Newsletter | January 2013 Edition | Vol # 1-1-2013
Have a Happy New Year ! From the Niren & Associates Team
Niren & Associates would like to thank you for choosing our firm to assist you with your immigration matters in 2012. We are delighted to have served you and, its been a pleasure helping you achieve your goals. We look forward to serving you again with any future needs. On behalfeveryone at Niren & Associates, we wish you a healthy and prosperous 2013!
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Federal Skilled Worker Program to Re-Open May 4, 2013
According to this news release from Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney has announced that the Federal Skilled Worker program will re-open with several changes. The changes made to the program were in an effort to ensure the program attracts the kind of workers Canada needs.
New Official Changes to the Skilled Worker Program
The changes include:
The changes include:
- Creating a minimum official language level and making language the most important factor in the points selection process by awarding more points for language abilities.
- Offering more points for younger immigrants who will spend more years contributing to the Canadian economy.
- Creating a program called the Educational Credential Assessment to better consider the value of foreign credentials compared to Canadian ones.
- Creating the ability for employers to hire applicants faster by making changes to the arranged employment process.
- Awarding points to the applicants for having work experience in Canada and for having spouses with language proficiency in English or French.
- "The government's number one priority remains jobs, economic growth and long-term prosperity," he said. "The new Federal Skilled Worker program criteria will ensure Canada is selecting the skilled immigrants our economy needs, who are most likely to succeed and fully realize their potential in Canada."
The
Skilled Worker Program is the largest economic immigration program in
Canada, and these changes are expected to make it so that it only takes a
few months to process applications instead of a few years. If you would like to immigrate to Canada under the Skilled Worker Program, please contact
us to speak with one of our immigration professionals.
As this is a highly competitive program, we can help you determine if you are eligible to begin the application process. Best advice? Plan in advance!
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http://www.visaplace.com/blog-
http://www.visaplace.com/blog-
New Federal Skilled Worker Point System
In our September 2012 newsletter we posted the new point system. Here is the new point system and details about how the points will be awarded to the applicants.
Old Points System Grid
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New Point System with Changes
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First Official Language:
Maximum 16 points
No official language ability required
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First Official Language:
Maximum 24 points
New Mandatory Minimum
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Basic
Approx. CLB/NCLC 4 or 5
1 Point per ability to max. of 2
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Minimum threshold in all abilities
Initially set at CLB/NCLC 7
4 Points per ability
Understands the
main points and important details of a conversation and can write
routine business correspondence; able to participate in small group
discussions and express opinions and reservations about a topic.
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Moderate
Approx. CLB/NCLC 6 or 7
2 Points per ability
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Threshold + 1 CLB/NCLC level
5 Points per ability
CLB/NCLC 8
Participates in
business meetings and debates; understands a broad range of general and
abstract topics; writes formal and informal notes and summary documents.
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Second Official Language: 8 Points
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Second Official Language: 4 Points
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Maximum 8 Points
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Maximum 4 Points
CLB/NCLC 5 in all abilities |
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Age: Maximum 10 Points
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Age: Maximum 12 Points
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21 to 49 yrs
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10 Points
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18 to 35 yrs
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12 Points
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20 or 50 yrs
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8 Points
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36 yrs
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11 Points
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19 or 51 yrs
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6 Points
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37 yrs
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10 Points
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18 or 52 yrs
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4 Points
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Less one point per year
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--
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17 or 53 yrs
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2 Points
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46 yrs
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1 Point
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<17 or >53 yrs
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0 Point
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47 and over
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0 Point
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Work Experience: Maximum 21 Points
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Work Experience: Maximum 15 Points
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1 yr
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15 Points
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1 yr
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9 Points
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2 yrs
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17 Points
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2 to 3 yrs
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11 Points
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3 yrs
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19 Points
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4 to 5 yrs
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13 Points
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4+ yrs
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21 Points
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6+ yrs
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15 Points
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Education: Maximum 25 Points
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Education: Maximum 25 Points
Points will be
awarded based on an assessment of educational credentials by a
designated organization, indicating the foreign educational credential's
equivalent in Canada.
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Master's or Doctoral level (+17 yrs)
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17 Points
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Doctoral level
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25 Points
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Two or more credentials at the bachelor's level OR 3-year post-secondary credential (+15 yrs)
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22 Points
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Master's level or professional degree
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23 Points
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Bachelor's (2 years or more) OR 2-year post-secondary credential (+14 yrs)
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20 Points
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Two or more post-secondary credentials, one of which is a three-year or longer post-secondary credential
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22 Points
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Bachelor's (1 year) OR 1-year post-secondary credential (+13 yrs)
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15 Points
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Three-year or longer post-secondary credential
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21 Points
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One-year post-secondary credential (+12 yrs)
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12 Points
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Two-year post-secondary credential
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19 Points
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Secondary school
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5 Points
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One-year post-secondary credential
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15 Points
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Secondary school not completed
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0 Points
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Secondary school
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5 Points
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Arranged Employment: 10 points
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Arranged Employment: 10 points
In order to
receive points for arranged employment, applicants will need to have a
LMO from HRSDC, plus an indeterminate job offer. In some cases,
applicants will be LMO exempt and will only require the indeterminate
job offer. New measures, including introducing a labour market
assessment and genuineness elements in the regulations, are expected to
increase program integrity, improve labour market responsiveness, and
streamline processing for employers.
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Adaptability: Maximum 10 Points
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Spousal/partner education
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5 Points
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PA Previous Work in Canada (min. 1 yr at NOC 0, A, B)
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10 Points
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Previous Study in Canada PA or spouse/partner
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5 Points
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Or a combination of...
Previous study in Canada -- PA
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5 Points
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Previous Work in Canada PA or spouse/partner
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5 Points
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Previous study in Canada -- accompanying spouse/partner
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5 Points
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Relative in Canada
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5 Points
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Previous work in Canada -- accompanying spouse/partner
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5 Points
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Arranged Employment
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5 Points
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Arranged employment
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5 Points
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Revised: Rel. in Canada (18 years or over)
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5 Points
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Added:
Accompanying spouse/partner's official language (CLB/NCLC 4)
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5 Points
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Eliminated:
Accompanying spouse/ Partner education
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3 to 5 Points
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Pass mark = 67
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Pass mark = 67
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Immigration Videos this Month
USCIS to Start Accepting H-1B Petitions for FY 2014 on April 1, 2013
Now is the time for employers to consider
whether an H-1B is appropriate for an existing or new foreign worker for their
company. U.S. businesses use the H-1B program to employ foreign workers in
specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. Such
workers include scientists, engineers, and computer programmers, amongst
others.
The cap (the numerical limit on H-1B
petitions) for FY 2014 is 65,000. The first 20,000 H-1B petitions filed on
behalf of individuals with U.S. master's degre![]()
es or higher are exempt.
USCIS will monitor the number of H-1B
petitions received and will notify the public of the date when the numerical
limit of the H-1B cap has been met. This date is known as the final receipt
date. If USCIS receives more petitions than it can accept, it may on the final
receipt date randomly select the number of petitions that will be considered
for final inclusion within the cap. USCIS will reject petitions that are
subject to the cap and are not selected, as well as petitions received after it
has the necessary number of petitions needed to meet the cap.
In addition to petitions filed on behalf of
people with U.S. master's degrees or higher, certain other petitions are exempt
from the congressionally mandated cap. Petitions for new H-1B employment are
exempt from the annual cap if the beneficiaries will work at:
- Institutions of higher education or related or affiliated non-profit entities;
- Non-profit research organizations; or
- Governmental research organizations.
Petitions filed on behalf of current H-1B
workers who have been counted previously against the cap do not count towards
the H-1B cap.
To find out whether your employee may
qualify for an H-1B, please contact our offices and book an appointment to
speak with an immigration professional.
Follow:
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Michael H. Niren
B.A., LL.B. Managing Partner and Founder of Niren and Associates Michael is a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto. He is a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada, the Canadian Bar Association's Citizenship and Immigration Section and the Associate Member of the American Bar Association. Read more about Michael Niren |
