Canada Immigration News

The Canadian federal government has paved the way for firms to recruit more foreign workers following the removal of certain restrictions placed on temporary seasonal workers from overseas under the Canadian Temporary Foreign worker program. The decision has come as a relief to some Canadian companies, especially those in the country's seafood processing sector.

In its first 12 months, Canada's highly anticipated Express Entry system saw 191,279 applications made in 2015, of which 31,000 were offered the opportunity to become permanent residents – 16% of whom worked in the food service and cooking industries.

The Express Entry system, which is Canada's flagship economic immigration selection system, has been branded a success for its 'just in time' system that has processed most applications from start to finish within the government's target timeframe of six months.

The Immigration, Diversity and Inclusion Minister (MIDI) for Quebec Kathleen Weil has announced the reopening of its online skilled worker program (QSWP), commencing 13 June 2016. On this date, an initial quota of 5,000 skilled worker visa applications will be accepted as part of an overall quota of 10,000; The second batch of 5,000 visas will be issued later in the year.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) says that less than 50 percent of immigrants coming into the country this year will be selected through its much-anticipated Express Entry system. The new system, introduced by Canada's Conservative government, promised to match skilled economic migrants with the needs of employers.

On 1st January 2015, Canada launched its new Express Entry visa system, aimed at improving the visa selection process for permanent residency and speeding up decision times to six months or less.

There is still a backlog of Canadian immigration cases, which is one of the reasons why the Canadian government have launched this new system. It is designed to prevent a future backlog of applications, and improve the selection process. It is hoped that with increased access to highly skilled overseas workers, the Canadian economy will benefit from this new system.

With the new Express Entry program launching in Canada next year, Workpermit.com is providing a review of the forthcoming changes. The new immigration system is very different to the current Temporary Foreign Worker Program, The main differences between the two programs are detailed below.Temporary Foreign Worker Program