For the second year in a row, the World Economic Forum has ranked Canada’s banking system ‘the soundest in the world,’ and given Canada top marks for the ease of starting a business. The Immigrant Investor Program, a category of Canadian Business Immigration, is an essential Canadian immigration option for business people who have accumulated a high net worth and wish to take advantage of Canada’s opportunities, such as a five-year ‘tax holiday’ for new Canadian permanent residents. There are two Immigrant Investor programs: the Federal Investor program, and the Quebec Investor program. While the requirements for both programs seem similar, the Quebec Investor program has slightly different conditions than the Federal Investor program, and, depending on the applicant’s country of residence, may provide a faster route to a Canadian immigrant (permanent resident) visa.

In the August, 2009 edition of our Newsletter, we highlighted two of the 38 qualifying occupations for the Federal Skilled Worker program: University Professors, and College and Other Vocational Instructors, and emphasized the importance of duties performed in each occupation, as opposed to job titles. This month, we look at Construction Managers, another qualifying occupation, and explore the possibility that Civil Engineers and Architects with supervisory roles might qualify for Canadian immigration under the Federal Skilled Worker program if their job descriptions and duties match those of Construction Managers.

Earlier this month, the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) announced a major change to its popular US H1B Visa Holders category. One occupation—Computer and Information Systems Managers—has been removed from the list of qualifying occupations. That’s the bad news. The good news is the Federal Skilled Worker program remains an attractive Canadian immigration option for Computer and Information Systems Managers currently working in the United States, as well as those working elsewhere in the world. This occupation is still in demand across Canada as a whole, and is still one of the 38 qualifying occupations under the Federal Skilled Worker category.

Despite the global economic recession, the Canadian economy has proven to be quite resilient. Throughout September, there have been many signs that not only showed that the economic situation in Canada is improving, but that its economy was less affected by the global downturn than most economies around the world. Canada remains an ideal place to do business with its stable banking system and the ease of starting a business in the country, and as the economy moves out of the recession, immigrants are the key to its success.

Some immigration consultants in Montreal are helping landed immigrants bypass the residency requirements for Canadian citizenship, by offering “life in Canada simulation” services, according to an investigation by the CBC, Canada’s national news network.