Skilled worker applications for permanent residence (Canada Experience Class) are taking about 1 year to process, out of the Buffalo visa office. This is based on very recent experience - and includes time for the application to be sent to another US visa office.

If you have a work permit and are working with an employer, you may be able to apply for permanent residence right away. Call today and see if we can help.

Also, a senior business immigration lawyer can help not only with a Labour Market Opinion (LMO), but also with the best option for concluding a work permit.

Many clients have found, unexpectedly, that their permanent residence application at the nominee program level has been refused for conditions or requirements not published at the time of applying. Additionally, people sponsoring members of the family class can often make similar mistakes. Why not let our immigration experience work for you?

Folks seeking permanent residence will want to make sure they have thought about all possibles ways to maximize their chances of success. For example, foreign nationals in Canada on work permits or study permits have a number of options when applying for permanent residence. Even folks outside Canada, who have a job offer or not, can  apply for permanent residence. Take a few minutes, contact us, and let's see how we can help.

Timing of your applications is so very critical. Being able to use the guidance of someone with experience who can lay out your options and formulate an immigration plan as to what should happen and when and in what order - this is a very important aspect in the field of Canadian Citizenship and Immigration. A Canada immigration lawyer, at our offices, can help.

As you may know, the Canada immigration field is constantly changing with new quotas, new avenues of applicant streams, and many possibilities for work in Canada. Canada has an aging work force and commodity prices have risen making skilled workers very much in demand. Our offices have a lot of experience in all the many ways to immigrate to Canada. Give us a call - very often, we can assess your situation quickly and let you know what your best options might be, without any cost to you! If you want to immigrate or get permanent residence for Canada, let us help.

There has been a lot of applicants who have been unsuccessful on sponsoring children, after previously declaring they had no children. This is a special remediation. Call us and let's discuss.

Refugee applicants very often find they are in a vulnerable position as they work, waiting for a decision on their application. In our experience, a refugee application is not necessary at all as there are many options available that would permit most people to stay in Canada, at least a year or two.

Only 10% of refugee applicants from Mexico have been approved, leaving the remaining applicants to find other ways to stay in Canada as permanent residents. A popular option for many is to marry a Canadian and attempt sponsorship under the family class.

There are many opportunities available that may be more fruitful than mainstream investor nominee programs. Contact us today to learn more.

Some clients believe certain (temporary resident) visas are do not require planning. In my experience, nothing can take the place of good preparation and planning. Clients will need time to gather documents, prepare the application (now usually standardized across all visa offices) and await processing. Of course, this will all need to be accomplished leaving enough time to get your passport back and confirm a client's travel arrangements. 

April 25, 2011

It remains to be scene how the new Labour Market Opinions work for clients at visa offices, especially where the spelling of a client's name, usually, cannot be confirmed beforehand.

Recent changes at CIC, Service Canada and the Nominee Program (Alberta) mean slightly extra work for the average employer and average candidate. As an employer, it will be important to remain and follow past LMO's in respect of current foreign workers and the processing of present LMO's will require more sophistication as additional documents may be requested. As a candidate, changes mean that your friends processing will be different than yours. In a new process and environment, we can help make your best effort.

Happy April Fools! I've often wondered about the requirement that Provincial Nominees must have employers. How many practitioners have heard of employees getting permanent residence, quitting their job and seeking different work. There must be a better way to set out the program. What is more, how often does the average worker change jobs these days? And, not only in Canada, but in so many other countries, rare is the person who works for any one employer for more than 3-4 years.  

A 4 year limit on work permits for most temporary foreign workers begins today. Foreign workers will need to record meticulously when they are working and when they are not, as working times will be an issue for extensions and re-entering Canada. 

A law barring 'ghost' immigration consultants from charging for doing immigration has received royal assent and will become law shortly. Be careful whom you hire to help you with your paperwork or give advice.

March 31, 2011

Have you thought about trying the Nominee Program, as one more option to achieve permanent residence in Canada? Certain programs have many more streams than other provinces and it may be worth while to consider how you might qualify in another program if your options are limited where you are currently. We can help.

It is anticipated by certain important sectors in government that job shortages, especially in Alberta, will increase, as oil prices climb higher and the world economy performs as normal. To this time, LMO applications have declined. However, we can expect to see more applications this year.

Filipinos attaining permanent residence have taken the top spot, for 2010. Filipinos who have worked in Canada since the boom years of 2006-2007, as hotel cleaners, live-in caregivers or counter attendants, are now, it seems, making their way through the system and getting permanent residence. India and China are the second and third source countries for permanent residence, respectively.

There is big news out of the group of Nominee Programs. There is a very good opportunity for business investors looking to move to Canada, to set up a business and at the same time apply for and obtain permanent residence. Prerequisites  for the program include net worth, cash limits and certain, high-level business experience. Contact us today to see how you might qualify.

Happy first day of Spring, which is also Norwuz (Persian New Year)!

Recent changes to the Apprenticeship and Industry Training (foreign worker) qualification certificate application should be noted. Old applications will be accepted until May 1st, 2011. As before, recent changes to various PR streams will make the AIT process for foreign workers more important when selecting a job title and applying for a work permit. An immigration lawyer in Edmonton or Calgary can help with the AIT process, as well.

There are favourable and positive developments in the regulation of the immigration consultant industry. Specific details are to follow - however, if a new regulatory body is able to address current concerns vis-a-vis the immigration sphere, this would be welcome news for all.

The Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program announced changes to it's program - prior to March 14, applicants could apply in non-compulsory trades without having to first make and obtain credentials through Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training. What this means is that for applicants who do not speak English very well, it will be much more difficult, time consuming and costly to get permanent residence. As the layers of applications increase, it is now much more important to consult an immigration lawyer and chart  a plan on how best to apply.

It's so very important for each employer and each foreign worker to follow the stipulations and conditions agreed to in the Labour Market Opinion (LMO). This is imperative not just for the work permit itself but there may also be implications for an employee where they attempt to apply for permanent residence. We can help evaluate your situation to give you  an indication on whether your application meets current program criteria (based on valuable experience gained by assisting other applicants in a similar situation).

We've had a very good response to the opening of our Calgary office and we continue to look forward to meeting new clients from Southern Alberta.

Important changes to the Nominee (Alberta) program, this spring. Also, stay tuned for changes to the Federal Skilled Worker Program. Finally, feel free to contact our Mandarin speaking staff for personal assistance and access to our immigration lawyer (Edmonton/Calgary).

Approval in the skilled worker PR process can be very difficult. All the elements on the application have to line up or the Intake Office, it seems, will return your application. Also, make sure you have taken care to explain all about your application in terms that an officer is going to understand.

Please see our 'Contact' page for details on our new Calgary office! Clients can now contact our immigration lawyer in Edmonton or Calgary and virtually all points in Alberta, including Red Deer, Fort MacMurray, Lethbridge, Banff, and Jasper...

Stay tuned for the opening of our new offices in Calgary, Alberta (by appointment only)! These offices will enable SLG to better serve nearby communities including Lethbridge, Red Deer, Canmore/Banff and so on.

Semi-skilled PR applications via a Nominee program are reported to be processing applications at the visa office in Colombo (when applicable) and the length of time is approximately 25 months! So, in addition to having worked for an employer for one or two years, an applicant in this situation will have to continue working for that very same employer in order to successfully be able to complete the PR process - no small task for most people, for sure.

Applying to the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program as a cook is not as straight forward as it seems. Of course, all applicants seeking permanent residence expect a consultant to not only file the application but to offer a reasonable assurance that the applicant will be approved. Before sending in your application, make sure you know, as best as you can, how it's likely to turn out. We can help!

January 31, 2011

Perhaps this relatively new Pilot Project is for you? You may qualify for a work permit right away if your spouse is employed in the academic or health care field. As this is a Pilot in Ontario only, your residence would need to be there - but, act soon as this project is only available until May, 2012. Watch here for other developments, perhaps involving other regions.

It's so very important for all foreign nationals, in Canada temporarily, to maintain their status. Sometimes, it might even be better to leave Canada than to let the status expire. A PLAN outlining roughly how you are going to achieve your immigration goals (and sticking to that plan) cannot be overemphasized. Also, if you get yourself into a predicament, there maybe a solution but the cost to resolve these is usually quite high.

To be sure, the Minister of Immigration, Jason Kenney, has only thought about imposing a 4-year limit on temporary foreign workers and work permit extensions - CIC has not taken any action yet and there is no such limit, at this time.

For those of you thinking about a divorce (in Alberta), new rules permit each spouse to file a joint Statement of Claim which may take some of the animosity and opposition out of the process. If you decide later the joint process isn't for you, it's possible to 'opt out' and file alternate documents.

Changes to Language Requirements

Changes to the Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) Program and the Canadian Experience Class now require all new applicants to include the results of an English or French Language test as part of their application. 

Prior to this change, applicants could write a test or submit a written letter  evidencing their fluency in English.  Now language ability will be assessed by an accredited agency - not by a visa officer. 

With the results of a language test, FSW applicants will know before they apply how many points will be awarded for language ability.  Canadian Experience Class Applicants will know in advance if they meet the minimum requirements necessary. 

Testing costs must be met by the individual; the results are valid for two years from the time you took the test.   Testing can be done with the following agencies: 

 IELTS:  International English Language Testing System.  You must take the "General Training" option.

CELPIP:  Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program.  You must take the "CELPIP-G test.

June 26. 2010   Changes to the Federal Skilled Worker Program

Three major changes were made to the Federal Skilled Worker Program

1.  The number of occupations went from 39 to 29 qualifying occupations.

2.  A change in the documentation required for an application in this program.

3.  The creation of a limit on the number of applications which will be considered by Visa offices.   A cap system was created which affects only skilled workers applying for qualifying occupation list without a job offerfrom a Canadian employer.  Under the new system, the Government of Canada limited the applications to 20,000 total per year. Within that limit, a maxiumum of 1,000 applications per occupation will be considered.

Changes to Alberta Provincial Nominee Programs

Two streams in the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program were put on hold this year. Prior to August 23rd, people working in the UnitedStates on a temporary work visa, and people who had a close family member living in Alberta were able to apply through Alberta PNP.  Since August 23rd Alberta has stopped accepting applications submitted through the Family Stream and the U.S. Visa Holder Category.  Alberta has not announced when the two streams will reopen.

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