Canada is a federation composed of ten provinces and three territories, which may be grouped into regions: Western Canada, Central Canada, Atlantic Canada, and Northern Canada (the latter consists of the three territories Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut). Provinces have more autonomy than territories and each has its own provincial or territorial symbols. The provinces are responsible for most of Canada’s social programs: health care, education, and welfare. Provinces & Territories www.hellobc.com – British Columbia www.travelalberta.com – Alberta www.sasktourism.com&nb ..read more

Planning to Immigrate to Canada? One of the mandatory requirements under the Express Entry management system is the results of the language test, conducted by a designated language-testing agency approved by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). There are three IRCC-approved language test facilitators: CELPIP and IELTS for English, and TEF and TCF for French. It has been established that knowledge of one of the official languages of Canada plays a major role in the economic and social success and integration of immigrants to Canada. Therefore, IRCC has made it mandatory that app ..read more

Often, we wonder why is it that we need professional help to do something we can do ourselves? I will simply follow the instruction manual and complete the task myself. After all, the instruction manual is provided for a reason. While in most circumstances you can execute your own DIY project to desired results (while saving a few bucks), yet what if you were told that your future depended on it and you only get 1 chance to do it right? What would you do then? Consider the fact that the risk isn’t just about the effort or time you put into it, a negative outcome will lead to a financial loss a ..read more

On October 30, 2020, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced plans to increase Canada’s immigration targets over the next three years. The new targets are as follows: 401,000 permanent residents in 2021 (previously 351,000) 411,000 permanent residents in 2022 (previously 361,000) 421,000 permanent residents in 2023 Such a drastic increase in immigration targets to welcome more than 1.2 million newcomers in three years is part of the Canadian government’s plan to boost economic recovery and job creation, which suffered as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Coronavirus ca ..read more

On Wednesday, October 28, 2020, the Quebec government announced details of three new permanent immigration pilot programs it is planning to launch in 2021 to alleviate labour shortages in the province. The three new pilots are: the pilot program for personal support workers; the pilot program for workers in the fields of artificial intelligence (AI), information technology (IT) and visual effects; the pilot program for workers in food processing. Full text of the regulation project is published on October 28, 2020 in the Gazette officielle du Québec, which also announces a 45-day consultatio ..read more

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney announced an upcoming pilot project at two border crossings in Alberta where international travellers coming to Canada by land or air may choose to be tested for COVID-19 at the border, which would cut the mandatory self-isolation period from 14 days to about 48 hours, given the test comes back negative. The pilot is a joint project between the province of Alberta and the government of Canada. The voluntary pilot testing option, a first of its kind in Canada and an important step in facilitating international travel, will be offered starting November 2 at the Coutt ..read more

The wait is over: on October 13, 2020, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) launched its much-awaited Parents and Grandparents (PGP) Sponsorship Program for 2020. Canadian citizens and permanent residents 18 or over who wish to sponsor their parents and/or grandparents to come to Canada may now submit an interest to sponsor form online. The interest to sponsor form will stay open until 12 p.m. EST on November 3, 2020. After the submission period is over, IRCC will perform a draw to randomly select 10,000 potential sponsors from the received and verified entries, who will th ..read more

You may not realize it, but Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) can now track your presence in Canada. As CIC News reports, the Canadian Border Service Agency’s new Entry/Exit Program started tracking when foreign nationals come into and leave Canada by land in February 2019, and the program is expected to expand to include air travel in June 2020. Basic identifying information—including the name, birth date, nationality/citizenship, sex, and travel document information—about foreign nationals collected through this program makes it harder for people to slip under IRCC’s radar ..read more

Amidst the Canadian law firms and regulated Canadian immigration consultants who understand and can advise you on Canadian immigration matters, there are also endless travel agencies and foreign companies offering immigration services, including faceless, nameless websites offering their services in Canadian immigration without revealing who is going to prepare the application. Foreign lawyers can be legitimately practicing law in their native country, but they are not permitted to practice Canadian immigration law as per the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA); the same applies to t ..read more