Canada has always had some of the most migrant-friendly immigration and visa policies to attract and retain international talent from all over the world. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has already vamped up quite a few visa rules in 2016 to ensure easy and smooth migration to Canada. Some of the visa changes that are bound to have a big impact on Canadian immigration in 2017 include –
- The targets for immigration categories are changed. While the overall immigration target is set at similar levels of last year at 300,000, the immigration for economic categories has been increased by 7% to 172,500.
- Changes are made to the CRS Ranking System.
- Up to 30 additional CRS points awarded for Canadian educational credentials if a candidate applies through Express Entry System.
- Candidates claiming a job offer will be granted either 200 or 50 CRS points depending on the occupational NOC code.
- Open work permit pilot is extended till December 2017 Spouse Sponsorship Visa will be processed within 12 months in 2017
- A lottery system for Parent and Grandparent sponsorship Visa, which will also accept 10,000 applications in 2017
- Four-in Four-out regulation revoked for Temporary Foreign Workers
There are also some other changes that are announced or under consideration and might come into effect sometime in 2017. The expected amendments include –
- CRS Ranking System may be further refined. Candidates with siblings in Canada may get an advantage with additional CRS points awarded. IRCC is also considering awarding bonus points to French-speaking candidates with strong English proficiency.
- One can expect changes in some types of work permit under Global Skills Strategy. The Canadian government has committed to processing visas and work permits within two-weeks for low-risk and high-skill talent for companies in Canada. They are also looking to introduce a new work permit exemption for less than 30 days stay in a year, or even brief academic stays.
- IRCC is considering removing the conditional Permanent Residence(PR) cohabitation rule which currently prevails which mandates the spouses, common-law and conjugal partners who are in a relationship for 2 years or more without any children to live together for at least 2 years to retain their PR status.
- The dependent child definition will be restored to under 22 years of age.
- The federal government is looking to create a federal program under Express Entry for semi-skilled workers for Permanent Residency.
- More changes can be expected for the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, which has received 21 recommendations by the standing committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development in September 2016.
Canadian immigration and visa laws constantly evolve to imbibe the best, most friendly and easy to administer policies to keep expanding the program and include a lot more aspiring migrants in an eligibility gamut. Keep a look out for the new changes in the Canadian Immigration policies which may also open a new door for a brand new life for you.
If you too are dreaming to migrate to Canada is your dream, take our free assessment to determine your visa eligibility.