03 June 2013

Montreal, Monday, June 3, 2013 - The Minister of Immigration and Cultural Communities and Minister of the Charter of the French language, Diane De Courcy, is pleased to announce an investment of nearly $ 1.4 million for implementation of concrete measures to facilitate the access of immigrants trained in occupational therapy profession, bailiff, speech therapist, physiotherapist and social worker. "Working in collaboration with our partners tangible results and allows to build the skills of professional immigrants who settle in Quebec. In exercising their profession, these people help to meet the needs of labor in areas that, according to Emploi-Québec, presenting favorable job prospects over the next year. The vitality of our economy and the quality of our services will be even more healthy, "said Minister Diane De Courcy. This investment will facilitate the process of recognition of the skills of professionals trained and accelerate the achievement of their license. Projects implemented by the College of Occupational Therapists of Quebec, the College of Pathologists and Audiologists and professional Quebec Order of Quebec physiotherapy improve access to extra training and facilitate the acquisition of skills related to context of these professions in Quebec. For projects of the Chamber of Bailiffs of Quebec and the College of Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists of Quebec, they aim to design appropriate assessment recognition of skills acquired abroad tools. "The partnership with professional associations helps to facilitate the rapid integration of newcomers in the labor force. Recently, the Department has also increased its service francisation online by adding an advanced course and focused on specific professional fields modules level. Access to this knowledge is very important for immigrants who have the skills and want to practice their profession in Quebec, "said Minister Diane De Courcy.

11 May 2013

Mississauga, May 10, 2013 — Citizenship and Immigration Canada will re-open the Parent and Grandparent (PGP) program for new applications on January 2, 2014, by which time the backlog and wait times in the program are expected to have been cut in half. “The Action Plan for Faster Family Reunification is on track to meet the goals of cutting in half the backlog and wait times in the Parent and Grandparent program,” said Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney. “It is very important that we continue to make progress and not return to the old broken system with wait times as long as a decade—that would be unfair to families.” Phase II of the Action Plan for Faster Family Reunification will provide even faster processing times, reduce the backlog further, prevent future backlogs, ensure that families have the financial means to support those they sponsor, and protect the interests of taxpayers. First – In 2012 and 2013, Canada will admit 50,000 parents and grandparents as permanent residents. This represents the highest level of parents and grandparents admitted in 20 years. In 2014, Canada will maintain high levels of admissions for parents and grandparents. Second – The Super Visa will become permanent and will continue to provide flexibility for families who access the 10-year multiple-entry visa, allowing visa holders to remain in Canada up to two years at a time. Over 15,000 Super Visas have been issued since the program’s launch in December 2011 with approval rates averaging 86 percent. Third – New qualifying criteria for permanent residency sponsorship of parents and grandparents will increase the financial responsibility of sponsors to ensure they have the means to support those they sponsor, while limiting the program’s cost to taxpayers and Canada’s strained health and social programs. Fourth – 5,000 new sponsorship applications will be accepted in the program in 2014. By accepting 5,000 applications in 2014 while maintaining high levels, the government will be able to further reduce the remaining backlog so that families can be reunited more quickly. “These new criteria ensure sponsored family members are well supported by their sponsors throughout their time in Canada,” said Minister Kenney. “The redesigned Parent and Grandparent program reunites families faster while respecting Canadian taxpayers and the limited resources for health and social programs.” Canada has one of the most generous family reunification programs in the world. The United States, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand do not allow grandparents to be sponsored at all or only in very limited circumstances, and they have very restrictive criteria for the sponsorship of parents.

19 April 2013

All individuals who are considering applying on or after May 4 should be aware that if their application does not meet the new criteria, it will not be processed. A prospective applicant should ensure they meet at least one of the following requirements: They have at least one year of continuous work experience in one of the 24 eligible occupations; They have a qualifying offer of arranged employment (*note changes to the arranged employment process were previously published in this web notice); or They are eligible to apply through the PhD stream. If prospective applicants are confident that they meet at least one of the above requirements, they must also meet the minimum language threshold and obtain an educational credential assessment (if submitting a foreign educational credential). Eligible Occupations List The eligible occupations stream will have an overall cap of 5,000 new applications and sub-caps of 300 applications in each of the 24 occupations on the list. Eligible occupations (with their corresponding 2011 National Occupation Classification code): 0211 Engineering managers 1112 Financial and investment analysts 2113 Geoscientists and oceanographers 2131 Civil engineers 2132 Mechanical engineers 2134 Chemical engineers 2143 Mining engineers 2144 Geological engineers 2145 Petroleum engineers 2146 Aerospace engineers 2147 Computer engineers (except software engineers/designers) 2154 Land surveyors 2174 Computer programmers and interactive media developers 2243 Industrial instrument technicians and mechanics 2263 Inspectors in public and environmental health and occupational health and safety 3141 Audiologists and speech-language pathologists 3142 Physiotherapists 3143 Occupational Therapists 3211 Medical laboratory technologists 3212 Medical laboratory technicians and pathologists' assistants 3214 Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists 3215 Medical radiation technologists 3216 Medical sonographers 3217 Cardiology technicians and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists, n.e.c. (not elsewhere classified)

31 March 2013

QUEBEC IMMIGRANT Information session on life and employment in the regions Newcomers to the Montréal region meet representatives of the Ministère and regional organizations who present various reception and settlement services (housing, education, health, French classes, etc.) as well as job opportunities and economic prospects in their particular region. Each year, some 2,000 people attend these information sessions and benefit from the advice offered. Many have found employment and settled in these areas. Who can attend these sessions? These sessions are open to all immigrants currently living in the Montréal region who have been in Québec for less than five years and are considering settling elsewhere in Québec. Address Grande Bibliothèque de Montréal 475, boulevard De Maisonneuve Est, salle M.460 Montréal (Québec) H2L 5C4 (Métro Berri-UQAM), sortie Grande Bibliothèque Click for more details on schedules : http://www.immigration-quebec.gouv.qc.ca/en/settle/regions-sessions/index.html

29 March 2013

To the delight of all the qualifying applicants who wants to apply for Quebec Skilled Worker (QSW), the program has been extended till 31st July, 2013. Earlier, as per the directives dated 29th June 2012 of MICC, the QSW was acceptiong applications till 31st March, 2013 only. Now the program has extended till 31st July, 2013. Those who are eligible, this is a second chance to RUSH and put the application before the deadline. We at XIPHIAS Immigration are leaders in Quebec Immigration.

I am proud to introduce XIPHIAS Immigration Team !!They have a deep understanding of the process and handle my case on a personal level. What amazes me is that they put their heart and soul in each case to ensure it goes through successfully. Special Thanks to "Varun"for his guidance and support. Wish you all the best!

-- Saraswati Kujur