Immigration.ca's Podcast

The results of Canada's 2016 census show how vital immigration has become to the country's continued growth. Since 2011, the country has grown by 1.7 million people, and two thirds of that growth is attributed to immigration, with the rest resulting from natural increase, or the difference between births and deaths. Canada's natural population growth could be nearly zero 20 years from now and, if current trends continue, immigration will make up 80 per cent of the population growth by 2031. Deaths are catching up with births like never before as the baby boomer generation reaches older ages and fertility rates fall. Read more at bit.ly/2m5B3GR ! immigrationCanadacensus  

Canadian universities are reporting significant increases in numbers of applications from American students in the wake of Donald Trump's election as president. Major institutions including the University of Toronto, McGill University and McMaster University are seeing huge boosts in numbers when compared to those received at this point 12 months ago. Read more at bit.ly/2llLWUN ! american studentscanada Release

President Donald Trump's executive order on refugees is a shameful act by the United States government on many fronts. Issued on January 27, 2017 and without forewarning, it mandates an immediate four-month suspension to America's refugee program, banning all refugees to the US, allowing the government time to re-assess how refugees are vetted. In particular, it prevents entry of Syrian nationals as refugees, until such time as President Trump determines sufficient changes have been made to the United States Refugee Admissions Program. Read more at bit.ly/2k4CNe0 ! Canadatrumpimmigration  

January 25th 2017 – Canadian Immigration authorities conducted the 3rd round of invitations under Express Entry in 2017 and 53rd overall, inviting 3,508 applicants for permanent residence, the highest number ever, under all programs. The lowest Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score was 453, a continued decrease from previous draws. Read more at bit.ly/2lpnqy2 !

Immigrants and the children of immigrants could represent almost half of Canada's population by 2036, according to the latest Statistics Canada projections. The diversity of Canada's population is set to grow across every part of the country, although Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver will continue to dominate as the preferred places to settle for new immigrants. Read more at bit.ly/2kJ6jYW ! immigrantscanada  

With uncertainty surrounding the future of the US EB-5 under Donald Trump, Quebec is about to open applications for its popular investment immigration program. The Quebec Immigrant Investor Program (QIIP) offers a stable and well-administered alternative to the EB-5, which has been beset with problems relating to fraud, manipulation of so-called Targeted Employment Areas (TEAs) and an ever-growing backlog of applications. Read more at bit.ly/2knF3OJ ! quebecimmigrant investor  

Canada Border Services Agency data obtained by the Toronto Star shows an average of 1,400 immigrants a year have their permanent residency status revoked at the border for not complying with physical presence requirements. Read more at bit.ly/2k4Big4 !    

Canadians crossing into the U.S. can be asked to unlock and handover their mobile phones for inspection by border security agents. A spokesperson for Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale confirmed the power in the wake of several people being denied entry to the U.S. for Donald Trump's inauguration and subsequent protests. Read more at bit.ly/2ls6cRw !

The new federal government 'Interest to Sponsor' form for those wishing to bring parents and grandparents to Canada has gone live following an overhaul of the application process. Read more at bit.ly/2iylOVC !

Federal government enforcement of Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) rules has been criticised because only three businesses have faced penalties since new powers were introduced. Despite Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada engaging in nearly 1,000 investigations since enforcement rules were changed in December 2015, little action has been taken. Read more at bit.ly/2jlfkXr !

January 11th 2017 – Canadian Immigration authorities conducted the 2nd round of invitations under Express Entry in 2017 and 52nd overall, inviting 3334 applicants for permanent residence, the highest number ever, under all programs. The lowest Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score was 459, a continued decrease from previous draws. Read more at bit.ly/2k1Upf8 !

Experts say 2017 could be a significant year for Canada's economy after positive signs at the end of 2016. Solid job figures, improving trade numbers and a healthy stock market all point to an emergence from a difficult period sparked by the oil price slump and stalling global growth. Read more at bit.ly/2jl9LYY

Names will be drawn at random from a list of interested candidates in a new application procedure for Canada's Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship Program introduced by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Read more athttp://bit.ly/2hY33Hs !

American long haul truck drivers are being urged to consider moving north to New Brunswick as the province looks to target labour shortages in the profession through its Provincial Nominee Program. Information sessions being held in New York, San Francisco and Atlanta during January 2017 will see employers from the province ready to interview prospective drivers interested in moving to the province. Read more at bit.ly/2ihdito !

Quebec's unemployment rate fell to a record low in November, falling 0.6 points to 6.2 per cent, with the province adding an impressive 81,000 jobs in the last year. Read more at bit.ly/2h5SOzR !

The status of 1,600 Canadian immigrants is under threat because of a large-scale fraud orchestrated by an immigration consultant in British Columbia. The status of 1,600 Canadian immigrants is under threat because of a large-scale fraud orchestrated by an immigration consultant in British Columbia The Canada Border Services Agency has been sifting through the client list of Xun 'Sunny' Wang ever since his 2015 conviction, with 320 cases of misrepresentation already identified, and 500 cases still being investigated. Read more at bit.ly/2h5PbtA

Canada's federal government must continue to carefully shape its argument for increased immigration in economic terms and avoid succumbing to the rise of protectionist politics seemingly sweeping the world at present. Read more at bit.ly/2h5O39k !

The Canadian federal government has introduced a new 12-month standard processing time for family reunification immigration applications. The Canadian federal government has introduced a new 12-month standard processing time for family reunification immigration applications Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has made a concerted effort to reduce processing times since the Liberal government came to power. Read more at bit.ly/2hLyeJ5 !

Canadian universities are seeing an unprecedented surge in interest from potential international students following Donald Trump's victory in the U.S. presidential election. Read more at bit.ly/2h7M0on !

Immigrants have an undeniable long-term benefit for advanced economies, according to a new report from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Read more at bit.ly/2gWrI0N !