Express Entry Draw of May 26, 2017 – FSTC lowest to Date
The Express Entry draw of May 26, 2017 was, for the Federal Skilled Trades Category (FSTC) and not the Canada Experience Class or the Federal Skilled Worker Class, the lowest ever at 199 points. The FSTC category is distinguished by the lower score required in English and / or French. However, the available occupations are limited to […]
Hearings at the Immigration Division – Admissibility and Detention Review
Hearings at the Immigration Division – Admissibility Hearing and Detention Review Located at 385 Rexdale Boulevard, the Immigration Division of the Immigration Refugee Board not only decides on the liberty of those detained therein, but also whether a permanent resident or foreign national should be deported from Canada. Some hearings take longer than others. For […]
Sponsoring Children for permanent residence in Canada when Custody is an Issue
Sponsorship of children under the family class requires a parental relationship. This relationship must be by blood, or adoption. More details can be seen here [1]. However, in the case of a sponsorship where there is a divorce or just a child involved, an additional requirement is needed, specifically, custody over the child. This can […]
Canada Border Service Agency – Greater Toronto Enforcement Centre
A base of operations for the Canada Border Service Agency is The Greater Toronto Enforcement Centre (GTEC), located at 6900 Airport Road, Mississauga Ontario. GTEC’s public area is like a subway station in a large urban centre. There are Advertisements in the form of Cable Pulse 24 emanating from two flat screen televisions. There is […]
Claiming Refugee Protection from the Canada-US border
Since the November 2016 election in the United States of America (USA) we have seen an increase of calls from people in the United States who wish to claim Refugee Protection also known as seeking Asylum by crossing the Canada-USA border. Although, it is possible to claim protection from within Canada, the Safe Third Country […]
An Alternative Dispute Resolution at the Immigration Refugee Board – Withdraw?
An Alternative Dispute Resolution at the Immigration Refugee Board – Withdraw? The Immigration Refugee Board Appeal Division (or IAD) offers an Alternative Dispute Resolution in addition to a hearing. An ADR is offered to those cases of refused spousal and sometimes, refused parent cases where the issues seem straightforward. Straightforward cases are often characterized by […]
Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s update’s its Sponsorship of Parents and Grandparents for 2017
As the new year is approaching, Citizenship and Immigration Canada announced on December 14, 2016: “The Government is committed to a fair and transparent immigration system. Changes made to the Parent and Grandparent Program will improve access to the application process, given that the number of applications accepted for intake is limited. In order to […]
Removal Orders in the Canadian Immigration Law Context
Definitions and overview A foreign National and a permanent Resident can be determined to be inadmissible on several grounds including staying in Canada beyond their authorized period of stay (expired visa or permit). Citizenship and Immigration Canada has a list of inadmissibility categories on their website which are: security reasons, including espionage subversion (attempts to […]
Letter of Invitation for a visitor visa in the Canadian Immigration context
Usually a letter of invitation will be required in order to satisfy the Immigration Officer that the foreign national (someone who isn’t a Permanent Resident or Citizen of Canada) applying for a visitor visa will only remain in Canada on a temporary basis and that the applicant (the person applying) will leave at the end […]
Recent Changes to the Express Entry’s Comprehensive Ranking system
Since November 19, 2016 our offices have been receiving a lot of inquiries with regards to the recent amendments to the Ministerial Instructions regulating the Express Entry points and profiles. This article will attempt to highlight the recent changes that were brought to Canada’s Express Entry system. The changes that were enacted in November 19, […]