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VO Visas || A review of Canadian immigration in 2021

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  VO Visas || A review of Canadian immigration in 2021 The coronavirus pandemic continued to influence the direction of Canada's immigration system in 2021. The onset of the coronavirus pandemic changed the course of Canada’s immigration system in 2020 and while things have stabilized, the pandemic caused IRCC to make major adjustments in 2021. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)  entered 2021 facing difficult circumstances. Immigration application backlogs were growing, many newcomers such as Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) holders waited in limbo overseas, COVID case levels were high at home and around the world, vaccination rates remained low, travel restrictions and Canada’s public health measures posed difficulties for newcomers looking to enter the country, and despite all this, the federal government mandated IRCC with landing  401,000 new permanent residents  this year. Discover if You’re Eligible for Canadian Immigration IRCC decided early in the

VO Visas || Canada breaks all-time immigration record by landing 401,000 immigrants in 2021

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  VO Visas || Canada breaks all-time immigration record by landing 401,000 immigrants in 2021 IRCC achieved the goal by focusing on transitioning temporary residents living in Canada during the pandemic to permanent resident status. Canada has landed over 400,000 new permanent residents in 2021 for just the second time since it was founded as a country in 1867. This has just been confirmed in a news release by  Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) . The department also confirmed that the country has broken its all-time record for permanent residence landings in a year. The only other time Canada surpassed the 400,000 immigrant figure was in 1913, but the onset of the First World War saw immigration to the country drop in the following years. Prior to the pandemic, Canada set a goal of welcoming 341,000 new immigrants in 2020. It only landed 184,000 last year due to the pandemic. However, it doubled down on immigration to support its post-pandemic economic recovery by ann

VO Visas || Canada’s job vacancies reach record high in Q3 2021

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  VO Visas || Canada’s job vacancies reach record high in Q3 2021 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. Discover if You’re Eligible for Canadian Immigration Statistics Canada notes the 912,600 job vacancies in Q3 2021 was 62.1 per cent higher (349,700 more jobs) than in Q3 2019. Proportionally, the largest increase in job vacancies was in Saskatchewan, followed by Quebec, and Ontario . Job vacancies increased in 18 out of 20 major industrial sectors between Q3 2019 and Q3 2021. Five sectors accounted for nearly 68 per cent of the increase: accommodation and food services, health care and social assistan

VO Visas || British Columbia invites 243 in latest PNP draws

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  VO Visas || British Columbia invites 243 in latest PNP draws The BC PNP is designed to attract foreign workers in high demand and who want to become permanent residents British Columbia invited 243 immigration candidates through  Provincial Nominee Program  (PNP) draws held on December 21. 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 . Find out if you’re eligible for Canadian immigration The majority of the invitations, 194, were sent through a general draw. These candidates received invitations if they met the minimum score requirements between 74 and 106 depending on the program for which they are eligible. Another draw targeted candidates whose occupation falls under NOC 062

VO Visas || Express Entry Canada invites 746 in new PNP draw

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  VO Visas || Express Entry Canada invites 746 in new PNP draw 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. Get a Free Express Entry Assessmen

VO Visas || Quebec invites 326 in new Arrima draw

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  VO Visas || Quebec invites 326 in new Arrima draw Quebec's immigration ministry releases details of the December 9 immigration draw. Quebec invited 326 workers to apply for a permanent selection on December  The Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI) invited these immigration candidates to apply for the  Quebec Regular Skilled Worker Program  (QSWP). Invited candidates needed to have profiles in the  Arrima  pool with scores of at least 633 points. The latest invitations also targeted candidates with a valid job offer outside the Montreal Metropolitan area who work in occupations that are currently in high demand in Quebec. The following is the list of the 29 targeted occupations provided by the government: Discover if You’re Eligible for Canadian Immigration NOC 0213 Computer and information systems managers NOC 2131 Civil engineers NOC 2132 Mechanical engineers NOC 2133 Electrical and electronics engineers NOC 2141 Industrial and manufacturing

VO Visas || Ontario aims to recruit 100 immigrant entrepreneurs

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  VO Visas || Ontario aims to recruit 100 immigrant entrepreneurs 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 . Discover if You’re Eligible for Canadian Business Immigration The recruitment project is intended to create more local jobs, and support regions that have been hard-hit by pandemic job losses, according to a  governmen

VO Visas || Manitoba invites 349 in new PNP draw

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 VO Visas || Manitoba invites 349 in new PNP draw Manitoba has now issued 10,786 invitations so far in 2021. Manitoba held a new immigration draw on December 16. The  Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program  (MPNP) invited a total of 349 immigration candidates across three  Provincial Nominee Programs  (PNPs): Skilled Workers in Manitoba  — 296 invitations with a minimum EOI score of 447; Skilled Workers Overseas  — 13 invitations with a minimum EOI score of 712; and International Education Stream  — 40 invitations with no EOI score requirement. Among these invitations, 64 were issued to candidates in the  Express Entry  system. Discover if You’re Eligible for Canadian Immigration About Express Entry Express Entry  is Canada’s application management system for  three federal high-skilled immigration programs : the  Canadian Experience Class , the  Federal Skilled Worker Program , and the  Federal Skilled Trades Program . Immigration candidates who submit a profile to the Express Entry syst