Canada Immigration News, PNP updates, Biometrics options and CUSMA as of June 20, 2020
Happy World Refugee Day! June 20, marks World Refugee Day. As you are aware, refugee applications are an integral part of immigration to Canada. Therefore, I’ll take this opportunity and congratulate all those who provide a better life for the victims of persecution. Without further ado, let’s take a quick look at Canada immigration news.
Canada Immigration News #1: NAFTA 2.0 and the labour movement to Canada
According to the UPS website and mondaq.com, the new NAFTA agreement will come to effect on July 1, 2020. Of course, depending on who you ask, the new deal has different names: Canadians call is CUSMA; Americans call it USMCA; Mexicans call it T-MEC! Regardless, Annex 16 of the new agreement refers to labour movements. Luckily, this chapter does not show significant changes compared to the good old NAFTA. Therefore, Mexican and US citizens may continue to benefit from special work permits to Canada. If you are not familiar with those options, read the following article:
Canada Immigration News #2: More Visa Application Centres take biometrics
According to the IRCC website, Service Canada and ASC locations in Canada and the US remain closed for biometrics. However, about 50 Visa Application Centres (VACs) are now available for biometrics worldwide. Therefore, if you need to give biometrics check out our post on this subject:
Of course, if no VAC is open close to you, don’t panic. The government is still flexible and won’t refuse applications because of biometrics. However, you must give biometrics as soon as a VAC close to you opens. If you are in Canada or the US, you need to wait for the local centres to open.
Canada Immigration News #3: Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP)
We visited the PNP websites to explore which province is active in inviting immigrants. Of course, some provinces lag in reporting online. Therefore, our report is as accurate as their websites.
| Province | Latest Activity | Remarks |
| British Columbia | June 16, 2020 | A total of 276 invitations under five categories, namely:
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| Alberta | N/A | According to their website, they won’t provide status updates. |
| Saskatchewan | May 28, 2020 | A total of 125 invitations under the Occupations In-Demand (OID) program and another 127 invitations under the Express Entry! In both groups, the lowest score was 78. |
| Manitoba | June 19, 2020 | They issued letters of Advice to Apply as follows:
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| Ontario | June 3, 2020 | A total of 669 Notice of Invitations (NOI) under Human Capital Priorities Stream:
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| Quebec | January 16, 2020 | Only 23 invitations! |
| New Brunswick | N/A | We contacted them and asked for the updates. We will update this post if they reply to us. |
| Nova Scotia | N/A | We contacted them and asked for the updates. We will update this post if they reply to us. |
| Prince Edward Island | May 15, 2020 | A total of 14 invitations under the Labour Impact Category to support applicants working in essential service industries (i.e. Healthcare and Trucking)! They stopped regular invitations in March. The last regular draw was on February 20, 2020. They invited ten entrepreneur applicants and 143 labour and Express Entry applicants then. |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | N/A | We contacted them and asked for the updates. We will update this post if they reply to us. |
| Northwest Territories | N/A | We contacted them and asked for the updates. We will update this post if they reply to us. |
| Yukon | N/A | We contacted them and asked for the updates. We will update this post if they reply to us. |
Canada Immigration News: Further Resources
Consider visiting the following links for more information:
- How COVID-19 is affecting Canadian immigration
- Immigration under the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) to Canada
- CANADA IMMIGRATION 2020
- Purchase “88 Tips on Immigration to Canada“
- Book an appointment with Al Parsai
- Parsai Immigration Services contact information
- Visit our Instagram page
- Free Immigration and Visa Assessment Form
Important notes about Canada Immigration News
Note: Our news stories are time-sensitive. Make sure to check out the release or update date of the post.
If you wish to visit or move to Canada, please fill out our free assessment form. We will review the form for free, but we will contact you only if we find an opportunity for you. Alternatively, you may book a consultation session. Consultation sessions are not free, but you will receive formal advice from a licenced practitioner.
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Disclaimer:
This Canada immigration news article provides information of a general nature only. Considering the fluid nature of the immigration world, it may no longer be current. Of course, the item does not give legal advice. Therefore, do not rely on it as legal advice or immigration advice. Consequently, no one could hold us accountable for the content of these articles. Of course, if you have specific legal questions, you must consult a lawyer. Alternatively, if you are looking for immigration advice, book an appointment.
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All the characters and locations in the articles are fictional, unless otherwise clearly stated. Therefore, any resemblance in names, dates, and places is coincidental.
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