Express Entry – Program Update (No LMIA!)

Written by Julie McMahon. Posted in Canadian Citizenship, Canadian Employers, Citizenship and Immigration

CIC’s Express Entry intake system is now 5 months old. Here is what we know so far:

• 8 rounds of invitations have taken place
• A total of 8491 applicants have been invited
• Based on parliamentary planning, expected total for 2015 could be 30,000-35,000 invitations

• Continue Reading
• No Comments

Canadian Citizenship Numbers Fall to a new low under the new Citizenship Rules

Written by Julie McMahon. Posted in Canadian Citizenship, Canadian Immigration, Citizenship and Immigration, Citizenship Test

The number of immigrants wanting to become citizens in Canada has dropped to an all time low of 26 percent from a previous 79 percent from the period 2000 and 2008, former citizenship director-general Andrew Griffith said. He attributed the decline to government’s recent rules and fees regarding citizenship.

“These changes have made it harder and prohibitive for some to acquire citizenship, turning Canada into a country where an increasing percentage of immigrants are likely to remain non-citizens, without the ability to engage in the Canadian political process,” Griffith said, noting that in the past, citizenship was viewed as a stepping stone to immigrant integration. “So it must be done earlier on.”

In 2008, only 26 percent of permanent residents who settled in Canada acquired Canadian citizenship. A year before it was 44 percent, and in the year 2000, it was 79 percent.

• Continue Reading
• No Comments