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It’s the start of a new year and we’ve got the latest Canadian immigration news updates on policies, programs, and some rumors on potential future changes. Some of the highlights for 2024 include changes for International Student programs, Ontario Provincial Updates, Startup Visa, LMIA, public policies, and fee increases. The effect of these changes will remain to be seen but we’re making sure you know what’s coming!
Do you want to become a PR in Canada? At INGWE we could support you! Get a FREE email assessment with one of our licensed immigration consultants. We speak over +8 languages and we have helped applicants from +50 countries in their immigration path to Canada. Fill out our form, click here.
Most people have heard about the Canadian government’s announcement of the cap on the total number of new international students allowed into the country for 2024. The estimated target is 360,000 for this year for new study permits.
This doesn’t come as a surprise if you were reading between the lines with us in 2023:
* Fraudulent network of overseas agents issuing fake Letters of Admission.
* Massive volume of students in Canada reaching almost 1 million.
* Problematic housing crisis across Canada, resulting in accommodation shortages and high rental rates.
The IRCC started implementing changes at the end of last year, foreshadowing the eventual international student cap:
* Implementation of a validation tool - requiring all schools’ Letters of Acceptance to be linked to IRCC when they are issued.
* Updates to the minimum financial requirements for study permit applicants for both the general stream and Student Direct Stream (SDS).
This student cap will affect all new international students applying for a study permit for the first time, except Masters, PhD, and elementary and high school students.
The question remains on how this will affect the study permits of dependent children. By March 2024 we expect IRCC to announce clarifications on this new policy. All we know now is that open work permits will only be available to spouses of international students in Master’s and Doctoral programs. The spouses of international students in other levels of study, including undergraduate and college programs, will no longer be eligible.
Another policy affecting international students is the extension announced on January 23rd. The IRCC has extended the temporary public policy on January 23rd which exempt eligible full-time international students without a work permit from the requirement that they work no more than 20 hours off campus per week during regular academic sessions. This extension is only in effect until April 30, 2024, now.
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The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) is the economic provincial immigration program that works with the IRCC. There have been several updates announced specific to this province:
* Employer Job Offer Foreign Worker Stream: This program allows skilled foreign workers with a job offer in Ontario to apply for Permanent Residence.
* On January 19, 2024, OINP issued invitations to apply for PR to potential candidates in the Expression of Interest system pool if they had a score of 50 and above.
* Entrepreneur and Succession Matching Programs: Originally created in answer to the lack of business succession and buyers for retiring Canadian business owners.
- Unfortunately, the OINP has experienced program integrity issues with its Entrepreneur stream and has therefore suspended the programs until later during Q1 2024 when it will be redesigned and relaunched.
- The Success Initiative has been completely shut down and it is unclear whether an equivalent program will be re-launched.
* Ontario PNP International Student Stream:
- On January 1, 2024, the OINP started allowing applicants under the International Student Stream who have A) a graduate degree or diploma from an eligible Canadian institution that takes at least one year to complete if pursued on a full-time basis, B) an Ontario college graduate certificate from an eligible Ontario institution that takes at least one year to complete if pursued on a full-time basis, or C) a university graduate certificate from an eligible Ontario institution that takes at least one year to complete if pursued on a full-time basis.
Do you want to become a PR in Canada? At INGWE we could support you! Get a FREE email assessment with one of our licensed immigration consultants. We speak over +8 languages and we have helped applicants from +50 countries in their immigration path to Canada. Fill out our form, click here.
We expect changes to be announced regarding this program later this year – which could include caps on incubators to endorse Startups, higher financial eligibility of applicants under Startups and other factors. There were comments from internal IRCC policy makers that, on the appearance, SUV seems to be just a route for wealthy overseas investors to settle in Canada and retire. This was a biased and prejudicial opinion obtained by the network of immigration attorneys in Canada, but it does indicate a public opinion towards SUV from inside Canada. On the contrary, from outside Canada it is still one of the most popular programs out there.
At INGWE we are EXPERTS in the Canada Startup Visa. We will guide and support you throughout the endorsement letter or Letter of Support process and the entire immigration process including work visas and permanent residencies. Get a FREE email assessment, click here.
For Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) applications submitted as of January 1, 2024, Canadian employers are required to update the wages of the temporary foreign workers they have hired and are working to reflect changes to the prevailing wage, at the start of and throughout their period of employment, to comply with Temporary Foreign Worker Program requirements. This means that if the original LMIA from January 2024 was approved for a specific wage, the employer is responsible to keep updating this wage to reflect the median wage for the specific occupation NOC code and region.
In addition to wage updates, Service Canada is also striving to provide consistent turnaround times for applications. Although these average processing times were originally posted at the end of 2023, they are still a good general indicator of how much time you should anticipate as you consider applying to the various streams. The processing times can be anywhere between 10 and 52 days on average.
If you have an employer who is looking to hire you and either you or they need help going through the LMIA or Provincial Nomination process or any other work permit-based program, reach out to our specialized B2B team at our office in Canada. You can also apply for a FREE email assessment using this link.
The original public policy for Out of Status Construction Workers in the GTA was established after recognizing the economic contribution of foreign construction workers currently employed in the Greater Toronto Area who have fallen out of status and been working without authorization. It has been extended through January 2023 and has now been extended again, through July 2, 2024. The key is to be in the right occupation and have had valid status when you first entered Canada and started working in these occupations.
The Excessive Demand Threshold policy is the cut-off limit that medical officers use to determine whether the cost of an applicant’s health and social services would exceed 3 times the Canadian average for health and social services, as defined in the IRPR. As of January 1, 2024, the excessive demand threshold is CAN$26,220 per year.
Finally, there are a few fee increases that you should be aware of. They were also announced last month but are impacting applications in the new year. The following fees increased: temporary resident permit, restoration of temporary resident status, rehabilitation for criminality and serious criminality, and authorization to return to Canada. Make sure you know if these will affect you.
Do you want to become a PR in Canada? At INGWE we could support you! Get a FREE email assessment with one of our licensed immigration consultants. We speak over +8 languages and we have helped applicants from +50 countries in their immigration path to Canada. Fill out our form, click here.
We will have to watch and see if these new updates and announcements have the desired effect on the Canadian economy and infrastructure. Undoubtedly, there will be more changes to come throughout the upcoming months of 2024. We will have the information and the insights that you need to navigate those when they come up!
If you’re thinking about immigrating whether permanently or temporarily - you’re at the right place! Our team speaks over +9 languages, and we help applicants from over 50 different countries during their immigration process. Get a free email assessment, click here.
If you’re ready to apply and would like a 1-on-1 session with one of our immigration team members at INGWE, you can also book a session directly using this consultation link.
