24-06-11
Today Citizenship and Immigration Canada released changes to the Federal Skilled Worker, Federal Immigrant Investor and Federal Entrepreneur programs. The following changes will affect applicants submitting new applications under these programs between July 1, 2011 and July 1, 2012. Applications submitted prior to July 1, 2011 will continue to be processed according to the regulations in effect at the time of submission. Here you will find a brief summary of the changes:
Federal Skilled Worker
• Same list of 29 eligible occupations issued under the Minister’s Instructions on June 26, 2010
• Limit of 10,000 applications accepted for processing
• Sub-limit of 500 applications per occupation (NOC)
• Applications submitted with an Arranged Employment Opinion (AEO) or with a valid work permit in a skilled occupation will continue to be accepted and will NOT be counted towards the cap.
What does this mean? This means that individuals, who have one year of work experience in one of the 29 eligible occupations listed here, should submit their applications as soon as possible. Many people who were not able to fit in under the cap last year have completed applications, ready for dispatch. With a limit of only 500 applications per occupation, time is of the essence.
Federal Investor Program
• Limit of 700 applications accepted for processing
Even though the minimum net worth requirement and the minimum investment requirement for this program doubled in the last year, Citizenship & Immigration Canada received far more applications that it anticipated. Those who are eligible for this program and are considering submitting an application should do so as soon as possible.
Federal Entrepreneur Program
• Moratorium effective July 1, 2011. This program will re-opened in a few months after a thorough review.
Currently the program in effect has processing times that reach up to 7 years in some cases. In addition, many of the Provincial Nomination Programs are offering Canadian immigration streams for entrepreneurs that have faster processing times and include a work permit, so that applicants may begin working on their business right away.
For more information or to contact FWCanada click here.
