The controversial lottery system to sponsor a parent or grandparent (PGP) opens on Oct. 13, for three weeks and will accept 10,000 candidates. This PGP intake will receive all eligible applications that are submitted but will only accept 10,000 candidates. The candidates selected are chosen at random from the total number of applications IRCC receives. …
Unmarried spouses, grandparents, siblings, adult children, and grandchildren can now visit their families in Canada. In June, IRCC amended their travel restrictions to grant exemptions for the Immediate family members of Canadians. This new release from IRCC greatly expands the type of family members that can now visit. The new rules will also permit, in…
The government is announcing plans to relax Canadian travel restrictions for international students starting on October 20, 2020. In recent months, international students faced a great deal of uncertainty when trying to cross the border into Canada. These new rules appear to simplify which international students can and cannot come to Canda during the COVID-19…
In today’s instalment of ITC Interview Series, host Adam Pinsky is joined by Sharvari Jois, the manager of Canada InfoNet. Canada InfoNet is a 100% free pre-arrival newcomer service that offers resume building, individualized job search support and occupation-specific mentoring that will help you build your career in any province. Host Adam Pinsky talks to…
British Columbia’s Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) invites 450 applicants to apply in the largest BC PNP draw of 2020 to-date. Similar to previous BC PNP draws that have occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, this draw excluded applicants in 31 occupations related to tourism. The BC PNP draw took place on September 29 and invited…
The Canadian travel restrictions barring all non-essential travel will be extended until at least October 31. The restrictions on non-essential travel to Canada were implemented on March 18 to help contain the spread of COVID-19. The restrictions are evaluated on a month-to-month basis. With COVID-19 cases on the rise in Canada, it comes as no…
Canada’s immigration minister is announcing that his department will make significant efforts to reduce processing times for spousal sponsorship applications. The new measures, announced on September 24, will see the number of decision-makers assigned to spousal sponsorship applications increase by 66%. Background: Canadian spousal sponsorship delays ITC News previously covered the delays in spousal sponsorship…
Are the PEQ reforms emblematic of the xenophobic tendencies of the government of Quebec? The short answer is — it’s complicated. A recent editorial in the McGill Tribune, a student-run newspaper from McGill University, makes the case that the new Programme Experience Quebecoise (PEQ) reforms highlight the xenophobic sentiments held by the Coalition Avenir Quebec…
In recognition of the ongoing service disruptions for those applying for Canadian permanent residence, IRCC is relaxing the biometrics requirements for some applicants. IRCC has already created several biometrics exemptions for some temporary workers. Additionally, when IRCC introduced a two-stage student permit application process, students could receive approval-in-principal for their permit so they can begin…
On September 19, dozens of protesters gathered at the Montreal offices for Citizenship and Immigration to demand the prioritization of family sponsorship applications. The Montreal event was part of a series of protests that took place across Canada in Halifax, Edmonton, Ottawa, and Toronto. Several protesters carried cardboard cutouts of their significant other as a…
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