From: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
News releaseOctober 5, 2020—Ottawa--The Honourable Marco E. L. Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, today announced details for the opening of the 2020 Parents and Grandparents (PGP) Program, building further on the government’s commitment to reuniting families.
Over a 3-week period, from 12 p.m. EDT on October 13, 2020, to 12 p.m. EST on November 3, 2020, Canadians and permanent residents who wish to sponsor their parents and grandparents to come to Canada will have an opportunity to submit an interest to sponsor form online.
In order to ensure a fair, transparent and equal opportunity for applicants, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will randomly select potential sponsors and send them an invitation to submit an application. Selected applicants will have 60 days to submit their application.
Accommodation is available to persons with disabilities who are unable to use the online form. They can request the interest to sponsor form in an alternative format (paper copy, Braille or large print) by contacting the IRCC Client Support Centre at 1-888-242-2100 or by email until November 3, 2020.
Given that many sponsors may have been financially impacted by the exceptional circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, IRCC is introducing a temporary public policy that will reduce the income requirement for the 2020 tax year to the minimum necessary income, instead of the minimum necessary income plus 30%.
The government knows how important it is for families to be together, particularly during difficult times. The launch of the 2020 Parents and Grandparents Program builds on the government’s initiatives to prioritize the approval of 49,000 family sponsorship applications by December 31, 2020, as well as last week’s announcement of a process to reunite more families and approve compassionate cases within the current border restrictions.
A maximum of 10,000 applications will be accepted for processing as part of the 2020 PGP intake. In 2021, IRCC will open a new intake of interest to sponsor forms to accept a total of 30,000 new applications.

September 24, 2020—Ottawa--Today, the Honourable Marco E. L. Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, is announcing action to speed up spousal application processing and help families build their lives together in Canada.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has increased the number of decision makers on spousal applications in Canada by 66%, to process spousal applications more quickly and reduce couples’ wait times.
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October 5, 2020—Ottawa--The Honourable Marco E. L. Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, today announced details for the opening of the 2020 Parents and Grandparents (PGP) Program, building further on the government’s commitment to reuniting families.
Over a 3-week period, from 12 p.m. EDT on October 13, 2020, to 12 p.m. EST on November 3, 2020, Canadians and permanent residents who wish to sponsor their parents and grandparents to come to Canada will have an opportunity to submit an interest to sponsor form online.
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October 2, 2020—Ottawa--Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Marco E. L. Mendicino, Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair and Health Minister Patty Hajdu today announced that, in addition to the border restrictions that remain in place, the Government of Canada is further strengthening the public health presence at the border and enhancing quarantine monitoring. The government is also increasing the use of digital forms and processes to allow critical information to be shared more quickly with provinces and territories. In addition, a process is being introduced to support enhanced family reunification, including those in long-term exclusive relationships, international students and entry for compassionate reasons.
The government continues to enforce and strengthen travel restrictions and border measures that have been in place since March 2020.
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News releaseMarch 20, 2020—Ottawa--The Government of Canada is providing an update on travel restrictions put in place to stem the spread of COVID-19.
Exemptions to the air travel restrictions will apply to foreign nationals who have already committed to working, studying or making Canada their home, and travel by these individuals will be considered essential travel for land border restrictions.
The exemptions include

• seasonal agricultural workers, fish/seafood workers, caregivers and all other temporary foreign workers
• international students who held a valid study permit, or had been approved for a study permit, when the travel restrictions took effect on March 18, 2020
• permanent resident applicants who had been approved for permanent residence before the travel restrictions were announced on March 16, 2020, but who had not yet travelled to Canada

In addition, a temporary modification is being made to the Labour Market Impact Assessment process for agriculture and food processing employers, as the required 2-week recruitment period will be waived for the next 6 months.
We are also increasing the maximum allowable employment duration for workers in the low-wage stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program from 1 to 2 years. This will improve flexibility and reduce the administrative burden for employers, including those in food processing.
To safeguard the continuity of trade, commerce, health and food security for all Canadians, temporary foreign workers in agriculture, agri-food, seafood processing and other key industries will be allowed to travel to Canada under exemptions being put in place to the air travel restrictions that took effect on March 18.
In addition to health screening protocols before travel, all individuals entering from abroad must isolate for 14 days upon their arrival in Canada.
Allowing foreign workers to enter Canada recognizes their vital importance to the Canadian economy, including food security for Canadians and the success of Canadian food producers. The arrival of farm workers and fish/seafood workers is essential to ensure that planting and harvesting activities can take place. There will always be jobs available for Canadians who wish to work on farms and at food processing plants.
Those affected by these exemptions should not try to travel to Canada immediately. We will announce when the exemptions are in place, which we anticipate will be early next week.
These exemptions follow others announced earlier this week, for 

• foreign nationals travelling at the invitation of the Canadian government for a purpose related to the containment of COVID-19
• close family members of Canadian citizens
• close family members of Canadian permanent residents
• a person who is authorized, in writing, by a consular officer of the Government of Canada to enter Canada for the purpose of reuniting immediate family members
• a person registered as an Indian under the Indian Act
• accredited diplomats and family members (including NATO, those under the United Nations Headquarters Agreement, other organizations)
• air crews
• any foreign national, or group of foreign nationals, whose entry would be in the national interest, as determined by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, the Minister of Public Safety
• members of the Canadian military, visiting forces and their family members
• transiting passengers

​The Ayes Have It!

We're proud to announce that, on September 19 at the ICCRC Special General Meeting of Members, over 80% of immigration and citizenship consultants (more than the required two-thirds) voted in favour of ICCRC continuance as the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants under federal statute. Well done to all ICCRC members on this astonishing achievement! 

As you know, on June 21 the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants Act received royal assent and became law. The key attributes of the new self-regulator include enhanced power to enforce the law (inside and outside Canada); a consumer compensation fund; protection of professional terms; exemption from the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act; and enforcement powers such as injunctions and the authority to enter and issue warrants. Suffice it to say that the ICCRC's continuance as the College will safeguard your profession and consumer protection more than at any other point in history.

Recruiter says it charges $170K to secure fake jobs and permanent residency for immigrantsAngela MacIvor · CBC News · Posted: Sep 16, 2019 6:00 AM AT | Last Updated: September 16
A CBC News Investigation reveals Atlantic Canada is an easy target for immigration fraud. Some newcomers are paying big money for fake job offers, known as the 'golden ticket.' (Rob Short/CBC)On some foreign immigration websites, the Atlantic provinces are touted as having the "lowest bar" for permanent residency in Canada — all you need is $170,000 and a willingness to work a few months for no pay.
It's a job-offer scheme that's become known as the "golden ticket" for potential immigrants, particularly from Asia, who are willing to fork over large sums of money in order to quickly secure a new life in Canada.
The problem with the pitch? It's illegal.
Interviews with immigration experts, lawyers and licensed consultants — along with extensive correspondence and conversations between CBC and a recruiting agency that boasted it breaks the rules — shows how widespread this type of scheme appears to be in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.
"There are a lot of people who have gotten away with it and have gone undetected and are permanent residents, or employers who have participated in this kind of fraud," said Erica Stanley, a licensed immigration consultant in Charlottetown.
"It's gone undetected because if it's all in cash under the table, there are no records."
Erica Stanley, a licensed immigration consultant in Charlottetown, said immigration fraud has largely gone undetected in the Atlantic region. (Rob LeClair/CBC)The target of the illegal schemes is the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program, which was launched by the federal government in 2017 to help fill gaps in local labour markets and is monitored provincially. The program includes a major perk — those who immigrate under it are granted permanent residency within six months.
In theory, businesses apply to it to find workers for positions they cannot otherwise fill. The difference from other programs that grant permanent residency is that potential immigrants deal directly with employers, with little government oversight of the recruitment and negotiation process.
The problem is that so-called "ghost" agencies are taking advantage of weaknesses in the program. They convince immigrants to turn over sometimes tens of thousands of dollars, paying off select companies to hire the person for no pay or to simply forge their payroll.

CBC News hired Lu Xu, who is fluent in Mandarin, to interpret and research Chinese websites that tout the job offer scheme. 3:14For several weeks, CBC News posed as a Chinese couple in correspondence and phone calls with WonHonTa Immigration Service, a Toronto-based recruiting agency that claims to match potential immigrants with businesses in the Atlantic region.
WonHonTa had posted an article on WeChat, a social media and messaging platform popular in China, explaining how the "vast majority" of people use the Atlantic immigration pilot.
"Employers want profit, applicants want identity (PR residency), and both sides have their
demand in common," said the article. "Well, you pay money, I hire you. Salary is also paid by applicants, and recorded on books monthly."
How it worksJiacheng Song, a manager with the China-based affiliate of WonHonTa Consulting Inc., told an undercover CBC journalist he works directly with businesses to ensure all transactions are done through personal bank accounts to avoid taxes.
"To be frank, we have employers who work with us," Song wrote. "We pay them money, they are willing to sponsor our clients for immigration."
Toronto-based WonHonTa Consulting promises to help Chinese nationals gain permanent residency in Canada. (WonHonTa Consulting Inc. )CBC's undercover reporter also spoke with the "boss" of WonHonTa's head office in Toronto, Liu Xin. She said if a client chooses not to work at their designated job, the employer will simply create the necessary paperwork.
"If you don't work for the employer, we can ask him to issue a pay stub, but it's not real pay," she said. "Your paycheque is just for show. Only to make the paper trail look good."
In that situation, the immigration applicant would be required to pay the employer taxes that would have been paid if the applicant was actually on the job.
After weeks of correspondence, WonHonTa offered CBC a position at a Halifax-area daycare and provided a sample contract that would require a payment $170,000.
When CBC News pushed for a name, the company said it was "Daydreams."
Daydreams Childcare Center in Bedford, N.S., denies any involvement with WonHonTa Consulting Inc.
"I don't know anything about them and I have never had business with them," said Colleen Dempsey, co-owner of Daydreams.
After weeks of correspondence, WonHonTa Consulting Inc. offered CBC a position at Daydreams Childcare Center in Bedford, N.S., and provided a sample contract that would require a payment of $170,000. The daycare denies any involvement with WonHonTa. (Robert Short/CBC)Dempsey said she hired a staff person with an open work permit, then decided to apply through the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program to make them full-time. She said she has never considered hiring another employee.
"We're a small business and I built it from the ground up, and I certainly don't appreciate my name being thrown around in those regards. I am protective of my business in that sense because it is one of my babies," said Dempsey.
She said Daydreams and other companies on the designated employers list for the immigration program are vulnerable to scams because the business names are public.
"I'm assuming that my name may have been pulled from there by somebody, but I'm not sure." Dempsey said.
The co-owner of Daydreams said she suspects the name of her business was pulled from a public list of companies that are part of the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program. (Robert Short/CBC)WonHonTa has also posted several "success cases" and job postings from New Brunswick, including a position for a sewing machine operator in Saint John. 
When CBC revealed it had posed as the Chinese couple to WonHonTa and its Chinese affiliate, Song said it had all been lies used as part of a "marketing strategy."
"That's in order to get the client to sign the deal," Song said in an interview with CBC. "If we don't do this we will never get any business."
Flooded with callsStanley, the Charlottetown consultant, gets flooded with so many calls from people looking for fake jobs — "all day, every day" — that she has resorted to hiring a contracting service to field her calls. 
"They're convinced that I'm just holding out and that I really do have a bag of jobs to sell, like trick-or-treat," she said.
She said she has been hearing about illegal side deals for the last two years. The fraudulent activity hurts her business, as well as the reputation of her profession.
She has even been offered, she said, as much as $10,000 for a single meeting to discuss matching clients with a fake job.
"Even if I didn't care about ethics or about the law, it wouldn't be sustainable because you still have to go about your life. You have to be able to sleep at night," she said.
'Golden ticket'The whole concept of Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program is to allow designated employers in need of workers to hire immigrants directly. The business is not charged a government fee, unlike other immigration programs. The program also differs from existing immigration channels because some language and education requirements are lower for applicants.
"If you know you get that job offer, then that's a golden ticket to immigrate to Canada, which can be quite tempting for people. So they're going to seek that out and they're going to pay what they have to pay sometimes," said Andrew VanSlyke of GV5 Consulting, a company that specializes in the pilot program.
Recruiting agencies outside Canada often help co-ordinate deals and take a large cut of the profit, according to VanSlyke.
Experts and consultants say Atlantic Canada is becoming a hotspot for illegal immigration schemes. (Robert Short/CBC)"In Nova Scotia, one of the ways that the law is being broken is a lot of these companies are contacting employers and offering recruitment services, oftentimes for free. And of course the employer is instantly interested," he said.
"And what happens is those companies end up charging the employee a lot of money and costs associated with finding the job."
In contrast, VanSlyke and Stanley are licensed consultants who say they help immigrants with paperwork, resumés and interviews for a few hundred dollars. They are authorized representatives, approved by the federal government to accept payment for these services.
Stanley said it's frustrating to see the immigration program targeted for its loopholes. People often "do their time" in Atlantic Canada, she said, then move to a bigger city or province.
"I try not to feel offended as an Islander, as a Maritimer, that we're viewed as the doormat of Canada," Stanley said. "Just by their choice of words you know that this is being treated like a purgatory of sorts."
The CBC investigation also reveals that Saskatchewan is another common target for immigration fraud, but the price tag for a job is higher, at $180,000.
The target of the illegal schemes is the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program, which was launched by the federal government in 2017. (Rob LeClair/CBC)All three Maritime provinces issued written statements outlining the importance of the program's integrity.
"We have safeguards in place to detect and prevent fraud as part of our day-to-day program operations," wrote Tracy Barron, a spokesperson for Nova Scotia's Office of Immigration.
The statement said Nova Scotia will not "publicly disclose fraud prevention activities."
New Brunswick's Department of Labour also indicated it is aware of fraud and has taken action in some cases.
"The department has refused applications for reasons such as (but not limited to) misrepresentation or where the genuineness of the job offer or application was not sufficiently demonstrated," spokesperson Sarah Bustard said in a statement.
In Prince Edward Island, the government said the immigration program has not only been popular, it has been positive for the local economy. Even so, the P.E.I. government has created a new position to oversee "compliance and program integrity."
Vincent Lalonde, an immigration lawyer based in Toronto, said many people asked about the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program during a recent trip to Vietnam.Vincent Lalonde, an immigration lawyer based in Toronto, said the Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program is definitely viewed as hot property in Asia. It was the topic of many conversations during his recent trip to Vietnam, he said.
"Every immigration company I visited asked me about the AIPP and whether I could help them help their clients get into Canada using the AIPP," Lalonde said.
He pointed out that people hoping to immigrate to Canada rarely have access to Canadian job sites and other employment resources in their native language, which forces them to seek the help of consulting agencies.
Lalonde said the federal government could help by making authorized resources easier to navigate.
"They're creating these programs based on Canada's needs and from a Canadian policy perspective," he said.
"But I think that there's generally a failure to examine how these programs would then be marketed or perceived or used in the immigration market in China or in other countries around the world."

News releaseEleven communities to attract newcomers to support middle-class jobsJune 14, 2019—Sault Ste. Marie, ON -- Eleven rural and northern communities have been selected as part of the new Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot to invite newcomers to make these communities their forever homes.
As the Canadian population ages and the birth rate declines, rural Canada’s workforce has seen a significant decrease in available workers. This pilot will help attract people that are needed to drive economic growth and help support middle-class jobs in these communities.
The participating rural and northern communities will have access to a range of supports to test this new innovative, community-driven model that will help fill labour gaps. The selected communities are: Thunder Bay (ON), Sault Ste. Marie (ON), Sudbury (ON), Timmins (ON), North Bay (ON), Gretna-Rhineland-Altona-Plum Coulee (MB), Brandon (MB), Moose Jaw (SK), Claresholm (AB), West Kootenay (BC), and Vernon (BC). The participating communities were selected as a representative sample of the regions across Canada to assist in laying out the blueprint for the rest of the country.
To complement the Rural and Northern Pilot, Canada is also working with the territories to address the unique immigration needs in Canada’s North.
Canada is committed to attracting the best talent around the world to fill skill shortages and drive local economies in rural Canada that will benefit all Canadians.

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From: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
News releaseNew measures to help protect vulnerable peopleMay 24, 2019—Brampton, ON – Canada is taking decisive action to hold immigration and citizenship consultants to account by improving oversight, strengthening enforcement, and increasing accountability to protect the public from dishonest consultants who take advantage of vulnerable people.
Proposed legislation included in the 2019 Budget Implementation Act, will create a new statutory framework to regulate immigration and citizenship consultants, making the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (the College) the official watchdog of consultants across the country. The College will have the power and tools it needs to protect both the public and consultants in good-standing, including the authority for vigorous oversight, investigations and the means to root out fraudulent immigration and citizenship consultants and hold them accountable for their actions.
Consumer protection will be at the core and the primary purpose of the College to help ensure that immigration and citizenship consultants operate in a professional and ethical manner. The proposed legislation will give the College the ability to enter the premises of a consultant to investigate when it suspects wrongdoing and the ability to request court injunctions against unauthorized consultants.
To punish and deter illegal behavior, the proposed legislation will also double the current monetary penalty for offences and provide new authority to the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship to establish administrative penalties aimed at compliance with the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the Citizenship Act.
In addition, the Government will engage closely with the College to: implement mandatory and robust training courses for those wishing to obtain an immigration and citizenship consulting license; introduce transparency on fees; establish a better system for people to make formal complaints; and create a victims’ compensation fund.
Finally, the Government will launch extensive public awareness activities, including establishing dedicated community outreach officers in visa offices abroad, to help prevent susceptible people from falling victim to fraudulent consulting practices.
Quotes“These changes will protect both Canadians and prospective newcomers as well as the many consultants in good-standing that are providing immigration and citizenship services ethically and professionally. While practicing law, I have seen the devastating effect these fraudulent “experts” have had on vulnerable people and I am committed to hold them to the highest standard. It is what is right, it is what is fair and it is time to put an end of an era of those preying on defenseless people.”
 – The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
“Unethical immigration consultants provide fraudulent and expensive immigration services to the public, while giving bad advice and charging higher fees. We have seen the devastating impact of this practice on some of our clients. The proposed changes to the regulatory regime is a welcome step in the right direction.”
– Naveed Chaudhry, Executive Director, Peel Multicultural Council.

StatementOttawa, April 10, 2019-- The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, issued the following statement:
"Our government is taking decisive action to hold immigration and citizenship consultants to a much higher standard as we do with other professions, such as lawyers and doctors. By introducing new legislation, we are going to protect Canadians, prospective newcomers and good-standing immigration and citizenship consultants against the fraudulent consultants who are preying on the most vulnerable.
The new legislation would make the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants the official watchdog of consultants across the country and give them both the powers and tools they need for vigorous oversight, enforcement, investigations and punishment to root out fraudulent immigration and citizenship consultants and hold them accountable for their actions.
In addition, we will work with the College to: implement a mandatory and robust course for those wishing to obtain an immigration and citizenship consulting license; introduce transparency on fees; and provide a better system for people to make formal complaints against a consultant.
These changes will protect both Canadians and prospective newcomers as well as the many good-standing consultants that are providing immigration and citizenship services ethically and professionally.
While practicing law, I have seen the devastating effect that fraud has had on people and I am committed to holding immigration and citizenship consultants to the highest standard.”

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