Resumption of Express Entry selections and other Canadian news

Resuming selections and getting a permanent residence permit

Immigration Canada has announced important changes that will take effect this summer. In July, Express Entry will resume selections for federal programs for skilled tradespersons and professionals with experience in Canada. Details will be announced later.

And while people wait months or even years for the ministry to decide, they will be allowed to leave the country, to work legally, and to bring relatives to Canada. Any applicant will be able to leave the country and return. It will be possible to get an open work permit to choose an employer and it will be valid until the end of 2024. Family members of the principal applicant, who were listed on the application form when they applied, will also be able to get an open work permit, even if they are not in Canada. International graduates will have their work permits renewed if they expire in 2022.

Even people who have already obtained a permanent residence permit can wait months for a permanent residency card to be mailed to them, replacing their identity card. Some immigrants affected by the bureaucratic delays attracted the attention of journalists and House of Commons member Pierre Poalivre. The Department of Immigration has since apologized and advised that if the card is not mailed within six weeks beyond the maximum time limit indicated on the official website, the application for reissuance should be sent. The maximum time limit is currently 94 days.

Support for foreign nurses

Two provinces have allocated money to adapt and support foreign nurses. The province of Ontario stressed again the need to speed up their licensing, and introduced an amendment to the law to prohibit requiring them to have experience in Canada.

British Columbia offers more specific help. As early as May 2022, the fellowship program will begin. In 2022, the province plans to pay for the licensing of about 1,500 nurses. Each participant in the program can qualify for reimbursement between $1,500 and $16,000 CAD, including professional development courses. B.C. is allocating $9 million CAD for scholarships this year and $12 million CAD for the entire project.

The province has hired nurse supervisors who will assist and support fellows all the way through the process of obtaining the necessary documents. It will be possible to apply for the fellowship from any country. The province now invites international nurses who are already in B.C. and want to apply for a scholarship to register on a special portal.

Business immigration to Canada

In all likelihood, the province of Ontario is now more interested in foreign business people investing money in its economy. The Toronto Business Development Centre, which won a provincial competition, will help 100 immigrant entrepreneurs start their own businesses or purchase existing ones in small communities across the province outside the Greater Toronto Area. The province is providing $6 million CAD over three years for this project.

Immigration selections

Three provinces held drawings this past week.

On April 19, BC invited a total of 147 people to apply. On the same day, there was a targeted selection process for health care professionals, early childhood educators and child care assistants, and veterinarians and veterinary technicians. The province invited 20 educators and assistants, 7 health professionals, and fewer than 5 veterinarians and veterinary technicians.

The other two drawings were held on April 21. Prince Edward Island invited 11 entrepreneurs and 130 migrant workers. The province of Manitoba invited qualified professionals in two streams and graduates of local universities. In total, 262 professionals and 41 graduates received invitations.

Vaccinations and restrictions

At our immigration company, we get a lot of questions about vaccinations to get into Canada. The rules are changing all the time. Before Easter weekend, they introduced new restrictions for those entering from abroad, and as of April 25, they have already revoked them. Many vaccinated and coronavirus-tested Canadians who went to the United States for the weekend were very surprised to learn that upon their return they must wear masks even on the street for two weeks, write down all the people they will come in contact with during those two weeks and all the places they will visit.

As of April 25, fully vaccinated people can safely cross the border into Canada. They no longer need to plan for quarantine, wear masks when they arrive, or go to self-isolation if someone with coronavirus symptoms was traveling with them. The same applies to unvaccinated children under 11 if they are accompanied by a fully vaccinated adult.

As early as April 19, the U.S. rejected the mask regime on public transportation, a court ruled that the requirement to wear masks had insufficient legal basis and was incorrectly framed legally. In Canada, for now, medical reasons are more important. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Transportation Minister Omar Alhambra have independently stressed in their speeches that Canada will not be guided by the United States on this issue. One still needs to wear masks on planes and trains, even if they are going to a country where it is no longer required.

Travel within Canada is further complicated by the fact that without a vaccination certificate, you will not be allowed on planes or trains. If you are a foreign citizen and do not want to be vaccinated, it is still stated that you can only leave Canada until August 31, 2022. You still have to show the result of the coronavirus test.

More news from Canada

Canada celebrated Catholic Easter with almost the entire country resting for four days. The faithful attend church on Friday and Sunday, but Easter traditions are popular with everyone. Chocolate bunnies and eggs are sold everywhere, and in city parks and farms people look for eggs hidden by the Easter bunny and win prizes. Ukrainian Easter eggs called pysanky are trending this year. You may not have known that Canada is home to the largest peasant egg sculpture in the world. It is located in the town of Vegreville, Alberta. Its length is 9 meters.

CBC News has been running a contest for the best small town in British Columbia for more than a month. The province was divided into four parts and online voting was conducted every day. On April 29, the winner will be announced. You can already tell that most of the towns people voted for are well-liked by tourists.

The stray bear season has begun in Canada. Young black bears have visited the backyard of a house in British Columbia and broken a trampoline, and there is also a known case of a bear attacking a man outside his private home and a broken passenger car. Every year in April and May bears start visiting populated areas in search of food. Last year more than 500 bears were killed in B.C. during those two months, although normally in Canada one tries to drive the wild animals away rather than kill them. Geese nesting in Vancouver's parks and molesting people are not shot, but instead their eggs are replaced with plastic ones, which barely keeps their population level.

If black bears and geese are attracted by humans themselves, leaving food scraps in easily accessible places, things are more complicated with polar bears. They are really being pushed closer to humans by melting glaciers, experts say.

Alex Pavlenko, founder of the emigration portal Immigrant.Today