International graduates and temporary foreign workers have established themselves in Canadian society and are well-poised to become Permanent Residents and eventually Canadian citizens. The Canadian Experience Class (CEC), a new immigration category, has been created specifically to facilitate this transition. Recognizing their Canadian education and/or work experience, the Canadian Experience Class will fast-track their Canadian immigration applications, to ensure that Canada retains these valuable contributors to the Canadian economy and work force. Under the CEC, these applicants can remain in Canada throughout the processing of their applications.

After months of deliberations and consultations, the details of what will govern the selection of skilled worker applicants for immigration to Canada will finally be disclosed early in the fall, according to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) Minister Diane Finley.

Though Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal continue to absorb the majority of newcomers to Canada, each of their respective national shares of immigrants have dropped as Canadian newcomers have begun to appreciate the advantages of living in smaller cities.

Provincial Nomination Programs (PNP) across the country have seen much success in the recruitment and retention of Canadian immigrants based on regional socio-economic priorities. They are constantly evolving and expanding to make room for more newcomers and to adapt to the provinces/territories’ changing needs. Saskatchewan and Newfoundland Labrador have both made additions to their PNP’s this month, adding a category for hospitality workers and international graduates, respectively.

It seems more probably by the day that Canadians will be going to the polls in the next couple of months to elect a new federal government. A snap election will likely be called by the minority Conservative government as early as September 5th for later in the Fall on the pretext that Parliament is now dysfunctional.