Government of Canada updated guidance on Identity Management

On May 4, 2021, Canada introduced new guidance on obtaining verification of status as an identity-linking document. Applicants who are eligible to obtain a change of given name with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) under the Exceptions to change of name requirements, as well as applicants who changed their sex or gender identifier on their IRCC document, are eligible to get a verification of status (VOS) as an identity-linking document. Clients applying for a VOS must submit a completed Application for a Verification of Status or Replacement of an Immigration Document by mail. All other applicants requesting a VOS to link their previous and new names or gender identifiers must follow IRCC’s existing requirements. The VOS is an official document that links applicants’ previous and new names or gender identifiers and helps to obtain IRCC’s services. #IRCC, #VOS, #Identity_management

May 5, 2021

Asian immigration to Canada

On May 4, 2021, Minister Mendicino issued a statement to mark Asian Heritage Month. He mentioned Asian Canadians’ incredible contributions to society, and their achievements in building Canada, as well as their success in the face of adversity and discrimination. He also stated that ‘today, nearly 20% of Canadians are of Asian descent, and Asian communities are among the fastest-growing in Canada.’ In 2020, Asian countries dominated in the field of immigration to Canada. The biggest number of new immigrants in 2020 came from India, reaching 42,875 (23.3%), followed by China with 16,550 (9%) and the Philippines with 10,970 (5.9%) immigrants. In addition, according to the final data for 2020 by IRCC, India and China supplied more than half of all international students to Canada (54.2%) in the previous year. According to Statistics Canada, by 2036, Asian immigrants are expected to account for the main component of Canadian immigrants (58%), while European immigrants are expected to fall to 15%-18%. #international_students, #demography, #immigration_levels, #PR_admission, #PR, #IRCC

May 5, 2021

Parliament proposes private bill to prevent spouses from being separated due to the immigration application process

Currently, those who apply for spousal reunification immigration will face a major obstacle, that is, spouses living outside of Canada will be denied visas. Jenny Kwan, a commentator on immigration, refugees and citizenship in the NDP, proposed a private member's bill in Parliament asking the Canadian government to remove this unreasonable and unfair obstacle. According to Kwan, due to the time required for family reunification applications, many Canadians have silently endured the pain of long-term separation because of the above-mentioned rules. IRCC officials often refuse to issue visiting visas to these spouses overseas, saying that their close ties with Canadians will cause them to overstay. Such speculation is unreasonable and is punishing these families. The pandemic has greatly delayed the time for approving immigration applications. The new bill can help dozens of thousands of such families. #IRCC, #family_sponsorship, #family_reunification, #spousal_sponsorship

May 4, 2021

Saskatchewan accepted 27 more applications from international graduates

On May 3, 2021, the government of Saskatchewan updated the remaining quota through the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) for international graduates in the framework of the temporary immigration policy. The provincial government has allocated 1,000 spots for direct submission of a nomination application for those who resided in the province on September 1, 2020, and has completed an educational program in the province. Since the last week, the province accepted 27 applications, and 894 spots remain available. SINP updates this data every Monday. #Saskatchewan, #SINP, #PNP, #international_students, #international_graduates

May 4, 2021