As of October 31, 2014, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (“CIC”) will not process new visa applications nor continue to process pending visa applications for temporary residence in the worker, student or visitor class of foreign nationals who have been in an Ebola affected country (which includes having resided, travelled or transited), within three months prior to the date the application is received by CIC.

CIC will not process new visa applications nor continue to process pending visa applications from foreign nationals who are intending to travel to an Ebola affected country.

CIC will not process new permanent resident visa applications made by foreign nationals who have been in an Ebola affected country (which includes having resided, travelled or transited) within three months prior to the date the application is received by CIC.

For further information, please clock here.

Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister, Chris Alexander, announced significant reforms to the Caregiver Program. Changes to the program include ending the live-in requirement, and providing eligible caregivers with two pathways that will lead to permanent residence within six months.

One pathway features criteria for child care providers that are very similar to current requirements, but without the need for the caregiver to live in the home of their employer.  In addition, caregivers in a variety of health care occupations, including registered nurses, registered psychiatric nurses, licensed practical nurses, nurse aides, orderlies, patient service associates and home support workers, will also have a pathway to permanent residence. Eligible caregivers in this stream would be able to gain their work experience either in providing in-home care or care in a health-care facility to an elderly person or a person with a disability or chronic medical condition. This pathway offers more career options for eligible caregivers, and targets workers in occupations that are expected to face labour shortages in the future. Applications in this stream would also be processed within six months.

As part of the 2015 Levels Plan tabled today in the House of Commons, Canada will welcome 30,000 new permanent residents in this category.

Caregivers who have already applied for Live-in Caregiver Program work permits, and any who apply based on an employer’s approved Labour Market Impact Assessment submitted before November 30, will also be able to complete the work requirement on a live-in basis and eventually apply for permanent residence.

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Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Romania and San Marino will be added to Canada’s list of Designated Countries of Origin (DCOs), effective October 10, 2014.

With these latest additions, 42 countries now appear on Canada’s DCO list. With the new asylum system in place, it now takes, on average, three-and-a-half months for the Immigration and Refugee Board to hear a refugee claim, compared to approximately 20 months before the reforms.

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Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander announced the launch of a Business Express Program (BEP) in Bulgaria and Romania. The BEP will make it easier and faster for business people from these countries to come to Canada. Reliable companies whose employees frequently travel to Canada for business purposes will be invited by the Canadian Embassy in Bucharest, which covers both Romania and Bulgaria, to participate in the program.

FACTS:

• Canada has successfully established a BEP in India, Mexico and China with visas issued within days and an approval rate of close to 100 percent.
• Most visas processed under the BEP will be issued within three days.
• To facilitate travel, Canada has opened Visa Application Centres (VAC) in Bucharest and Sofia.
• Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has also adopted the 10-year multiple-entry visa as its standard visa issued for most visitors and reduced the fee to CAD $100. This is good news for business people, as well as tourists, as they can easily travel to and from Canada with a single visa. For each visit, they can stay for up to six months.
• It currently takes 14 days to process a visitor’s visa at the visa office in Bucharest, which is within CIC’s processing standards.

For more information, please click here.