From My Visa Source - 13 Amazing Facts About Permanent Citizenship (Guest Post)

 

Becoming a Canadian Citizen is a Lengthy Process

After having acquired a Canadian Permanent Residence (PR), one must wait 5 years before being eligible for Canadian Citizenship. However, for PR’s to qualify, they need to have remained on Canadian soil for 3 years out of the 5. For those who want to get their Canadian Citizenship as quickly as possible, this can seem like a lengthy process.

Canadian Immigration Laws are Strict Yet Necessary
Due to the Canadian Government wanting to build a secure economy as well as a welcoming community, many rules have been put into motion concerning Canadian Citizenship. PR’s must prove their loyalty to Canada by building a foundation on Canadian soil during their 5-year interim.

Permanent Residents Face Longer Wait Periods
PR’s must wait 5 years before being eligible for Canadian Citizenship, despite having already bought a house, started a business, studied, or worked in a promising field in Canada.

Permanent Residents Need to Pass the Canadian Citizenship Test
A PR could potentially fulfill all the requirements for their Canadian Citizenship and still be denied. This is because PR’s need to pass the Canadian Citizenship Test (CCT) to be deemed a true Canadian Citizen.

The Canadian Government Has Approved Bill C6 
On June 19, 2017, the Canadian government passed Bill C6. Effective as of Sept 21, 2017, this benefits PR’s by reducing the “4-out-of-6 rule” to the “3-out-of-5” rule, vastly accelerating the citizenship acquisition process!

Get Accustomed With New Regulations 
Ongoing, PR’s can benefit greatly by studying the Canadian Citizenship process or hiring an Immigration lawyer who is familiar with the recent changes in Immigration Law.


Here are 13 facts about Canadian citizenship that you might find interesting and helpful:

1. Bill C6 can help you receive your Canadian permanent citizenship at a faster rate.
2. Once you obtain your permanent residence status it can never expire.
3. Committing a crime that lands you in jail for longer than 2 years can result in deportation and the revocation of your Canadian permanent citizenship.
4. While your permanent citizenship cannot expire, your permanent resident card can. This documentation must be renewed every 5 years.
5. The first mention of Canadian Citizenship Act in legislation was in the 1910 Immigration Act.
6. Canada’s Citizenship Act became law on January 1, 1947.
7. Most Canada’s immigrants come from Asia and the Pacific. These groups contribute considerably to the “family and work category” pertaining to the Canadian Visa. 
8. The sooner a PR takes the CCT, the more likely they are to pass it.
9. If you fail the CCT, you may be allowed a retake depending on your criteria.
10. Prior to the Canadian Citizenship Act, the legal status of those living in Canada since birth was “British subjects”.
11. Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King was the first to be awarded a Canadian citizenship certificate.
12. In 1958, Conservative Prime Minister John Diefenbaker abolished revocation of citizenship for treason.
13. Between 2003 and 2013, 1.9 million newcomers have become Canadian citizens.

Are you in the process of becoming a Canadian citizen? Are you ready for that final step? Contact your Immigration Lawyer today at https://www.myvisasource.com/

Choose Canada

It's been quite awhile since I wrote here. Some might say it's the natural cycle of blogs that they can only be sustained for X-number of years, or that once the mode of expression has served its purpose or run its course that it's natural it should fade into the background.

These things are true of The Expatriate Mind. I started the blog to document my immigration from the US to Canada,with all its emotional ups and downs, the events along the way and the current events that put the journey into context.

The entirety of the journey is nearly complete as I will be filing papers for my citizenship in a matter of months. I'll be sure and let you know about that process as it occurs, and the steps along the way. It's exciting to think that I will be a Canadian in the very near future.

But why I am writing tonight is because for now, I remain an American permanent resident of Canada and I want to communicate to anyone out there who is looking for make a new life for themselves in North America to take the US off of your radar and instead, choose Canada.

For at least the next four years, the US will be lead by Donald Trump - a fascist, racist, misogynist who is supported by his enablers and henchmen in government and the general population. The characteristics Trump exhibits are not those of all Americans by far, but his control of the government means that immigrating to the US will be fraught with difficulty as he molds policies to please his fascist, racist supporters and fills his bureaucracy with those who share his world view.

Canada welcomes you. In Canada, multiculturalism is written into the constitution:

Equality before and under law and equal protection and benefit of law

• 15. (1) Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability.

• Marginal note:Affirmative action programs

  (2) Subsection (1) does not preclude any law, program or activity that has as its object the amelioration of conditions of disadvantaged individuals or groups including those that are disadvantaged because of race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability. (84)

and 

Multicultural heritage

27. This Charter shall be interpreted in a manner consistent with the preservation and enhancement of the multicultural heritage of Canadians.

There is no question that the contributions made by all who choose Canada as their home is welcomed and appreciated.

While immigration to Canada is not easy - economic immigrants must be matched with demand for their skills, family class immigration has limits in the range of reunification it offers: There are still 60 different programs under which you might immigrate to Canada.

I love this country and am so grateful to have the opportunity to live here. It's been a little over five years now since I landed, and while it has not been easy, coming to Canada to be with the woman I love is one of the best decisions I have ever made.

As an American I can tell you that the US has always been a country that believes in "economic Darwinism" - only the richest survive. If you aren't well off, it's YOUR fault; if you lose your job, you deserve it; if you're sick, it's not anyone's problem but yours. There's a social safety net - but only if you are destitute.

In Canada, we know that we are all in this thing called life together, and that our neighbour's quality of life enhances our own. We put a priority on care and compassion, and good government that is responsive to the needs of the people - not business.

Canada is not perfect - we have a history of wrongs like any other nation and are still setting things right with the aboriginal population of the country. But Canada's heart is in the right place.

If you are seeking the true land of opportunity - one where your contribution is wanted and your hard work for success will matter, I encourage you, as challenging as it may seem - come to Canada. It will be the best move you ever make.  

G&M - Ottawa looks to ease international students’ path to permanent residency

Michelle Zilio and Simona Chiose report:

The Liberal government is moving to make it easier for international students to become permanent residents once they have graduated from Canadian postsecondary institutions.

Immigration Minister John McCallum said he intends to launch federal-provincial talks to reform the current Express Entry program, a computerized system that serves as a matchmaking service between employers and foreign skilled workers. Thousands of international students have been rejected for permanent residency because the program favours prospective skilled workers from abroad.

“We must do more to attract students to this country as permanent residents,” Mr. McCallum told reporters after meeting with his provincial and territorial counterparts Monday. “International students have been shortchanged by the Express Entry system. They are the cream of the crop in terms of potential future Canadians and so I certainly would like to work with my provincial and territorial colleagues to improve that.”

Mr. McCallum said international students are ideal immigrants and should be recruited by Canada.

G&M - Canada on track to welcome more than 300,000 newcomers this year

The good news just doesn't stop on the immigration front. Sunny days, indeed. If you've been thinking about immigrating to Canada, this may be your time to get in line. Skilled workers, Family class immigrants, Student visas - it's all looking up compared to the dark Harper years. Here's the latest from Minister John McCallum:

For the first time in decades, Canada is on track to welcome more than 300,000 new permanent residents to Canada in one year, according to the Liberal government’s 2016 immigration targets tabled Tuesday.

Immigration Minister John McCallum says Canada plans to accept between 280,000 and 305,000 new permanent residents this year, an increase from the updated target of 279,200 for 2015. If the government reaches its target, it will mark the first time Canada has resettled more than 300,000 new permanent residents in one year since 1913.

As promised during last year’s election campaign, the Liberals will increase the number of spaces available for refugees and family reunification arrivals this year.

Canada will see a dramatic boost in the number of refugees it plans to resettle this year to 55,800, up from a target of 24,800 in 2015. The majority of new refugees will be Syrian, in accordance with the government’s commitment to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of February and thousands more throughout the year. It also plans to triple the number of privately sponsored refugees to 18,000 in 2016.

Read the rest at The Globe and Mail

Thank you and goodbye for now

Since April of 2005 I have shared with all of you my Canadian immigration experience, as well as commentary on the politics of immigration, Canadian culture, and since I became a permanent resident, settlement issues and concerns. Now, nearly 10 years, and just shy of 600 posts later, it's time to step away from this blog, at least for a little while; to recharge my batteries, to figure out where I can best serve you in the years ahead.

In the time I've been writing for you, many of you have taken the time to let me know how I've helped you, what you've gained from these posts, and what would help in the future. I hope I've done right by you. Thank you for your feedback.

To those of you who have purchased my books: Thank you. I hope they have helped you in your immigration applications. Part of the work I will be doing in the near future is to update these books to reflect the current immigration reality.

This isn't farewell, just goodbye for now. Please don't hesitate to drop me a note if you have questions, or comments and thank you again for your support over the last decade.

You have seen me through my immigration experience, and I can only hope I've given you solid information, encouragement and most of all, hope in your great future.

Canada is waiting for you. Come join us.

Happy Holidays from Canada

2014 wasn't the most eventful year on the immigration front in Canada, but 2015 is shaping up to be a game changer. The biggest change of course will come with the Expression Of Interest program. This will impose a major change not in the application process for skilled workers, but in the actual chances a skilled worker has for immigrating to Canada.

Where Canada has historically had a first-come-first-served approach to immigration in all classes, it is moving toward a very selective, and therefore highly political approach that will bring the "most qualified" to the front of the line - even if they just got in line yesterday. While this approach is currently limited to economic immigrants, don't think for a minute that it wont come to apply to all classes of immigration.

In the future, who knows? Even reunification of families may be prioritized by which families might be more economically successful as immigrants in the government's eyes.

Outside of the immigration front, and on a more personal note, 2014 finds me fully settling in to my Canadian life. America is becoming a crazy memory, where my only remaining concerns are with friends and family. What goes on there - fair or unfair, just or unjust - only matters to me to the extent that it impacts those I love. Beyond that, living in Canada has confirmed what I've long felt about my home country: there's something fundamentally wrong with the United States.

For those seeking to immigrate to Canada, I wish you the best in 2015. More than ever it will be important for you to understand the program options available to you and to seek out qualified advice on the path you set out on. Canada is likely to welcome more immigrants than ever in 2015 - mainly because it's a year in which we will see a federal election, and the Tories are going to want to play the immigrant card has strongly as they can. But to be one of the lucky ones who get through the red tape, be sure you are informed, proactive, and consistent in your immigration strategy.

Have the happiest of New Years and God bless you all, my faithful readers!  

Half of a change on the way for January 1, 2015 - Express Entry debuts

The CIC announced on December 1st:

In January 2015, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) will launch a new electronic system called Express Entry to manage applications for permanent residence under these federal economic immigration programs:

• The Federal Skilled Worker Program,
• The Federal Skilled Trades Program, and
• The Canadian Experience Class.

Provinces and territories will also be able to recruit candidates from the Express Entry system for a portion of the Provincial Nominee Programs to meet local labour market needs. 

Express entry means that qualified applicants will no longer be processed on a first-come-first-served basis, but instead, be put into a pool of applicants. When an applicant has a job offer from a Canadian company (that cannot be filled by a Canadian citizen), or a job becomes available that matches the applicant's skills (same caveat that the job has to be one no Canadian is available for), then applicants will be matched to the opportunity by the Federal government.

That's right - the Federal government is going into the headhunting business.

Only one hitch though: The job-matching aspect of this new legislation is not ready to roll out yet. Ottawa is going ahead with half a program.

Why? Because it means as of January, they can stop processing applications under the three programs while giving the impression that they are still pro-immigration.

Ottawa says the program will be fully running by the spring of 2015. But this is the same government that brought you the Canada Action Plan - a well advertised jobs program that has generated few new opportunities, despite (according to the Toronto Star) "...spending more than five times as many taxpayer dollars on promoting its economic plan as it is on raising public awareness about the flu pandemic."

Skilled worker program? Read "Killed" worker program.

You can thank the Tories.

Must read - Canadian Experience Class applications

Attorney David Cohen's Canada Immigration Newsletter has an article that will be of interest to anyone applying for Permanent Residence through the Canadian Experience Class. In it he points out that, as with all immigration applications the devil is in the details.

On first glance, the process for a candidate wishing to convert from temporary to permanent resident status appears simple. Skilled workers with good English or French ability intending to reside outside Quebec might think that their positive eligibility for the program makes attaining permanent residence a certainty. The reality, however, is that there have been a growing number of refusals handed out to individuals due to minor discrepancies in their applications. Unfortunately, these people do not become permanent residents of Canada.

While the article deals with Canadian Experience Class applications, the same advice of getting the details right pertains to all immigration applications. In the case of a family class application for instance; if you say you and your partner travelled to Hawaii together in 2013, but the photos you submit are date-stamped 2011, that might cause you a problem. If you claimed to have worked in a certain profession for over a year, but can only produce 9 months worth of payslips, that will cause you a problem.

The bottom line is that the statements of fact that you put on your application have to be supportable by evidence. That's why the gathering of supporting materials for an application is one of the most difficult and critical steps in applying for permanent residence.

Read the rest of the article here.

Immigration Minister Chris Alexander - quotable quotes

On Express Entry program:

• "We think we've done more than all other countries to make sure our programs are cutting edge..."
• "Our doors are open, our programs have integrity (and) we're focusing immigration as never before on our economic needs as a country. And our reputation in the world for doing immigration well, for choosing incredible people and for helping them create successful lives in Canada ... has never been stronger."
• "This is harder than it sounds to pull off."
• "Express Entry will transform Canada’s immigration system into one that is faster and more responsive to economic and labour market needs. It will allow Citizenship and Immigration Canada to select the candidates who are most likely to succeed economically in Canada, rather than passively process all applicants in a queue..."

On revisions to program allowing citizens of India to visit Canada: 

• "Successful applicants will be grouped for bulk processing and put through our visa office on a priority basis...its being launched as a permanent program after a successful pilot program..."
• "Today's announcement is really about visitors for tourism - family or business...for work permits and study programs and immigration...nothing is changing today but all of that is getting faster as well… (from) January 1, 2015 we will offer six month processing for our economic immigration program...and this is a program that used to take 3­, 4 or more years..."

 

Immigration book updates in process

I am currently updating my two immigration books to account for program changes that have occurred since they were first published. Here's your chance to influence the content!

If there are questions about either family class or skilled worker class immigration you would like to see covered in the books, please let me know as soon as possible. 

I am also planning to offer the books for sale directly to you through this and other web sites, as opposed to Amazon and iTunes. I plan to offer the book in both ePub and MOBI formats.

I also want to announce that the price for these two valuable resources are going to increase with the new versions.

The current versions are still valid if you want to pick them up before the updates and price increases. I will also offer free updates to previous customers with validated copies of the original books. I want you to have the best and most current information on how to complete your application for permanent residence.    

ADAMS, MACKLIN AND OMIDVAR - Citizenship Act will create two classes of Canadians

"Consider this scenario: A foreign student completes her master’s degree here in three years. She wants to stay in Canada – and is just the kind of highly skilled immigrant Canada needs – but she’s not eligible to apply for permanent residence yet. First, she must find suitable employment and work for a year. Having done so, she applies for permanent resident status, which takes another year to process. She has now been in Canada for five years, but none of it counts toward the four-year permanent residency requirement. Under the old rules, she would have received partial credit for years lived in Canada as a temporary resident. No more.

She is now a permanent resident, just at the starting line of the four years she must spend in Canada to apply for citizenship. Her Canadian employer asks her to work in one of its overseas offices (perhaps to take advantage of her language skills and cultural knowledge). But under the new rules any time spent outside Canada will further delay her eligibility for citizenship and could even jeopardize her permanent residence. She refuses the career opportunity.

Four years later, she has fulfilled her permant residence requirement and applies for citizenship. Based on existing delays (the result of staff shortages, not law), she will have to wait about two years before her application is processed. She’s been here for eleven years, six of them as a permanent resident. Only now can she call herself “Canadian” and vote for the representatives that collect her taxes and make decisions that affect her life."

Read the excellent, entire article here

The Globe and Mail - Canada must see immigration as a competitive edge

Gordon Nixon writes:

Diversity and immigration are important parts of Canada’s past, present and future.

Canadians have built a prosperous and civil society, one rich in opportunity, that people of many different cultures call home. Our economic strength is derived from the combination of what we all have in common and what makes each of us different.

Immigration has become a hot topic in Britain ahead of elections in 2015 but a new report by the Centre for Entrepreneurs shows they are crucial to the economy, responsible for starting one in seven UK companies. Hayley Platt talks to one migrant who came to England as a boy 42 years ago and is now a multi-million pound hotelier.

Canada welcomes almost a quarter of a million permanent immigrants each year – one of the highest rates of all developed countries. It is projected that 28 per cent of Canadians will be foreign-born by 2031 up from 20 per cent today. Canada must remain a destination of choice for skilled immigrants – entrepreneurs, professionals, scientists. Talent is more mobile and potential immigrants have more choices than ever before, with predictions of skills shortages for many developed economies. Simply opening our doors is not enough.

Read more here

Submitting a complete immigration application - a CIC How-To

This tutorial video shows you how to complete your application correctly and avoid common errors that can cause delays. It will help anyone traveling or immigrating to Canada, applying for Canadian citizenship, sponsoring a refugee or filling out other Citizenship and Immigration Canada applications.

My books can also help you be sure you have all your bases covered when it comes to Skilled Worker and Family Class applications. 

Miscalculation! CIC opens up double the categories for Federal Skilled Worker program

Some bean counter must have got his estimations wrong. After years of clamping progressively downward on the Federal Skilled Worker program, CIC announced Wednesday that it is opening the program up to 50 NOC categories (up from 29 in the last iteration of the program) and 25,000 applications.

Here are some details from the CIC:

On April 26, 2014, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) will issue a new set of Ministerial Instructions to immigration officers regarding the processing of applications to the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), and Canadian Experience Class (CEC).

Effective May 1, 2014, the following measures will be in place:

Federal Skilled Worker Program:
Federal Skilled Workers are chosen as permanent residents based on their ability to prosper in Canada. They are assessed according to a selection grid made up of six factors, including language, education, work experience, etc.

Overall cap of 25,000 applications in eligible occupations stream.

• Cap of 500 applications for PhD eligibility stream
• No limit on applicants who have a valid job offer from a Canadian employer
• Sub-caps of 1,000 applications for each of the 50 eligible occupations below (their 2011 National Occupational Classification (NOC) code is included in brackets):
• Senior managers – financial, communications and other business services (0013)
• Senior managers - trade, broadcasting and other services, n.e.c. (0015)
• Financial managers (0111)
• Human resources managers (0112)
• Purchasing managers (0113)
• Insurance, real estate and financial brokerage managers (0121)
• Managers in health care (0311)
• Construction managers (0711)
• Home building and renovation managers (0712)
• Managers in natural resources production and fishing (0811)
• Manufacturing managers (0911)
• Financial auditors and accountants (1111)
• Financial and investment analysts (1112)
• Securities agents, investment dealers and brokers (1113)
• Other financial officers (1114)
• Professional occupations in advertising, marketing and public relations (1123)
• Supervisors, finance and insurance office workers (1212)
• Property administrators (1224)
• Geoscientists and oceanographers (2113)
• Civil engineers (2131)
• Mechanical engineers (2132)
• Electrical and electronics engineers (2133)
• Petroleum engineers (2145)
• Information systems analysts and consultants (2171)
• Database analysts and data administrators (2172)
• Software engineers and designers (2173)
• Computer programmers and interactive media developers (2174)
• Mechanical engineering technologists and technicians (2232)
• Construction estimators (2234)
• Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians (2241)
• Industrial instrument technicians and mechanics (2243)
• Inspectors in public and environmental health and occupational health and safety (2263)
• Computer network technicians (2281)
• Nursing co-ordinators and supervisors (3011)
• Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses (3012)
• Specialist physicians (3111)
• General practitioners and family physicians (3112)
• Dietitians and nutritionists (3132)
• Audiologists and speech-language pathologists (3141)
• Physiotherapists (3142)
• Occupational therapists (3143)
• Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists (3214)
• Medical radiation technologists (3215)
• Medical sonographers (3216)
• Licensed practical nurses (3233)
• Paramedical occupations (3234)
• University professors and lecturers (4011)
• Psychologists (4151)
• Early childhood educators and assistants (4214)
• Translators, terminologists and interpreters (5125)

Federal Skilled Trades Program:
This program is for people who want to become permanent residents based on being qualified in a skilled trade.

Overall cap of 5,000 applications.

• All 90 skilled trades from the following NOC Skill Level B groups are eligible (with sub-caps of 100 applications each): 
• Major Group 72: Industrial, electrical and construction trades;
• Major Group 73: Maintenance and equipment operation trades;
• Major Group 82: Supervisors and technical occupations in national resources, agriculture and related production;
• Major Group 92: Processing, manufacturing and utilities supervisors and central control operators;
• Minor Group 632: chefs and cooks;
• Minor Group 633: butchers and bakers.

Canadian Experience Class:
This program is for people who already have skilled work experience in Canada and want to immigrate permanently.

Overall cap of 8,000 applications.

• Sub-caps of 200 applications each for any NOC B occupation
• Six ineligible occupations: administrative officers (NOC code 1221), administrative assistants (1241), accounting technicians/bookkeepers (1311), cooks (6322), food service supervisors (6311), and retail sales supervisors (6211).

The new Ministerial Instructions will also re-confirm the existing pause of applications to the federal Immigrant Investor and Entrepreneur Programs.  

A season of opportunity

Things seem to quiet down a lot in winter time. And it's no different on the immigration front. I notice on the blog that inquiries drop, and things in general get quiet. But let me tell you, if you are thinking about immigration to Canada, winter is a fantastic time to take advantage of the quiet and get your application going. There is always a lot to do in preparation for an application, and you'll find response times to requests for documents from many government offices get handled a lot faster at this quiet time of the year.

An application requires police clearances, proofs of education, language proficiency tests - all these things are much easier to acquire and schedule when offices are quiet following the New Year holidays.

So use this time wisely and get your application rolling for 2014. Luck favours the prepared!

Canadian Experience Class - Minister announces cap for 2014

Just weeks after their report to Parliament, the Tories continue their tinkering with immigration programs and levels.

 As reported by CIC News:

Last week, Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander announced significant changes to the popular Canadian Experience Class (CEC) of immigration. Most importantly, an intake cap of 12,000 applications has been instituted for the upcoming year. The cap is effective from November 9, 2013 to October 31, 2014.

Read the entire article here