Immigration policy updates 2011/12

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Canada has one of the highest per capita rates of permanent immigration in the world – roughly 0.8% in recent years – and has welcomed 3.5 million immigrants in the past 15 years. Canada’s average immigration intake is about $250,000 people a year, and it has just announced that the target levels for immigration in 2012 will remain steady in a range of 240,000 to 265,000.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada has recently announced the following changes to immigration policy - some of which are flagged to begin in 2012:

Two year stop on Parent/Grandparent visa

Canada has introduced a two-year moratorium for parent and grandparent visas in an effort to slash the massive backlog of applications. At present, there are more than 165,000 parents or grandparents of Canadian residents on the wait list to have a permanent visa granted. During the two-year break, CIC will launch a consultation to seek feedback on reforming the current system.

New Parent/Grandparent 'super visa'

CIC has introduced a new Parent and Grandparent Super Visa (to be issued from 1 Dec 2011), which will be good for 10 years, but will have to be renewed every two years. People applying to sponsor a parent or grandparent will have to show they can support their visiting relatives. To be accepted, the visitors will be required to have private health insurance coverage during their stay in Canada. The new visa is expected to take just eight weeks to be granted.

Foreign PHD students to get residence more easily

International PhD students are now eligible to apply to receive skilled worker visas through the federal skilled worker program. To be eligible, students must have completed at least two years of study toward a PhD and remain in good academic standing at a provincially recognized post-secondary educational institution in Canada. Recent graduates can also apply within 12 months of their graduation date.

Intake of skilled workers up 10,000 in 2012

CIC will accept between 55,000 and 57,000 skilled workers for 2012, an increase of 8-10,000 from the current figure of 47,000. The greater focus on skilled migration is part of CIC's recognition of the positive benefits skilled labour has for the Canadian economy.

New points system for skilled worker program in 2012

The federal government will introduce a new, more "flexible" points system that will give credit to skilled tradespeople, a group previously penalised by the skilled worker program. It will also award points for applicants who have lined up a job in advance.

PNP allocations to increase in 2012

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is preparing to open its doors to a record 42,000 to 45,000 people under the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) in 2012 – an almost seven-fold increase since 2004. To be eligible for the PNP, immigrants will need to have the skills, education and work experience needed to make an immediate economic contribution to the province or territory that nominates them.

Canadian Experience visa numbers to increase for 2012

CIC is expecting the number of candidates for the Canadian Experience Class to rise to 7,000 in 2012. Although it's a relatively small increase, the numbers are up from just 2,545 in 2009. The visa, which fast-tracks qualifying applicants to permanent residency, has proved very popular. To qualify, applicants must be either a temporary foreign worker with at least two years of full-time skilled work experience in Canada, or a foreign graduate from a Canadian post-secondary institution with at least one year of full-time skilled work experience in Canada.

Immigration overhaul planned for 2012

Canada's government is poised to give the nation's immigration system a sweeping overhaul this year. Changes that have been flagged include:

  • A new points-based selection process that will allow employers to hand-pick candidates with skills in demand and fast-track their applications
  • A higher language bar for provincial nominees, especially those in language-intensive fields
  • A separate immigration stream for tradespeople
  • The possible move to an Expression of Interest immigration system similar to the one introduced by New Zealand in 2003. This did away with the backlog of immigration applications, replacing it with a ‘pool’ of prospective applicants from which the best candidates could be selected and invited to apply.
  • Revisions to the entrepreneurs & investors scheme, including raising the minimum investment required to qualify under the scheme

What next?

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