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British Columbia invited 89 tech workers to apply for a provincial nomination on November 30.

The invitations were issued through the BC PNP Tech, which is a stream under the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP).

The BC PNP is an economic immigration pathway used by the province of British Columbia to attract experienced, high-demand foreign workers. The program gives people who choose to live and work in British Columbia a path to permanent residence.

Canada added 154,000 jobs in November and unemployment fell to 6%.

With employment soaring beyond predictions and unemployment dropping to near pre-pandemic levels, new labour force data suggest that Canada is on its way to a full economic recovery.This past November, Canadian employers added 154,000 jobs to the economy. Last month’s growth exceeded analysts’ predictions of 38,000, which was closer to October levels. The gains pushed employment a full percentage point higher than pre-pandemic levels. Also, unemployment dropped to 6%, which is within 0.3 percentage points of what it was in February 2020.

The BC PNP is designed to attract foreign workers in high demand and who want to become permanent residents.British Columbia invited 318 immigration candidates through Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) draws held on December 7.

The province held two draws through the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) and invited candidates from the Skills Immigration (SI) and Express Entry BC (EEBC) streams.

Invitations were issued to those from the Skilled Worker, International Graduate as well as Entry Level and Semi-Skilled sub-categories of SI and EEBC streams.

After more than a month, Ontario has held its first round of invitations under the Employer Job Offer category.

Ontario came back with a bang on December 7, inviting 1,186 immigration candidates to apply for a provincial nomination.

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) issued invitations to candidates who had profiles in its Expression of Interest (EOI) system. Here are the results of all the draws in a table:

Canada continues inviting PNP candidates in the Express Entry pool.

Canada held a new Express Entry draw on December 10. A total of 1,032 candidates were invited to apply for permanent residence.

Invited candidates had previously received a nomination through a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), adding 600 points to their base human capital score. As a result, the minimum cut-off for this draw was 698.

Since Express Entry was launched in 2015, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has only held 38 PNP-only draws. Most times they render less than a thousand invitations, with the exception of this draw and the June 23 draw when 1,002 were invited.

IRCC has only been holding PNP draws since September. This is now the seventh such draw in a row. In the previous Express Entry draw, IRCC invited 613 candidates with scores of at least 737.

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IRCC inviting PNP, prioritizing CEC processing

Throughout the year, IRCC has only held Express Entry draws that target candidates from the PNP and Canadian Experience Class (CEC).

The strategy was supposed to allow IRCC to focus on admitting immigration candidates who were likely already in the country. Candidates who were applying for Canadian immigration from abroad were not allowed to cross the border for the purpose of activating their permanent residency status until June.

However, an IRCC briefing note reveals that focusing on inland candidates, as well as creating the Temporary Residence to Permanent Residence (TR to PR) pathway created a large backlog of candidates.

As of October 27, the backlog for Express Entry-linked programs was nearly 138,000. PNP processing alone had a queue of nearly 38,000, whereas the CEC was up to about 48,000.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business recommends improving the TFWP and automation to address labour shortages.

The pandemic has exacerbated long-standing labour shortages in Canada, and there is no simple solution.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) reports more than half of small Canadian businesses are affected by labour shortages. These businesses may have been short staffed due to difficulties hiring, retaining or getting staff to work the hours needed.

On top of that, 16% of businesses say they have enough staff, but at a significant additional cost due to wage increases, flexible hours, or hiring bonuses, among others.

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As a result of these labour shortages, about a third of small businesses in June reported abandoning or delayed projects, and turning down contracts and sales.

CFIB says the solution is not as simple as raising wages as higher wages imply higher labour costs, which force up prices and generates inflationary pressure. However, business owners report that investment in automation and the use of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) appear to be the most promising.

When disaggregated by sector, temporary foreign workers most often saw high success rates in agriculture, and professional services. They were also often successful in addressing labour shortages in manufacturing, retail, and financial institutions and administration.

Despite their high success rate, only 16% of surveyed businesses reported using temporary foreign workers to fill empty positions. The restrictions in the TFWP make it time-consuming and expensive for most small businesses. For some it was “unworkable” as certain occupations do not qualify.

The CFIB says the solution to labour shortages requires many actions over a long period of time. However, investing in automation and improving the TFWP can be done in the short term.

The working-age population in Canada has been declining since the 1990s, and future projections expect the trend to continue. By 2050, Canada will have lost a significant portion of its working-age population if no changes are made.

PEI held its last scheduled PNP draw on December.

Prince Edward Island has released its new Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) draw results.

The Prince Edward Island Provincial Nominee Program (PEI PNP) invited a total of 124 immigration candidates on December 16.

Express Entry and Labour Impact candidates received the most invitations, combined they received a total of 114. The remaining 11 invitations went to Business Impact candidates who had provincial scores of at least 67 points.

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This is the final scheduled draw of the year for the maritime province. In 2021, P.E.I. invited 1,804 candidates, 1,697 of which were from the Labour Impact and Express Entry streams and 157 from the Business Impact stream.

The PEI PNP schedules its draws for the year in advance. The draw schedule for 2022 has not yet been released.

About the PEI PNP Express Entry Category

The PEI PNP’s Express Entry Category is an enhanced PNP, which means it is linked with the federal government’s Express Entry system. In order to be considered for this stream, candidates need to have a profile in the system.

Express Entry is an immigration application manager. It handles the applications for three economic-class immigration programs: Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program, and Canadian Experience Class.

Eligible candidates get a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score for their age, work experience, education, and language proficiency in English or French.

Express Entry candidates who receive a provincial nomination are given an additional 600 points toward their CRS score and are effectively guaranteed an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence in a subsequent Express Entry draw.

In order to be considered for a provincial nomination from PEI, Express Entry candidates need to create an Expression of Interest (EOI) profile with the PEI PNP.

EOI profiles are given points based on the province’s unique points grid. The highest-scoring candidates are then invited to apply through monthly draws.

Labour Impact Category

The Labour Impact Category is for foreign nationals who have a valid job offer in P.E.I., and have support from their employer. It is divided into three streams: Skilled Worker, Critical Worker, and International Graduate.

Candidates in this category must also submit an Expression of Interest in order to be considered for a provincial nomination through the Labour Impact Category.

Through its entrepreneurship project, the province is expecting to generate $20 million into the Ontario economy.

Ontario is seeking 100 immigrant entrepreneurs over the next two years to start or grow a business in regions outside of the Greater Toronto Area.

Interested business owners and developers can apply through the existing Entrepreneur Stream of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP). Each entrepreneur who is selected will be required to invest a minimum of $200,000 into their business.

Applicants may get a provincial nomination once their business has been operating for 18 to 20 months in Ontario. They can use the nomination to apply to the federal government for Canadian immigration.

It has been nearly a full year since Canada held its last all-program Express Entry draw.

Canada invited 746 Express Entry candidates to apply for permanent residence on December 22.

Invited candidates had previously received a nomination through a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), adding 600 points to their base human capital score. As a result, the minimum cut-off for this draw was 720.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has only been holding PNP draws since September—this is now the eighth in a row. According to an internal briefing memo, IRCC has paused CEC invitations to catch up on its backlog. In the memo, the department has said it wants to cut Express Entry backlogs in half before it considers inviting candidates from other programs.

In the previous PNP draw, IRCC invited a record-breaking 1,032 PNP candidates to apply. The minimum score in that draw was 698.

Record job vacancies coincided with growth in overall employment and falling unemployment.

Canada had an all-time high of 912,600 job vacancies in the third quarter of 2021, according to a new Statistics Canada report.

This occurred as Canada’s economy continued to recover amid the easing of public health restrictions. The record-high level of job vacancies was due to growth in overall employment and falling unemployment.

443 invited in Manitoba's first PNP draw of the year

Manitoba has started off the year inviting 443 immigration candidates to apply for a provincial nomination.

The Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) invited candidates across three Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs). Here are the number of invitations issued for each program, plus the minimum score cutoff according to the province’s Expression of Interest (EOI) system:

• Skilled Workers in Manitoba — 357 invitations with a minimum score of 459;
• Skilled Workers Overseas — 53 invitations with a minimum score of 711; and
• International Education Stream — 33 invitations with no score requirement.

Among these invitations, 97 were issued to candidates in the Express EntryExpress Entry system.

So far this month, British Columbia has issued 425 invitations to apply for provincial nomination.

British Columbia invited 91 tech workers to apply for a provincial nomination on January 18.

The invitations were issued through the BC PNP Tech, which is a stream under the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP).

The BC PNP is an economic immigration pathway used by the province of British Columbia to attract experienced, high-demand foreign workers. The program gives people who choose to live and work in British Columbia a path to permanent residence.

In its first PNP draw of the year, Alberta invited 250 Express Entry candidates with scores as low as 327.

Alberta invited 250 Express Entry candidates to apply for a provincial nomination on January 5.

The Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) invited candidates who had Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores of at least 327.

Invited candidates may be eligible for a provincial nomination under the Alberta Express Entry stream. If they get the nomination, they will be one step closer to Canadian permanent residence. Provincial nominees can apply for Canadian immigration to the federal under the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). Express Entry candidates with provincial nominations get boosted to the top of the pool, and are primed to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence.

News of the draw comes nearly a week after Alberta announced its new Accelerated Tech Pathway.

An article on the physical presence requirement for Canadian citizenship.

One of the eligibility criteria to become a Canadian citizen is that you need to have been physically present in Canada for three out of the last five years.

Among other criteria, if you are age 18 and older, you need to have been in Canada for at least 1,095 days out of the five years immediately before you apply for citizenship.

The first thing to note when calculating your citizenship eligibility, is that you need to have been a permanent resident for at least two years in order to meet the physical presence requirement. After you become a permanent resident, each day in Canada counts as one full day toward your citizenship application.

Quebec's immigration ministry released details of a January 13 immigration draw.

Quebec invited 512 skilled workers to apply for permanent selection on January 13.

The Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI) invited these immigration candidates to apply under the Quebec Regular Skilled Worker Program (QSWP).

Invited candidates needed to have profiles in the Arrima pool with scores of at least 602 points and their occupation was on the list of 21 targeted occupations:

• NOC 0213 Computer and information systems managers
• NOC 2147 Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers)
• NOC 2171 Information systems analysts and consultants
• NOC 2172 Database analysts and data administrators
• NOC 2173 Software engineers and designers
• NOC 2174 Computer programmers and interactive media developers
• NOC 2175 Web designers and developers
• NOC 2241 Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians
• NOC 2281 Computer network technicians
• NOC 2282 User support technicians
• NOC 2283 Information systems testing technicians
• NOC 3012 Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
• NOC 3233 Licensed practical nurses
• NOC 3413 Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates

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The AINP invited Express Entry candidates with scores as low as 346.

Alberta invited 350 Express Entry candidates to apply for a provincial nomination on January 18, its second draw of the year.

The Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) invited candidates who had Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores of at least 346.

Invited candidates may be eligible for a provincial nomination under the Alberta Express Entry stream. If they get the nomination, they will be one step closer to Canadian permanent residence. Provincial nominees can apply for Canadian immigration to the federal government under the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). Express Entry candidates with provincial nominations get boosted to the top of the pool, and are primed to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence.

Canada continues holding Express Entry draws for provincial nominees

Canada invited 1,070 Express Entry candidates to apply for Canadian immigration 

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) only invited Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) candidates. The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score requirement was 674. PNP candidates get an automatic 600 points added to their score when they receive their nomination, which is why the score is significantly higher than a typical all-program draw. Without the nomination, the lowest-scoring candidate would have needed just 74 base CRS points.

The new draw takes the record for the biggest PNP-only draw, beating out the January 19 draw when 1,036 PNP candidates were invited.

Invited candidates now have 60 days to apply for Canadian permanent residence.

The number of job vacancies increased by 72% in Canada compared to the same period in 2019, according to Statistics Canada.

The number of job vacancies in Canada remains high with 874,700 unfilled positions, according to the latest Statistics Canada figures.

Data from November suggests the number of job vacancies was down 9.3% from October, but still significantly higher than before the start of the pandemic. Although the last two months have seen a decline from the all-time high recorded in September, the number of unfilled positions remains 72% above that of the fourth quarter of 2019.

The job vacancy rate, which measures job vacancies as a share of all vacant and filled positions, was 5.1% in November, up 2.1 percentage points from before the pandemic, according to Statistics Canada.

Nurses in the Express Entry pool are now one step closer to Canadian permanent residence

Nova Scotia invited 278 nurses to apply for a provincial nomination on February 8.

The Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP) invited candidates who had profiles in the Express Entry system. Nova Scotia periodically invites Express Entry candidates in targeted occupations to apply for a nomination under its Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). In the new draw, the NSNP invited nurses who may be eligible for Nova Scotia’s Labour Market Priorities Stream.

To get the nomination, candidates need to have a primary occupation as a registered nurse or registered psychiatric nurse. Their duties should align with National Occupational Classification (NOC) 3012.

Candidates who may be eligible for Ontario's Foreign Worker and In-Demand skills candidates were invited to apply for a provincial nomination.

Ontario invited 749 workers to apply for a provincial nomination on February 9.

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) issued invitations to candidates who had profiles in its Expression of Interest (EOI) system. These candidates may be eligible for one of following streams under the Employer Job Offer category: Foreign Worker or In-Demand Skills.

Through the two streams there were three draws in total. The Foreign Worker stream was divided into 476 candidates from a draw that targeted trades occupations, and 166 who were invited in a general draw. There were 107 invited in the In-Demand Skills stream draw.

Canada has set an even higher bar, as it will look to welcome 451,000 new immigrants by 2024. In a statement to CIC News, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser explained the rationale for the new levels plan.

The Canadian government has just announced its Immigration Levels Plan 2022-2024.

Canada is increasing its immigration targets yet again. It will look to welcome almost 432,000 new immigrants this year instead of its initial plan to welcome 411,000 newcomers.

The announcement came today at approximately 3:35 PM Eastern Standard Time.