Immigration News
- About how to resolve a refusal to enter Canada and changes to application fees Effective December 1, 2023, Citizenship and Immigration Canada has announced that the service fee for applying to regain Canadian status or return to Canada after being refused entry to Canada will increase. Fees for applications to restore Canadian status are adjusted for inflation under the Service Fees Act (SFA). These fees have been adjusted for inflation since 2018 and are announced on December 1 of each year. In terms of fee changes, the fee for a return to Canada permit has increased from $400 CAD to $459.55 CAD, while those applying to reinstate a visa after it has expired that provides the status required to live in Canada, such as visitor, student, or worker, will pay $229.77 CAD, up from $200 CAD, and those applying for a new work permit or study permit will pay $384.77 CAD and $379.77 CAD, respectively, an increase of approximately $30 CAD. This is in addition to the new reinstatement fee ($229.77) and the work permit fee ($155.00) or study permit fee ($150.00). If you miss your visa renewal or reapplication date due to circumstances and need to reapply, you will submit the fee with your application to have your Canadian status reinstated. On the other hand, if you're denied entry to Canada, it's a little different. Depending on the circumstances, if the reason for your refusal was unjustified, or if you were penalized by Canada's immigration process due to extenuating circumstances, you may be able to reapply and be approved for residence at a later date. To do this, you'll need to prove that you're eligible to enter by meeting a number of requirements, including You'll need to pass a criminal background check for any offenses you had in a foreign country before coming to Canada, and other sources will verify that you meet certain other requirements. Immigration and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) are mandated to protect the border from anyone who may pose a danger to the country, so they can refuse entry to foreign nationals who may commit a crime while in Canada. If a foreign national has been arrested or convicted of a criminal offense, they may be deemed criminally inadmissible to Canada, making entry seem impossible. However, there are three main ways to overcome this. The first is through an application for a temporary resident permit (TRP). These allow travelers to temporarily enter Canada for a set period of time. Temporary resident permits are granted when a traveler has a valid reason to enter Canada and the benefits to Canadian society from their entry outweigh the risks. A temporary resident permit can be granted for up to three years, depending on the reason for entering Canada, and can be applied for at any time and does not require the applicant to complete a sentence. Another way is through a criminal rehabilitation application. If your criminal rehabilitation application is approved, you will have your past criminal record permanently removed, which is required to enter Canada. You will no longer be considered inadmissible and will not require a temporary resident permit to enter Canada. To be eligible for criminal rehabilitation, you must meet the following criteria: first, you must have committed an act outside of Canada that constitutes an offense under the Criminal Code of Canada; second, you must have been convicted or admitted to the act; and third, five years must have passed since the end of your sentence. This includes imprisonment, fines, community service, or probation. Finally, a legal opinion from a judicial authority about the offense can be helpful. If you have been convicted of a crime, you can proactively avoid a Canadian inadmissibility decision by providing a legal opinion letter to the judicial authority hearing your case. A legal opinion letter is drafted by a Canadian immigration lawyer and explains the consequences of a conviction for Canadian immigration purposes. It will cite relevant sections of Canadian law to help officials evaluate the charges and determine how the conviction or sentence affects your eligibility to enter Canada. If you are refused admission to Canada, you can still use this process to reapply for admission, and even after your status has expired, you can reapply to have your status reinstated. If your inadmissibility was due to unreasonable reasons or circumstances, you may be able to reapply for entry to Canada with the correct materials and explanations. Therefore, we recommend that applicants who find themselves in this situation gather all the materials and information they can to be prepared. 2023-12-06 Read more >
- How to prepare for the 2024 Working Holiday Open 캐나다는 한국의 젊은이들이 캐나다에 입국해 일하며 여행할 기회를 제공하고 있습니다. 일반적으로 워킹 홀리데이라고 불리는 과정으로 기존엔 1년간 18세에서 30세까지의 젊은이들이 비자를 받아 캐나다에서 거주하고 일할 수 있도록 해왔습니다. 그런데 올해 양국 간 새로운 협정을 맺어 앞으로는 더 많은 인원이 더 긴 시간 캐나다에서 경험을 쌓을 수 있도록 확대 시행하게 되었습니다. 개정된 바에 따르면 35세까지의 젊은이들이 한 번에 2년간 두 차례 프로그램을 이용할 수 있으며, 이용할 수 있는 프로그램도 국제 인턴십과 차세대 전문가 카테고리가 더해져 선택의 폭이 넓어졌습니다. 그리고 선발 인원도 기존 4천 명에서 3배 더 늘어난 1만 2천명에 달해 더 많은 한국의 청년층이 캐나다를 경험할 기회를 얻게 될 것으로 기대합니다. 워킹 홀리데이를 포함해 국제 인턴십과 차세대 전문가 프로그램은 모두 캐나다 국제 경험 프로그램이라는 상위 카테고리 안에 속한 것으로 국외 젊은 층이 캐나다를 자유롭게 경험할 수 있도록 하는 제도입니다. 해당 프로그램의 신청은 매년 이루어지는데, 정확히 신청 시기를 미리 지정해 두지 않고, 캐나다 이민국에서 지원할 수 있는 시기일 때에 맞춰 공개하는 방식으로 진행됩니다. 현재 2024년 워킹 홀리데이 프로그램도 신청 시기가 공지되지 않은 상태지만 일반적으로 매년 초 지원 풀에 프로필을 생성할 수 있도록 하고 있습니다. 2024년이 멀지 않은 지금 이와 관련한 문의가 많아지고 있는데, 만약 캐나다 경험 프로그램에 지원하고자 한다면 지원할 준비는 지금부터 미리 하는 편이 좋습니다. 국제 인턴십과 차세대 전문가는 지원 전 잡오퍼가 필수이기 때문에 준비하는 방식이 다르므로, 이번 칼럼은 워킹 홀리데이를 중심으로 어떻게 준비할 지 알아보도록 하겠습니다. 워킹 홀리데이는 지원 풀에 프로필을 작성해 두면 무작위로 초청장을 받게 됩니다. 초청장을 받으면 이를 바탕으로 비자를 신청해 취업 허가를 받게 되는데, 이때 캐나다 고용주로부터 잡오퍼를 받을 필요가 없습니다. 필요 서류와 초청장을 중심으로 허가를 받을 수 있기 때문에 상대적으로 번거롭지 않은 절차로 캐나다에 정식 신분을 얻어 입국해 자유롭게 일할 수 있다는 점이 장점입니다. 이런 이유로 젊은 층에 큰 인기를 얻고 있는 워킹 홀리데이에 지원하기 위해선, 다음과 같은 기본 지원 요건이 요구됩니다. 적격 국가의 유효한 여권이 있어야 하며, 18세에서 35세 사이의 나이에, 함께 입국하는 부양가족이 없어야 합니다. 또 초기 캐나다 생활에 필요한 비용을 충당할 수 있는 자금을 증빙할 수 있어야 하며, 본국으로 돌아가는 것을 증명하는 왕복 항공권 등이 필요합니다. 캐나다 이민국 홈페이지를 통해 지원 풀에 프로필을 생성 후 지원자는 무작위로 초청장을 받게 되는데, 이는 프로필 생성 시 만들어 둔 이메일을 통해 통보됩니다. 그러므로 이메일을 자주 확인하고, 스팸메일 등에 잘못 보관되지 않도록 정기적으로 점검하는 것이 좋습니다. 만약 초청장을 받게 되면, 이제 비자 신청서를 제출하게 되는데 서류제출까지 20일의 기간이 주어집니다. 생각보다 길지 않은 시간이므로 이미 지원 풀에 프로필을 만들 때 미리 서류를 함께 준비하는 편이 좋습니다. 특히 신체검사는 검사일이 병원의 사정에 따라 늦게 잡히거나 미루어질 수 있기 때문에 시간을 계산해 진행하는 것이 필수입니다. 이제 비자 서류를 제출하면 그 결과를 통보받기까지 대략 4주에서 6주가 소요되는데, 이 기간을 잘 활용해 캐나다행을 위한 실제적인 준비 시간으로 쓰는 것을 추천합니다. 이미 언급했던 것과 같이 워킹 홀리데이를 통해 비자를 받게 되면, 오픈 워크퍼밋처럼 어디서나 자유롭게 일할 수 있기 때문에 거주나 일에 제한이 없습니다. 이는 곧 비자를 받으며 거주지역부터 취업까지 자신의 의지로 알아보아야 한다는 것을 뜻합니다. 캐나다로 입국하기 전 이와 관련된 대략의 그림을 그리지 않으면, 어디서부터 시작해야 할지 막막하기 때문에 비자 승인 전 준비성 있는 계획을 설계하는 것을 잊지 말아야 합니다. 캐나다는 무척 넓기 때문에 어느 지역에 거주할지를 선택하는 것이 캐나다 생활에 큰 영향을 미칩니다. 지역마다 날씨, 법규, 발달 산업 등이 모두 다르므로 어느 지역을 선택하는가에 따라 아주 다른 캐나다 경험을 할 수 있게 되므로 자신이 선호하는 곳을 정해, 거기서부터 일자리를 찾고 거주지를 찾는 편이 좋습니다. 게다가 지역과 계절에 따라 수요가 많은 일이 각기 다를 수 있기 때문에 지역과 산업을 조사해 자신의 능력과 산업적인 요구사항을 동시에 이해하는 것도 필요합니다. 또한 기본적인 언어 능력을 갖추는 것도 중요합니다. 현지에서 일을 하며 지내기 위해선 언어 능력이 있어야 하는데, 어렵다면 캐나다 현지에서 6개월 정도 어학연수를 먼저 하며 영어를 배우고 적응한 후 일자리를 찾는 것도 대안이 될 수 있습니다. 물론 이 또한 여러 상황을 고려해 지금부터 천천히 계획하고 준비해야 무리없이 진행될 수 있기에 미리미리 준비하는 것을 권합니다. 2023-11-29 Read more >
- The things you should prepare while waiting for the Express Entry Draw Many people have been wondering why there hasn't been an Express Entry lottery for a while, since the last one was held on October 26, 2023. One of the main reasons for the delay was a technical glitch, which we are hopeful will be resolved soon and normal immigration selection will resume. Express Entry selections are sometimes delayed due to circumstances, and I often recommend that applicants to immigration programs have a meaningful waiting period, because while there's nothing you can do about your selection except wait for an invitation, there are things you can do to speed up the process or increase your chances of success. In this column, we'll take a look at how best to spend your waiting period after submitting your Express Entry profile. Applicants who create a profile in the Express Entry pool will receive invitations based on their Composite Ranking System (CRS) score, starting with the highest scores. Of course, with the introduction of category-based selection and the like, where separate groups are created and invitations are sent for some occupations and French language skills, there are advantages to being selected even with relatively low scores, but since the default selection method is to send invitations in exact order from highest to lowest score, the higher the score, the better. Therefore, improving your score is a way to increase your chances of being selected, even if you're still applying. Therefore, we recommend that you do everything you can to improve your score, even if it's just a little bit, to speed up the process of receiving an invitation. At the same time, if you already have a high score and think you have a good chance of receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA), it's a good idea to start preparing the required documents you'll need to submit once you receive your invitation. Based on this, here are four things you can do to further increase your chances of receiving a green card while waiting for the Express Entry lottery. First, we recommend managing your Express Entry profile. If you don't receive an invitation letter right away, your profile information may change. They may have changed jobs, gotten married, etc., so it's important to keep their profile up to date by updating it in a timely manner. Once a profile is submitted to Express Entry, it's the applicant's responsibility to maintain the accuracy of that profile information, so it's imperative that they change any information that has changed periodically to ensure that their actual profile is credible. Second, don't forget to work to improve your CRS rating. Express Entry will always evaluate your updated profile if you're not selected for an invitation, so taking steps to improve your score will put you in a much better position to receive an invitation. For example, if you have a higher score in English than you already have, you may be able to get a higher score than you already have. Also, learning French will not only give you extra points, but if you score a CLB 7, you will be eligible for the category-based selection French lottery. This may make it easier to get an invitation letter with a lower score. Another option is to get a certificate in one of the professions that qualify for the Express Entry Certificate of Qualification (COQ), which can earn you an additional 50 points based on your language skills. Third, while you're waiting for your Express Entry invitation, you may want to consider getting a job in Canada. Express Entry selection is not always predictable due to technical issues or other pathways, so you may want to get a work permit and work in Canada to gain experience in the meantime. A work permit through LMIA gives you legal status in Canada and gives you access to health care and free education for your children, among other benefits. In some cases, you may be able to get permanent residency through the PNP or other pathways faster than Express Entry while you work. Fourth, make sure you have the required documents ready to go. If you receive an invitation letter, you will need to complete your paperwork quickly afterward. You'll have 60 days to submit a complete application, including all of the required documents, such as valid certified language proficiency scores and criminal background checks, which can take some time to prepare, so it's a good idea to have them ready. Even after you create your Express Entry profile, you'll need to keep it updated to make sure it's always up to date, and we recommend doing everything you can to increase your chances of being selected, which you can't be sure when. That's because there's no guarantee that you'll get a green card, so it's much more likely that you'll do everything you can. 2023-11-22 Read more >
- [Q&A] 2024-2026 Immigration Level Plans Since the announcement of the 2024-2026 Immigration Level Plan on November 1, we've received a lot of questions from people wondering what the future holds for Canada's immigration program. Rather than answering each question individually, we thought it would be easier and faster to collect and share some of the best ones, so in this column, we'll try to break down some of the questions and make them easier to understand. Q: Can you summarize the features of the 2024-2026 immigration level plan in a nutshell? The newly released immigration level plan is focused on stabilizing the implementation of existing immigration programs. There are no significant increases or decreases in numbers compared to the previous plan, so it's hard to say much has changed. Q: How is this different from previous immigration level plans? A: Well, of course, there's nothing that's changed from the previous immigration level plan. Express Entry and the PNP plan have been maintained, but we've seen a slight decrease in Economic Pilots and the Atlantic Immigration Program, and we've seen a slight increase in spousal immigration. On top of that, the French-speaking pathway has been increasing every year since it was introduced, with a target of 36,000 in 2026. Q: Why do you think you've seen this trend? The current immigration target is 500,000 per year, so we're already at the right level. I think the government of Canada has decided that there needs to be some pacing, because if you increase the number of people rapidly, you run the risk of creating unforeseen imbalances in the supply and demand of social services, such as housing and healthcare. Q: So why did the immigration target increase? First of all, Canada is now focusing more on the influx of younger people, which is important to increase the absolute number of immigrants, but can actually have an impact on improving the labor force. So if you look at the different immigration programs, you can see that we have increased the number of Express Entry, which is age-dependent, but we have reduced the number of rural and small town-based immigrants, and we have increased the number of spouses, but we have reduced the number of parents and grandparents. In addition, policy initiatives such as dramatically increasing the number of working holidays and making other Canadian Experience programs more accessible indicate a greater emphasis on attracting a younger workforce. Targeting the growth of French-speakers is also a good indication of how Canada's immigration policy operates. The results of the Express Entry category, which actively targets French-speaking applicants, and the new French-speaking pathway, are all indicative of immigration policies aimed at increasing the number of French-speakers in Canada. Q: So is there anything we can do to help with our permanent residency applications? A: It seems to be true that younger people have an advantage overall, not only through the immigration level plan, but also by looking at the current selection results and the operation of the program. If you look at things like the age-restricted working holiday and Express Entry, where we're trying to get a lot of people into Canada, you can see that there's an advantage to being younger, and it's also very helpful to be able to study in Canada and have a career here. Given the benefits of having a Canadian work or education background for Express Entry, as well as for applying through the PNP, it's clear that studying and gaining experience in Canada is the most effective way to go right now. Q: Is PNP making any announcements and what are your thoughts on its future? First of all, although the federal and provincial immigration programs are interrelated, they are run by different entities and operate in different ways, so it's important to think of them separately. Of course, the federal government sets the provincial immigration thresholds and allocates them to the provincial governments, so there are targets set within that, so it's not completely different because they still need federal approval at the end of the day, but those detailed targets or announcements of plans will be made separately by the provincial governments. Q: What is your outlook on provincial immigration in BC? It's hard to comment on Provincial Nominee Immigration off the top of the current announcement, but to keep it simple, I think Targeted Draw will play a more prominent role going forward. Right now, the General Selection itself is scoring very high, whereas the Early Childhood Teacher and Health sectors are still in the 60s, and they're announcing frequently, so I don't think it's going to change for at least the next two years. Also, in the Early Childhood Teacher sector, they've increased the government subsidy from $4 to $6 per hour, so there's a lot of improvement in the working environment and so on. I also think this is one of the reasons why trying to immigrate to BC through that sector is now a favorite. Q: What about the Express Entry immigration scores still being too high and the delayed announcements? A: The immigration backlog is something that the Canadian government has been trying to improve, and they've consistently said that the reason it's happening is that they have a lot of applications, but they don't have enough people to process them, so they've hired more immigration officers to try to improve that, and they're also trying to computerize and streamline a lot of the immigration applications and processing. We're trying to improve the webpage, the online system, and so on, so we're hopeful that we'll see some concrete results in the near future on that difficulty. 2023-11-15 Read more >
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