Canada has Issued over 20,000 Invitations through the Express Entry program in the First Quarter of 2019

Through the Express Entry Program, Canada has issued 21,200 ITAs (Invitation to Apply) in the first quarter of 2019. The first quarter of 2018 ended with 17,500 invitations issued. Hence, the recent draws represent an increase of 3,700 from the first quarter of 2018. Since 2018 is the year in which highest number of invitations were ever issued, 2019 could break that mark.

Further, the first quarter of 2019 also brought down the CRS score threshold to as low as 438. The trend of declining CRS score requirement and increasing ITAs issued will continue due to Canada’s ambitious immigration targets.

Express Entry First Quarter of 2019 Draws

After providing a CRS (Comprehensive Ranking System) score to each profile in the express entry pool, candidates are ranked accordingly. Candidates who clear the CRS score threshold receive an ITA. 

In order to reach the target for the year 2019, Canada must stay on the same immigration levels for the remaining 3 quarters. Despite more ambitious immigration targets than the year 2017, the ITAs provided in the first quarter of 2019 are less than those provided in the year 2017. 

The CRS score requirement has fluctuated more in the year 2019. The minimum CRS score is also less for the year 2019, however as immigration to US decreases the applications received by Canada will likely increase. This can lead to an increase in the CRS score requirement in the upcoming express entry draws.

Canadian Provinces have actively selected and nominated many applicants from the express entry pool. Profiles present in the express entry pool are automatically processed by each province. Through a provincial nomination, a candidate can get additional 600 CRS points. This ensures that the candidate will be provided with an ITA. You can also apply to separate PNPs on the basis of your profile.

Canada’s Immigration Targets 2019-2021

Canada is going to invite more immigrants to fill in the gap created by low fertility rate and ageing population. The country will use economic immigration, family nomination and refugee program to boost its population growth. Canada has also invited many project proposals from private firms in order to help high skilled immigration to settle down and establish a good life in the country.

The 2019-2021 immigration plan will bring in more than a million immigrants into Canada. Targets have been set for each year as follows:

● 2019 - 330,800

● 2020 - 341,000

● 2021 - 350,000

Each year, the immigration targets will increase in order to accomodate more migrants. 

Canada Immigration Report

In the latest immigration report, it is reported that Canada admitted 286,479 permanent residents in the year 2017. Of these, 159,262 permanent residents were admitted through the economic class programs. The economic class programs include:

● Federal Skilled Program

● Caregivers program

● Federal Business Program

● Provincial Nominee Program

● Atlantic Immigration Pilot

● Quebec Skilled Workers Program

● Quebec Business Immigration Program

Permanent Residents Admitted to Canada

In light of new immigration targets, the number of migrants admitted through the economic class programs is likely to increase. Further, many companies are hiring in Canada because of US’s strict stance against immigration. As more companies move into Canada, the demand for both high and low skilled immigrants will rise.

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Immigrate to Canada as a Skilled Immigration

Skilled immigration will always remain above and beyond the scope of the immigration debate. Even when immigration hardliners criticize humanitarian aid, they talk about the benefits of skilled immigration. However, Canada seems to be benefiting from both. Canada’s reliance on immigration is increasing each day because of low fertility rate in the country.

In recent years, Canada’s politics and economy have largely been shaped by immigration. Many companies are hiring in Canada because of its lenient immigration norms. In a report by Envoy Global, it was concluded that 65 percent of US employers consider Canada’s immigration policies to be more favourable. 38 percent of employers are considering expanding their business to Canada and 21 percent have already opened up an office in Canada.

Express Entry Canada

Canada’s flagship immigration program is known as Express Entry. Like the name states, the program was brought into action in 2015 to expedite the immigration process. Not only does express entry streamline skilled immigration, but also simplifies the immigration process. Express entry is a consolidation of 3 other skilled immigration programs namely:

● Federal Skilled Worker Program

● Federal Skilled Trades Program

● Canadian Experience Class

Candidates need to create an online profile and enter all the required information. CRS (Comprehensive Ranking System) score is calculated for each candidate on the basis of following parameters:

● Age of the Candidate

● Educational Qualification

● Health and Character Certificate

● English and French Language Proficiency

● Skilles, Work Experience and Area of Specialization

● Profile of Accompanying Dependents

Provincial Nominee Program

There are two ways in which you can apply to the PNPs (Provincial Nominee Program) for skilled immigration. Both these ways are mentioned below:

● Apply through Express Entry

● Apply Separately to a Provincial Immigration Stream

To apply through express entry, you don’t have to do anything apart from submitting your profile online. On the other hand, if you feel your profile is suited for a particular provincial stream, then you should apply separately. Each province has multiple immigration streams that you can select from.

You can apply for immigration to the following provinces in Canada:

● Alberta

● British Columbia

● Manitoba

● New Brunswick

● Newfoundland and Labrador

● Northwest Territories

● Nova Scotia

● Ontario

● Prince Edward Island

● Saskatchewan

● Yukon

Quebec does not have a provincial nominee program. However, Quebec does have its own immigration programs. Some of its immigration programs are mentioned below:

● Quebec Skilled Worker Program

● Quebec Experience Program

● Quebec Immigrant Investor Program

● Quebec Entrepreneur Program

● Quebec Self-Employed Program

Global Talent Stream

Global Talent Stream is a new pilot program whose success has forced the Canadian government to plan to make it permanent. Through this stream, companies can nominate high-skilled workers and get their work permit approved within 2 weeks. The highly expedited nature of this immigration stream ensures that Canada based companies have immediate access to best talents in the world.

There are two categories for the Global Talent Stream namely:

● Category A

● Category B

Requirements for both the categories differ substantially. Also, for Category A, your company must get referral from a designated partner. A designated partner is an organization that will deem your company legitimate to hire highly-skilled workers through this immigration stream.

Quebec Skilled Worker Program

Skilled immigrants who want to live and work inside the province of Quebec can apply through this program. Quebec manages its immigration programs independently and favours french speakers over english speakers. Candidates need to submit an Expression of Interest with the province’s immigration department.

Like the Express Entry program, QSWP is also a merit based immigration system. Hence, candidates will be awarded points, and the ones with the highest points will receive an invitation to apply for permanent residency.

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Australia Visitor and Spouse Visa

Australia isn’t just a great travel destination, but also a country where you can enjoy a lavish lifestyle. With great universities, laws that protect freedom and private ownership of property, it becomes a country where you can enjoy a great life with your partner. In this article, we have mentioned the requirements for both visitor visa and partner visa.

Australia Spouse Visa

If you are a common law partner of an Australian permanent resident, Australian citizen or New Zealand citizen, then you can apply for the Australian spouse visa. The person who will nominate you for this visa should either be married to you or be in a defacto relationship with you for at least an year. The nomination is for 2 years, after which you need to get a visa extension or apply for permanent residency.

Note: Same sex partners are also eligible to apply for this visa.

Requirements for Australia Spouse Visa

There are multiple requirements that you need to fulfill to be eligible for Australian spouse visa. These requirements are mentioned below:

● The relationship should be genuine and should continue while the visa application is processed.

● You and your partner don’t live apart on a permanent basis.

● If the relationship isn’t legal marriage, then the defacto relationship must have continued for the past 12 months at least.

● Have a health and character certificate.

● Both you and your partner must be 18 or above in age.

Partner visa provides a two step process to permanent residency. Firstly, you must live on a temporary partner visa for 2 years in Australia. After this, you can apply for permanent partner visa, which will grant you the permanent resident status. This 2 year waiting period is waived, only if at the time of filing the visa application:

● Your de facto relationship or marriage with your partner has lasted for at least 5 years.

● Your de facto relationship or marriage with your partner has lasted for at least 2 years and you have children.

On a temporary partner visa, you can:

● Travel to and from Australia

● Live and Work in Australia

The combined cost for both temporary and permanent Partner visa is AUD 7,160. You have to make the payment for both visa categories at the same time. The temporary partner visa is processed within 21-28 months, while the permanent one is processed within 19-24 months. After a few years of receiving your permanent partner visa, you will be eligible to apply for an Australian Citizenship.

Australia Visitor Visa

Tourist stream visa enables you to travel, study or train for 3 months in Australia. You can’t get medical treatment, work or start a new business while holding this visa. This visa may be required, if you’re cruising inside Australian territory. If you want to leave and re-enter Australia multiple times, then mention that on your visa application or apply for Visitor Visa Frequent traveller stream.

Requirements for Australian Visitor Visa

● You must be in good health. Proved through Health Certificate issued by authorized medical practitioners.

● You must not have a criminal record. Proved through Character certificate issued by police stations.

● Your must visit Australia with the intention to leave upon the expiry of your visa.

● You must have sufficient funds to support yourself and your family while in Australia.

The cost of Visitor visa (subclass 600) is AUD 130. This is the base charge of the application. Additional charges may be applied for both the medical examination and the police check. 

You can also apply to the Frequent Traveller Stream, that enables you to re-enter Australia multiple times while the visa is valid. On this visa, you can also take part in business activities. This visa is valid for up to 10 years but you need to leave Australia after 3 months after the date of last entry. 

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Immigration to Tackle Economic Stagnation in 2019

In recent years, the world has shifted rightwards. This translated into stringent immigration policies that have an adverse impact on world economy. However, there are a few countries like Australia and Canada which have increased their immigration targets to fuel economic expansion.

In 2019, applicants must be more careful in selecting countries and visa streams if they want to immigrate easily. Here are a few major issues faced by developed countries and how they can solve it via immigration.

Major Economic Issues for Developed Countries

There are many issues that have lead to economic stagnation for many developed countries. Below we have mentioned the two problems which have further aggravated this issues.

Ageing Problem and Declining Population

Japan, which is known to avoid immigration at all costs, is suffering from economic stagnation. Once world leaders in innovation, Japanese companies are quickly falling behind because of a declining population. The same problem is replicated in countries like Canada and Australia.

With a declining workforce, the public debt and spending is exploding at a rapid pace. However, Canada is tackling this problem in a unique way. Canada’s Express Entry Program makes it easier for applicants to apply for immigration. The following stats corroborate the efficacy of this program:

● International migration constituted 80 percent of population growth (2017 - 2018)

● 130 percent increase in Citizenship Applications (October 2017 - June 2018)

● 65,417 immigrants admitted through Express Entry Program

Countries can rely on immigration to fuel their economic expansion. With the falling fertility rate in developed countries, reliance in immigration is likely to increase.

Exodus from Rural Regions

Another factor to consider is the concentration of immigrants in urban cities. For instance, in Australia most immigrants move to either Sydney or Melbourne. This creates a surplus in some regions while the other regions witness a population decline. To counter the same, Australia has invested $19 million to fast track the processing of regional visas.

Australia can also be a prototype for shifting population from one region to another. Mobility of residents and immigrants to major urban areas only takes place because of the lack of jobs in the other places. Hence, to reduce the burden from Sydney and Melbourne, South Australia Government along with the Federal Government of Australia are investing $551 million to boost the economic expansion of Adelaide.

Conclusion

The righward political shift comes with growing hatred towards the immigrant communities. Politicians are using hateful rhetoric in order to gain power. However, many studies have concluded that immigration improves the economic growth of a country. As more immigrants enter the labor force, the total productivity of the economy increases.

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