New immigration opportunities and other Canadian news
The most important events of the week from November 7 to 13.
Canada has ambitious plans to welcome immigrants, but it won't be cheap. For the next 6 years, the government allocated 1.6 billion Canadian dollars to accept and resettle newcomers. The authorities also invest in creating jobs, protecting the rights of workers, and developing a sustainable economy.
Canada will also support its residents. A new bill was adopted, which includes many support measures. For example, the abolition of interest on student loans, increasing tax credits, the creation of tax-free savings account for the purchase of first housing, benefits for low-wage workers, and more.
Immigration opportunities
Most immigrants successfully find a job in Canada after they move. New research showed that employment is rising across the country, including among newcomers. In October, more than 60% of immigrants over the age of 15 were employed. And among those who moved less than 5 years ago, more than 70% are working. In general, the provinces of Ontario and Quebec saw the largest employment growth.
As for those who haven't immigrated yet, new opportunities have appeared. The province of New Brunswick is launching an immigration pilot program with free training and other benefits. It's for skilled candidates applying for jobs that are difficult to fill. The program has a list of employers who will help with relocation, English courses, skills enhancement, and education.
And the province of Ontario launched a new business immigration stream that will process applications on a priority basis. It's called the Entrepreneur Success Initiative. Through this stream, entrepreneurs will be introduced to business opportunities in the region and will be helped to apply for immigration. The goal of the Initiative is to invite 100 entrepreneurs to do business outside of Toronto.
In addition, Canada is interested in welcoming candidates with French ability. The country is launching a Centre for Innovation in Francophone Immigration, which will help attract French-speaking immigrants and workers. According to the government's target, almost 4.5% of immigrants must be francophones.
After only 3 years of living in Canada, you can apply for Canadian citizenship. Alex Pavlenko, the founder of the Immigrant Today project, recently successfully passed a citizenship test that took him only 5 minutes. We released an article about the requirements for obtaining citizenship, how much it costs, and how difficult the test is.
Immigration draws
During the week, Canada held several draws and invited more than 4,900 people in total.
On November 7, there was a draw in Nova Scotia. The province selected 150 candidates from the Express Entry pool who have a university degree, are fluent in French, and have a good command of English. The last time Nova Scotia held a draw for skilled professionals was in February of this year.
On November 8, British Columbia held a draw. The province invited 13 candidates who want to start or buy a business in the region. Some of the invitations were sent to entrepreneurs in the general stream, and some went to entrepreneurs who want to do business in a small town.
On the same day, Saskatchewan sent out 31 invitations to in-demand professionals. This is significantly less than the province usually invites in its draws. This time, healthcare professionals were needed. Separately, Saskatchewan sent 4 invitations to the citizens of Ukraine.
On November 9, there was a draw in the federal Express Entry system. 4,750 candidates were selected. The passing score has slightly dropped again but is still higher than before the pandemic.
Alex Pavlenko, founder of the Immigrant.Today emigration portal
