Immigration Blog about US & Canadian Immigration matters.

Parent and grandparent sponsorship applications have financial requirements which need to be met by the sponsor.

In most applications, you would be required to show that you meet the income threshold for 1 year preceding the application date. For parents the requirement is to meet the income threshold for 3 years preceding the application date.

What is a Labour Market Impact Assessment?

A Labour Market Impact Assessment or LMIA is a requirement most foreign workers need to receive from the prospective employers before they can apply to work within Canada. In order to be able to work in Canada, you need to get a positive LMIA from your future employer. A positive LMIA means that there is work available in the field that a foreign worker wishes to partake in and that there are no Canadian workers available to fulfill the demands of the job. Most LMIA is specific in the following ways:

• v Employer Specific
• v Location Specific
• v Occupation Specific

This means that the LMIA is specific in nature and the employee is restricted to working outside the specificities of the LMIA.

A TRP is essentially a special permission given to a person who would otherwise be inadmissible to enter Canada. Although, in most cases it is recommended that people should apply for TRP in advance and get permission before hand. There are cases where people do not have the time to apply in advance as the trip may be sudden or due to an emergency. In this case you may be able to apply for a TRP at the border itself.

Your need to enter Canada should be compelling enough to overcome the risk (if any) you may pose to Canadian society.

What is the Live-in Caregiver Program?

The live-in caregiver program allows for an employer to hire a live-in caregiver from outside of Canada. A live-in caregiver is a person who is qualified to care for children, elderly people, and individuals with disabilities without supervision. They must also live in the home where they work. Both the caregiver and the employer have certain criteria they must meet.

What is a Labour Market Impact Assessment?

A Labour Market Impact Assessment or LMIA is a requirement most foreign workers need to receive from the prospective employers before they can apply to work within Canada. In order to be able to work in Canada, you need to get a positive LMIA from your future employer. A positive LMIA means that there is work available in the field that a foreign worker wishes to partake in and that there are no Canadian workers available to fulfill the demands of the job. Most LMIA is specific in the following ways:

• Employer Specific
• Location Specific
• Occupation Specific

This means that the LMIA is specific in nature and the employee is restricted to working outside the specificities of the LMIA.

The Canadian government permits Canadian citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their family member such as parents and grandparents. If you want to sponsor your parents or grandparents then you have to know that there are few factors that can make you ineligible for sponsoring your parents or grandparents.

You have to be aware of those factors which can make you ineligible for sponsoring:

A TRP is essentially a special permission given to a person who would otherwise be inadmissible to enter Canada. Although, in most cases it is recommended that people should apply for TRP in advance and get permission before hand. There are cases where people do not have the time to apply in advance as the trip may be sudden or due to an emergency. In this case you may be able to apply for a TRP at the border itself.

Your need to enter Canada should be compelling enough to overcome the risk (if any) you may pose to Canadian society.

The Canadian government does not treat applicants with representatives or without representatives differently. Although, in many cases it is beneficial to get legal help as applications can be overwhelming.

To get temporary residence, you would have to apply for a Temporary Resident Visa, unless you are from a visa exempt country. There are several required applications for the Temporary Resident Visa that need to be supported with the required documents. More than the application itself, there are certain things you are required to prove to get entry to Canada.

For many people entering Canada from United States, it is a revelation for them when they find out that their Driving Under the Influence (DUI) conviction may bar them from entering Canada. For most Americans, a DUI offence may seem minor, it may have occurred so far back in your past that you forgot it even happened, or you never thought it would affect your admissibility into Canada.

If this is your situation, there are a couple of options available to you. You may either apply for a Temporary Resident Permit (TRP) at a Canadian Consulate located in your country or region, or you can make an application to apply at a Canadian Port of Entry.

If you wish to visit Canada as a business visitor, there are a few requirements that you must meet in order to be eligible. Some of these requirements include,

• Coming to Canada to,

• Grow your business
• Invest
• Advance your business relationships, and

• Show that,
  • You will not be staying for over six months
  • You will not be joining the Canadian labour industry
  • Your finances come from a source outside of Canada
  • You have the financial stability to fund your stay and way home
  • You are not inadmissible
  • Providing documentation to support your application

In addition to the above requirements, if you are from a country that requires a business visa, then you will require a Temporary Resident Visa as there are no separate applications for business visitors. If you need a Temporary Resident Visa in order to come to Canada, then a letter of invitation will be needed as well as the contact information of that person.

The Live-In Caregiver program allows families to hire foreign live-in caregiver when citizens or permanent residents of Canada are not available to do that specific job. A live in caregiver may be hired to provide care for children under 18, elderly person who is 65 years of age or over or a person with disability, on a full time bases. There are three significant steps that you need to follow to apply under this program.

• FIRST you would be required to get positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) from your employer. The employer would have to pay a fee to Employment and Social Development Canada, and receive the positive LMIA. This would confirm that there is a need for this job in Canada, and the wages and working conditions that are offered by the employer are equivalent to the wages paid to a Canadian in the same occupation.
• SECOND you and your employer would have to sign a written employment agreement. You would be required to submit your employment contract and the positive LMIA with your application. The contract will outline the details of the working conditions, including your duties, hours of work, wages, and accommodations. The contract should also include the holiday and sick leave entitlements and termination and resignation terms. This is necessary for your security as the employee.
• THIRD you may apply either online or fill out the application on paper. In addition you will be required to have your travel documents, which include your passport, citizenship documents etc.

If you are the employer and require assistance with hiring a foreign live in caregiver or if you are a worker that would like come to Canada to work. You can contact us and our team of experienced professionals will be happy to assist you.

One option you may have, in order to obtain a permanent residence status in Canada, is through the Federal Skilled Workers program. In addition to the basic requirements, there is a point system where you must receive a score of 67 out of a maximum of 100 in order to apply. There are six selection factors that you will be assessed upon.

The first is your English and/or French skills. This category tests your knowledge in one or both of Canada’s official languages. Points will be given for your ability to speak, read, write, and listen. This test will be done by an agency approved by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) and the results must be sent in with your application.

A mistaken assumption that United States citizens often make is assuming that Canadian laws are uniform to American laws. Often times, United States citizens will come to Canada and be denied entry because of what they presume to be a “minor” conviction in the past. It is important to note that, any criminal conviction may be held against someone wanting to enter Canada.

In addition to this, what many United States citizens do not know is that, in Canada, driving under the influence (DUI) is a serious crime. If you are in the position of wanting to enter Canada with a DUI offence, chances are, you will be denied entry to Canada. This being said, it is still possible to enter Canada depending on your circumstances.

You are at the end of this lengthy and extensive temporary resident visa application but soon to be a fulfilling and enjoyable stay in. You have completed all the information to the best of your knowledge, paid your fees and submitted your application for processing.

The processing times for a temporary resident visa application will vary depending on a number of factors including

Entrepreneurs and their spouses and unmarried children under 21 who make an investment in a commercial enterprise in the United States and who plan to create or preserve ten permanent full time jobs for qualified United States workers, are eligible to apply for a green card .

Up to 10,000 visas may be authorized each year for eligible entrepreneurs; you must invest $1,000,000, or at least $500,000 in a targeted employment area (high unemployment or rural area). In return, USCIS may grant conditional permanent residence to you.