After a month continuous deliberation and consultation with the respective provinces, the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration Canada will finally disclose the details of the system that they will follow, in determining the priority occupations that they will process for immigration to Canada-Immigration priorities, the Immigration priorities date of publication is expected to come out early this Fall (September 2008).
The recent amendments on the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) that was made into law last June will give the Ministry the power to prioritize the processing of a Canadian Immigrants Visa application.
Ultimately, the Ministry of Immigration wishes to process all applications faster, their target is to come up with a decision with in 6 to 12 months.
To read more about the details of the Amendment please read blog entry Immigration made easy and Faster.
The need to come up with a list on the immigration priorities is borne out of the need to cut the current backlog for Immigrants Visa application which will continue to grow bigger if the new amendment will not take effect as well as to solve Canada's current Labor Shortage.
This is only part of Canada government's effort to solve the problem in the delay of processing a migrant worker.
The policy changes is included on 2008 budget commitments to modernize and make the Immigration system more efficient. At present, $109 million has been allocated to implement measures to reduce the wait times for new applications, reduce the current backlog and allow the Ministry of Immigration to have better response to the countries labor requirements.
Although the Minister of the Citizenship and Immigration of Canada, Minister Diane Finley has yet to disclose the final list of occupations prioritized for processing, she has noted that nearly all regions are facing labor shortages in fields of medical, financial and IT.
If you want to find out what are the list of occupations under pressure per province you may read blog entry, list of occupations under pressure.
Other than taking advantage of this great of opportunity to be processed faster by applying for an Immigrants Visa through the Federal skilled workers and professionals category where your occupations maybe included in the immigration priorities list, there are alternative programs that you may consider where your applications may also be processed faster.
Namely:
1. The Provincial Nomination Programs
2. Applying for an Arranged Employment Opinion or Labor Market Opinion
All of these positive changes in the Immigration laws of Canada is an indication that now is the best time to apply!
As an immigration consultant I hope that you will take advantage of this great opportunity so that you will not get left behind.
If you want to go to Canada as a Tourist, Student or a Temporary Worker,
You will have to submit an application for a Temporary Residents Visa at the Canadian Embassy.
Embassy address:
Levels 6-8, Tower 2
RCBC Plaza
6819 Ayala Avenue
Makati City 1200
PO Box 2098
Telephone : (02) 857-9000
Fax : (02) 843-1082 (02) 8579173
Hours of Operation
Monday to Thursday
8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Friday
8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Consular Hours
Monday to Thursday
9:00 to 11:30 a.m.
1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Friday
9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Immigration and Visa
Open to the public
Monday to Thursday
8:00 to 11:30 a.m.
You may apply direct to the Embassy, there are three types of Temporary residents Visa.
* Single-entry visa allows one entry only to Canada within the validity of the visa
* Multiple-entry visa allows unlimited entries to Canada within the validity of the visa.
* Transit visa allows for a short stop-over (maximum 48 hours) entry to Canada en route to another country. It can be granted for a single or multiple entries, depending on the applicant’s travel requirements. Example: If your return travel is also through Canada, you should request a transit visa valid for two entries.
The validity of a visa is determined by a visa officer. Single-entry visas are normally valid for six months, and multiple-entry visas may be valid for longer periods. The validity date is the period by which you may enter Canada. The decision to admit the foreign national, however, is made by the officer at the port of entry to Canada (airport or border crossing). The officer also determines the length of stay allowed.
Note that the Embassy cannot issue visas with a validity that exceeds the passport validity. If your passport will expire soon, you may wish to renew it before you apply for your visa.
You may want to visit the Citizenship and Immigration website to find out the forms and procedures that you should take in applying.
Based on our experience in processing tourist visa's, you should meet the following factors to get a higher percentage on getting your application approved.
* the applicant’s travel and identity documents;
* the reason for travel to Canada and the applicant’s contacts there;
* the applicant’s financial means for the trip;
* the applicant’s ties to his or her country of residence, including immigration status, employment and family ties;
* whether the applicant would be likely to leave Canada at the end of the authorized stay;
* the applicant’s health condition.
Should you have more questions or need help on your tourist visa application, you may email me at jaraneta@go2canada.com.
Article reference [cic.gc.ca]