Canadian Immigration News

This week, Canada’s French-speaking communities take the spotlight as the country celebrates Semaine de l’immigration francophone / Francophone Immigration Week. This is the first time such a week has been celebrated nationwide.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has released preliminary estimates of the country’s temporary foreign worker intake for 2013. According to its figures, the country has significantly raised its admissions this year.

The Government of Canada has released some of its plans for immigration levels in 2014. Included in these plans are expected increases in the number of permanent residency visas issued to applicants through the Live-In Caregiver and Parent and Grandparent programs.

This week, from October 21 to 27, is Canadian citizenship week! To celebrate the importance of Canadian citizenship, a range of activities are being held throughout the country.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced on Friday, October 18, that Canada and the European Union (EU) will soon be signing a sweeping trade agreement. The agreement, which will greatly enhance trade and investment ties between the two partners, will be the largest that Canada has ever signed.

Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander announced today that the popular Entrepreneur Start-Up Visa Program will add a new stream to link foreign entrepreneurs with business incubators in Canada. The stream is scheduled to begin accepting applications on October 26, 2013.

Canadian authorities have confirmed that Malala Yousafzai, a 16-year-old advocate for girl’s education in Pakistan and worldwide, will be made an honorary Canadian citizen.

Canada and the United States will be implementing a new information-sharing system aimed at decreasing the number of foreign criminals and ineligible refugee claimants to both countries. The plan, which is to be fully implemented by next fall, will include the sharing of basic information such as an individual’s date of birth, travel documentation and fingerprints.

A new study by the Conference Board of Canada, released on Friday, suggests that Canadian employers should look south of their own border to find the workers needed to fill shortages across the country.

A lengthy dispute between some Canadian Foreign Service officials and the Canadian government has finally ended, thanks to a possible new deal between the two parties. With this deal comes the end of rotating strikes at visa offices across the world, which had allegedly slowed processing of visitor and study visa applications.