Canada Immigration Update

New Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

On July 26, 2023, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shuffled his cabinet and appointment Marc Miller as the new Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship. Minister Miller takes over from Minister Sean Fraser.

New Permanent Residence Pathway for Ukrainians with Canadian Family Members

On July 15, 2023, Canada unveiled a new pathway for permanent residence for Ukrainians. To be eligible for the program, Ukrainian nationals must have temporary resident status in Canada and have one or more family members who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents. Such family members include spouses, common-law partners, parents, grandparents, siblings, children or grandchildren.

To Read more: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/2023/07/canada-launches-pathway-to-reunite-families-and-support-ukrainians.html

Canada Expands Work Opportunities for Canadian and British Youth

On July 14, 2023, the Canada-United Kingdom Youth Mobility Arrangement was signed by the Honourable Sean Fraser, former Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, and the Honourable Robert Jenrick, UK Minister of State for Immigration.

The new agreement, which provides reciprocal work opportunities for Canadian and British youth builds upon the previously established initiatives of 2008 and includes several enhancements, such as:

The eligibility age will expand from 18-30 to 18-35
The introduction of two new streams, International Co-op (Internship) and Young Professionals
Total period applications can stay increased from 2 years to 3 years.

To Read More: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/2023/07/new-arrangement-expands-work-opportunities-for-canadian-and-british-youth0.html

U.S. Immigration Update

USCIS Will Conduct Second Random Selection from Previously Submitted FY02024 H-1B Cap Registrations

On July 27, 2023, USCIS announced that they plan to run a second lottery of FY 2024 H-1B cap registrations. This decision was made due to a shortage of H-1B cap petitions received during the initial filing period from April 1, 2023, to June 30, 2023.

The second selection process will involve the random selection of additional electronic registrations that were previously submitted. Once the process is completed, petitioners will be notified of their eligibility to file an H-1B cap-subject petition. Petitioners who have been selected will have their myUSCIS accounts updated to include a selection notice, informing them of when and where to file.

To read more: https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/alerts/uscis-will-conduct-second-random-selection-from-previously-submitted-fy-2024-h-1b-cap-registrations

DHS Provides Employers with a New Flexible Option for Employment Eligibility Verification

On July 21, 2023, The Department of Homeland Security announced that qualifying employers would have the option to conduct employee verification electronically and through live video calls. This new rule provides additional flexibility and certainty for American businesses.

Employers who participate in E-Verify and are in good standing can take advantage of these options. DHS also has the authority to conduct a pilot program that will l offer the remote examination to an even broader category of employers. Essentially, this system will allow participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of employees, thus, eliminating the need for physical examination of Form I-9 documentation.

Employers who are enrolled, participate in E-Verify and are in good standing will have the option to ct program that offers the remote examination option to an even broader category of employers. Employers who do not wish to participate in E-Verify have until August 30, 2023, to perform all required physical examinations or identity and employment documents for individuals hired on or after March 20, 2020

To read more: https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/alerts/uscis-expands-premium-processing-for-applicants-seeking-to-change-into-f-m-or-j-nonimmigrant-status

Express Entry Update July 2023 - Category Specific Draws and additional open draws

This month saw numerous draws, with IRCC holding two No Program Specified draws; Two French Language Proficiency draws, one Healthcare Occupations draw and one STEM occupations Draw. The first draw was on July 4, 2023, with IRCC issuing 700 Invitations in a No Program Specified draw. The minimum CRS score required in this draw was 511. On July 5, 2023, IRCC issued 500 Invitations to STEM Occupations with a minimum CRS score of 486. On July 6, 0223, IRCC issued 1,500 invitations to Healthcare Occupations with a minimum CRS score of 463. On July 7, 2023, IRCC issued 2,300 invitations to candidates with French language proficiency with a CRS score of 439 or higher. On July 11, 2023, IRCC held a second no-program-specific draw, issuing 800 invitations to candidates with a CRS score of 505 or higher and lastly, on July 12, 2023, IRCC held another French proficiency draw, issuing 3,800 invitations to candidates with a CRS score of 375 or higher.

As an alternative strategy to the Express Entry route, a number of Provincial Nominee Programs are actively issuing invitations and processing applications. For their latest draw on July 25, 2023, Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program ("OINP") issued notifications of interest to candidates who qualify for Ontario's Express Entry French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream with a CRS OF 321-375 and work experience in TEER Category 0,1,2, or 3. In this draw, they issued 139 Notification of Interest to candidates with a CRS score range of 348-487.

The BC Provincial Nominee Program ("BCPNP") had numerous draws throughout July for applicants in targeted draws such as Childcare, Healthcare, Tech, and Other priority occupations, with their latest draw taking place on July 25, 2023. They offered invitations to candidates in the Skilled, Worker International Graduate stream offering 30 invitations to Early Childhood Educators and Assistants with a minimum score of 60 as well as a targeted Healthcare draw issuing 20 invitations to candidates with a minimum score of 60. Other draws include issuing 175 invitations in a General Draw to Skilled Workers and Skilled Worker -EEBC option with a minimum score of 106, International Graduates and International Graduates-EEBC option with a minimum score of 109 and lastly, Entry Level and Semi-skilled with a minimum score of 87

To read more: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/mandate/policies-operational-instructions-agreements/ministerial-instructions/express-entry-rounds.html