19 May IRCC held a new draw for CEC candidates in the Express Entry
IRCC held a new draw for CEC candidates in the Express Entry
On May 14, 2020, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held a new Express Entry draw. In draw #148, Canada invited 3,311 candidates under the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) program to apply for permanent residence. This was the tenth program-specific draw aimed at prospective immigrants who are residing within Canada. The cut-off score of this draw dropped by five points compared to the previous CEC-specific round and was 447 points – the new lowest score in 2020. The tie-breaking rule for this round was December 23, 2019 at 10:01:06 UTC. Canada already invited 38,200 candidates in fifteen rounds of Express Entry in 2020.
#Express_Entry, #IRCC, #ITA, #CEC
IRCC launched the Agri-Food Immigration Pilot
On May 15, 2020, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has finally launched the three-year Agri-Food Immigration Pilot (AFIP). The new pathway is designed to help the national agri-food sector to cover its needs in labour. The AFIP is aimed at mushroom and greenhouse crop production, meat processing and livestock raising industries. The pilot is set to run until May 14, 2023. The AFIP will accept a maximum of 2,750 complete applications annually. As for 2020, IRCC is going to accept 32 applications of farm supervisors or specialized livestock workers (NOC B 8252), 928 applications of industrial butchers (NOC C 9462) or retail butchers (NOC B 6331), 461 applications of food processing labourers (NOC D 9617), 126 applications of general farm workers (NOC C 8431), and 189 applications of harvesting labourers (NOC D 8611).
#IRCC, #agri_food, #AFIP, #PR
Immigration to Nova Scotia after the pandemic is uncertain
Nova Scotia earned a reputation for the prominent immigration province in Atlantic Canada. In 2019, Nova Scotia accepted a record high of 7,580 immigrants, almost 27% more than the previous record of 5,970 in 2018. The first quarter of 2020 has shown potential for a new record. From January to March, Nova Scotia welcomed 1,185 permanent residents, while in the same period of 2019, their number was 1,270. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic will definitely hurt the immigration to the province. According to Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab, the officials currently cannot predict the exact effect but they are already trying to minimize the negative impact and will concentrate on the immigration of essential workers such as health-care professionals and truck drivers in order to reduce a shortage of workers in those industries.
#Nova_Scotia, #NSNP, #AIPP, #Atlantic_Canada, #Healthcare, #Nurses, #Truckers, #COVID_19
3,100 people have been refused entry to Canada during the COVID-19 crisis
3,100 people have been refused entry by CBSA officials since the closure of the US-Canada border due to COVID-19, and 95% of them were from the USA. CBSA figures show that a total of 2,951 people from the United States who attempted to enter were denied entry from March 22 to May 3, because their purpose of travel was deemed non-essential by border officials, and therefore rejected. Every foreigner who enters Canada from outside the country, with few exceptions, must self-isolate for 14 days. They also need to have a proper self-isolation plan or else will be sent to a federally designated quarantine facility.
#COVID_19, #visa_refusals, #travel_restrictions, #CBSA