When Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Canada (CIMC) Minister Jason Kenney announced the details of the new Action Plan for Faster Immigration, which set new regulations for the Federal Skilled Worker program of Canadian immigration, the focus turned to a list of 38 qualifying occupations that determine a potential applicant’s eligibility to apply to immigrate under this program. However, there are two other important determining factors that are not related to the 38 occupations at all.

There is often confusion about whether or not an individual is eligible to apply under the Federal Skilled Worker Program, because their job title might differ from those listed in the announced 38 qualifying occupations. Job titles for a particular occupation can vary across different countries, different industries and even different employers, but the duties performed in the occupation are more important than the job title when it comes to determining eligibility. This month’s edition of our Newsletter highlights two of the 38 qualifying occupations—University Professors, and College and Other Vocational Instructors. A closer look at each occupation shows that there are more eligible applicants than the job titles initially suggest.

Since 2001, the Yukon Territory has been the only Canadian Territory to have an immigrant Nominee Program in place. However, the Yukon now has company. On August 5, 2009, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Canada (CIMC) Minister Jason Kenney, along with his Territorial counterparts, announced the new Northwest Territories Nominee Program (NTNP). This fast-track Canadian immigration program will enable the Northwest Territories to fulfill their labour market and community needs by welcoming more immigrants to settle and work in its principal city, Yellowknife and other areas of the Territories.

This week, Nova Scotia announced that a new stream is being added to its Provincial Nomination Program (PNP), known as the Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP). Under the NSNP Non-Dependent Children of Nova Scotia Nominees stream, non-dependent children of people previously nominated by the province will be able to apply for fast-track Canadian immigration.

“The pot calling the kettle black” is an expression, which refers to criticism that could equally apply to the critic. Interestingly, similar idioms can be found in more than 30 languages, across as many cultures and so we can assume that this particular human disposition is universal in nature. It most certainly applies to the people pulling the levers at Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC).