On April 16, 2012, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced that Citizenship and Immigration Canada (“CIC”) intended to reduce the work experience requirement for eligible temporary foreign workers seeking permanent residence under the Canadian Experience Class (“CEC”). According to CIC, this will make it easier for skilled tradespersons working in Canada to transition to permanent residence as their work is often project-based and can be seasonal.

The CEC was established on September 17, 2008. It allows temporary foreign workers and international graduates to apply for permanent residence without a job offer, if certain conditions are met. The above announcement applies to the temporary foreign worker subcategory of the CEC.

To qualify as a temporary foreign worker under the current CEC, applicants must meet the following minimum requirements:

1. They must plan to live outside the Province of Quebec;
2. They must be a temporary foreign worker with at least two years of full-time (or equivalent) skilled work experience in Canada;
3. They must have gained experience in Canada with the proper work authorization;
4. They must have sufficient English or French language ability; and
5. They must apply under the CEC while working in Canada or within one year of leaving their job in Canada.

Under the proposed regulatory changes, the requirement of two years of full-time (or equivalent) skilled work experience in Canada would be reduced to one year; full-time work experience means working at least 37.5 paid hours per week. However, all other requirements of the CEC would continue to apply.

Further details about the proposed changes to the Canadian Experience Class will be announced later in 2012.

On April 11, 2012, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced changes to Canada’s Provincial Nominee Programs (“PNPs”). As of July 1, 2012, most PNP applicants for semi-skilled and low-skilled professions will have to undergo mandatory language testing of their listening, speaking, reading and writing abilities and meet a minimum standard across all four of these categories before they can qualify for a nomination certificate.

PNPs are established under Section 87(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (“IRPR”). A PNP is similar but distinct from the Quebec Skilled Worker Program, which is established under IRPR 86(1). Both the Quebec Skilled Worker Program and the PNPs offer the provinces an opportunity to select immigrants based on their specific needs.

Under a PNP, individuals nominated by the province, together with their spouse and dependent children, are eligible to apply for Canadian permanent residence through CIC under the Provincial Nominee Class. CIC will also give priority to processing permanent resident visa applications filed by provincial nominees. Given the considerable delays encountered by many Canadian permanent residence applicants, this priority processing makes immigration under a PNP program desirable.

Under the Provincial Nominee Class, each province establishes its own selection criteria. Applicants who wish to immigrate to a specific province as a provincial nominee, must first apply to the province where they wish to settle. The province will consider the application based on their immigration needs and the applicant’s intention to settle there. If the applicant is approved, he or she will be given a provincial nomination certificate, which may be used to support an application for permanent residence.

Although there has been a trend to require mandatory language testing for federal economic immigrants, PNP programs have not yet imposed mandatory language testing on all PNP applicants. However, Minister Kenney’s announcement makes clear that language testing will be imposed, at least on semi-skilled and low-skilled PNP applicants, commencing on July 1, 2012.

During the Government of Canada’s 2012 Budget Speech, the Minister of Finance announced that, in an effort to deal with the backlog of pending Federal Skilled Worker (“FSW”) cases, it would enact legislation to cancel all applications filed prior to February 27, 2008. This is proposed legislation only but it will be retroactive to March 29, 2012; as a result, it should be treated as though it were already in force.

Under proposed legislation, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (“CIC”) will close the files of FSW applicants who applied before February 27, 2008, and for whom an immigration officer has not already made a decision based on the applicable selection criteria by March 29, 2012. This proposed legislation is expected to affect about 280,000 applicants, including their dependants.

CIC will begin the process of returning the full amount of fees previously paid by these affected FSW applicants, which could amount to $130 Million. For those who have already passed the selection criteria stage as of March 29, 2012 (approximately 20,000 people), CIC will continue processing their applications.

Several Provincial Nominee Programs (“PNPs”) are currently reviewing the backlog of pending FSW applications to determine if any of them might be suitable for PNP nomination. For example, Opportunities Ontario has established a FSW Pilot Program (the “FSW Pilot”) to accommodate these potential nominees.

Under the Ontario FSW Pilot, FSW applicants who fall under one of the following five occupations will have an opportunity to apply for an Ontario nomination leading to permanent residence:

1. Computer Analysts and Consultants (NOC 2171);
2. Software Developers (NOC 2173);
3. Interactive Media Programmers and Developers (NOC 2174);
4. Financial and Investment Analysts (NOC 1112); and
5. Mathematicians (NOC 2161).

CIC began contacting FSW applicants in these occupations in February 2012, inviting them to participate in the FSW Pilot. Applicants who are invited to participate in the FSW Pilot must submit their applications to Opportunities Ontario by May 4, 2012.

Applicants who are not invited by a PNP to seek a provincial nomination certificate have effectively lost their ability to immigrate to Canada based on their pending FSW application. However, they can consider filing a new application under another permanent residence category, if they qualify.

On March 20, 2012, the Quebec Minister of Finance presented his speech on the 2012-2013 Budget. During the speech, he announced that an omnibus bill containing modifications to Quebec’s immigration program would be proposed shortly. Although it is a proposed bill, once enacted the immigration provisions will be retroactive to March 20, 2012. Therefore, these changes should be treated as if they are already in force.

The proposed bill will establish caps on the number of Quebec immigration applicants that may be accepted between March 21, 2012 (19:00 Quebec time) and March 31, 2013 (19:00, Quebec time). Under the proposed bill, there will be two groups of skilled workers:

1. Group 1 (No Numerical Limit) – This group will consist of the following:
   • Applicants who temporarily reside in Quebec as temporary workers and meet the eligibility conditions of the Programme de l’expérience québécoise (Temporary worker) (PEQ – Québec experience program for temporary workers) or are eligible to apply for a selection certificate under the regular program for skilled workers.
   • Applicants who have obtained a diploma awarded by a Quebec educational institution for studies done in Quebec or who are about to obtain that diploma and meet the eligibility conditions of the Programme de l’expérience québécoise (Quebec Graduate) (PEQ – Quebec experience program for Quebec graduates).
   • Applicants who reside temporarily in Quebec as foreign students, are eligible to apply for a selection certificate under the regular program for skilled workers, and are submitting their application in Quebec.
   • Applicants who reside temporarily in Quebec within the framework of a youth exchange program subject to an international agreement, such as a work holiday program. They must be working full-time in Quebec, be eligible to apply for a selection certificate under the regular program for skilled workers, and must be submitting their application in Quebec.
   • Applicants (or their accompanying spouses) who hold a diploma awarded by a teaching institution in an area of training allowing them to get 12 or 16 points under the area of training criterion of the selection grid for skilled workers. The number of years of study required to obtain the diploma must be at least equal to the number of years required to obtain that diploma in Quebec. This diploma must have been obtained less than five years before the date of the application. Failing that, they must have practiced a profession or trade, in an area related to that diploma, on a full-time basis and for at least one year out of the five years preceding the date of their application.
   • Applicants (or their accompanying spouses) who hold an employment offer made by a Quebec employer and validated by the Minister of Immigration and Cultural Communities.
   • Applicants who have received notice from Citizenship and Immigration Canada that their application for permanent residence in Canada is eligible for processing.
   • Applicants who reside temporarily in Quebec, who were Canadian citizens at one time, and who are submitting their application in Quebec.
2. Group 2 (Subject to a Numerical Limit of 14,300 Applications) – This group will consist of the following:
   • Applicants (or their accompanying spouses) who hold a diploma, awarded by an teaching institution in an area of training allowing them to get 6 points under the area of training criterion of the selection grid for skilled workers. The number of years of study required to obtain the diploma must be at least equal to the number of years required to obtain that diploma in Quebec. This diploma must be obtained less than five years before the date of the application. Failing that, they must have practiced a profession or trade, in an area related to that diploma, on a full-time basis and for at least one year out of the five years preceding the date of the application.
   • Applicants (or their accompanying spouses) who hold a Quebec diploma or the equivalent of a Quebec diploma that requires at least one year of full-time studies. This diploma was must have been obtained less than five years before the date of the application. Failing that, they must have practised a profession or trade, in an area related to that diploma, on a full-time basis and for at least one year out of the five years preceding the date of the application.

No other skilled workers will be permitted to apply for a Quebec Certificate of Selection.

The proposed bill will also establish caps on the number of business immigrants who may apply for a Quebec Certificate of Selection. Applicants under the popular Quebec investor program will now be subject to a cap of 2,700 applications. Applicants under the Quebec entrepreneur and self-employed categories will be subject to a cap of 215 applications.

Update: On April 12, 2012, the Minister of Immigration and Cultural Communities announced that it had already reached the 2700-applicant cap applicable to investors.

On March 2, 2012, the Government of Canada announced a regulatory change that now requires sponsored spouses or common-law partners to wait five years from the day that they are granted permanent residence status in Canada before they can sponsor a new spouse or partner. The objective of this change is to discourage immigration fraud in spouse/common-law partner family class cases.

There is admittedly a reasonable argument to be made in favor of such a requirement. Until this regulatory change, a sponsored spouse or common-law partner arriving in Canada as a permanent resident could leave their sponsor and sponsor another spouse or partner themselves, while their original sponsor was still financially responsible for them for up to three years. However, the imposition of a five-year bar may be a bit excessive.

A Canadian citizen or permanent resident who sponsors a spouse or common-law partner is normally subject to a legally enforceable affidavit of support, for a period of three years. Although it may be logical to impose a bar on the sponsored immigrant’s ability to sponsor a different spouse or common-law partner for a period of time, a three-year bar that runs parallel to the original sponsor’s three-year financial obligation would have been more appropriate.

In any event, the regulations now impose a sponsorship bar of five years. The proposal was pre-published in the Canada Gazette on April 2, 2011, and was open for a 30-day public comment period. The regulatory change officially came in to force on March 2, 2012, but was not formally published in the Canada Gazette until March 14, 2012. The regulatory amendment, as published in the Canada Gazette, appears here.

On March 9, 2012, Jason Kenney, the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism announced additional measures to discourage marriage fraud. The proposed regulatory change was published in the Canada Gazette on March 10, 2012, and is available here.

Under the new proposal, conditional permanent resident status would apply to all spouses in relationships of two years or less who have no children with their sponsor at the time of the sponsorship application. A spouse or common-law partner who is granted conditional permanent resident status would be required to live with their sponsor in a legitimate relationship for two years following the receipt of permanent resident status. If this did not occur, the sponsored spouse or common law partner’s conditional permanent resident status could be revoked. For all legitimate relationships, the condition would cease to apply once the conditional period elapsed.

Given concerns about the vulnerability of spouses and partners who are in abusive relationships, the proposed condition would cease to apply in instances where there is evidence of abuse or neglect by the sponsor, or of a failure by the sponsor to protect from abuse or neglect by another person related to the sponsor (whether that person is residing in the household or not) during the conditional period. Evidence that the sponsored spouse or partner was cohabiting in a conjugal relationship with their sponsor until the cohabitation ceased as a result of the abuse or neglect would also be required. The exception would apply in cases where the abuse or neglect occurred during the conditional period and was directed towards the sponsored spouse or partner, a child of either the sponsor or the sponsored spouse or partner, or a person related to either the sponsor or the sponsored spouse or partner who was habitually residing in their household.

The condition would also cease to apply where there is evidence that the sponsor has died while the sponsored person is still subject to the condition and that the sponsored spouse or partner had cohabited in a conjugal relationship with the sponsor up until the time of the sponsor’s death.

The above proposal is modeled, to some extent, after United States immigration law. In the United States, where a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident sponsors his or her immigrant spouse, based on a marriage that is less than two years old at the time that the spouse acquires lawful permanent residence, the immigrant spouse is given conditional permanent resident status for two years. Unlike the Canadian proposal, this condition applies regardless of whether there are children from the relationship.

Within 90 days of the second anniversary of the immigrant spouse’s receipt of permanent residence, the sponsor and the immigrant spouse must jointly file a petition to remove the condition and establish that they are living together as husband and wife. There is also a procedure to apply for a waiver of the condition in cases of: (a) extreme hardship to the immigrant spouse, (b) good faith termination of the marriage, (c) a battered spouse or child, and (d) death of the U.S. citizen or permanent resident sponsor.

Although the Canadian Government’s desire to discourage immigration fraud is not unreasonable, the current Canadian proposal is problematic for a number of reasons:

1. It does not clearly state whether spouses and common-law partners who are subject to the condition will be required to formally apply to have the condition removed or whether it will automatically occur in the absence of a marital breakdown. A requirement to file a formal application would increase the workload of immigration officers and create added bureaucracy.
2. Unlike the U.S. model, the Canadian proposal does not consider a good faith termination of the marriage. In other words, it does not contemplate a termination of the marriage due to no fault of the sponsored spouse or common-law partner. The absence of such an exception places sponsored spouses and common-law partners at the mercy of their sponsors, who may use the threat of divorce proceedings to exert undue influence over them.
3. No guidelines have been provided regarding what evidence of abuse or neglect will be required in order to terminate the condition. Many abused spouses do not actually report the other spouse’s conduct to the authorities, which can make it difficult to establish abuse or neglect. In addition, uncertainty regarding whether an immigration officer will actually find abuse or neglect in a particular case may discourage immigrant spouses and common-law partners from ending these harmful relationships.

Before imposing conditional permanent resident status on sponsored spouses and common-law partners, the implications of such a requirement should be carefully considered to ensure that abused or neglected individuals are not subjected to unnecessary hardship.

Approximately seven months ago, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (“CIC”) launched its Come to Canada Wizard (the “Wizard”). According to CIC, the Wizard has recorded more than 750,000 visits since that time. CIC also claims that close to 90% of users who tried the Wizard said that they would recommend it to someone they know.

The Wizard is essentially an interactive website. It presents users with a series of questions designed to determine which federal immigration option best suits their specific circumstances. It then leads users through the application steps and provides the necessary instructions and forms.

The Wizard is a useful tool for prospective visitors, students, temporary workers, and permanent residents. However, it is still not a substitute for formal legal advice.

One important shortcoming of the Wizard is the fact that it assesses only eligibility under the federal immigration categories. It fails to assess a prospective applicant’s eligibility to immigrate under the Quebec Immigration Program or one of the available Provincial Nominee Programs. These programs are often (but not always) preferable to seeking permanent residence under one of the federal categories.

Despite its limitations, the Wizard may be useful in preventing deceptive practices employed by unscrupulous immigration representatives. Foreign nationals who have been told that they are eligible under a particular federal immigration category can use the Wizard to verify whether they are actually eligible for the immigration benefit that they seek.

On November 22, 2011, in response to an assessment of Iran’s nuclear program by the International Atomic Energy Agency (“IAEA”), Canada imposed new sanctions under the Special Economic Measures Act, S.C. 1992, c. 17 (“SEMA”). Among other things, the Regulations Amending the Special Economic Measures (Iran) Regulations (the “Regulations”) prohibit financial transactions with Iran, subject to limited exceptions.

For example, the prohibition on financial transactions does not apply to payments made pursuant to contracts entered into prior to November 22, 2011. In addition, Canadians with relatives living in Iran are still able to send funds to family members, provided those relatives are not specifically listed individuals and provided transactions do not exceed $40,000.00.

Unfortunately, these exceptions are of limited benefit to many Iranian citizens who may be seeking permanent residence under one of Canada’s immigrant investor programs. Iranians applying under the Federal Immigrant Investor Program, the Quebec Investor Program, and even investor streams under various Provincial Nominee Programs may be subject to these economic sanctions.

On January 20, 2012, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (“CIC”) issued Operational Bulletin 378 (“OB 378″), which provides instructions on how it will apply these economic sanctions. According to OB 378, CIC offices are instructed to continue processing applications for permanent and temporary residence of Iranian nationals and persons residing in Iran in accordance with normal procedures. However, in cases where applicants need to show that they can or have transferred funds to Canada, such as the Federal Investor Class, applicants should be informed that they may face restrictions in transferring funds to a Canadian financial institution and should be referred to the text of the Regulations.

OB 378 further states that persons affected by the sanctions on financial transactions, whether they be applicants for a visa or already in Canada, may apply for permits from the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (“DFAIT”) that authorize specified activities or transactions that are otherwise prohibited under the sanctions. This permit process should be taken into consideration by CIC officials when assigning a deadline for submitting evidence that funds can be transferred to Canada or an investment made, prior to refusing an application from an Iranian national or person in Iran for failure to transfer the required funds or investments.

Fortunately, the above economic sanctions do not appear to prohibit Iranian citizens from qualifying as immigrant investors through the investment of funds held in third countries. Iranian applicants fortunate enough have access to such funds should not be affected by the Regulations.

CIC has been providing guidance to foreign nationals seeking extensions of their work permits through the Case Processing Centre in Vegreville, Alberta (“CPC Vegreville”), while waiting for a Labour Market Opinion (“LMO”) or a Certificat d’acceptation du Québec (“CAQ”) to be approved.

According to CIC, if a foreign national is ready to submit a work permit application to CPC Vegreville but is waiting for an LMO or CAQ, the application may still be submitted but only within two weeks of the expiry date of his or her existing work permit. In addition, proof that the LMO/CAQ request was made must also be included with the application.

Applicants who are submitting work permit extensions to CPC Vegreville under the above circumstances must therefore do one of the following (as applicable):

1. They must include a copy of the LMO/CAQ application sent to Human Resources and Skills Development Canada/Immigration Québec;
2. They must include a copy of the receipt confirmation number, if the request was done online; or
3. They must indicate the following in Section D of IMM 1249:
   • The date the LMO/CAQ request was sent;
   • The office to which it was sent;
   • The employer’s name; and
   • the confirmation number for the submission, if available.

If the LMO/CAQ confirmation number is not available at the time of filing, applicants must contact CIC’s Call Centre and provide this information within two months of CPC Vegreville’s receipt of the application. Failure to do so may result in CPC Vegreville refusing the application.

CIC has also advised that applicants who are waiting for their CAQ may not submit their extension applications online. Instead, paper applications must be submitted by mail in such cases.

On December 30, 2011, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (“CIC”) published Operational Bulletin 368 (“OB 368″).  According to OB 368, all Canadian Experience Class (“CEC“) applications must now be submitted to the Centralized Intake Office (“CIO“) in Sydney, Nova Scotia.  This change became effective on January 1, 2012.

Upon receipt, the CIO will assess each CEC application for completeness.  An application must include all of the forms and documents listed in the Generic Document Checklist for CEC applicants to be considered complete by the CIO.

If the application is incomplete, the CIO will return the entire application package (including fee payment) to the applicant. For complete applications, the CIO will enter the application information into the Global Case Management System and recover the processing fee.  CIO will then send complete applications to an appropriate office for processing.  Offices will process applications according to existing procedures and processing priorities.

Until January 31, 2012, all visa offices will continue to accept any CEC application submitted directly to their office.  Missions should forward any CEC application received directly to the CIO.  After January 31, 2012, applications will be returned to the applicant advising them that they must submit their application to the CIO.