Category Archives: Citizenship and Immigration Canada

The new Canadian Citizenship rules for Newcomers – What You Need to Know

On February 6, 2014, Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander unveiled the first comprehensive reforms to the Citizenship Act since 1977. With the unveiling of Bill C-24, the Strengthening of Canadian Citizenship Act, the Canadian Government purports that the new Bill will protect the value of Canadian citizenship while creating a faster and more efficient Citizenship process for those […]

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Immigration applications from victims of typhoon Haiyan in Philippines to be fast-tracked

Canada’s immigration department says it is giving special consideration to Filipinos affected by typhoon Haiyan. Immigration Minister Chris Alexander’s office says it will give priority to applications from Filipinos who are “significantly and personally affected” by the typhoon that left thousands dead last weekend. The note also says that Filipino citizens temporarily in Canada who want to remain will be […]

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The Canadian Experience Class program sees its first major changes

The Canadian Experience Class (CEC) has been one of the most popular economic Canadian immigration programs in the past 2 years. As of today, significant changes have been made to the program. Since the Conservative government came to power, Canadian immigration regulations have gone through many changes. These changes have received a mixed reaction from all sides. The government has […]

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Canada’s skills gap continues to widen, according to study

According to a new study from global recruiting firm Hays PLC, which surveyed the skills gap in 30 developed countries around the world, Canada ranks ninth for the severity of its skills shortage, and its score deteriorated in the past year. Countries such as Japan, the United States, Germany and Sweden top the list in skilled worker shortage. The report highlights […]

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Canadian Immigration Strike is Over

The foreign service officers have ended their strike after reaching a tentative agreement with the Canadian government. This is good news for many international students, workers and others who have been in limbo, waiting for their visas to be processed. The agreement between the union representing foreign service officers and the Canadian government effectively ends one of the longest strikes […]

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Canadian Economist Calls for Employment-Based Immigration Selection Process

A new report by Canadian economist and former Member of Parliament Herbert Grubel calls for Canada’s point-based immigration selection process to be completely replaced with one based on employment. Grubel, who is a Fraser Institute senior fellow and a professor emeritus of economics with Simon Fraser University has been a longtime proponent of placing more limits on immigration, a position […]

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Immigration Department Closing Citizenship Applications to Reduce Backlog

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is closing citizenship applications of unresponsive applicants in an effort to reduce its backlog and speed up application processing. A new article by Postmedia News lists some factors that could be used to determine which applications are dormant: Citizenship and Immigration will shut the files of those who fail to attend multiple scheduled citizenship tests […]

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Foreign Service Workers Union Expands Strike to 15 Largest Visa Centres

The Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers (PAFSO), the union for Canadian diplomats, has withdrawn some of its members from the 15 largest foreign Canadian visa processing centres in order to pressure the government to come to a deal on their pay dispute. The strike is affecting visa and immigration services at Abu Dhabi, Ankara, Beijing, Cairo, Delhi/Chandigarh, Hong Kong, […]

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Canadian Foreign Service Workers Union Offers Binding Arbitration

The Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers (PAFSO) has offered to enter into binding arbitration with the federal government to end the strike of its members and with it, the disruption to permanent residency and visa issuance. PAFSO is giving the government until Tuesday to accept the offer before it is rescinded. Treasury Board President Tony Clement must decide whether […]

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Canada to Get New Immigration Minister, Chris Alexander

The federal government announced a major cabinet shuffle on Monday which will see Jason Kenney, the current Citizenship and Immigration Minister, move to the Department of Employment and Social Development, which will be the new name for the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development (HRSDC). Chris Alexander, who is currently the MP for the district of Ajax-Pickering, will become […]

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