Exciting news for those who currently hold Post Graduate Work Permits that expired in 2022 or will expire in 2023.

Express Entry scores have been very high, and many people currently working in Canada are anxiously awaiting lower CRS scores.

On March 17 Minister Sean Fraser announced that a PGWP extension public policy will be happening again in 2023. Details and specifics about the process are expected to be available in early April.

Our understanding is that applicants with 2022 expired permits will have a pathway to apply for extensions ( potentially even if out of status) and those with permits still valid until 2023 may be sent new permits from IRCC.  IRCC indicates that a validity  period of 18 months would apply to new permits.

We will post more details as we become aware.

( These details are based on a press conference and do not constitute immigration advice)

IRCC has announced that starting on 23 September a variety of application types will be moving to on-line only submission.

Effective at the end of this week, the applications listed below must be filed on line only.

There will be cases where permission can be granted to file on paper, but it seems a client must ask for that permission through a channel which is not yet active.

Applicants or Representatives can file PR applications though their  “PR Portal Account”.

Note that this account does not allow you to pay the processing fees, nor track the process of application once its in process. This means that clients will need to access three separate IRCC portals to file, pay for and track a PR application.

Clients applying for Permanent Residence in Canada are required to provide Police Clearance Certificates  for all countries that they have lived for six months or longer after turning 18 years of age.  Immigration, Refugees & Citizenship Canada’s instructions are generally that this is not required from Canadian police unless they request it.  Visa Officers can request a CPIC check ( Canadian Police Information Centre ) based on the applicant’s name and date of birth, but in many cases due diligence requires a fingerprint based check.

Fingerprint based checks are in order to ensure the identity of the applicant. Canada retains fingerprint records, not only of those convicted of crimes here, but also refugee claimants and those that have been deported from Canada in the past.  Canada is also now collecting fingerprints from many applicants for visitor, work and study applications at our visa offices outside of Canada.

A fingerprint record is not only a criminal check, but also rules out that an applicant is using another identity after having previously being unable to stay in Canada.

In our experience with Permanent Residence applications, requests for a fingerprint based RCMP certificate are common enough that we advise all of our clients to simply get one and have it as part of the original application submission.  Our goal for each client is to have an application that can be approved without any requests for further documentation. Requests generally lead to the application slowing done.

Here in Waterloo Region, the police can no longer assist with fingerprints for Canadian Immigration  applicants. The Waterloo Regional Police may offer to do a record check for a fee of  $25 or $30, but these are NOT useful in any way for immigration as they were not based on fingerprints.

Clients should instead see an accredited  private agency for digital fingerprints. These can be transmitted to the Ottawa electronically, and allow the RCMP to quickly process an acceptable clearance certificate. We recommend OTS Services in Cambridge managed by Wayne Newman.  OTS Services has provided great service to our clients over the years, and can even ensure that the results are sent directly to our office to add to your file.

People love to talk about immigration, and one of the most common questions we are asked is “What countries do your clients come from?”

We have clients from nearly everywhere! Most of Canada’s application programs are open to clients from everywhere. If you don’t see your country in blue on here, we’d love for you to be our first happy client from your country!

For those looking to Study in Canada as international students, our Post Graduate Work Permit ( PGWP) program has a major advantage over many other countries.  The ability to spend up to three years working in Canada after completing your degree or diploma gives a good chance to earn money, establish yourself in a career track and, if you have interest, gain work experience towards permanent residence.

If you are an International Student in Canada already, getting to the PGWP successfully is really important.  

The first consideration is ensuring you are studying in a program that is eligible for the PGWP program. Most private colleges in Canada are not eligible for this program. There are some exceptions but they are rare. 

For a three year work permit to be issued, it’s important that the course of study is at least two years. This can be complex for accelerated programs, programs without breaks, or programs that offer overlapping credits and exemptions.

Finally its important to continue full time studies for the duration of time in Canada, and be sure to follow the correct program deadlines and status requirements to ensure a successful application for a post graduate work permit.

If you would like to make sure you are on the right track, this is one of our most common consultations – you can book an appointment right here on our website. http://dawimmigration.com/book/

Now that we are into 2018, lets  take a look back at Express Entry scores and trends for the 2017 year.

There were 25 rounds of invitations in 2017 for the core programs, and it lead to 84, 685 Invitations to Apply ( ITAs) being issued. The average score for  these draws was 438. We did see three rounds where the selected score was much lower than in previous years, as low as 413.

On Sept 21, the most recent round of Express Entry invitations saw the volume rise substantially for the second round in a row, and the Comprehensive Ranking Score (CRS) down to its lowest level since July.  1288 Invitations To Apply (ITA) were issued with a of 483.

The Express Entry system had really stagnated over the summer, with the volume of invitations was down and scores required were well up.

Clients applying for Permanent Residence in Canada are required to provide Police Clearance Certificates  for all countries that they have lived for six months or longer after turning 18 years of age.  Immigration, Refugees & Citizenship Canada’s instructions are generally that this is not required from Canadian police unless they request it.  Visa Officers can request a CPIC check ( Canadian Police Information Centre ) based on the applicant’s name and date of birth, but in many cases due diligence requires a fingerprint based check.

Fingerprint based checks are in order to ensure the identity of the applicant. Canada retains fingerprint records, not only of those convicted of crimes here, but also refugee claimants and those that have been deported from Canada in the past.  Canada is also now collecting fingerprints from many applicants for visitor, work and study applications at our visa offices outside of Canada.

A fingerprint record is not only a criminal check, but also rules out that an applicant is using another identity after having previously being unable to stay in Canada.

In our experience with Permanent Residence applications, requests for a fingerprint based RCMP certificate are common enough that we advise all of our clients to simply get one and have it as part of the original application submission.  Our goal for each client is to have an application that can be approved without any requests for further documentation. Requests generally lead to the application slowing done.

Here in Waterloo Region, the police can no longer assist with fingerprints for Canadian Immigration  applicants. The Waterloo Regional Police may offer to do a record check for a fee of  $25 or $30, but these are not useful in any way for immigration as they were not based on fingerprints.

Clients should instead see an accredited  private agency for digital fingerprints. These can be transmitted to the Ottawa electronically, and allow the RCMP to quickly process an acceptable clearance certificate. We recommend OTS Services in Cambridge managed by Wayne Isbester.  OTS Services has provided great service to our clients over the years, and can even ensure that the results are sent directly to our office to add to your file.