When all was said and done Hurricane Katrina left total devastation in her wake and had displaced hundreds of thousands of Americans from their homes and their very lives.

Question: what does ‘AOR’ mean?

We at Campbell Cohen wish to welcome you to the New CICNewsletter! We have been burning the midnight oil here at our offices in an effort to revamp CICNews.com. We’ll be overhauling the website over the course of the next few months in order to bring to our audience a fresh, more comprehensive view of the daily, weekly and monthly happenings in the Canadian Immigration industry.

If you are a qualified professional or tradesperson, you may be wondering about how you will continue to work in your occupation after you arrive in Canada. Occupations in Canada can be divided into two general groups: regulated and un-regulated.

Meyer Burnstein a 20 year veteran of Canadian immigration policies has drafted a high-level CIC document that Lexbase believes will be the “road map of operational changes to come”.

Nigeria currently faces a devastating food crisis. Drought and an invasion of desert locusts have caused substancial shortages in both crops and grazing land, causing a 225,000-tonne grain deficiency in the 2004–2005 harvest that threatens close to 3,000 villages, and affects some 3.5 million people in the region.

Question: The skilled worker application asks what city the applicant plans to settle in. If the applicant is subsequently selected, is he/she obliged to settle initially in that city?

For Canadians, the beginning of July is marked by our national holiday: Canada Day. Across the country people spend July 1st relaxing, celebrating, and being with family and friends.

Manitoba is one of Canada’s central provinces, with a high standard of living and pride in its cultural diversity. Less known to new immigrants than British Columbia and Ontario, Manitoba has taken a pro-active approach to attracting Skilled Worker immigrants with its Provincial Nominee Program.

Improving languages skills is not only a way that Skilled Workers can earn more points in their permanent residency application; it is an important way to increase your employability and to integrating into your new community in Canada. New Permanent Residents will find that the Government of Canada and provincial governments support a variety of language classes for newcomers.

Question: I am in Canada visiting family. Now that I’m here, I would like to stay and work. My Aunt can get me a job at her office. Do I need a work visa first?

The Government of Canada and the province of Saskatchewan announced on June 1, 2005 that the original Canada-Saskatchewan Immigration Agreement of 1998 has been replaced. The agreement sets out the role of Saskatchewan regarding foreign students, workers, and other immigrants to the province. It is hoped that immigration, generally the responsibility of Citizenship and Immigration Canada, will be more effective as a result of the involvement of the province.

In response to the December, 2004 Tsunami near Indonesia, Citizenship and Immigration Canada enacted temporary measures to speed-up reunification of sponsored immigrants with their families in Canada.

Before May 5, 2005 individuals who lost or renounced their Canadian citizenship as minors were unable to resume this citizenship without fulfilling several requirements, such as obtaining permanent residency, living in Canada for at least a year, and taking citizenship tests.

Question: What happens if I get married after I have submitted my application for a permanent resident visa?

Since announcing expansion of the off-campus work program, which allows foreign students to work off-campus while completing their studies at public post-secondary institutions, many individuals have been wondering how the Government will implement the program.

On May 17, 2005, Belinda Stronach was made Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, a department responsible for working with Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) on a number of issues related to immigration.

Question: Does immigrating lead to Canadian citizenship?

Question: What does ‘Conjugal Partner’ mean for Sponsorship?

As one of many initiatives announced on April 18, 2005, the Honourable Joe Volpe, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, declared a two-pronged initiative to improve the situation for international students in Canada.

Also announced this month, Citizenship and Immigration Canada is introducing measures to speed up the processing of family sponsorship applications for parents and grandparents. The measures are intended to break through the backlog of applications in this class of immigrants.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada announced further spending on April 18, 2005, this time directed toward improving the processing of applications for citizenship.

Fulfilling its earlier promise, the Government of Canada launched The Internationally Trained Workers Initiative on April 25, 2005. The Initiative is a combined program between Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, CIC, the Prime Ministers Office, and the provinces and territories.

A newly obtained report from Citizenship and Immigration Canada provides a rare glimpse into the workings of the behind-the-scenes mail-opening program.

A 40-year-old Guyanese woman, who had an affair with a Canadian immigration officer and then sued him for $1 million CDN in damages, dropped the case against her former lover after claiming the case was making her suicidal.

OTTAWA, March 21, 2005 — The Government of Canada announced the country’s first ever action plan against racism. “Canada is a world leader in the development of policies and laws to fight racism, but many Canadians still experience racism and discrimination in their daily lives,” said the Honourable Raymond Chan, Minister of State (Multiculturalism).

OTTAWA, March 7, 2005 — The Honourable Joe Volpe, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, announced the preliminary figures for permanent resident admissions in 2004.

Being white and Canadian circa 1967 it was easy to feel smug. Back then, race riots threatened to engulf many American cities but North of the Border the urban landscape was all peace and love.While most of us praised our egalitarianism, a friend from Boston scoffed at our self-righteous ways, noting that our tranquility had more to do with the paucity of people of colour in Canada than with the absence of discrimination.

Immigration Minister Judy Sgro resigned from her cabinet post on Friday, January 14. during a meeting with Prime Minister Paul Martin. She was replaced by Human Resources Minister Joe Volpe.

CIC is fast-tracking existing applications of Family Class applicants under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act who have been and continue to be seriously and personally affected by the disaster and who have immediate family members in Canada.

The Ontario government and CIC are jointly investing $3.4 million over two years to support 13 projects under the Enhanced Language Training Initiative. The projects will deliver job-specific language training to more than 1,300 internationally trained individuals to help them make the transition to Ontario’s workforce.

Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew and Natural Resources Minister John Efford announced on January 7 that Canada has accepted the recommendation of an independent report to increase the annual budget of the Canadian Section of the International Boundary Commission to $2.4 million from the current $830,000.

The Year 2004 ended on a sour note for humans. The images and numbers coming out of tsunami-ravaged South and South East Asia are starkest in the absence of commentary.

“Whoever you are, I have always depended on the kindness of strangers…”
- Blanche DuBois

I mean this blog to be of particular interest to Americans who do not wince at the sight of Tom DeLay. I sense some of you are fence-sitting on the issue of establishing a foothold in Canada and are a bit confused over the implications of such an undertaking. As my contribution to setting right some of the mistaken notions about a move to Canada, I offer samplings of my recent conversations with prospective American clients.

Q. If I gain Canadian status, will I lose my American citizenship?