Blue Bird Blog

Ukrainians in Canada will be able to apply for permanent residence beginning in October

On Saturday, the Canadian government announced that it will introduce a new pathway this October to enable Ukrainians in Canada to apply for permanent residence.
Effective October 23, 2023, the new pathway will be available to Ukrainians in Canada with temporary resident status and who have at least one family member in Canada. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) says that more details will be available leading up to the launch of the program in October.

IRCC notes among those who will be eligible include Ukrainian spouses, common-law partners, parents, grandparents, siblings and children or grandchildren of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.

Ukrainians who hold a Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) visa will have until March 31, 2024 to travel to Canada under the temporary special measures offered by the Canadian government. Canada stopped accepting new applications for the CUAET on July 15, however Ukrainians and their family members can still apply for a temporary resident visa (TRV) to come to Canada.

Once in Canada on a TRV, Ukrainians and their families will be able to extend their stays for up to three years through study permits and open work permits, which IRCC will prioritize. In addition, they will have access to settlement services, including language training and employment supports.

Since its launch in March 2022, the CUAET has enabled over 166,000 Ukrainians to move to Canada.

Source: cicnews.com

Permanent Resident

Canada’s Auditor General releases a report on IRCC’s permanent residence backlogs

The Office of the Auditor General (OAG) has just released the findings of its report on the processing of permanent residence applications by Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
The audit's purpose was to determine if IRCC processed applications for permanent residence as quickly and efficiently as possible.
The OAG serves Canada’s parliament by conducting audits that provide fact-based, objective information and expert advice. Parliament uses these audits to measure the performance of government activities. The OAG also holds the

Looking to gain Canadian permanent residence? Here are tools to increase your French language ability

Recent months have seen Express Entry begin targeted category-based draws for candidates in the federal pool who meet Canada’s economic and demographic goals. For 2023, one of these candidate categories is those with French-language proficiency.
Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has already held targeted draws for this group, inviting candidates with French proficiency; and holding draws with noticeably lower Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores than other category-based selection draws and all-program Express Entry draws.

Canada’s new immigration minister is Marc Miller

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced major changes to his cabinet this morning at 10:30 AM Eastern Time.
Canada’s new immigration minister is Marc Miller, a Member of Parliament from Quebec. Miller recently served as Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, a role meant to support the self-determination of Canada’s Indigenous peoples. Canada’s most recent Immigration Minister, Sean Fraser, will now become Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities.

Your options to overcome inadmissibility to Canada

Canada welcomes millions of tourists, visitors, immigrants, foreign workers, and students each year. However, before coming to Canada, whatever the reason, it’s important to know that a past criminal record can make you inadmissible.
If you have been convicted of a crime in the past, your admissibility to Canada is calculated based on the equivalency of the foreign criminal offence into Canadian law.

IRCC processing spousal TRVs in 30 days with a 90% approval rate

Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) now has a processing time of 30 days for Temporary Resident Visas (TRVs) for spousal applicants.
The measure applies to spousal applicants who have already applied for permanent residency in Canada. Rather than require applicants to remain in their home countries while awaiting IRCC’s decision, they can now come to Canada while they wait for their application to be processed.

Most popular ways to immigrate to Canada from Pakistan

In 2023, Canada aims to welcome 465,000 new permanent residents. By 2025, this target is increased to 500,000. Pakistan is one of the top source countries of new immigrants to Canada, which is currently home to over 300,000 Pakistani people. The largest share of Pakistani people live in Ontario, especially in Toronto, Mississauga and Milton.