Forward-looking processing times are now available for the following applications:

• Canadian Experience Class (Express Entry)
• Provincial Nominees Program (Express Entry and non-Express Entry)
• Federal Skilled Workers (Express Entry)
• Quebec Skilled Workers
• citizenship grants
• citizenship certificate (proof of citizenship)
• spouse or common-law partner living inside Canada
• spouse, common-law or conjugal partner living outside Canada
• parents or grandparents

What are forward-looking processing times?

Forward-looking processing times estimate how long clients applying today should expect to wait before a final decision is made on their application (or to take the oath of citizenship, for citizenship grant applicants). The estimates will be updated monthly, and will provide realistic and up-to-date information so clients can make travel and life plans based on an accurate timeline.

For other types of applications

For the remaining types of applications not listed above, we will still use backward-looking, historical processing times. Backward-looking processing times are calculated based on how long it took IRCC to process 80% of applications in the past 6 months for permanent residence programs, and 8 or 16 weeks for temporary residence programs.

For those who have already applied

If you have already applied and are waiting for your application to be processed, the new forward-looking times may show estimates that are less than the amount of time you have already been waiting. The tool reflects the amount of time that a person submitting a new application today could expect to wait, starting at the end of the queue. This is because there are various factors that impact our projected processing times at any given point in the year.

If you have already applied, you are closer to the front of the queue. Applications will still be processed in the order we receive them, and in most cases, you will wait no more than the new forward-looking processing time for a final decision. Do not reapply, as this will put your application at the end of the queue and it will take longer to process.

IRCC will continue to improve our online tools through testing and research, so clients can have a more transparent, predictable and welcoming experience.

Source: canada.ca

“Fast processing is critical to the success of entrepreneurs who come to Canada through our federal business programs. These necessary changes will set the Start­up Visa Program and Self-Employed Persons Program on the path to faster processing times while we look ahead to further reforms to make these programs more sustainable and effective over the long term.”

– The Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

• Immigrants account for about one third of business owners with paid staff in Canada.
• Canada ranked number one as the most attractive destination for start-up founders in a 2023 report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (PDF 2.18 MB). The rankings were based on a wide variety of factors, including access to capital, corporate tax rates, skills of the workforce, strength of its universities and quality of life, as well as immigration policies for entrepreneurs and their families.
• To qualify to apply for the Start-up Visa Program, a foreign entrepreneur must have the committed support of a designated venture capital fund (investment of $200,000), angel investor group (investment of $75,000) or business incubator (acceptance into their incubation program).
• Since the program began in 2013, about 900 entrepreneurs have become permanent residents through this category, representing the launch of more than 300 start-ups.
• All applications in the venture capital and angel investor streams will get priority processing, as will any business incubator–supported applications that report an investment of at least $75,000.

Source: canada.ca

“Working off campus helps international students gain work experience and offset some of their expenses. As international students arrive in Canada, we want them to be prepared for life here and have the support they need to succeed. However, first and foremost, people coming to Canada as students must be here to study, not work. We will continue working to protect the integrity of our student program.”

– The Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

• Recent studies conducted in the US and Canada have shown that there is a considerable decline in academic performance for students working more than 28 hours per week, and that working more than 24 hours per week increases the chances that a student will drop out of their program.
• Most countries that welcome international students set limits on the number of hours they may work while they study. Australia recently changed its policy to allow a student to work 48 hours every 2 weeks. In the US, students must meet additional criteria before being permitted to work off campus at all.
• In December 2023, the Government of Canada raised the cost-of-living threshold that students must meet to be approved for a study permit so they are financially prepared for life in Canada and are not as dependent on working.
• International students who begin a college program delivered through a public-private curriculum licensing arrangement on or after May 15, 2024, will not be eligible for a post-graduation work permit when they graduate. Those who already started this type of program prior to May 15, 2024, will still be able to access a post-graduation work permit, provided they meet all other criteria.
• The new letter of acceptance (LOA) verification process has been a success. Since its launch on December 1, 2023, through April 1, 2024, IRCC has
  •  received almost 162,000 LOAs for verification
  • confirmed nearly 142,000 LOAs as valid directly with designated learning institutions (DLIs)
  • identified almost 9,000 LOAs that didn’t match any LOA issued by a DLI or that the DLI had already cancelled before the foreign national applied for a study permit

Good Samaritan gets involved, helping reunite family after CBC News investigation

CBC’s Chris O’Neill-Yates breaks down the long-awaited, emotional reunion of two Filipina nurses with their mother in Newfoundland years after an immigration agency charged them $24,000 and the jobs never materialized.

Even after they had grown up, every time Joy Thompson dreamed of her daughters, Aubrey and April Nuval, they were frozen in time as the nine- and 10-year-old children she’d left behind in the Philippines decades ago.

Her entire life has been devoted to bringing them to Canada to be near her.

“I’m so nervous,” said Thompson, pacing and fidgeting as she waited on the night of April 21 for the first of her daughters, Aubrey, now 36, and her husband to land at St. John’s International Airport from Dubai. Her second daughter, April, arrived the next day.

The long wait over, they ran into each other’s arms, holding in a long embrace. Thompson kissed Aubrey repeatedly on the forehead and stroked her hair.

“Thank you for being strong for us. I love you, ma,” said Aubrey.

“It’s mixed emotions after what happened,” said a teary-eyed, emotional Thompson. “The important thing is that they are here.”

Reaching this point has been a long, costly and painful journey for Thompson and her daughters.

Sent money home to educate children

When her children were small, Thompson fled an abusive relationship. To help support them, she took jobs as a domestic worker, first in Hong Kong and later in Canada in 2004.

She did see her children occasionally over the years, but longed to live in the same country as them.

She saved up and sent money back home to the Philippines, where the children were being raised by their grandmother, to put them through school.

“I worked … seven days from eight to 10,” she recalled. “I worked that hours, Mondays through Sunday, just to save money and send it to them.”

Her sacrifice paid off, because her remittances helped all four of her children become registered nurses.

Her only son works in Yellowknife, and her third daughter is planning to practise in the United States.

Thompson, who now works in the hotel industry in Niagara Falls, Ont., has remained focused on one single goal: Bringing her children to Canada.

The family scrimped, saved and borrowed to make that dream come true.

No recourse after money and jobs vanish

A year ago, CBC Investigates uncovered a tangled tale that began in 2018 when Thompson’s former boss introduced her to the owners of a Toronto-based employment agency called Apex Connection, owned by Rose and Bert Smith.

Aubrey and April were working as nurses in the United Arab Emirates at the time, and Thompson jumped at the opportunity to engage Rose Smith to help them immigrate to Canada and get jobs.

Smith charged them $24,000 to prepare their immigration applications, and said she could get them positions as personal care attendants at a seniors’ home in Lewisporte, N.L.

Even though they were minimum-wage jobs far below their qualifications, Aubrey and April agreed to take the positions just to be in the same country as their mother.

But the jobs and their money were lost when their relationship with Rose Smith resulted in an intractable dispute.

When Thompson asked Apex Connection for the money back, Smith said she had done the work they paid her to do, and had never claimed to be an immigration consultant.

She told CBC News she had offered to meet and discuss a compromise with Thompson and her daughters, but that they’d declined.

Their hopes shattered, Thompson said the family was left with nowhere to turn for recourse.

A Good Samaritan offers to help

After the CBC investigation, Thompson and her daughters’ situation finally took a positive turn.

Wanda Cuff-Young, co-owner of Work Global Canada — an international recruitment agency in St. John’s, was returning from a recruitment trip in the Philippines when she saw the initial story on The National.

“I was truly shocked when I found out these ladies were given opportunities to work in Newfoundland, and the jobs were then cancelled,” said Cuff-Young.

She quickly sprang into action. Her agency contacted the province’s immigration office. That led to the health authority offering the Nuval sisters nursing jobs when they become certified through the College of Registered Nurses of Newfoundland and Labrador.

“Their English is extremely good. They’ve worked in the Middle East. They’ve got excellent experience. So they are going to be good value to the authority, and I’m looking forward to them being able to start their careers … as nurses in our province.”

Once Cuff-Young got involved a year ago, the process of coming to Canada began to move ahead, resulting in them being together as a family in Canada for the first time.

“I’m overwhelmed. And we’re so happy,” said Aubrey. “Finally, we’re here.”

Thompson’s life has taken another positive turn recently: She is now a grandmother.

Twenty-four hours after Aubrey arrived, April, her husband and 14-month-old daughter, Freixine, finally landed in Canada, after leaving the Philippines on April 17 and becoming delayed because of the historic floods in Dubai.

She echoed her sister’s feelings.

“Right now, what’s really on my mind is that, ‘At last, I’m here.’ Yeah, great relief,” said April after five days of travel.

After growing up largely without her mother, April is happy that her own daughter will get to know her grandmother.

“I missed them growing up. A lot of birthdays, a lot of graduations,” said Thompson.

“They are lucky enough that they can bring their own child here,” she said. “They should not miss a single moment, because they will never get it back.”

Source: cbc.ca

Visit cbc.ca to view video highlights.

Katherine Salvador, COO

Work Global Canada Inc. executive shareholders appoint Katherine Salvador (Member CPHR), as their new Chief Operating Officer (COO), effective immediately.

Paul Shelley, CEO of Work Global Canada Inc. says, “he is elated to have Katherine in this role. Her ascension from part time assistant to Senior HR Manager, and now as COO in just 5 years is a monumental achievement. Her and her family’s success embodies the same dreams, aspirations, and goals for all newcomers to Canada.”

In her prior role as Senior Human Resource Manager, she handled internal and stakeholder HR responsibilities that included regulatory compliance, international recruitment, candidate validation, interview and selection processing, orientation and settlement services. This in conjunction with collaborating support to other departments through the firm.

Wanda Cuff Young, Vice President of Work Global Canada Inc. says, , Katherine’s journey to Canada is a true testament to her diligence, strength, and commitment to succeed. Her story to Canada also exemplifies our firm’s commitment and the goals we strive to accomplish for every newcomer we assist in their migration to Canada.

Katherine’s journey is a remarkable one and since touching base with Work Global Canada Inc. is as follows:

• January 2018: Applied via an employment pathway option with Work Global Canada Inc., with her spouse as the main applicant while she held an Open Work Permit (OWP).
• November 2018: Relocated to Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada with her family under the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program (AIPP).
• December 2018: Joined Work Global Canada Inc. as a Human Resource Assistant.
• April 2020: Advanced to the position of Senior Human Resource Manager.
• September 2022: Katherine and her family were granted Canadian Citizenship.
• March 2022: Katherine joined Chartered Professionals in Human Resources (CPHR) certification.
• April 2024: Elevated to the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO).

In her newly appointed role, Katherine, who possesses robust leadership vision, will be responsible for supervising daily operations, strategic planning, enhancing management practices, financial planning, and guiding internal leadership.

In this capacity Katherine will be integral to guiding our team through key specialty focus areas: the establishment of our Philippines international office, and strategic planning for our Skilled Trades, Medical, and Marine sector industry clients. To her and her teams’ credit, using our proprietary system we have witnessed an incredible prospective database of twenty thousand candidates from over 80 different countries.

Dr. Brian Ramjattan, Director of Work Global Canada Inc. says, “this business is all about people, and the success they bring to a community. Katherine’s journey is a prime example of this process and I am proud to have her in this role. ”

Congratulations Katherine!
We look forward to your contribution to the executive team.

Work Global Canada Inc.
Paul Shelley, Wanda Cuff Young, Dr. Brian Ramjattan, Yvonne Myers

As part of the eligibility criteria for economic permanent residence programs, applicants must demonstrate that their foreign degrees, diplomas or certificates are authentic and equivalent to Canadian credentials. Applicants can do this by obtaining an ECA from an IRCC-designated multi-purpose ECA organization or professional body.

As of May 20, 2024, the Canadian Architectural Certification Board (CACB) will be designated by the Minister to issue ECAs for applicants who have identified the National Occupational Classification (NOC) of Architects (code 21200) as their primary occupation. ECAs issued by the CACB will determine how foreign educational credentials compare to a Canadian credential needed to practice architecture. ECAs are also recognized as a step in the licensing process for architects.

More detailed information on ECAs, including how and when to get an ECA from the CACB, will be available online. This information will help people make an informed decision when choosing an ECA organization.

Source: canada.ca

If you plan on submitting a permanent resident application on or after April 30, consult the chart below, which lists the impacted programs and fee increases.

Source: canada.ca

A precursor to possible suggested amendments to policies put forward to the Fisheries Minister from the FFAW on the lifting of processing caps, new processing licenses, and buyers from Atlantic Canada and Quebec be allowed in.

If these changes do come to pass what does it mean for for the processing and the people that work in the plants?

Wanda Cuff Young, provides some Insight into the process of hiring foreign and local workers to process seafood.

Wanda Cuff-Young Vice President of Work Global Canada Inc. says hiring temporary foreign workers (and finding local people) for fish processing jobs is a challenge.

Source: cbc.ca

“Rural and northern communities face unique economic and demographic challenges. However, through the RNIP, rural communities have been able to attract and retain skilled workers that they’ve needed for years to ensure their economic growth. That is why we will make RNIP a permanent program, and why we are introducing these two new pilot programs. We’ll continue to work closely with these communities, as we work to connect businesses with the skilled workers they need to thrive.”

– The Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

“Employers across the region from many sectors have been calling for more ways to build their workforce due to unprecedented skilled worker shortages. Working hard with our government, we implemented the highly successful RNIP program, and now by launching the Rural Community Immigration Pilot and the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot, we will further support a pathway towards RNIP becoming a permanent program. This will broaden the scope for employers to build stronger workforces and contribute to our local economy serving residents in both official languages.”

– Marc G. Serré, Member of Parliament for Nickel Belt Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources and to the Minister of Official Languages

“We’ve seen first-hand both the impact and importance of RNIP. RNIP has proven to be a great asset to attracting skilled labour and growing the population of Sudbury. Not only has the program directly addressed gaps and challenges such as the labour shortages, but it also continues to drive economic prosperity for our communities in ways that will have a generational impact.”

– Viviane Lapointe, Member of Parliament Sudbury

• As of December 31, 2023, 4,595 newcomers received permanent residence through the RNIP, helping address labour shortages in key sectors such as health care, accommodation and food services, retail, manufacturing, scientific and technical services.
• On February 21, 2024, IRCC extended the deadline for current RNIP communities to recommend candidates for permanent residence until July 31, 2024. IRCC also increased the number of candidates that communities can recommend. These changes allow participating communities to take part in the pilot for a longer period and continue meeting their labour needs with skilled candidates.
• On October 31, 2023, IRCC released An Immigration System for Canada’s Future—a report that lays out a pathway to strengthen our immigration system to better meet the needs of our country and of newcomers. As part of the work to implement the actions identified in the report, IRCC continues exploring opportunities to enhance regional immigration, including through the Rural Community Immigration Pilot.
• The Francophone Community Immigration Pilot delivers on IRCC’s commitment in the Policy on Francophone Immigration’s 2024–2028 Implementation Plan to include new Francophone communities targeted by regional economic immigration programs, where employers and the community have a role in selecting newcomers for their area. This pilot will also contribute to meeting the Government of Canada’s ambitious targets for French-speaking immigrants, as outlined in the 2024–2026 Immigration Levels Plan.

“Mexico is an important partner to Canada. We will continue to welcome Mexican temporary workers, students, visitors and immigrants who bring diverse skills and important contributions to our economy and communities. We strive for balance between the movement of people between our two great countries, and the need to relieve pressure on our immigration system so we can provide protection to those who need it the most.”

– The Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

• Asylum claims made by Mexican citizens reached a record high in 2023 at a time when Canada’s asylum system, housing and social services were already under significant pressure. The majority of these claims (approximately 60%) were either rejected by the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, or withdrawn or abandoned by the applicant.
• In 2023 alone, asylum claims from Mexican citizens accounted for 17% of all claims made that year from all nationalities around the world. The country’s asylum claim rate has risen significantly since the visa was first lifted in 2016 (from 260 claims in 2016 to 23,995 claims in 2023).
• All eTAs issued to Mexican passports before 11:30 p.m. Eastern time on February 29, 2024, will no longer be valid—except for eTAs linked to Mexican passports with a valid Canadian work or study permit. Mexican citizens travelling to Canada without a valid work or study permit will need to apply for a visitor visa or reapply for a new eTA—if they are eligible.
• Mexican citizens holding a valid work or study permit can still travel by air to Canada with their existing eTA as long as it remains valid, and they can continue to study or work in Canada based on the validity and conditions of their permit. Mexican visitors who are already in Canada on an eTA can stay for as long as they are authorized (up to six months from the date they arrive in Canada). However, if they plan to leave Canada and wish to return, they must have the proper travel documents (visa or new eTA).
• Most approved visa applicants receive multiple-entry visas, which allow them to visit Canada as many times as they want, for up to 10 years, or until their passport expires.
• The eTA is a digital travel document that most visa-exempt travellers need in order to travel to or transit through Canada by air. IRCC first began expanding its eTA program to eligible citizens from visa-required countries in 2017. Mexico will now be among 15 countries whose citizens can to fly to Canada on an eTA, instead of a visa, if they meet certain requirements.