Canada is taking measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and accommodate immigrants affected by associated service disruptions and travel restrictions Canada is taking exceptional measures to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, and help immigrants and travellers affected by service disruptions. The following is a summary of policies that were just announced by the federal government: Restrictions on foreign travel to Canada On Monday, March 16, Canada announced it is closing its borders to most people who are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents. Excep ..read more

The route also allows the spouse of a visa holder to freely work in the US and covers dependent children under 21 While attaining US citizenship is increasingly becoming a difficult and expensive prospect, many rich Indians have found out a way around it - through Grenada. Rich Indians are increasingly looking at Grenada as a route to attain US citizenship through the Grenada Citizenship by Investment (CBI) programme. Interest in the CBI programme has increased in the last three months, sources in the know told the Economic Times. Under the Grenada CBI programme, a visa applicant has to make ..read more

Marco Mendicino outlines vision for Canada’s immigration system in first major speech since his November 2019 appointment as minister Marco Mendicino laid out his vision for Canada’s immigration system today in Toronto. It was his first major policy speech since his November 2019 appointment as Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. Mendicino was appointed after the Liberal Party of Canada was re-elected to a second mandate in October and he is currently pursuing an immigration plan laid out in his mandate letter. “Vision” speeches are a long-standing tradition among Canada’s immi ..read more

After years of the Canadian business community calling for improvements, Canada has taken one more step in modernizing the process of hiring temporary foreign workers Employers looking to hire temporary foreign workers are now able to manage their Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) application through an online portal. The new pilot project comes after many calls from Canadian business leaders to improve the current LMIA process for employers. The online pilot will allow Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) employers to register for online access to manage their accounts, conduct trans ..read more

The new immigration regime would help STEM students & professionals get permanent residence faster Indian students and professionals in the United Kingdom have a reason to cheer amid the uncertainty brought in by Brexit. On Wednesday, UK’s British Indian home secretary Priti Patel announced a points-based immigration system that aims at attracting the brightest and the best from around the world. The new regime, which starts January 1, 2021, would help science, technology, engineering & math (STEM) students and professionals from India and China get permanent residence faster.This is ..read more

Province unveils long-awaited details of Express Entry-linked stream The Canadian province of Alberta unveiled two new immigration streams Thursday, including its anticipated Express Entry-linked stream. Both streams were originally expected in January, but the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) delayed their introduction until now. The creation of a dedicated Express Entry Stream will now allow Alberta to invite candidates in the federal Express Entry pool to apply for a provincial nomination. “Candidates who have demonstrated strong ties to Alberta and who can help support the governm ..read more

Canada's population increased by 1 million people in record time, Statistics Canada reports Canada’s population broke the 37 million mark in the first four months of 2018, growing by a million people in record time thanks largely to immigration, Statistics Canada reports. New preliminary estimates from Statistics Canada put Canada’s population at 37,067,011 on April 1, 2018. It only took two years and two months for Canada’s population to grow from 36 million to 37 million, which Statistics Canada says is the quickest increase of this size ever observed. The agency said immigration was the ma ..read more

Canada's Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen touts 'profound impact' of Express Entry changes When it comes to the future of immigration to Canada, it’s no longer a question of “why immigration” but “how much,” says federal Immigration Minister, Ahmed Hussen. “That’s where the debate is now,” he told his audience at the 2018 Canadian Immigration Summit in Ottawa. “Without immigration, our ability to grow our economy would become an impossibility,” Hussen said, referencing a recent report by the Conference Board of Canada. The report makes the case that an immigration rate of one per cent of Can ..read more

Raising admissions to 415,000 by 2030 would off-set aging population and spur economy, Conference Board of Canada says Increasing Canada’s immigration rate to one per cent of its total population beginning in 2030 would help offset the challenges caused by an aging population and contribute to economic growth, a new report by the Conference Board of Canada argues. The increase would represent 415,000 new admissions to Canada, whose population would be pushing 42 million people in 2030. “Based on current demographic trends, increasing the immigration rate to one per cent by the early 2030s wil ..read more

Despite recent debate and calls to cut Australia's annual migrant intake, the government confirms the migration program ceiling remains unchanged for 2018-19. Despite much recent media coverage of the discussions and political statements around Australia’s burgeoning population, Australia’s migration program ceiling has not been reduced. The Department of Home Affairs has confirmed to SBS Hindi that the migration program ceiling of 190,000 remains unchanged for 2018-19. “The Migration Program is set annually through the Australian Government’s Budget process. “In 2017-18, the Program was set ..read more