Articles: Visas & Permits
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Canada eTA
What is it and why do I need it?
As of March 15, 2016 it is mandatory for many people entering Canada to have an eTA. This article will help you understand what an eTA is, why it exists, who has to get one and how. If you are planning on moving to Canada, and are entering before obtaining a residency permit, you may need to apply for an eTA.
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Securing a job in Canada as an expat
Temporary Foreign Worker Program
If you’re moving to Canada and looking for a job, then the Canadian Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) may really help. Under the program, Canadian employers must hire foreign workers if they cannot find Canadian citizens to fill employment and/or skills shortages. As the program covers many occupations and skill-levels, almost anyone is eligible to apply. It could also be a great pathway to getting a permanent job.
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Need a US visa in a hurry?
Guide for Canadian permanent residents
Last week, I chatted with two senior officials of the U.S. Consulate in Toronto about my recent urgent application for a visitor visa on behalf of a Canadian permanent resident whose mother was in intensive care in the U.S. following a serious car accident. Some of the following is what I learned from Consul Jeffrey Tunis and Public Affairs Officer Nicholas J. Giaccobe.
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Christmas at the Heritage Inn
Where the paperless go
Tucked between a minivan dealership and an industrial property, on Rexdale Boulevard just east of Highway 27, lies Toronto’s immigration holding centre. Its street number, “385”, is inconspicuously painted on a thin roadside post causing anyone driving at normal speeds to easily miss it.
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Minister's Office steps in to help new mom
A complex case
By Guidy Mamann: A few weeks ago I wrote about the plight of a young woman who found herself in quite a predicament after she gave birth overseas. Seema Kanwal, who I can now identify, is a permanent resident of Canada. She recently returned to Pakistan to get married and spend some time with her new hubby.
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Canadian immigration laws
A new backlog
It was an extraordinary promise. On October 30, 2008 Jason Kenney became Canada’s immigration minister and took hold of unprecedented new powers won by the Tories when they cleverly inserted amendments to our immigration laws in the 2008 budget bill knowing full well that the opposition would not dare oppose it and risk triggering a federal election.
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Deportation Due to Criminal Offence
Only a Traffic Ticket Away
By Guidy Mamann: Should a driving conviction ever be enough to deport a permanent resident from Canada? This is essentially the question that the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness is asking in an appeal filed last week with the Federal Court of Appeal.
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English & French Language Testing
Even if you're a native speaker
By Guidy Mamann: The folks at the Department of Citizenship and Immigration in Ottawa are keeping real busy these days. In addition to other recent announcements, they have just introduced their third major piece of legislation designed to amend our immigration regulations. A recap is in order.
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Ethnicity, please?
New ethnic classification bill on its way
By Guidy Mamann: If you were applying for a visitor’s visa to Canada how would you feel if you were faced with a requirement to state whether you are “black” or “white”? Or, how about, “Jewish” or “Christian”? Or, perhaps, “gay” or “straight”?
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Privacy laws
Personal information to be released to foreign governments
By Guidy Mamann: Immigration minister Jason Kenny and his officials at Citizenship and Immigration Canada are making a mockery of Canada’s privacy laws by forcing foreign nationals, and possibly permanent residents, to agree to the release of their personal information to any and all foreign governments.
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Permanent resident cards
The risks of travelling without a PR card
By Guidy Mamann: It happens quite often. We get a frantic call from a permanent resident of Canada who suddenly has to travel overseas to see a dying relative or who has to pay their final respects to a loved one. The problem is that their PR card has expired and they simply can’t wait 46 days, or more, to have their renewal application processed by the Case Processing Centre in Sydney, Nova Scotia.
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Watch out if your circumstances change
Disclose kids quickly
By Guidy Mamann: Cesar and Sofronia Maruquin filed for permanent residence to Canada in April 2003 and included their daughter Cheryl as an accompanying dependent. While waiting for their application to be processed, Cheryl became pregnant and gave birth to a son in July 2004.
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Getting a Canadian visa for your spouse
A Fiancé's Dilemma
By Guidy Mamann: A man in Canada asked me this question recently: I am engaged to a woman in Vietnam. I’ve been doing some research online and understand that Canada no longer has a fiancé class. Should I have my fiancée come here as a visitor and have her apply for permanent residence from within Canada? Or should I go to Vietnam to get married and then sponsor her? Which option is better?
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Adaptability points for your Canadian visa
Claiming “uncle” points
By Guidy Mamann: Say for example that you have an uncle living in Canada, and you wish to claim 5 points on the basis that you have a blood relative living there. You will need to provide a few documents in order to prove that he is your uncle, and that he is permanently living in Canada.
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Temporary work
NAFTA professionals now get three-year visas
By Guidy Mamann: In May, I wrote about an announcement by the U.S. immigration service whereby it would start to issue TN work permits to Canadian and Mexican professionals for a maximum duration of three years as opposed to the previous maximum of one year.
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