Blue Bird Blog

Six of Canada’s provinces invite candidates in latest provincial immigration results

Ontario, British Columbia, Quebec, Alberta, Manitoba, and PEI have invited candidates to apply for provincial immigration.
All Canadian provinces and territories, except Quebec and Nunavut, may invite economic immigrants to apply for a provincial nomination through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). A nomination strengthens a candidate's application for permanent residency when they apply to Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
Quebec has a separate agreement with the federal government and has total autonomy over the number of economic immigrants it may choose for permanent selection.

New Immigration Levels Plan and Strategic Immigration Program

Each year, IRCC releases an Immigration Levels Plan to set a target for the number of permanent residents that will be invited over the coming three years. The overall target is divided among IRCC's immigration programs and pathways.

The latest Immigration Levels Plan, covering 2024-2026, was released on November 1st. It shows that in 2024, IRCC will admit 110,000 newcomers through the PNP and 120,000 in both 2025 and 2026.

The Plan is based heavily on IRCC’s recently released Strategic Immigration Program. The program outlines three key pillars for improving efficiency at IRCC, making it easier for newcomers to settle, and coordinating the growth of immigration levels with infrastructure requirements and settlement services.

IRCC plans to meet its goals by speaking with relevant stakeholders, such as provincial governments, to better understand local needs and capabilities. This will ensure that newcomers have everything they require to integrate successfully while improving affordability and balancing the needs of all Canadians.

Provincial immigration results October 28- November 3

Ontario

On October 30 Ontario issued invitations to apply to candidates in the Master’s Graduate and PhD Graduate streams of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP). Both draws were general, meaning no occupation was specified.

The province invited 1051 Master’s Graduate stream candidates with a minimum score of 43 and above

It also invited 66 PhD Graduate stream candidates with a minimum score of 42 and above.

British Columbia

British Columbia invited more than 203 PNP candidates on October 31.

The province held four separate draws. The largest considered Skilled Workers with a minimum score of 111 International Graduate with a score of 113 and Entry-Level and Semi-Skilled candidates who scored a minimum of 91.

The remaining three draws were occupation-specific and targeted only Skilled Workers and International Graduates. All candidates needed a minimum score of 60.

- 48 early childhood educators and assistants

- 22 healthcare professions

- Less than five other priority occupations

Quebec

Quebec released its own Immigration Levels Plan on November 1st. Like the federal Immigration Levels Plan, Quebec sets targets for the economic immigrants it will invite to apply for permanent selection, but this year the province only sets targets for 2024 and 2025.

Quebec typically sets targets up to four years in advance but is only doing two years in this plan to monitor the success of a new requirement that all candidates have knowledge of French to be considered for permanent selection.

The province is targeting 30,650 skilled workers in 2024 and 31,500 in 2025.

The two most recent provincial immigration draws took place on October 26 and invited 1220 candidates. The first draw targeted multiple trades occupations with a score greater than 465 points.

The second draw targeted candidates in tech, healthcare and other priority occupations with scores that were greater than 608.

In both draws, candidates also required a level 7 oral proficiency (or higher) in French according to the Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence en français des personnes immigrantes adultes or its equivalent.

Alberta

Alberta recently published draw results for October 24 and October 26.

On October 24, the province invited 22 candidates through the Dedicated Healthcare Pathway with Alberta job offer stream. The lowest-ranking candidates had a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 326.

The October 26 draw invited 100 candidates who were eligible under the Family Connection and Primary Occupation In Demand stream. These candidates needed a minimum CRS score of 369.

In both draws, candidates were also in the Express Entry pool of application.

Manitoba

Manitoba invited 400 candidates to apply for nomination through the Manitoba PNP on November 2.

The province held three separate draws. The first was for 204 Skilled Workers in Manitoba with a minimum score of 768. It was a general draw.

The second was for Skilled Workers Overseas. The province invited 65 candidates with a score of 708 as part of a strategic recruitment initiative.

The final draw invited 131 candidates from the International Education Stream. No minimum score was specified.

Prince Edward Island

Also on November 2, PEI invited 41 Labour and Express Entry candidates to apply.

Candidates were selected if they were working in the healthcare, manufacturing, food processing and agriculture sectors.

In the past 12 months, PEI has invited 2,385 candidates to apply through the PEI PNP.

Source: cicnews.com

Provinces

The average cost of buying a home in Canada’s largest cities

Housing has become a key issue for Canadians in 2024, with much attention given to the impact that changing interest rates, population increases, natural emigration patterns, and other factors have had on housing costs.
After compiling a guide on rental costs across Canada in 2024, CIC News has prepared the following guide on the costs of buying a home in Canada, considering the largest cities and population centers in each of the country’s provinces.

Quebec announces suspension of LMIA processing for some low-wage temporary foreign workers

Starting September 3rd, the processing of Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs) to applicants in Montréal will be suspended for job offers with hourly wages below $27.47 CAD (the Quebec median hourly wage). This measure is expected to be in place for the next six months and has been approved by the federal government of Canada.

Here’s why the number of temporary workers in Quebec has nearly quadrupled in eight years

According to a recent report by a Quebec-based non-profit think tank, the province’s growth in temporary immigrants was primarily driven by two programs: the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) and the International Mobility Program (IMP).
According to this report, published by the Institut du Quebec (IDQ) last month, Quebec’s temporary resident population grew 46% in 2023 and most of this growth was due to an influx of temporary workers. Specifically, Quebec had 167,435 temporary work permit holders last year, almost four times as many as in 2015.

How long will it take to become a permanent resident of Canada in 2024?

Foreign nationals seeking permanent residence (PR) in Canada often look for the fastest pathway to achieving their goal and starting a new life in this country.
On a basic level, Canada has four primary immigration classes: economic immigration, family-class sponsorship, humanitarian/compassionate immigration and immigration for refugees/protected persons.
However, within those four general classifications, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) provides foreign nationals with more than 100 ways to immigrate to Canada.

IRCC outlines new guiding principles for the PNP

CIC News has obtained an Access to Information Request (ATIP) from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) outlining new guiding principles for how the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) distributes allocations to the provinces.
Provinces have a limit on the number of candidates they can invite through the PNP. Each year, the federal government allocates a specific number of nominations to each province and territory.

Minimum wage increases for hourly workers have taken effect in six provinces across Canada

Canadians in six provinces across the country will now see a boost to hourly minimum wage rates.
This move follows a timeline that was reported on back in April this year. The list below outlines exactly how much hourly minimum wages in each of the six impacted provinces have risen as of this past Sunday (October 1, 2023).