Immigration Blog about US & Canadian Immigration matters.

The Minister of Citizenship and Immigration of Canada (CIC) declared changes under the Faster Removal of Foreign Criminal Act. The purpose of these changes is to protect Canadians and the integrity of Canada’s immigration system. The first priority of Canadian government is the safety and security of Canadians.

Some applicants are inadmissible on the basis of criminality. Inadmissibility means an applicant is not eligible to immigrate to Canada or they are not allowed to enter Canada. There are a number of reasons someone might be considered inadmissible to Canada, including previous criminality.

The Skilled Worker category is one of the categories of Provincial Nominee Program of Newfoundland and Labrador (NLPNP). The NLPNP skilled worker category nominates applicants who have special skills in a particular area and who can fill an employer’s current labour needs.

You are eligible for the skilled worker category, if you meet the certain requirements and those are following:

If an individual is interested in opening up a business in Canada, there are ways to do so. People might have successful businesses overseas and wish to expand. Others just maybe want to start fresh in a new country or have a good idea for that specific location. Canada has a program called a Start- up Visa. This visa targets the type of entrepreneur who can build a business that has the ability to compete on a global scale and creates new jobs. Many people are drawn to Canada due to its strong economy, low taxes and business costs, excellence in research and innovation, and top quality of life.

Eligibility:

• Before an individual applies for the Start-up Visa, he/she must gain the support of a designated Canadian organization.
• The applicant must also obtain a Letter of Support (this is proof of their support) from this organization.
• The individual must meet the language requirements in order to be approved. The individual must be able to communicate in either French or English and will be tested on four general areas: speaking, reading, writing, and listening. In each category the minimum requirement level is a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 5.
• The language test must be completed abroad
• If you do not meet language requirements, you will be refused.
• If the language assessment is not included, then your application will not be processed.
• The applicant must have sufficient funds.
• The government will not provide financial support to immigrants coming with a Start-up Visa.
• Your funds must be sufficient enough to support yourself and your dependants upon arrival to Canada. The amount of money you need will depend on the number of dependants you have. It can be anywhere from $11,931 to $31,574

• Minimum investment:
• You must secure a minimum investment of $200,000 if the investment comes from a designated Canadian venture capital fund.
• You must secure a minimum investment of $75,000 if the investment comes from a designated Canadian angel investor group.

If those requirements are met, your application would then be reviewed on CIC’s standard admissibility criteria, including health, criminality and security.

The Alberta Provincial Nominee Program is also known as Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP). This program is designed to help the province economically. This is done so by attracting and retaining immigrants that are ready to work within Alberta. Individuals must be nominated by the government of Alberta in order to be allowed the possibility to apply for permanent residency along with their spouse or any children they might have. This program offers a chance to both skilled and semi-skilled workers. If you are looking for temporary work, then the AINP is not for you, since this is a program for permanent residency. It is important that a valid work permit be maintained throughout the application and assessment period, individuals exempt from this are the ones that are applying under the Strategic Recruitment Stream Engineering Occupations Category. If this is not done so, the application for AINP will be declined. Requirements vary, depending on which stream and category you fit into. There are three different streams/categories available for this. Engineering Occupations Category is one of the categories under the strategic recruitment stream that an individual can apply under.

Engineering Occupations Category: applies to Temporary Foreign Workers who have experience working in Alberta within their engineering occupation.

Documents needed for LMIA Application

• Business license or documentation showing proof of employers’ involvement in the business
• Union consultations done before applying to hire the foreign worker(s)
• Drafted and signed an employment contract
• Documentation of recruitment efforts to hire a Canadians and permanent residents before offering this job to a temporary worker and have proof of required advertisement
• Proof that the work place is safe
• Proof of health insurance coverage for temporary foreign worker paid by employer
• Proof that employer will accommodate foreign worker with affordable housing
• Receipt of payment for round trip by employer
• Need proof that the temporary foreign worker will leave Canada once your work permit expires
• May need to provide proof of education of foreign worker
• Proof that the wage rate meets the minimum requirement set by provincial legislation
• Proof that there is a shortage of Canadian citizens and permanent residents in that job area
• Registration of foreign worker under the appropriate provincial Workers’ Safety and compensation Board

If you are looking at filing a LMIA application, let us help with that. At Akrami & Associates, we specialize in LMIA applications. Contact us Tod

What Documents Do I Need To Work In Canada?

• A letter from employer with job offer
• Need proof that you will leave Canada once your work permit expires
• Prove that you have enough finances to support yourself and family members during stay and to return home
• A legal passport or proof of legal status in the country you are migrating from
• Medical report to prove that you are in good health
• Will need to provide a background check to prove that you have no criminal records and that you will not be a danger to Canada’s security
• You may need a police clearance certificate

Above are just some of the documents you will need to provide for a work permit application. If you are looking at filing a work permit application, contact us today! At Akrami & Associates, we specialize in work permit application. Let is help you move forward!

Why Do We Call It Express Entry?

The Express Entry is an online and electronic system that manages your applications in regards to Permanent Residence.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada aim to have the applications for Permanent Residence processed within a 6 month time frame from the day the submission. For that reason, it is known as Express Entry. By having faster processing times it is thought to increase economic stability through immigration.

There are several thousand business people who come into Canada to do business with Canadians and their companies per year. Most of the Business Visitor applications are taken care of at the port of entry, which makes it extremely important that you have all of your paper work in a proper and organized manner.

Business Activities Within Canada Can Include Things Like:

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.

The BC Provincial Nominee Program is an economic immigration program established to help BC meet its labour market needs. This program is beneficial for Canadian employers by helping them to choose skilled and experienced foreign workers and those workers who have already contributed to the BC economy.

Some of the benefits of the BC PNP are:

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.

Yes, you can have a co-signer for parental sponsorship. Only your spouse or common-law partner can share sponsorship responsibilities and obligations. A common-law partner is a person who is currently living with you in a conjugal relationship and has

There are few requirements for a co-signer:

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.

With the new Express Entry Program, you may be able to earn points under adaptability.

There are many ways you may be able to show adaptability. One of the ways is by showing that your spouse or partner also has completed the language requirements from an approved institution. You would have to submit their test results when you apply. You may be awarded 5 points for this element.

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.

Thinking of sponsoring your spouse but unaware of how to start? We understand that the process of sponsoring your loved one to gain permanent residency in Canada can be long and tough. Many things have to be considered before you can even begin the application.

What Is Spousal Sponsorship?

Love is blind, one is unable to help who they fall in love with. Your significant other can be from a different country but you reside in Canada. The process of spousal sponsorship allows you to sponsor your loved one to immigrate to Canada to obtain permanent residency. By sponsoring your loved one to Canada, you are able to start your life together rather than living your lives countries apart.