Canadian Immigration News

The Government of Canada has approved requests by the provinces to increase the number of visas to be given out this year for Canadian permanent residence under the provincial nomination programs.

The Government of Canada is demonstrating its commitment to creating jobs and strengthening Canada’s knowledge economy by making a $600-million investment as part of Canada's Economic Action Plan. Researchers in Quebec and across Canada will benefit from new facilities and equipment, and universities will have more opportunities to develop and attract top scientists. The investment is designed to promote research excellence while continuing to improve Canada's long-term competitiveness.

A shortage of skilled workers in the electricity sector could jeopardize Canada’s ability to develop clean sources of energy. Over the next 10 years, 40% of all workers in the electricity sector plan to retire and 74% of the industry’s workers are over the age of 40. According to Canada’s Electricity Sector Council, more than 30% of companies that produce electricity do not have plans to manage this mass departure of workers. This will result in construction schedule delays, increased development costs, and smaller profit margins unless Canada is able to attract skilled workers from abroad.

According to Statistics Canada, Canada’s GDP grew by 0.1 per cent in May, after being flat in April. The growth was mostly driven by the goods-producing sector, which grew 0.6 per cent in May. Activity in oil and gas exploration also contributed to the increase.

The Government of Canada is supporting the new Toronto Civic Participation Program, which aims to provide learning opportunities to participants from ethnic communities to increase their knowledge and understanding of Canada and how the Canadian government works. The goal is to increase civic participation among newcomers to Canada by offering learning activities regarding the Canadian democratic process, the structure of government and the rights and responsibilities associated with Canadian citizenship. Participants will also receive leadership training, and be expected to share their new knowledge and skills with others.

Employment prospects have improved in areas across most of Canada, but in the short term the chances of finding a job aren’t quite as promising in some of Canada’s largest cities.

With recent changes to visa rules, Saudi nationals can now get five-year multiple-entry temporary resident visas to enter Canada. The changes facilitate the movement of students and business people between Saudi Arabia and Canada.

Canada’s strong growth prospects and superior economic position have created a favourable foreign investment climate. Canada’s pragmatic approach to economic management—strict banking regulations, stable banking system, low debt ratio, and economic immigration—has created a safe place to invest. Canada was better prepared than any other developed nation to weather the effects of the global recession.

Six months have passed since an earthquake devastated the country of Haiti. To date, Canada has spent $150 million to support humanitarian and recovery efforts by providing shelters, removing rubble, and leading water and sanitation projects and child protection initiatives. Canada has pledged more than $1 billion to long-term re-building efforts. Additionally, the Canadian government is very quickly processing applications by Haitians to be re-united with their families in Canada.

Statistics Canada reports the Canadian economy added 93,200 jobs in June. Almost all of the jobs added are in Ontario (+60,000) and Quebec (+30,000). The large number of jobs added dropped Canada's unemployment rate to 7.9%. The current unemployment rate in the US is 9.5%. The statistic indicates the strength of the domestic economy in Canada.