Ontario to soon re-open PNP immigration streamOntario's In-Demand Skills Stream will re-open on July 6 with 13 new eligible occupations.

July 2, 2020 By Kareem El-Assal

Ontario is re-opening and expanding one of its Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) streams on July 6.

Ontario’s Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills Stream will re-open on that date and will feature 13 additional employment positions located outside of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) only.

The purpose of this stream is to help address labour shortages in specific in-demand occupations such as in agriculture, construction, trucking, or personal support work.

Workers inside and outside of Canada can apply to this stream.

To obtain a provincial nomination under the stream, an immigration candidate must have a valid job offer and meet other eligibility criteria.

Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs

How to be eligible

Candidates must obtain a full-time and permanent job offer (i.e. a minimum of 1,560 hours in a year and no end date of the position).

The job must be in an eligible occupation inside or outside of the GTA.

The job must fall under one of the following National Occupation Classification skill level C or D codes:

• NOC 3413 – nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates
• NOC 4412 – home support workers and related occupations, excluding housekeepers
• NOC 7441 – residential and commercial installers and servicers
• NOC 7511 – transport truck drivers
• NOC 7521 – heavy equipment operators (except crane)
• NOC 7611 – construction trades helpers and labourers
• NOC 8431 – general farm workers
• NOC 8432 – nursery and greenhouse workers
• NOC 8611 – harvesting labourers
• NOC 9462 – industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers

Expanded occupations

As of July 6, a job offer under the following NOC codes (also levels C or D) will be valid for this stream, as long as the job is located outside of the GTA:

• NOC 9411 – machine operators, mineral and metal processing
• NOC 9416 – metalworking and forging machine operators
• NOC 9417 – machining tool operators
• NOC 9418 – other metal products machine operators
• NOC 9421 – chemical plant machine operators
• NOC 9422 – plastics processing machine operators
• NOC 9437 – woodworking machine operators
• NOC 9446 – industrial sewing machine operators
• NOC 9461 – process control and machine operators, food, beverage and associated products processing
• NOC 9523 – electronics assemblers, fabricators, inspectors and testers
• NOC 9526 – mechanical assemblers and inspectors
• NOC 9536 – industrial painters, coaters and metal finishing process operators
• NOC 9537 – other products assemblers, finishers and inspectors

Other requirements

Employers have numerous obligations. For instance, they must demonstrate the person they are hiring through this Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) stream is necessary to their business and they must pay them at or above the median wage level for the occupation.

Immigration candidates must have at least 9 months of cumulative paid full-time work experience in the occupation they have received a job offer for. They must also have the equivalent of a Canadian secondary school (high school) education, or higher, and a minimum English or French-language level of a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) of 4 or higher in each competency (reading, writing, listening, and speaking).

Among other requirements include an immigration candidate demonstrating they have a valid license to work in an occupation that requires a license or other authorization in Ontario.

About the OINP

Ontario operates the largest PNP in Canada since it has the country’s largest population and economy.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has provided Ontario with a PNP allocation of 7,350 principal applicants in 2020. In addition, Ontario can nominate 250 temporary foreign workers in intermediate skilled occupations (NOC C roles).

The OINP has remained active throughout 2020 including during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

It has held 12 skilled worker and entrepreneur draws so far this year.

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New immigrants performing better in Canadian labour marketNewcomers saw significant improvement in labour market outcomes between 2006 and 2019, study finds

June 29, 2020 By Shelby Thevenot

Immigrants are having better outcomes in the Canadian labour market, in some instances, they are performing better than Canadian-born workers.

New immigrants are on average younger and better educated than Canadian-born workers in the labour market, according to a recent report titled, The Improved Labour Market Performance of New Immigrants to Canada, 2006-2019.

Economist Kimberly Wong compared the participation rate, employment rate, unemployment rate, and hourly wages of three groups: very recent immigrants who had been in Canada for less than five years; recent immigrants who had five to 10 years in the country; and Canadian-born citizens. The data was collected from the Statistics Canada Labour Force Study between 2006 and 2019 and published by the Centre for the Study of Living Standards.

Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs

Though immigrants had a higher participation rate and employment rate, there was still a wage gap and higher unemployment rates.

Immigrants had a higher participation rate and employment rate than Canadian-born workers by the end of the 13 year period.

By 2019 immigrant participation rates surpassed the Canadian-born by 4.5 percentage points for very recent immigrants and 10.0 percentage points for recent immigrants. The employment rates of very recent immigrants exceeded the rate of Canadian-born workers by 1.5 percentage points and recent immigrants surpassed them by 8.7 percentage points.

Unemployment rates decreased for immigrants, but they were still higher than Canadian-born workers. By 2019 the unemployment rates of both very recent and recent immigrants were greater than the rate of the Canadian-born by 4.0 and 1.0 percentage points, respectively.

Wages adjusted for the cost of living for very recent immigrants grew, but they were still earning between $2.87 and $4.32 dollars per hour less than the Canadian born.

Six reasons why immigrant outcomes have improved

The report suggests six reasons for the general improvement in the labour market performance of new immigrants:

• more immigrants had university degrees;
• the strong labour market of the late 2010s may have benefitted immigrants more than Canadian-born workers;
• federal and provincial programs aimed at immigrant workers, such as the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), likely helped labour performance;
• support services could have enhanced integration into the labour market; and
• foreign credential recognition could have improved
• Improved labour market information may have better helped immigrants prepare for the Canadian job market

Room for improvement

There were also two reasons for the slower gains in relative wages compared to other labour market indicators:

• challenges faced by immigrants in Canada such as discrimination, language barriers, and smaller social networks may have affected earnings more than employment; and
• job mismatching, where university-educated people work in a job that is unrelated to their studies, did not improve, which could explain why the relative wages of highly-educated immigrants did not improve.

“Given their lower average age and higher education relative to the Canadian working-age population, new immigrants represent an important strength for the Canadian economy, from the perspective of their contribution to the labour force and to tax revenues,” the report said. “This contribution could be even greater if the gaps in unemployment rates and relative wages were reduced further.”

PEI holds 3 PNP draws in June

PEI holds 3 PNP draws in June

Prince Edward Island has invited Express Entry, Labour Impact, and Business Impact candidates to apply for a provincial nomination

Prince Edward Island invited 90 immigration candidates over three draws in June.

The PEI Provincial Nominee Program (PEI PNP) normally releases draw dates for the year ahead of time, but this year draws had to be rescheduled due to coronavirus service disruptions.

The first draw held on June 10 invited nine Express Entry and Labour Impact candidates. Then on June 18, there were 10 invitations issued for candidates in the same categories.

A total of 91 invitations were issued in the June 23 round. It was the first time Business Impact candidates were invited since the pandemic gripped Canadian businesses. With 20 invitations issued to immigrant entrepreneurs, it was the biggest round of the year for this category.

The same draw also invited 71 Labour and Express Entry candidates.

PEI Express Entry Category

The PEI PNP’s Express Entry Category is an enhanced program which means it is aligned with the Canadian government’s Express Entry system.

Express Entry manages the applications for three economic class immigration categories: the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program, and Canadian Experience Class.

Eligible candidates are given a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score for human capital factors such as age, work experience, education, and language proficiency in English and French.

Express Entry candidates who receive a provincial nomination are given an additional 600 points toward their CRS score, and are effectively guaranteed an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence in a subsequent Express Entry draw.

In order to be considered for a provincial nomination from PEI, Express Entry candidates need to create an Expression of Interest (EOI) profile with the PEI PNP.

EOI profiles are given points based on the province’s unique points grid. The highest-scoring candidates are then invited to apply through monthly draws.

The PEI PNP did not provide a breakdown of how many Express Entry and Labour Impact candidates were invited, nor the minimum EOI score required for each category.

Labour Impact Category

Candidates in the Labour Impact Category were also invited in all three June draws.

This immigration category is for foreign nationals who have a valid job offer in PEI, and have support from their employer. It is divided into three streams: Skilled Worker, Critical Worker, and International Graduate.

Candidates in this category must also submit an EOI profile in order to be considered for a provincial nomination through the Labour Impact Category.

Business Impact Category

The PEI PNP issued invitations to 20 candidates with an EOI profile in the Business Impact: Work Permit Stream.

Those invited needed to have a minimum EOI score of 117.

The Work Permit Stream is for entrepreneurs who wish to own and operate a business in PEI.

Ontario invites 24 immigrant entrepreneurs in new draw

Ontario invites 24 immigrant entrepreneurs in new draw

The OINP has now invited 70 Entrepreneur Stream candidates in 2020

Ontario has issued 24 invitations to apply under the Entrepreneur Stream.

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) held the draw on June 24. Candidates who received their Expressions of Interest (EOIs) scores between November 22, 2019 and June 19, 2020 were considered for this draw.

Invitations were issued to candidates who had EOI scores between 134 and 200.

This is the third draw of its kind in 2020, bringing the total number of entrepreneurs invited up to 70.

Eligibility requirements for the Entrepreneur stream depend on where in Ontario the business is being proposed. Recent reforms have also lowered minimum net worth and investment requirements.

The required net worth for the proposed business within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) is now $800,000, down from $1.5 million, and the required investment is now $600,000 down from $1 million.

Entrepreneurs looking outside the GTA need $400,00 in net worth instead of $800,000. They now need a minimum investment of $200,000 instead of $500,00.

Candidates need 24 months of business experience as an owner or senior manager within the past 60 months. Previously, candidates needed 36 months of experience within the same timeframe

Immigration: Will America’s loss be Canada’s gain?

he U.S. will always remain a highly attractive destination to global talent. However, more companies and skilled workers looking for certainty may now end up choosing Canada.

The recent suspension of key employment-based visas for the rest of 2020 will likely hurt the U.S. for years to come.

America’s latest Executive Order on immigration will reduce its supply of global talent for 2020 and beyond.

Demand to move to the U.S. as a permanent resident or temporary foreign worker is always strong. However, demand always exceeds the tiny number of spots that the U.S. makes available to skilled workers.

The latest U.S. visa suspension will create further challenges.

Lack of certainty for companies and global talent

The first major challenge is that the U.S. will create even more pent-up demand and backlogs that will slow its immigration processing to a crawl beyond 2020. Immigration and foreign worker programs in the U.S., Canada, and every other country exist to support the public policy goals of each nation. However, it is difficult to achieve public policy goals when your immigration system is too slow to respond to your country’s evolving economic and social context.

Another major challenge is it can be difficult to achieve your immigration system’s public policy goals when you create too much uncertainty for employers and skilled workers. People want to know that their applications will be processed within a transparent amount of time. Unpredictability tends to scare employers and skilled workers into considering other options. Multinational corporations and skilled workers will likely look to immigration options in Canada and other countries because they no longer have much certainty about how the U.S. will process applications beginning next year.

Potential U.S. citizens of tomorrow, such as international students, will prefer destinations such as Canada, since they know what to expect, and can rest assured that Canada will not change its immigration rules after they arrive in a manner that will punish them.

Harm to America’s post-coronavirus economic recovery

Arguments are being made in U.S. business and economic circles that reducing immigration will hurt America’s economic recovery. Welcoming skilled workers helps to support economic activity in the U.S. in various ways but lower permanent and temporary visa arrivals in 2020 and beyond may prove counter-productive to the Executive Order’s goal to support American workers.

Uncertainty will continue even if Joe Biden wins election

The U.S. is likely to continue to have immigration uncertainty even if Joe Biden becomes the next president. Biden is calling for immigration reforms including expanding employment-based visas. However, his ability to implement reform will not be as simple as writing new Executive Orders. It will largely depend on whether the Democratic Party can also assume a majority in the Senate (they currently hold a majority in the House of Representatives).

Moreover, at this time, it appears the focus of the next Congress will be on getting the U.S. out of a recession. Immigration will be key to this goal, but it might not prove to be an early priority of a potential Biden administration. In other words, the challenges created by the recent suspension will linger during the early part of a Biden presidency, and carry over for longer than that unless Biden is able to pass significant immigration reform that gives employers and skilled workers the certainty they need to trust America’s immigration system.

Will America’s loss be Canada’s gain?

The U.S. will always remain a highly attractive destination to global talent.

It has the world’s largest economy, best universities, and countless opportunities for those that want to go into business, technology, health, research, and every sector and occupation in between.

The U.S. will also remain a talent magnet to global talent due to its soft power.

Thanks to Hollywood movies, as well as other forms of U.S. entertainment such as music and sports, we have all been heavily influenced by the U.S. and have dreamt of visiting the country and even moving there.

History has taught us to never count out America; they overcame the Revolutionary War, Civil War, Great Depression, Two World Wars, 9/11, and other major setbacks.

But its constant missteps on immigration will end up crushing the hopes of countless individuals who wish to pursue the American dream and this will represent a loss to the U.S. economy.

Canada remains committed to welcoming high levels of immigration, foreign workers, and international students. Prior to the pandemic, it was welcoming over 1 million new permanent and temporary residents each year, and was eyeing further increases across its immigration categories.

America’s loss may prove to be Canada’s gain.

Kareem El-Assal is the Director of Policy & Digital Strategy at CanadaVisa.

Trump freezes immigration for rest of 2020

President Trump has signed a new law suspending employment-based immigration while America’s economy recovers during the COVID-19 pandemic..

President Donald Trump has signed a new Executive Order to limit immigration to the United States for the rest of this year. The Executive Order takes effect on June 24, 2020 at 12:01 AM EDT and expires on December 31, 2020.

The purpose of the Executive Order is to protect 525,000 jobs, according to the Trump administration. This figure represents the number of foreign nationals that the administration estimates will not be able to work in the country in 2020 as a result of the Executive Order.

The coronavirus pandemic has caused unemployment rates to spike around the world, including in the United States and Canada.

The Trump administration has long argued that welcoming immigrants hurts American workers. They believe limiting immigration during the pandemic will help American workers land on their feet.

On the other hand, Canada continues to argue that immigration creates jobs, and Canada remains committed to welcoming high levels of immigration.

Who is suspended from getting a U.S. work visa in 2020

For the remainder of this year, the U.S. will not issue new employment-based visas under the H-1B, H-2B, J, and L visa categories.

H-2B visas are for non-agricultural seasonal workers, J visas facilitate work and educational visitor exchange programs, while L visas are for intra-company transfers.

The suspension applies to people currently outside of the U.S. and who do not currently have a valid U.S. work visa.

The Executive Order provides the U.S. government with flexibility to exempt certain individuals from the suspension. Moreover, it does not apply to those seeking asylum in the U.S.

Trump announced a freeze on green cards in April but did not suspend employment-based visas at the time. Today’s Executive Order also extends the freeze on new green cards to the end of 2020.

Indian H-1B visa holders pivoting to Canada

The H-1B visa is very popular and is issued to up to 85,000 people per year. It allows U.S. employers to hire foreign workers in occupations that require highly specialized knowledge, mainly in the tech sector.

H-1B visa holders sometimes encounter challenges in obtaining a U.S. green card, resulting in them looking to the likes of Canada to obtain permanent residence.

Former H-1B visa holders are among the large number of Indian nationals who immigrate to Canada each year, often through the Express Entry system. In fact, residents of the U.S. were the third-leading source of successful Express Entry candidates in 2018, while Indian citizens were the number one source of talent. In other words, a significant share of those successful under Express Entry are Indian citizens who submit their Canadian immigration applications while living in the U.S.

Such individuals fare well under Express Entry due to their high levels of education, English language skills, and professional work experience.

Other available Canadian immigration options

Canada has had special coronavirus immigration measures in place since March 18.

Nonetheless, the federal government, as well as most provinces have continued to hold immigration draws since March to welcome new permanent residents to the country. Bi-weekly Express Entry draws have continued to occur since then.

Canada is expected to hold several more Express Entry and provincial immigration draws this week.

In total, Canada offers over 80 different immigration pathways to skilled workers who are both living inside and outside of the country.

Canada’s Global Talent Stream is another popular option for technology workers in the U.S. and other parts of the world who want to move to Canada.

Temporary foreign workers are among those exempt from the travel restrictions and are able to enter Canada including from the U.S. during the pandemic.

Other exempt individuals can also enter Canada from the U.S. while travel restrictions are in place.

Need assistance with a temporary visa application process? Contact wp@canadavisa.com