Toronto immigration lawyer Andy Semotiuk: Canada is about to announce a slew of new changes to its immigration programs. From the government’s immigration website:
On April 26, 2014, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) will issue a new set of Ministerial Instructions to immigration officers regarding the processing of applications to the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), and Canadian Experience Class (CEC).
Be sure to read the whole page.
In the case of Federal Skilled Workers, Federal Skilled Trades, and the Canadian Experience Class, there will be new quotas involved. These have already been announced. There is also speculation that the Intra-Corporate Transferee category will see significant changes.
These changes may include:
- a requirement that new applicants meet or exceed the prevailing wage rate for Canadian positions to which they are being transferred
- that experience will be a requirement of transferees with specialized knowledge
- that a minimum educational requirement may be imposed on the transferees entering Canada
- that there will be a limit on the number of transferees eligible to work off-site on transfers to Canada
- that the number of transferees a corporation will be able to sponsor will be limited by a proportionality test, which will measure the ratio of foreign workers to Canadian workers
Needless to say, Canadian immigration is in flux, and it’s something to which we at Pace Law Firm are paying close attention. Contact us if you have any questions, and watch this space for further updates.
Andy Semotiuk is a Canadian and US immigration lawyer with Toronto immigration law firm Pace Law Firm. You can learn more about Andy at My Work Visa.