Blue Bird Blog

Canada’s government proposing new affordability measures

Canada’s Finance Minister, Chrystia Freeland, has tabled a new bill with the House of Commons to improve affordability in Canada.
Bill C-56, the Affordable Housing and Groceries Act, has two main components. The first is to change the Excise Tax Act to add an enhancement to the GST New Residential Rental Property Rebate.

IRCC invites candidates in first ever category-based Express Entry draw for agriculture and agri-food occupations

Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has issued 600 invitations to apply (ITAs) in the first ever category-based Express Entry draw for agriculture and agri-food occupations.
Candidates required a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 354.

What counts as eligible work experience for immigration through Express Entry?

The definition of eligible work experience in the context of Express Entry depends on exactly which program an immigration candidate is applying under.
In other words, what is considered eligible skilled work experience varies depending on whether a particular candidate is applying to the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) or the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).

Canada ranked as 2nd best country in the world

According to the 2023 Best Countries ranking by U.S. News, Canada is the second-best in the world overall this year, behind Switzerland.
Sweden, Australia, and the United States rounded out the top five overall countries.
The move up to second is an improvement from 2022, when Canada was ranked third overall by U.S. News.
To formulate these rankings, U.S. News looked at 10 different sub-categories (where they ranked the top 20 countries in each) and then ranked 87 countries in their overall rankings.

The top Canadian immigration developments to expect for the rest of 2023

Fall and the lead-up to the Christmas holiday period are typically busy seasons for developments from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and Canada’s immigration system in general.
While there are a lot of moving parts to Canada’s immigration system, there are several key developments to watch for as the year comes to a close.
These include potential changes in Canada’s immigration policy priorities and permanent residence levels, and updates to the parents and grandparents, international student, and work permit programs.