As of May 19th 2009, the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) has removed certain occupations from its list of qualifying occupations for the popular U.S. Visa Holder category. Eight Information Technology (IT) occupations are no longer listed as "occupations under pressure" in Alberta. Applicants with work experience in these occupations are no longer qualified for the program.

Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) Minister Diane Finley and Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism (CIMC) Minister Jason Kenney recently announced an investment of $50 million over the next two years to help newcomers have their internationally-obtained education and work experience assessed and recognized more quickly..

Three new designations to the Immigration and refugee board of Canada (IRB) were announced today by the citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism. Ms Shari. A. stein and Hazelyn Ross were designated the deputy chairperson of the immigration Appeal Division and Assistant deputy Chairperson respectively, in the Toronto Office. Whereas, in the Vancouver office, Ross A Pattee was designated the assistant deputy chairperson.

Controversial changes to Canada's Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) have passed final reading in the House of Commons. If made law, the amendments will give the Immigration Minister more power to decide which applications will be fast-tracked, which will remain in the queue, and which will be refused outright. These changes are needed to reduce processing times so that badly needed skilled workers can get to Canada quickly

The Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Honourable Diane Finley announced changes to work permits for international students who graduate from eligible programs at certain Canadian post-secondary institutions, making it easier to attract foreign students to Canada. Effective April 21, 2008, and for the first time, these international students would be able to obtain an open work permit..

In accordance with the Access to Information Act (ATI), information can be obtained on immigration records held by Citizenship and Immigration Canada. ATI reports have valuable information on the processing of your Canadian permanent and temporary residence applications. It is not the same as the e-Client found on CIC website, which provides very limited information on the status of your file.

Under the new regulation, professionals seeking to work temporarily in Canada under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) can now receive work permits for up to three years and may be renewed thereafter. Earlier. Earlier NAFTA workers were required to renew their work permit every 12 months. By easing the administrative requirements..

Most newcomers and immigrants to Canada tend to settle in the three biggest cities which are Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Many newcomers have also choosen to live in the medium-sized cities, which they feel have as much to offer as the larger cities with a better quality of life. Of the 1.1 million immigrants who landed in Canada between 2001 and 2006, about 70 per cent settled in one of the "big three" cities..

Canada's population, as of July 1, was recorded at 33,311,389, with the Prairie provinces and Prince Edward Island showing the fastest growth. Immigration accounted for an 91,600 increase in Canada's population during the second quarter of 2008, the largest increase in 17 years, according to a Statistics Canada report released Monday.

Minister of Citizenship and Immigration announced new funding to help immigrant-serving organizations deliver settlement services to immigrants in Yukon. Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three territories. The new funding of over $341,000 is expected to help newcomers access language training programs and referrals to community resources for assistance in settling into their new communities and finding a job. These are both one of the key...