Work in Canada

Delays in Work Permits Applications Negatively Impact Canadian Companies according to a survey conducted by the Canadian Employee Relocation Council (CERC), a non-profit organization, delays in work permits at IRCC are causing severe damage to Canadian companies. The CERC survey states that Canadian employers will require immediate access to international talent to restore the Canadian economy after the pandemic.   The survey also highlights that as vaccination rates rise and serious COVID-19 infections go down, mobility and travel will increase, as well as Canada’s capacity to manage the growing numbers of travel visa applications. Join our newsletter and get up-to-date immigration news Click here.   Overview of the CERC The CERC means Canadian Employee Relocation Council which is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to removing barriers that restrict mobility and deployment of human capital, which are vitally important to Canada’s future improvement.  It was established in 1982, the Council represents the interests of its members on workforce mobility matters. Many of the Council’s members have been listed in Canada’s Financial Post Top 500. Who are the Participating Organizations? BNP Paribas, Air Canada, ABB Inc. Aecon, Apotex Inc. Aritzia, Bank of Canada, Canadian Tire Corporation, Carleton University, Cenovus Energy Inc, CGI, CPP Investments, Hatch Ltd.IBM Canada, J.D. Irving, LimitedKiewit Corporation, Ledcor, McGill University, Memorial University, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, PCL Construction, Queen’s University, Ryerson University, Saputo Inc, Simon Fraser University, The University of British Columbia, University of Guelph, University of Lethbridge, University of Saskatchewan, University of Victoria, Western University, WestJet, York U.   Of those participating employers, ninety-seven percent hire international talent via temporary residence stream, and just over 53% access economic immigration. Get a free Assessment   Which program has currently been used, or has been used in the past? ICT 50% CUSMA (formerly NAFTA) Professional 98% LMIA (ordinary) 66% Provincial Nominee Programs 62% Express Entry 51% Short‐term (15 or 30 days) work permit exemption 48% LMIA Global Talent Stream 38% Other  38%   What skills do you access through these programs? Management / Executives Skilled Workers Project Managers Professors / Lecturers Engineers Researchers IT / Software Technicians Financial Analysts / Economists Healthcare Related ‐ Medical / Technical staff Marketing Professionals   While the survey was conducted (June- July 2022) the overall backlog of applicants in the system ballooned from 2.4 m to 2.7m – a 12% increase. At the same time, the backlog for temporary foreign workers grew by 21%, from 408,733 to 493,746 applicants.    To know more details about Delays in Work Permits Applications, you can contact one of our immigration specialists at Gunness & Associates.   Tel: (416) 604-2669 Email: info@test.immigrationmatters.info All rights reserved ©2022 Gunness & Associates

Canada Welcomes Record Immigrants from Hong Kong According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), a record number of 12,484 open work permits were issued to Hong Kong residents from March 2017 through June 2022. Last year, the Government of Canada introduced two new pathways for Hong Kongers to immigrate to Canada: one for students and one for professionals.  The overwhelming majority of applicants were young and middle-aged people. About 90% of those who received open work permits were under 40 years old, while 9% were over 41 years old. Get a free Assessment You may be eligible for 2 streams. There are 2 streams that you can apply for permanent residency following: Stream A: In-Canada graduates Stream B: Canadian work experience This public policy has been effected from June 1, 2021, and will be ended on August 31, 2026. Why did Immigrants from Hong Kong Choose Canada? With numerous Hong Kong residents continuing to cast their eyes abroad, Canada wants them to choose Canada to study, work and settle. In early 2021, Canada put in place special immigration measures that go beyond Canada’s existing immigration programs that are available to Hong Kong residents. The Department has put in place a measure to allow eligible Hong Kong residents in or outside Canada with recently completed post-secondary studies to apply for an open work permit, enabling individuals to work in any province in Canada for a period of up to three years. In addition, Canada put in place two new pathways to permanent residence, providing eligible Hong Kong residents in Canada with the opportunity to build their life here if they so choose. The Government of Canada has also increased the promotion and processing efforts and measures have been put in place to help ensure that Canadians and Canadian permanent residents living in Hong Kong have the support they need to come home at any time. Join our newsletter and get up-to-date immigration news Click here. Requirement for Permanent Residence Pathways for Hong Kong Residents Language test: You have to provide a copy of your language test results that shows you have a level 5 score in all 4 skills following reading writing listening and  speaking Intent to live in a province or territory other than Quebec Post-secondary education: If you want to apply for stream A or stream B. You have to provide a copy of your diploma or degree and your final transcripts. To know more details about the Immigrants from Hong Kong, you can contact one of our immigration specialists   at Gunness & Associates. Tel: (416) 604-2669 Email: info@test.immigrationmatters.info All rights reserved ©2022 Gunness & Associate

The immigration court has ruled that visa officers do not have the discretion to alter the eligibility criteria of the Post-Graduate Work Permit Program (PGWP) on humanitarian or compassionate grounds. On June 14, 2022, reviewing the application of an applicant failing to fulfill the requirements of the PGWP, the Federal Court of Canada decided that even with the new evidence, the applicant would still have failed to satisfy the necessary criteria.  There is no law for the PGWP that confers discretion on an officer to alter or waive the eligibility requirements on humanitarian and compassionate grounds (HAG). Visa officials are not permitted to overlook any of the prerequisites for the approval of a PGWP. Humanitarian and compassionate grounds apply to people with exceptional cases. The Government of Canada evaluates these applications on a case-by-case basis. Factors looked at include: how settled the person is in Canada general family ties to Canada the best interests of the child, and what could happen to you if we do not grant the request. Other Rules Other rules for Post-Graduate Work Permit Program eligibility standards on humanitarian and compassionate grounds are given below: We will not assess risk factors such as persecution, the risk to life, cruel and unusual treatment, or punishment. You cannot have more than one HAG application at the same time. You may only ask for HAG if you are applying for permanent resident status in Canada or a permanent resident visa abroad. We will not look at H&C requests from temporary resident applicants. You cannot apply for HAG if you have a pending refugee claim. If you want to apply, you must withdraw your refugee claim before your Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) hearing. You cannot apply for HAG if you had a negative decision from the IRB within the last 12 months. This is called the “one-year bar.” (If the IRB decides your refugee claim is abandoned or withdrawn, that counts as a negative decision.) The bar does not apply if: you have children under 18 who would be adversely affected if you were removed from Canada, or you have proof that you or one of your dependents suffers from a life-threatening medical condition that cannot be treated in your home country. Final thoughts, people who would not normally be eligible to become permanent residents of Canada may be able to apply on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. Get a free assessment for immigration to Canada. Contact our Immigration Specialists at Gunness & Associates  Tel: (416) 604-2669 Email: info@test.immigrationmatters.info Join our free newsletter click here All rights reserved ©2022 Gunness & Associates

Applying for a permanent residency or a work permit in Canada, applicants must prove their language skills by meeting minimum language requirements. However, even if an applicant meets the requirement, visa officers can reject applications. The application of an Indian citizen who applied for temporary residence and a work permit as a long-haul truck driver in British Columbia has been denied since the Canadian visa officers have not been convinced that the applicant had the language skills necessary to adequately perform the work. The applicant had a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) and met the language requirement of CLB 4 for the job. His application has been rejected due to the lower level of reading score (CLB 5) since the officer considered this score not enough to study and learn the rules of driving in Canada. Join our newsletter and get up-to-date immigration news Click here. To know more details about the Canada Immigration news, you can contact one of our immigration specialists at Gunness & Associates. Tel: (416) 604-2669 Email: info@test.immigrationmatters.info All rights reserved ©2022 Gunness & Associate

Employers in Canada face labor shortages in many sectors. However, healthcare, construction, and the restaurant and hospitality sectors experience the most Canadian labor shortage when compared to other sectors. According to a Statistics Canada report published on January 27, 2022, in November 2021, the healthcare sector had 119,600 vacancies with a 5.2% job vacancy rate. Construction and the restaurant and hospitality sectors doubled the number of job vacancies compared to the fourth quarter of 2019. Despite the number of vacancies being down 9.3 percent or 89,600 positions in November 2021, it was still much higher than before the pandemic. Join our newsletter and get up-to-date immigration news Click here. To know more details about the Employers in Canada face labor shortages in certain sectors, you can contact one of our immigration specialists at Gunness & Associates. Tel: (416) 604-2669 Email: info@test.immigrationmatters.info All rights reserved ©2022 Gunness & Associate