Starting Dec 1, 2011 submissions of the Canadian Experience Class and Provincial Nominee Program for Ontario and Quebec (following receipt of nomination from the province) will go to the Centralized Intake Office in Sydney and NOT to the applicable overseas visa office. This is optional until March 2012, at which point it will become mandatory. [...]

As of November 10th 2011, our office received information that the Centralized Intake Office (CIO) reviewing Federal Skilled Worker applications is opening applications received on August 11, 2011. If the application is incomplete the entire package, including the processing fees, will be returned to the Applicant. If re-submitted the three month wait at the CIO will apply once [...]

Canada intends to accept up to 1,000 international PhD students per year as permanent residents through the Federal Skilled Worker Program. Starting November 5, 2011, many international PhD students will be eligible to submit applications for processing as federal skilled workers. To be eligible, PhD students must have: Completed at least two years of study [...]

The Government of Canada announced today a new plan that, according to Canada’s Immigration Minister, is aimed to reduce lengthy wait times and reduce the backlog of applications for parental and grand-parental sponsorship. This plan is being referred to as “Phase I of the Action Plan for Faster Family Reunification.” Currently, more than 165,000 parents [...]

USCIS released that in recognition that businesses often need to temporarily transfer multiple specialized knowledge employees to the United States for particular projects, it is permitting employers to petition for their employees to obtain an L-1 classification by filing Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker. The bundling of L-1B petitions must be in respect [...]

Currently Labour Market Opinions (LMO) processing times have climbed to over 11 weeks! For foreign workers currently in Canada who’s employer is looking to extend their LMO based work permit, processing times at Vegreville is currently at about 76 days. This means that where LMO and work permit extension applications are filed at approximately the same time and just [...]