Canada reducing off-campus hours of work for international students Canada’s temporary waiver of the 20-hour-per-week limit on the number of hours that international students are allowed to work during academic sessions is scheduled to end on April 30, 2024. The temporary waiver was implemented back in October 2022 by then acting Minister Sean Fraser to reduce the labour shortages in Canada. After April 30th, off-campus employment for students will resume as follows: Up to 20 hours per week during academic sessions; and Up to full-time hours during “regularly scheduled breaks.” A “regu ..read more

IRCC updates eligibility requirements for Spousal Open Work Permits On March 19, 2024, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC) changed the eligibility requirements for Spousal Open Work Permits (SOWPs). When the announcement was made on January 22, 2024 regarding the changes to the international student program, IRCC advised that spouses of international students in undergraduate and college programs will no longer be eligible for SOWPs and only spouses of international students enrolled in master’s or doctoral degree programs would be eligible commencing on March 19, 2024. Now, the eligib ..read more

  IRCC introduces two new immigration pilots for rural and French-minority communities In a press conference earlier today, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada  (IRCC)  announced two separate new immigration pilots – one for rural communities and another for francophone minority communities across Canada – while adding that the existing Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot (RNIP), which was introduced in January 2019, will transition into a permanent program. In a press conference today, Immigration Minister Marc Miller, emphasized the value of rural and f ..read more

  Three Express Entry Draws – February 13, 14 and 16th  IRCC invites 1,490 Express Entry candidates in All-Program Draw On February 13, 2024, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC) conducted Express Entry Draw #283,  inviting 1,490 candidates in an all-program draw. Invitations were sent to candidates with a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 535. This is the lowest CRS score for 2024 in the all-program category. In 2024, there were three all-program draws in January, inviting a total of 3,280 candidates. The minimum CRS score for these draws ..read more

  IRCC issues 2,500 ITAs in category-based Express Entry draw for French language proficiency Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada  (IRCC) held another Express Entry draw #287 for 2024 on February 29th and issued 2,500 invitations to candidates with French Proficiency. the minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score required to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) was 336. So far in 2024, IRCC has held two French language draws. During the month of December, IRCC held a total of 7 draws, including two all-program draws on December 6, 2023, draw #272 an ..read more

Client Alert: USCIS Finally Publishes the Dates for the New Fiscal Year’s H-1B lottery U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently published some important dates to keep in mind regarding the upcoming H-1B registration for the upcoming H-1B lottery. This year, the online registration period for the H-1B lottery will begin on March 6 at 12:00 pm (EST) and run through March 22 at 12:00 pm (EST). Employers and their attorneys must wait until March 6 to enter beneficiary information and submit the registration fee. Below is a chart of important dates for your reference:   Fe ..read more

Alberta pauses processing for Alberta Opportunity Stream applications; New Stream for In-demand Tourism and Hospitality Sector As of February 15, the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) has temporarily paused processing applications for the Alberta Opportunity Stream until further notice. The AAIP says the pause will give the province time to “address its current inventory and focus its limited immigration nominations on priorities, such as filling labour shortages in healthcare, technology, construction, agriculture, tourism and hospitality and other in-demand sec ..read more

Changes to Agri-Food Pilot The Agri-Food Pilot provides a pathway to permanent residence for experienced, non-seasonal workers in specific industries and with specific occupations in the agri-food sector that have a labour shortage. Agricultural employers participating in the pilot will be eligible for a 2-year Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). While waiting for a final decision of permanent residence, applicants can apply for a work permit and family members can apply for an open work permit (subject to certain requirements), so they are able to accompany the applicant. Initia ..read more

Canada Opens New Visa Application Centre in Portugal February 19, 2024 As Canada continues to receive high volumes of visa applications from around the world, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is committed to improving processing efficiency and client service. This includes expanding our international presence when needed. The Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced today the opening of a new Canada visa application centre (VAC) in Lisbon, Portugal, on February 26, 2024. With this new centre, IRCC’s VAC network will ..read more

Temporary Public Policy to Facilitate Permanent Residence to Certain Foreign Nationals Affected by the Conflict in Sudan with Family in Canada Effective Tuesday, February 27th at 10:00 AM EST, the new Sudanese Permanent Residence pathway will be going live in the Permanent Residence portal. This family-based humanitarian pathway was announced on April 5, 2023, and supports Sudanese and non-Sudanese nationals who resided in Sudan when the conflict began. To apply under this pathway, applicants and representatives can log into the Permanent Residence porta ..read more