Whats New in Canada-Update on CA

[mayankpandya]

Landing Experience was nice.

No need to worry. It will take max. 30 min to complete.

Regards
Mayank

Hi Mayank,

Hows your landing experience ??? Can you just brief, It will informative to forum members.

 

[L7]

Buying a home in Canada as a newcomer

Buying a home as an immigrant requires careful planning.

Buying a home is a dream-come-true for many. And the thought of buying a piece of land in Canada as an immigrant makes it all the more exciting since Canada is home to a large number of immigrants from different nations.

However, to make the process smooth, you need to follow certain steps—

Know your eligibility for buying a home in Canada—To be eligible for buying a house in Canada, you must—

• Have immigrated (including relocation) to Canada within the last 36 months;

• Have a minimum of three months full time employment in Canada;

• Include all debts held by you outside the nation in debt servicing ratios.

Various documents required—

• Income verification;

• Valid work visa or got landed immigrant status;

• Confirmation of down payment;

• Sale and Purchase agreement;

• Letter of reference of any recognized financial institute or bank statements of last six months from primary account.

Steps for buying---

• Decide on the location—Since Canada is a big nation and each region or province has its own set of advantages. Immigrants can make use of internet to know various geographic locations.

• Consult realtor—You can ask a realtor about various regulations applicable to immigrants wanting to purchase land or a house in Canada.

• Begin search—After getting an idea about the properties you are interested in, you need to proceed ahead by applying for a mortgage. As an immigrant, one may find it difficult to get a lender willing to provide money.

• Processing application—You need to find a qualified Canadian resident for drawing up your paperwork. You need to complete the entire process of registration at any nearest office of Land Titles in Canada.

• Choose your property—Choose the property of your liking and make an offer of buying. After acceptance of your offer, you need to put down 35 percent of total property cost. You can get remaining 35 percent of the cost from any American money lender.

• Role of attorney—An attorney is of significance in buying a property in Canada since he will check various documents concerning purchase process. You need to submit all relevant documents and get mortgage documents. Don’t forget to read these carefully.

 

[L7]

CIC to Introduce Paperless Applications w.e.f. Dec 2011

CIC is set to go hi-tech by making entire application process online, though gradually.

With an eye to the future, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is changing the way it conducts business by seeking to go paperless. With an increasing focus on technology and possibly another eye on environment, it is aiming to do away with the use of paper in its functioning.

Green Initiatives In Maple Land: Effective December 2011, CIC will be eliminating the use of paper in almost all of their applications. All applications will be accepted and processed online, except for some student visa applications. This move is expected to help CIC save $4million in a period of the next three years, which they spent on the cost of printing and mailing the documents. This change will also make the application process easier to access for most people.

With the constant improvements that one can see, it will allow people to apply for visas when they wish and from wherever they wish, provided they have an access to the internet. They are developing online tools that will help navigate the immigration process easily and seamlessly.

E-immigration, Straight Out of Sci-fi: By the year 2015, most of the submissions and processing of the forms will be done electronically. In this way, the government of Canada will be seeking and aiming to reduce its carbon footprint which will prove to not only boost their image as a country with green aspirations but will also prove to be a greener pasture for those who are keen to settle there. This initiative of the government will have a wide range of healthier perspectives apart from the advantages of Canadian citizenship that are as listed below.

Multi Cultural Lifestyle: With a diversity that can rarely found anywhere else in the world, Canadian lifestyle interspersed with the linguistic and cultural diversity encourages many people to migrate to Canada and find a lifestyle that is stress free.

Better healthcare and Medical Facilities: Healthcare and medical facilities can be compared to the best in the world. In fact, most of the facilities that are available to the bonafide citizens, either by birth or through naturalization is paid for by the government.

Lifestyle sans Stress: Serenity even in the urban areas is a feature unique to Canada. The reason being that the density of population per square kilometer is nearly less than the average of the world. This produces less stress on the natural and manmade resources that are available for the sustenance of a better life anywhere on earth.

 

[L7]

Canada Immigration To Introduce Biometrics for Temporary Residents to Stop Identity Theft

Canada may implement biometrics to evaluate credentials of work permit or a student visa applicants.

Better Late Than Never: Presently, the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is implementing a five year long plan in association with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to introduce the biometrics program.

Biometrics will significantly strengthen the toolbox that is in place to identify and stub identity theft which will in turn significantly strengthen the confidence of citizens that they are safe and that nobody out there will impersonate them or steal their credentials and pass on as their own, which amounts to a criminal breach of trust. The use of biometrics for verification significantly reduces the possibility of an individual posing as or being mistaken as someone else.

Canada aims to be at par with its southern neighbor, USA and the UK which already use biometrics to screen the incoming stream of foreigners which helps them to screen the passengers and separate the inconspicuous yet potentially dangerous elements from the genuine ones entering the country. In fact, several other countries are moving in the same direction in order to secure their own people and the borders from such elements.

Big Brother is Watching: As a result of the implementation of the biometrics project, persons applying for a visa will be required to have all their fingers scanned for finger prints, a photograph taken, which will help invigilators in identifying the suspicious ones from the database that will be shared with other countries for identifying the problem spots. CBSA, on arrival of the visa holder at the Canadian ports of entry, will verify that the person holding the document is the same person who is issued the visa.

The biometrics project, which is in development stages currently covers those people who need either a visa or a permit to enter Canada. This includes people coming into Canada either as workers or as students. This project was announced in the budget session in 2008 and is planned to be implemented between 2011 and 2013. However, no plan has been established to screen those non Canadians entering Canada, possibly as tourists as a part of the biometrics initiative.

Effective Surveillance and Quick Apprehending Enabled: Trials held in 2007 proved that the use of biometrics can be quickly and accurately used to correctly identify a person when he is travelling and also helps in detecting identity frauds while not compromising on service standards.

 

[L7]

CIC Proposes Language Assessment Changes

A new test of English or French to decide the language proficiency of the applicant is in process at CIC.

One of the crucial factors that decide the success of any immigrant, be it in any country is the proficiency that the applicant has already or has acquired in speaking and in overall communicating in the language of the country that he or she intends to stay in. This is what the proposed changes in the policies of the CIC seek to evaluate.

In the new scenario that is being proposed all applicants who seek to immigrate either in the Foreign Skilled Workers (FSW) and the Canadian Experience Class Categories will have to submit proofs of their proficiency at either English and/or French, as the case maybe.

Separating the Grain From The Chaff: Previously applicants had the option of either appearing for a written test or submitting a sample to gauge their language proficiency level. This system was abused by many applicants by submitting samples, written by someone else, thus making the task difficult for the evaluating officer to correctly judge the level of proficiency of the applicant.

The present changes require that the language test for proficiency be carried out by accredited testing agencies who evaluate all the candidates on a single scale, irrespective of their ethnicity, origin or nationality. Thus, it seems to be the fairest and the most transparent way of evaluating the candidates and separating the grain from the chaff.

This change has been construed to benefit both the immigrants and the Canadian economy by placing the right candidate in the right province or also eliminating the ones that do not fit the bill. Research says that language proficiency can make or mar the prospect of an immigrants level of success in a foreign country, especially in a country like Canada where some provinces like Quebec need specialized knowledge of French to successfully assimilate in that province.

At Par With Competition For Quality: This new rule brings Canada in line with countries like New Zealand, Australia and the UK which are its main rivals in the lucrative yet risky overseas jobs market. This new rule has put Canada at par with the others with regards to sourcing the best possible match up of the resources to the opportunities.

This new system will be beneficial to the candidates applying for immigration as well as the officer who is evaluating the candidate since, the candidate will know his exact standing after the assessment and the officer will have to just grade the candidate according to the points table, instead of manually correcting the assignment, which was the case in the earlier system. With this system in place the processing times will be reduced in keeping in line with the Action Plan for Faster Immigration,

No Wrong Man in The Workers’ Paradise: Moreover, many sectors of the industry and regulatory bodies require a certain minimum level of proficiency so as to absorb and assimilate the new immigrant. This new language proficiency criteria will ease the situation for all concerned.

 

[steaky]

Buying a home in Canada as a newcomer

Buying a home as an immigrant requires careful planning.

Buying a home is a dream-come-true for many. And the thought of buying a piece of land in Canada as an immigrant makes it all the more exciting since Canada is home to a large number of immigrants from different nations.

Immigrants, Citizens of Canada and visitors can buy land in Canada

However, to make the process smooth, you need to follow certain steps—

Know your eligibility for buying a home in Canada—To be eligible for buying a house in Canada, you must—

• Have immigrated (including relocation) to Canada within the last 36 months; not required; you can buy and own land as a non-resident investor and every immigrant can buy and own land immediately after landing in Canada

• Have a minimum of three months full time employment in Canada; not required; as long as you have money

• Include all debts held by you outside the nation in debt servicing ratios. not required; you can pay cash 100% with no mortgage

Various documents required—

• Income verification;

• Valid work visa or got landed immigrant status;

• Confirmation of down payment;

• Sale and Purchase agreement;

• Letter of reference of any recognized financial institute or bank statements of last six months from primary account.

Steps for buying---

• Decide on the location—Since Canada is a big nation and each region or province has its own set of advantages. Immigrants can make use of internet to know various geographic locations. check mls.ca

• Consult realtor—You can ask a realtor about various regulations applicable to immigrants wanting to purchase land or a house in Canada. be careful with that

• Begin search—After getting an idea about the properties you are interested in, you need to proceed ahead by applying for a mortgage. As an immigrant, one may find it difficult to get a lender willing to provide money.

• Processing application—You need to find a qualified Canadian resident for drawing up your paperwork. You need to complete the entire process of registration at any nearest office of Land Titles in Canada.

• Choose your property—Choose the property of your liking and make an offer of buying. After acceptance of your offer, you need to put down 35 percent of total property cost. You can get remaining 35 percent of the cost from any American money lender. not necessary if you have the money

• Role of attorney—An attorney is of significance in buying a property in Canada since he will check various documents concerning purchase process. You need to submit all relevant documents and get mortgage documents. Don't forget to read these carefully. you can also hire a notary public with less costs and you can consider in buying title insurance protect against title theft

 

[L7]

@steaky

Thanks for the additions.

 

[Can10]

Canadian Citizenship language requirement changes
28 October 2011

http://www.workpermit.com/news/2011-10-28/canada/canadian-citizenship-language-requirement-changes.htm

Immigration Minister Jason Kenney has recently proposed changes to the language requirements for Canadian citizenship. The current process requires citizenship applicants to show they are able to communicate in one of Canada's two official languages, French or English, by taking a multiple choice test, and by demonstrating language ability to immigration officials by answering simple questions and understanding basic statements. Federal officials believe the current test does not adequately test listening and speaking skills.

Canadian Immigration's new rule would require applicants for Canadian citizenship to provide documentation confirming their stated language abilities.

"The ability to communicate effectively in either French or English is key to the success of new citizens in Canada," said Kenney in a recent interview with the Canada Gazette.

According to a press release by Citizenship and Immigration Canada, under the new rule, citizenship applicants will be able to prove their language proficiency in one of three ways:


Successful completion of a third party language test
Evidence of completion of secondary or post-secondary education in English or French
Evidence of achieving basic proficiency in certain government funded language training programs

"This change will encourage applicants to ensure that they can speak English or French when they apply for citizenship, thereby improving the integrity and effectiveness of the citizenship program for Canada and for new Canadians alike," he added.

Under the current system, if officials report issues with an applicant's language abilities, the applicant must report to a citizenship judge who will then test the applicant's language skills. This causes major delays in the system; It is hoped that the proposed new requirements with documentation proving English ability having to be provided right at the beginning will result in faster processing of citizenship applications.

In order to apply for Canadian citizenship, immigrants must be permanent residents in Canada for at least three years. New immigrants should practice their French or English language skills ahead of applying for Canadian citizenship. The proposed changes would apply to all adult citizenship applications.

 

[L7]

Increased number of immigrants losing Canadian permanent residency

More and more immigrants are losing their right to become permanent residents of Canada for not spending sufficient time in the nation.

As a result, they are not even being given a Canada visitor visa thus losing their chance of uniting with their family.

Losing Canada Permanent residency a hard lesson—Immigrants seem to be getting a tough lesson by losing their Canada permanent residency for not spending the minimum period of time in Canada. Consider for instance the example of Sergey Popkov, an immigrant who came from Russia way back in 2004.

His Canada PR (permanent residency ) card had expired in the year 2009 and he lost his Canada immigrant status since he had not spent the minimum time of 730 days in Canada for retaining his Canada permanent residency.

Immigrant denied Canada visitor visa by Canada immigration department--A former commercial pilot, Popkov is going to lose an opportunity to be with his family including wife, two daughters and a grandson. He has not been provided a Canada visitor visa for the last two consecutive times. Rejecting a Canada visitor visa to Popkov is not only wrong but also inhuman, states his 32-year-old daughter Alina Popkov.

She, nonetheless, admits that her father does not have any legal ground to retain his Canada immigrant status. However, she maintains that Canada immigration rules can not keep a family apart by robbing any immigrant of a Canada visitor visa.

Canada permanent resident card—In the year 2003, Canada permanent resident card was introduced by Canada government as a compulsory document who have not yet gained Canada citizenship. As a result, all immigrants need to fulfill the minimum stay in Canada to become Canada citizens.

All immigrants whose stay is at least 1,095 days in Canada out of five years are eligible for becoming Canada citizens.

The only exception is available to those who are either employed in a full-time Canadian business or Canadian government job or those who are accompanied by a spouse who is a citizen of Canada.

According to an official spokesperson of Canada immigration department-CIC (Citizenship and Immigration Canada), the number of revocations of Canada PR (Permanent residency) has gone up considerably and the reason could be Canada permanent resident card becoming a compulsory document for international travel since the year 2003

 

[L7]

Guide to Applying for a work permit to Canada

For those aspiring to get work permit in Canada here is a guide offering them the answers to their questions.

Do you aspire to work in Canada? And you don’t know where to look upon for the all the accurate information. Here comes a guide that will answer all your queries relating to get work permit in Canada.

Why a Work Permit?

A Work Permit is an official certification issued to a non Canadian to work in the country for a certain period and for a specific job. To work legally in a country, it is mandatory for non –Canadians to acquire work permit from Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

It is issued on the approval Human Resources and Skills Development Canada on the basis of Labor Market Opinion (LMO). LMO studies the impact of the foreigner worker on the Canadian labor market and hence plays an important part to get a work permit.

When to apply for a work permit:

As soon as a person gets a written call from the employer or the Labor Market Opinion, the person is eligible to apply for a permit.

Requirements for a work permit:

Firstly one should be eligible under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, also as per the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations and that one is in Canada for temporary basis.

In addition to it, one should also show that he has enough financial resources to stay, work and return back. The aspirant should also serve the authorities with a certification ensuring that he does not have any criminal record. A medical certification should be submitted, claiming good health of the aspirant. Further he should also provide with a proof not working in Canada before for a period of years in total after April 1, 2011 along other additional documents asked by the authorities.

Duration of a work permit:

Since April 1, 2011, any temporary worker is allowed to work in Canada for a maximum of 4 years. This rule has some of the following exceptions that are if a temporary worker’s work is exceptionally beneficial for the country and its residents. Another exception if the worker is in the country in lieu of some international agreement with other countries. One can also extend his duration if one is permitted to study along with his working or in case someone has crossed 48 months even after the accumulation of 4 years, then also they allowed to stay for more time.

In case, if somebody has missed work for full 4 years he may also get the extension after showing proofs for the time they have not worked.

 

[alizia]

Guide to Applying for a work permit to Canada

For those aspiring to get work permit in Canada here is a guide offering them the answers to their questions.

Thanks for sharing such a nice information

 

[L7]

You are welcome

 

[L7]

Immigrants healthier than native Canadians

Latest study released by Statistics Canada shows that immigrants tend to be healthier than their native-counterparts in Canada.

It has been stated that immigrants are generally healthier but their health starts deteriorating after they come to Canada. However, the reason why their health declines the longer they stay in Canada is not known yet.

Mortality rate for immigrants lower than native Canadians—Study also brought forth the fact that mortality rate for new immigrants is significantly lower than for Canada-born people. And this rate stays better even after a stay greater than 20 years in Canada, the study asserts.

This reiterates the fact affirmed by several earlier studies that health of immigrants is certainly better than native Canadians. It’s not just lower mortality rates, new Canadian immigrants also have noticeably lower levels of poor or fair health, two studies by Statistics Canada researchers maintain.

The studies by Statistics Canada involved around 2.7 million Canadians out of which nearly 20 percent(or around 552,000) were immigrants from the period between 1991 and 2001. For determining the health of different segments of people in Canada, the studies surveyed 350,000 including roughly 50,000 immigrants.

Health of immigrants declines the longer they stay in Canada—The studies also clarified that the health of newcomers in Canada tends to decline with the duration of their stay in Canada and they become less healthy than Canada-born residents if they stay in Canada for a period of ten years or even longer.

Healthy immigrant effect--According to a senior analyst in the health analysis department of Statistics Canada, Edward Ng, Canada immigration policy seems to allow the healthier foreigners into Canada.

And once into Canada, majority of immigrants undergo less detailed medical screening thereby increasing the chances of becoming sick, adds Ng. Less access to Canada health care services is yet another factor that increases the likelihood of becoming sick among immigrants in Canada.

And the fact that newcomers in Canada don’t speak any of the two official languages of Canada, i.e. French or English, further complicates things for them.

The studies also stated that healthy immigrant effect was not found among all immigrants coming to Canada. Sub-Sahara African and American immigrants showed similar mortality rates as those for Canada-born.

 

[L7]

Canada must welcome newcomers willing to adopt Canadian values

Newcomers ready to adopt Canadian values and way of life must be admitted into Canada on a priority.

This has been revealed by a latest national poll released this Wednesday.

Adopt Canadian values to settle in Canada—Immigrants who are willing to adopt Canadian values are welcomed by native-born Canadian residents, findings of the poll suggest.

Around 97 percent of poll respondents said the nation needs such immigrants to settle in Canada. Commissioned by the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, the Environics poll states that new immigrants must have a respect for Canadian law, social justice and tolerance as a pre-condition for coming to Canada.

Survey findings assert that immigrants must find ways for integrating in Canada like adopting tolerance and gender equality for others and learning about culture and history of Canada.

Its not just native-Canadian residents who want Canadian values as a ticket for immigrants into Canada, even newcomers share the same view.

Nearly 96 percent immigrants admitted during the poll that newcomers must be ready to adopt Canadian values for settling in Canada. And this is a vital clue for the desired changes needed in Canada’s immigration policy, the foundation behind the recent poll states.

Similar opinions of native Canadians and new immigrants--The poll findings highlight several similarities in the opinions of native-born Canadians and new immigrants on many important immigration issues. Nearly 42 percent of immigrants and around 50 percent of native-born Canadians stated during the survey that the nation must allow applicants based on their education and employability.

Canadians have a positive attitude about immigration and majority admit that immigration is beneficial for Canadian economy on the whole.

According to an assistant professor of sociology at Dalhousie, Howard Ramos, the aim of this survey was to know about the feelings of Canadians about immigration and to know any differences between opinions of immigrants and native-born Canadians.

Ramos, who has been involved in the survey was surprised by similarities between the two groups about issues related to immigration.

One of the major concerns for both for immigrants as well as native Canadians was whether newcomers coming to Canada integrate, Ramos affirmed. And this is in itself an affirmation that immigrants are integrating successfully in Canada, he asserted.

 

[mayankpandya]

YES, CANADA must welcome new landed immigrant specially canada business world must understand this.

They have to open door for all new members to country.

Regards
Mayank

Canada must welcome newcomers willing to adopt Canadian values

Newcomers ready to adopt Canadian values and way of life must be admitted into Canada on a priority.

This has been revealed by a latest national poll released this Wednesday.

Adopt Canadian values to settle in Canada—Immigrants who are willing to adopt Canadian values are welcomed by native-born Canadian residents, findings of the poll suggest.

Around 97 percent of poll respondents said the nation needs such immigrants to settle in Canada. Commissioned by the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, the Environics poll states that new immigrants must have a respect for Canadian law, social justice and tolerance as a pre-condition for coming to Canada.

Survey findings assert that immigrants must find ways for integrating in Canada like adopting tolerance and gender equality for others and learning about culture and history of Canada.

Its not just native-Canadian residents who want Canadian values as a ticket for immigrants into Canada, even newcomers share the same view.

Nearly 96 percent immigrants admitted during the poll that newcomers must be ready to adopt Canadian values for settling in Canada. And this is a vital clue for the desired changes needed in Canada's immigration policy, the foundation behind the recent poll states.

Similar opinions of native Canadians and new immigrants--The poll findings highlight several similarities in the opinions of native-born Canadians and new immigrants on many important immigration issues. Nearly 42 percent of immigrants and around 50 percent of native-born Canadians stated during the survey that the nation must allow applicants based on their education and employability.

Canadians have a positive attitude about immigration and majority admit that immigration is beneficial for Canadian economy on the whole.

According to an assistant professor of sociology at Dalhousie, Howard Ramos, the aim of this survey was to know about the feelings of Canadians about immigration and to know any differences between opinions of immigrants and native-born Canadians.

Ramos, who has been involved in the survey was surprised by similarities between the two groups about issues related to immigration.

One of the major concerns for both for immigrants as well as native Canadians was whether newcomers coming to Canada integrate, Ramos affirmed. And this is in itself an affirmation that immigrants are integrating successfully in Canada, he asserted.