Canada, also known as the Great White North, is one of the leading destinations for many people from all corners of the earth. Currently, over 560,000 Brits call it home with the number expected to go up in the coming years. There are many reasons for this, including an impressive low crime rate, an admirable ethnic diversity, economic strength, universal healthcare, a stunning countryside, affluent cities, and the abundance of natural wealth among other factors. Canada is truly a beautiful place to put up shop for the long haul. Canada Immigration Int. can help you moving to Canada.
If you are looking to visit, study, or work in Canada, you should know the immigration rules have changed. The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced these changes in a press release published on August 9, 2018. Here, we will give all that scoop to help you plan your move better.
1.Updates on Canada’s Multiyear Immigration Plan
The Canadian government has made updates to its Multiyear Immigration Plan (2018-2021). With the new update, the government will accept over 1 million permanent residents by the year 2021. Furthermore, the IRCC will increase the annual immigration target to 35,000 by 2021. This applies to all Canadian immigration options (business visa) including sponsorship of parents and grandparents,Quebec skilled workers, provincial nominee, start up visa and humanitarian and compassionate cases.
2.Changes in the New Express Entry
The popular point-based Federal Express Entry System has also seen some updates. These include;
- The Canadian official language is French along with English. Now, if you speak French fluently, you can earn yourself up to 30 additional CRS points for applying Canada via the system.
- Applicants of Canada permanent residency via Express Entry can get 15 additional points if their siblings are already in Canada.
- Creating a Canada Job Bank Account is now voluntary and not compulsory.
3. Age of dependent child increased to 22
The IRCC has also increased the age of a dependent child to “Under 22” up from “Under 19”. This took effect in October 24, 2017. Now, you can only include all your children under the age of 22 in your Canadian PR application.
4. Conditional Permanent Residence Rule has been removed
Initially, the government of Canada’s Conditional Permanent Rule stipulated that certain partners or sponsored spouses in Canada must stay with their sponsoring spouses or law partners for a minimum of 2 years. This has since been done away with.
5. Provincial Nominee program changes
Other changes in Canadian Immigration adopted by province nominee programs include the following:
- Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) replaced its model of first come, first served with a new EOI (expression of interest) with effect from July 16, 2018.
- Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) also launched its very own Express Entry stream in August 2018.
- Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) announced that they will accept applicants even those with a CRS score of below 400 albeit with some conditions.
Unlike other countries that continually make immigration rules stringent, Canada is opening doors to more immigrants its borders. This bold move by the Canadian Government goes further to show the transparency and faster processing of PR applications.