Please send your argument of reform Canadian Experience Class to CIC

[penapena]

Dear all applicants of Canadain Experience Class without LMIA

Please send your arguments of reform for Canadian Experience Class without LMIA to Minister of CIC and MR. Prime Minister.

I am currently registered as a CEC and FSW under the EE I have two years of skilled worker`s experience in Canada and my score is 417 and I already left my job since I could not get LMIA support from my employer and have been waiting for ITA after Express Entry launched.

I feel it was very unfortunate that my application was returned under the old Canadian Experience Class system. Despite the cap had been reached earlier in 2014, it was never announced until the following year. I feel a lot of time and energy was wasted due to lack of clarity in the process.

I would like to introduce these two columns written by Mr. Semotiuk who is a renowned immigration lawyer in Canada and the United States. He strongly argues that those who applied under the old Canadian Experience Class system already contributed and integrated in Canada and deserve better chance for Permanent residency, even without LMIA. He also believes Canadian Experience Class should be detached from Express Entry pool to emphasize the value of experience obtained in Canada. I strongly agree to this.

Immigration Minister Should Restore The Canadian Experience Class ( I can`t paste web link, Please google this column )

Trudeau Should Welcome Canadian Experience Class Immigrants ( I can`t paste web link, Please google this column )

I sent Email to Mr. Prime Minister and Mr. Minister of CIC earlier this year through my local MP( Member of Parliament ) to argue Old Canadian Experience Class should be restored , and I received honorable letter back from Mr. Prime Minister and Mr Minister of CIC. But my situation is still the same.

I felt very helpful to get big support by Mr. Semotiuk who is renowned immigration lawyer this time and I just asked to my local MP (Member of Parliament) again to deliver my second argument on Email to Mr. Prime Minister and Mr. Minister of CIC. Assistant of MP kindly replied they will help me to deliver my voice with good grance.

What I argue is here

CIC announced Canada plans to welcome as many as 58400 people for the skilled worker category in 2016 but so far, only less than 20000 people haves received ITAs. If those applicants in Canadian Experience Class without LMIA are to receive ITAs, it will be close to the target for this category. We are already well integrated in Canadian society and possess valuable skills and experience in professional occupations. I believe Canadian work experience should be given bigger emphasis. For example, 100 points for one year
of work experience in the skilled category. This is a very fair approach and can compensate the lack of LMIA, which is worth 600. For example, my ex-coworker has been working for four years as a skilled worker in Canada. And he finally made up his mind to settle down in Canada. Despite many years of skilled experience, his scores less than 300 points because his foreign education cannot be verified, due to the way his university in his country was handling the records 20 years ago. He is not able to obtain LMIA from our employer due to the very difficult process the employer has to go through. Nevertheless, I strongly believe he deserves permanent residency with his many years of professional and life experience in Canada. Aforementioned change in the scoring system will greatly help individuals like him.

So I would like to ask whoever in my shoes agree with this, please deliver your own voice to Minister of CIC and Mr Prime Minister directly or through local MP ( they are helpful and may be more effective ) to reform Canadian Experience Class without LMIA !!! This is what only we can think of and we can do right now....

Please rise up your voice and hope when vices are piling up,,,
the meaningful change would eventually come.....

Let`s take action first .!!!!

 

[penapena]

I would like to introduce the columns by Andy J. Semotiuk who is a U.S. and Canadian immigration lawyer, Glad that he stands with us.

Immigration Minister Should Restore The Canadian Experience Class

The most substantive change the Canadian government has made to its immigration program in the last few years has been the introduction of Express Entry, copied from the Austrian model. In theory the program pools candidates for permanent residence and enables the federal government to select the best based on points assigned to their positive characteristics such as age, education, experience and ability to speak English or French. While the program has become the central feature of Canada’s work-based immigration policy, last week John McCallum, Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship said he wanted to ease some of the rules under the program. As part of his overhaul, my suggestion would be that he pull the Canadian Experience Class out of it.

Prior to Express Entry, the Canadian Experience Class program was particularly useful to three groups of immigrants. One was NAFTA managers and executives and inter-corporate transferees who were the ones least affected by the Express Entry change. Two other groups were adversely affected.

One was international students. Following their graduation from Canadian universities, these students would get their post-graduation work permits. They would then find suitable higher-grade full time jobs that would qualify them to apply for permanent residence under the CEC program after one year of experience.

The other was the temporary foreign worker group that like international students, earned their right to apply for permanent residence by working full time in a skilled job for one year.

CEC applications from all such applicants were processed on a first in, first out basis. The rationale was that such candidates were already settled in Canada, spoke English or French, and were already contributing to the Canadian economy. This was good for the employees, the employers and for Canada as a whole. This all made sense. Along came Express Entry and everything changed.

With the introduction of Express Entry none of these groups were processed on a first in, first out basis. Instead everyone was channeled into a pool of international candidates all seeking to gain permanent residence in Canada. As already mentioned, the NAFTA group was least harmed – they tended to score higher in points under Express Entry or benefited from provincial nominee programs that raised their prospects as candidates. The other two groups, however, were left behind.

With respect to the international students, McCallum recently said he was committed to reforming the system to be more welcoming to international students.

I do know that it’s become more difficult since express entry for international students to become permanent residents, and I believe that international students are among the most fertile source of new immigrants for Canada.

By definition they’re educated, they speak English or French, they know something about the country. So they should be first on our list of people whom we court to come to Canada.

No such improvement is yet envisioned for the second group that was adversely affected by the CEC program, however. Just today I received a note from such an applicant who laid out the problem he faces as a CEC candidate under Express Entry. He wrote:

I am currently registered under the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and the Federal Skilled Worker program under the Express Entry system and my Comprehensive Ranking System score is 417. I just turned 33 years old. I have a National Occupations Code of 4212 – Residential Care Giver for disabilities with working experience from 2014-2015, that is, for 2 years.

I couldn’t get Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) support from my employer so I had to leave my job. I saw your column on Forbes where you argued that Trudeau should restore the CEC program. I totally agreed with you and felt you were very helpful and appreciated that you spoke for people in my shoes. I even emailed Canada Immigration (CIC), to deliver my voice that the CEC has to be evaluated more and asked them to restore the old CEC program or evaluate CEC more and give us higher points in Express Entry.

I am passionate about my special skill of taking care of people who need special care and these skills are highly demanded in Canada. Do you have any good news for CEC applicants in my position?

How do we make a change with the CIC ? If I keep emailing CIC insisting that CIC should welcome CEC, do you think it will help? If the voices pile up will it help? I have been in Canada since 2011 and have 2 years of skilled work experience. I deserved better….and I wish I had PR by now.

I agree. I said as much before and I’ll say it again here. The Canadian Experience Program should be detached from Express Entry. Add my voice to the pile. Let’s hope it will help.



Andy J. Semotiuk is a U.S. and Canadian immigration lawyer with offices in New York and Toronto. He is a published author and a former UN correspondent. Learn more at My Work Visa.

 

[penapena]

Trudeau Should Welcome Canadian Experience Class Immigrants

One of the best immigration programs in Canada is the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) program. This fast-track immigration category was designed to allow people who met a minimum language requirement and obtained at least one year of skilled work experience in the country to transition to permanent residence and eventually Canadian citizenship. Unlike many other programs, the Canadian Experience Class was created to allow an applicant’s experience in Canada to be considered as a key selection factor when applying for permanent residence. “Choosing newcomers based on knowledge of our labour market and experience within Canadian society would make Canada a more attractive destination for skilled individuals from around the world,” said Minister Dianne Finley in 2008 when she introduced the program. “International students and skilled workers would be more likely to choose Canada if they knew their time in Canada and contribution to Canadian society would assist in their eligibility to apply to stay permanently.” The program flourished from its beginnings until this year.

In January of this year, however, the Conservative government decided to subordinate the CEC under its Express EXPR -25.51% Entry immigration processing system. The argument went that under Express Entry the government did not have to process applications in the order they were filed, but instead, could choose who in the lineup was most desirable to give that person the opportunity to apply for permanent resident status. While this made sense when it came to foreign skilled workers or foreign tradesmen in general, it was nonsense when it was applied to applicants under the Canadian Experience Class.

Here’s why:

CEC workers consist of three broad types of highly desirable workers in Canada. One is professionals under NAFTA – doctors, engineers, lawyers, scientists and various therapists that are needed. A second type is business types, that is, inter-corporate transferees – managers, executives and specialized knowledge workers and peo0ple who are starting up their own businesses or who are self-employed. A third type is international students on post-graduation work permits. All such applicants are already settled in Canada providing their skills to Canadian employers in need of them. There is no need to cherry pick among these candidates – they are already weeded out by the process of getting temporary work permits or applying to Canadian colleges for studies. The point is that under CEC they were required to earn the right to apply for permanent residence by making their way to Canada through the selection criteria that applied overseas and then by working and living in Canada for a year.

Express Entry introduced uncertainty and instability into the lives of these CEC applicants and their employers. Workers who disrupted their lives to come to Canada, often separated from their families for extended periods, could no longer count on becoming eligible to apply for permanent residence through their work. Students who paid sky-high international tuition fees to Canadian universities could no longer count on being able to find a place for themselves in Canada. With the Conservative policy, despite having earned their way, these workers were now subjected to: 1) the more arbitrary restrictions imposed by Express Entry, 2) an additional quota on the number of CEC workers who could apply brought in by the government with the Express Entry system, and 3) unexpected limitations on what industries they could work in to qualify. In short, imposing the Express Entry system on the CEC program amounted to a breach of the promise Canada made to temporary foreign workers and international students that attracted them to come to Canada in the first place. That promise was that if they followed Canada’s immigration rules and endured through one year of work or their studies and then post graduation work inside Canada, they could earn the right to apply for permanent residence and eventual citizenship.

During the recent Canadian federal election, Justin Trudeau, the newly elected Canadian Prime Minister, talked about Canada’s temporary foreign worker program saying, among other things, that he wanted to 1) scale the program back to only filling jobs Canadian workers could not fill, 2) reorient the program towards nation building by providing a path for foreign workers to attain citizenship, 3) have the Auditor General undertake a review of the program to move it in the direction of transparency and full disclosure of the jobs being filled and the workers being hired, 4) ensure Canadians were first given the opportunity to fill the jobs and 5) tighten access to the Labour Market Impact Assessment process to only legitimate employers. In Trudeau’s view, such reforms would prevent the temporary foreign worker program from depressing the wages of Canadians while also removing the problem of exploitation of foreign workers.

While these remarks made sense in respect to other parts of the temporary foreign worker program, such as the part dealing with employing low skilled workers, they missed the point regarding workers that would be eligible under the CEC. Indeed, such highly skilled, professional and well settled workers are exactly the kind of immigrants that Canada needs. For this reason Prime Minister Trudeau would do the country a big favor by detaching the CEC program from the Express Entry system to allow it to serve the purpose it was designed to serve.



Andy J. Semotiuk is a U.S. and Canadian immigration lawyer with offices in New York and Toronto. He is a published author and a former UN correspondent. Learn more at My Work Visa.

 

[Pitlord]

Hi there
I have 465 points and I have no hope.
I wrote to PM and someone from his office replied that PM cannot intervene.
They don't care.

Where did you see a promise of 55000 cec ee candidates per year?

 

[penapena]

I know they don`t care but could you try it again to deliver your voice ? Though your local MP might be more effective ?

Here is the target number for skilled worker that CIC announced, (sorry I cant paste the web link )


Economic immigration to Canada

Economic immigration supports Canada’s long-term economic growth while improving global competitiveness and strengthening communities across the country. Experienced professionals, tradespersons, businesspersons, and caregivers make up the bulk of all new immigrants to Canada. In making the decision to develop their careers in Canada, these newcomers help to create jobs and growth in new and existing industries.

Canada is seeking to attract workers who will succeed in the Canadian labour market and integrate smoothly into Canadian society. Economic immigration, which is based on an individual’s skills and experience, presents an opportunity for foreign workers and their families to come to Canada through a variety of programs. Of the immigrants to be selected for permanent residence in Canada in 2016, between 151,200 and 162,400 are expected to be economic immigrants.
Economic Immigration Program

2016 Levels Plan Target
Federal Economic – High Skilled*

58,400
Federal Economic – Caregivers

22,000
Federal Economic – Business

800
Provincial Nominee Program

47,800
Quebec Skilled Worker

26,200
Quebec Business

5,400
Overall

160,600

 

[cec_21]

What is the email for PM? How can one write to the PM?

 

[penapena]

Hi ! I wrote letters to Mr.PM and Minister of CIC by word file and asked to my local MP (Member of Parliament) to pass on by Email.

Because I heard through local MP might be more effective. So if you feel like to, please try to approach to your local MP and ask for help as well.
(please Check who won your local area then contact them ... Liberal, conservative, NDP etc??? )
I think because I passed my letters on through MP, I got Honorable Email back.

And I also send my letter directly as well.

To Mr. Prime Minister

pm@pm.gc.ca

Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A2

Fax: 613-941-6900

To minister of CIC

Contact information

Minister@cic.gc.ca
The Honourable John McCallum, P.C., M.P.
365 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 1L1

Telephone: 613-954-1064
Fax: 613-952-5533

 

[penapena]

Argument that Canadian Experience Class without LMIA(600 points) nor job offer letters Really deserve PR without waiting....ITA...

Restore old Canadian Experience Class....

 

[penapena]

I think pass your argument letters via your local MP on CIC and Prime minister is much effective, if you get MP involved, I assume CIC would take it more seriously as I heard and I get Email back from PM through my local MP (Member of Parliament ).

So please try to approach your local MP as well if this issue is serious to you and if you can, but since local Member of Parliaments have no idea with foreign worker system and immigration system( express entry etc ) usually you have to explain and give your information to them.

But not everyone can reach to local MP ,Of course direct Emails are effective too !!

 

[penapena]

Results: Rounds of invitations
Ministerial Instructions respecting invitations to apply for permanent residence under the Express Entry system – August 24, 2016

No program specified

See full text of Ministerial Instruction

Number of invitations issued CRS score of lowest-ranked candidate invited
750Footnote * 538 points


OMG,,,,, why do they limit to give 750 people on each round??
It will never reach to their target that is supposed to 58400....even not half way...
It is still less than 25000 people got ITA this year

 

[penapena]

I have just received reply as below, so I wanted to share with you,

Please send your arguments to restore old Canadian Experience Class to CIC if your situations are same.

↓↓↓

The Office of Terry Beech, M.P., has kindly forwarded to the Honourable John McCallum, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, a copy of your recent correspondence concerning the Express Entry (EE) system. We apologize for the delay in responding.



Your comments and suggestions have been noted. The Express Entry system, and the CRS points-based formula in particular, is designed to be flexible and allow for modifications to ensure the system reflects a balanced approach to meeting Canada’s evolving labour market needs.



Now that the Express Entry system has been operational for sufficient time, the department is exploring ways to improve Express Entry, building on the success of the current system. A review of Express Entry is being planned to see how it can be improved for potential immigrants. Themes explored will include job offer requirements including the Labour Market Impact Assessment, job offer points, siblings, official languages, and improvements to client service elements. Please refer to the IRCC Website for any updates and information.



We appreciate feedback provided by individuals and can assure you that such input is carefully considered as we move forward with a view to continuous improvement of the Express Entry system.



Thank you for writing and expressing your concerns.



Sincerely,





F. Macmillan

Ministerial Enquiries Division

 

[Gregor.Samsa]

Interesting, I'm a old CEC applicant who finally got PR through EE with LMIA.

However is not point asking for reactivate the old CEC process, IRCC is not going to do that (even they shouldn't, was a too slow paper based process)

That could make sense is asking for a better score for Canadian Experience.

The Government is planning to change some details of EE so it will be an opportunity to recognize Canadian Experience with a bigger score.

That's much easier than recover the old CEC, and more usefull

 

[penapena]

Thank you so much for the advice And congratulation for your PR !

I totally agree with you that IRCC won`t simply restore old CEC and asking for higher score that which we deserve is better approach, The points of working experiences of EE is a way too underestimated....

Here are some highlight parts from my letter to IRCC


↓↓

I feel it was very unfortunate that my application was returned under the old Canadian Experience Class system. Despite the cap had been reached earlier in 2014, it was never announced until the following year. I feel a lot of time and energy was wasted due to lack of clarity in the process.

I would like to introduce these two columns written by Mr. Semotiuk who is a renowned immigration lawyer in Canada and the United States. He strongly argues that those who applied under the old Canadian Experience Class system already contributed and integrated in Canada and deserve better chance for Permanent residency, even without LMIA. He also believes Canadian Experience Class should be detached from Express Entry pool to emphasize the value of experience obtained in Canada. I strongly agree to this.

Immigration Minister Should Restore The Canadian Experience Class(I introduced the link)

Trudeau Should Welcome Canadian Experience Class Immigrants(I introduced the link)

CIC announced Canada plans to welcome as many as 58400 people for the skilled worker category in 2016 but so far, only less than 20000 people haves received ITAs. If those applicants in Canadian Experience Class without LMIA are to receive ITAs, it will be close to the target for this category. We are already well integrated in Canadian society and possess valuable skills and experience in professional occupations. I believe Canadian work experience should be given bigger emphasis. For example, 100 points for one year of work experience in the skilled category. This is a very fair approach and can compensate the lack of LMIA, which is worth 600. For example, my ex-coworker from ■■■ is ■■ years old and has been working as (a full time skilled worker) NOC()for 4 years in Canada. Despite many years of skilled experience, his scores less than 300 points because his foreign education cannot be verified, due to the way his university in ■■ was handling the records 20 years ago. He is not able to obtain LMIA from our employer due to the very difficult process the employer has to go through. Nevertheless, I strongly believe he deserves permanent residency with his many years of professional and life experience in Canada. Aforementioned change in the scoring system will greatly help individuals like him.
I am very worried that more and more Canadian Experience Class applicants will be ineligible as time goes by under Express Entry system since work experience is valid for only three years. In my case, my eligibility will expire at the end of 2017. It is hard to see my application pending and with uncertainty and wonder what my future will be in Canada. I believe the loss of these candidates are great loss to Canadian society.
So many applicants in Canadian Experience Class without LMIA have been eagerly waiting for meaningful reform of Express Entry. Canadian Experience Class applicants like us cannot wait to be welcomed as permanent residents.

↑↑↑

Please send arguments to IRCC if your situations are the same as me and you agree.
Hope we all can be PR very soon ! NO MORE PENDING in our precious life time!

 

[dimulka]

Even if you have LMIA it does not mean that everything is done. For example, I have issues with police certificates. In my opinion, current system of collecting documents contradicts with an idea of “experienced worker”. To be valuable worker means that you have a good experience and knowledge (otherwise, LMIA would be difficult to obtain). Wanting to move to Canada means that your originated country was not good enough for you and most likely, you gained that knowledge and experience somewhere else, in other countries. Law requires you to collect police certificates from all these countries even if you worked there 10 years ago. It does not matter how long you had been there, they summarize all your periods and if that has 6 month you have to obtain police certificate for that country.

Long story short, I already spend almost a year for retrieving these certificated from 4 different countries. And during this period some thing could expire. Today, for example, I have to renew my work permit with LMIA and start all over again. Let alone that I already spend 4 years to reach appropriate IELTS points.