Canada to end a temporary travel ban from Great Britain

The Federal government announced that effective January 7, 2021, it will end the ban for flights coming to Canada from the United Kingdom. According to Marc Garneau, the Minister of Transport, Ottawa removes this measure due to the new protocol that requires showing the negative COVID-19 test results prior to boarding flights to Canada. Negative tests will help to prevent the spread of the new UK strain of coronavirus, thus no need for extra restrictions towards the UK is required.

March 23, 2021

Canada Border Services Agency to modify fees for deportees

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) voiced plans to significantly increase the fees for deportees. At the moment CBSA charges foreign nationals that are being removed to the USA or French territory of St. Pierre and Miquelon only $750 and $1,500 for those removed to all other countries. The new fees will depend on the condition of the removal procedure. CBSA will consider whether an escort is required and whether deportees pay for the airfare. Foreign nationals removed without an escort will have to pay $3,250, and foreign nationals who were removed under escort will pay $10,900. An additional $1,300 is the cost of detention before removal. New fees will come into effect in the 2021-2022 fiscal year. It is worth emphasizing that these costs can be recovered by CBSA or IRCC only if a deportee will apply for authorization to return to Canada.

March 23, 2021

IRCC invited 250 provincial nominees in the first 2021 Express Entry draw

On January 6, 2021, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) conducted the first Express Entry invitation round in 2021. In draw #171, the Immigration Department issued Invitations to Apply (ITA) to 250 candidates under the Provincial Nominee Program. The cut-off score in this round was 813 points. The last PNP-specific draw occurred on August 19, 2020 and the lowest score was 771. Since September 2, IRCC returned to all-program draws. The tie-breaking rule for this round was November 2, 2020 at 11:11:52 UTC. As of January 4, 2021, there are 146,495 profiles registered in the pool, 992 profiles less compared to the previous update. Last year, Canada invited 107,350 candidates to apply for permanent residence through the Express Entry.

March 23, 2021