Yes, there are going to be many changes to the immigration rules for Canada starting January 2015.
According to Joe Friesen of the Globe and Mail:
"The Conservative government plans to increase immigration levels significantly as it heads into an election year in 2015.
Citizenship
and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander said on Friday that Canada
aims to welcome as many as 285,000 new permanent residents next year,
which is the highest planned total “in recent history,” according to the
Minister.
The last time Canada admitted as many as 280,000 permanent residents
was in 2010. A greater proportion, nearly 65 per cent of all admissions,
will be economic immigrants and their dependents. That’s up from a
target of 62 per cent in the planning for 2013 levels. Mr. Alexander
said the goal reflects the government’s view that immigration is crucial
to Canada’s economic prosperity.
“We are recruiting a higher
calibre of economic immigrant than we have ever seen before,” Mr.
Alexander said. “This [increase in the proportion of economic
immigrants] is a goal we’ve had for some time. Many provinces already
have 70 per cent economic immigration; that’s the aspiration Canada has
as well.”
The hike in immigration levels comes at the same time
that the government will be introducing a system known as express entry
to select skilled workers, who make up the largest chunk of Canada’s
immigration streams. The target range for 2015 is between 260,000 and
285,000 new permanent residents, as tabled in the government’s annual
immigration plan."
The Express Entry system is something new that will be launched 2015.
From the Government of Canada website:
In
January 2015, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) will launch a new
electronic system called Express Entry to manage applications for permanent
residence in certain economic programs. Canada needs high levels of immigration
to meet current and future labour market needs, which will ensure our economic
growth and long-term prosperity.
Express
Entry will allow us to actively recruit, assess and select skilled immigrants
under the following federal economic immigration programs:
- the Federal Skilled Worker
Program,
- the Federal Skilled Trades
Program, and
- the Canadian Experience
Class.
Provinces
and territories will also be able to recruit candidates from the Express Entry
system for a portion of the Provincial Nominee Programs to meet local labour
market needs. Under this new system, employers will also have a key role in
selecting economic immigrants. Employers will access candidates through Canada's
new and improved Job Bank and through provinces and territories where
applicable.
The
Express Entry system involves two steps:
Step 1) Potential candidates complete an online
Express Entry profile
Potential
candidates will complete an online Express Entry profile where they will
provide information about their skills, work experience, language ability,
education, and other details. Those who meet the criteria of one of the federal
economic immigration programs subject to Express Entry will be placed in a pool
of candidates.
Candidates
will be ranked against others in the pool. Only the highest-ranked candidates
(those deemed to have the best chances for economic success), and those with
qualifying offers of arranged employment or provincial/territorial nominations,
will be invited to apply for permanent residence.
If a
candidate does not already have a valid job offer from a Canadian employer or a
provincial/territorial nomination, he or she must register with the Government
of Canada's Job Bank which will connect him or her with eligible Canadian
employers.
Where
applicable, employers will be required to obtain a Labour Market Impact
Assessment from Employment and Social Development Canada. There will be no fee
for Labour Market Impact Assessments for permanent residence applications under
the Express Entry system.
Completing
an online Express Entry profile does not guarantee that a candidate will
receive an Invitation to Apply for permanent residence.
Step 2) Citizenship and Immigration Canada will invite
certain candidates to apply for permanent residence and process their
electronic applications within six months.
Candidates
will receive an Invitation to Apply for permanent residence if they rank among
the top in the pool, based on their skills and experience. Candidates who have
a valid job offer from a Canadian employer (subject to the Labour Market Impact
Assessment process in place at that time) or have been nominated by a province
or territory will be given high scores in the ranking system.
Candidates
will have 60 days to submit an electronic application for permanent
residence through one of the following programs:
- Federal Skilled Worker
Program (FSWP);
- Federal Skilled Trades
Program (FSTP);
- Canadian Experience Class
(CEC); or,
- A portion of the Provincial
Nominee Program (PNP)
Citizenship
and Immigration Canada will process the majority of complete applications (i.e.
applications including all the necessary supporting documents) within six
months or less.
Candidates
in the Express Entry pool who do not receive an Invitation to Apply for
permanent residence after 12 months may resubmit their profile and re-enter the
pool if they still meet the criteria. This provision will prevent backlogs and
ensure quick processing times.
Express
Entry will result in faster and more efficient service to potential skilled
immigrants. It will also allow the Government of Canada to be more flexible and
responsive to Canada's changing economic conditions and priorities.
Here is the link to the above which will take you to more links with relevant information.
The same link shows you relevant information on different types of visas for immigration to Canada on the left.
I'll update you on more information when I hear anything.
