Relentless Pursuit of Great Service, Innovation and Contribution to the Community

Transcription

1 Relentless Pursuit of Great Service, Innovation and Contribution to the Community Legal - Immigration - Webcast

2 Immigrating to Canada As a Temporary or Permanent Resident 2012 Presentation

3 Canadian Immigration Over 250,000 immigrants become permanent residents every year. Their contribution to the Canadian economy and communities are essential to Canada s continuous prosperity and cultural diversity. Canadian government is committed to providing opportunities to immigrate and has one of the most open immigration policies among Western countries.

4 Immigration Programs Permanent Residency 1) Business Class a) Investors b) Self-Employed c) Entrepreneurs 2) Provincial Nominee Program a) Business Immigrant Skills b) Regional Business c) Strategic Projects 3) Skilled Workers and Professionals 4) Canadian Experience Class 5) Family Class Sponsorship Temporary Residency 1) Study Permits 2) Post Graduate Work Permit 3) Temporary Work Permit 4) Other Temporary Work Programs

5 Permanent Residency Foreigners seeking a direct route to permanent residency in Canada can apply under five immigration programs*. These programs give successful applicants permanent residency, giving them many of the same rights as Canadians, including health care, study and work privileges and protection under Canadian law. Permanent Residents can apply for Canadian Citizenship after a period of time living in Canada. * A 6 th program exists - Quebec Selected Skilled Workers but is not discussed in this presentation Bell Alliance Global Immigration Services Inc.

6 1a) Investor Program High Level Requirements: Have at least two years of business experience: Managed a qualifying business and controlled a percentage of its equity OR Managed at least five full-time employees OR A combination of the above experience Have a net worth of at least C$1,600,000 that was legally obtained, and be willing and able to make an investment of C$800,000 Program is full for 2011, but will reopen July Bell Alliance anticipates a lottery system will be put in place when selecting new applicants and can help prepare applicants for 2012 submission.

7 1b) Entrepreneur Program Program suspended until further notice due to an application backlog. 1c) Self Employed Program High Level Requirements: Have business experience in Art, Culture, Recreation and Sport OR Have farm management experience and intention to purchase and manage a farm

8 2. BC Provincial Nominee Program Categories: a) Business Immigrant Skills b) Regional Business c) Strategic Projects

9 2a) Business Immigrants Skills High Level Requirements: Invest at least C$400,000 to establish or to purchase and expand an eligible business anywhere in BC Create at least three new jobs for BC residents Own at least one third of the equity of the business Actively participate in management and direction of business Demonstrate that they have: the skills and experience necessary a personal net worth of at least C$800,000 obtained from legal sources a viable business proposal

10 2b) Regional Business High Level Requirements: Invest at least C$200,000 to establish or to purchase and expand an eligible business anywhere in BC outside of the lower mainland Create at least one new job for a BC resident Own at least one third of the equity of the business Actively participate in management and direction of business Demonstrate that they have: the skills and experience necessary a personal net worth of at least C$400,000 obtained from legal sources a viable business proposal

11 2c) Strategic Projects Foreign-controlled companies can establish an eligible business in BC with up to 5 foreign key, senior staff (nominee applicant), who will receive permanent residency High Level Requirements: Make a minimum equity investment of C$500,000 Create at least three jobs for BC residents for each foreign nominee applicant Have good business records and practices outside of Canada Establish or purchase and expand an eligible business anywhere in BC Incorporate a Canadian subsidiary or register an extra-provincial company in BC to operate the proposed business Demonstrate that the nominee applicants are qualified senior personnel

12 3) Skilled Workers & Professionals High Level Requirements: Have a valid job offer from a Canadian Employer, OR Have one year of continuous full-time paid work experience in at least one of the occupations identified by the Government within the last ten years (cap exists for each occupation) Submit the results of a language proficiency test

13 Skilled Workers and Professionals Current Occupation List (2011) 0631 Restaurant and Food Service Managers 0811 Primary Production Managers (Except Agriculture) 1122 Professional Occupations in Business Services to Management (Cap reached) 1233 Insurance Adjusters and Claims Examiners 2121 Biologists and Related Scientists 2151 Architects 3111 Specialist Physicians 3112 General Practitioners and Family Physicians 3113 Dentists 3131 Pharmacists 3142 Physiotherapists 3152 Registered Nurses (Cap reached) 3215 Medical Radiation Technologists 3222 Dental Hygienists & Dental Therapists 3233 Licensed Practical Nurses 4151 Psychologists 4152 Social Workers 6241 Chefs 6242 Cooks 7215 Contractors and Supervisors, Carpentry Trades 7216 Contractors and Supervisors, Mechanic Trades 7241 Electricians (Except Industrial & Power System) 7242 Industrial Electricians 7251 Plumbers 7265 Welders & Related Machine Operators 7312 Heavy-Duty Equipment Mechanics 7371 Crane Operators 7372 Drillers & Blasters - Surface Mining, Quarrying & Construction 8222 Supervisors, Oil and Gas Drilling and Service

14 4) Canadian Experience Class High Level Requirements: Be a temporary foreign worker with at least two years of full-time skilled work in Canada OR Be a graduate of a Canadian postsecondary institution (equivalent to two years) with at least one year of full-time skilled work experience in Canada Submit the results of a language proficiency test

15 5) Family Class Sponsorship High Level Requirements: Sponsor must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident and be 18 years or older Sponsor can sponsor spouse and dependent children* Must promise to support the sponsored family member financially * As of November 2011, parents and grandparents cannot be sponsored, but can apply for a Super Visa valid up to 10 years for individual visits up to 2 years.

16 CIC Point System CIC assesses all business and economic applicants on a point system. Only Provincial Nomination applicants and Canadian Experience Class are exempt. Selection Grid (=100) Work Experience (21) Education (25) English and French Language (24) Age (10) Arranged Employment (10) Adaptability (10) All business classes (investor, entrepreneur and self-employed) must receive at least 35/100 Economic Class must receive at least 67/100

17 Temporary Residency Foreigners seeking to temporarily study or work in Canada can apply under the temporary resident programs. Studying and working in Canada is an indirect route to Permanent Residency through the Skilled Workers and Professional Class, Canadian Experience Class and Provincial Nominee Programs Bell Alliance Global Immigration Services Inc.

18 1) Study Permit High Level Requirements: To be accepted into a college, university or other educational institute Have enough money to pay tuition, living expenses and return transportation to home country

19 2) Post Graduate Work Permit Post graduate work permit is given to students upon graduation from an education institute for 8 months to 4 years in length, depending on the length of studies. High Level Requirements: Successfully graduate from a recognized education institute in a full-time, on-campus program at least 8 months in length Program must be full-time

20 3) Temporary Work Permit High Level Requirements: A written job offer from an employer Proof that they meet the requirements of the job (for example, proof of certain education or work experience) and A positive labour market opinion on the job offer from Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC), if one is required.

21 4) Other Temporary Work Programs International Experience Class for Youths Working Holiday Permit, Young Professionals Permits, Internship Opportunities Live-In Caregiver Program Must have a Labour Market Opinion and skills in caregiving, but eligible for permanent residency after two years working Information Technology Workers Temporary program in BC and Quebec IT workers fitting the list of IT occupations in high demand do not need a Labour Market Opinion Provincial Programs Programs and requirements vary from province to province Work Permit Exemptions Available to foreigners in occupations such as business visitors, athletes, emergency service providers, performing artists, members of foreign government offices or workers that enter Canada under international trade agreements

22 Citizenship and Immigration Canada Application Processing Times Citizenship and Immigration Canada provides estimated processing times for Temporary and Permanent Residency Applications. These are available online at and are subject to change at any time. The processing times provided are for the main source countries of immigrants to Canada, captured on August 25, Bell Alliance Global Immigration Services Inc.

23 Permanent Residency (Outside Canada) Visa Office Federal Skilled workers (Months) Federal Investor Class (Months) Provincial Nominees (Months) Self- Employed (Months) Family Sponsorship (Months) Spousal / Common- law Parents / Grandparents Beijing - China Hong Kong - China Manila - Philippines New Delhi - India Seoul - South Korea Singapore - Singapore Sydney - Australia Taipei - Taiwan Tokyo - Japan London - United Kingdom Moscow - Russia Paris - France Rome - Italy Mexico City - Mexico Sao Paulo - Brazil Buffalo - United States Key Information: - ( - ) Processing time not available - Processing times for Investor Class is for 2011 applicants, and is closed until Cap of 700 applications for 2011 has been reached. Entrepreneur Class is not included due to a temporary suspension of the program. - If applying for Permanent Residency from inside Canada, applications are received at the Buffalo, United States Visa Office - Family Sponsorship for Spouse or Common-law if sponsored person lives in Canada: months 2011 Bell Alliance Global Immigration Services Inc.

24 Temporary Residency (Outside Canada) Visa Office Temporary Resident Visa (Days) Study Permit (Weeks) Work Permit (Months) Beijing - China Hong Kong - China Manila - Philippines New Delhi - India Seoul - South Korea Singapore - Singapore Sydney - Australia Taipei - Taiwan Tokyo - Japan London - United Kingdom Moscow - Russia Paris - France Rome - Italy Mexico City - Mexico Sao Paulo - Brazil Buffalo - United States Key Information: - If applying for Initial Temporary Residency from inside Canada, applications are received at the Seattle or Buffalo Visa Office - As of June 2011, citizens residing in the following countries can apply online for an initial study permit (20 days approval): Australia, Barbados, Denmark, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Republic of Ireland, Sweden and United States of America. - Not all foreigners require a temporary resident visa. A list of exempt countries can be found at Bell Alliance Global Immigration Services Inc.

25 Temporary Residency (Inside Canada) Visa Office Paper Applica`on (Months) Online Applica`on (Months) Visitor Study Permit extensions Off- Campus Work Permit 3 2 Work Permit (new employer) Work Permit (same employer) Key Information: - Application processing times are for foreigners already in Canada and looking to extend their stay or change conditions of their status (i.e. changing employer name on work permit) Bell Alliance Global Immigration Services Inc.

26 Have Questions? Want more info? Ready to get started? If you have questions, need advice or want to start the immigration process, we are here to help. Bell Alliance Global offers free initial evaluations, legal representation and ongoing support to clients before and after their arrival to Canada. Call us at or Bell Alliance Global Immigration Services Inc.