Gunness & Assocaites | Canadian Immigration specialists in Ontario

International Experience Canada is open for the 2024 season On December 11, 2023, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada announced the opening of the 2024 season of the International Experience Canada (IEC) Program. Nearly 90,000 youths from IEC partner regions can join, with applications open from December 11, 2023. The IEC enables Canadian and international youths aged 18–35 to work and travel reciprocally.  Canada has youth mobility partnerships with 35+ regions, including new or improved arrangements with Finland, Iceland, Ukraine, South Korea, and the UK in 2023.  In 2024, Canadian youth will have more opportunities for international exposure, and IEC's automation technology will streamline processing. The 2024 season will positively impact employers and the tourism industry by enabling participants to experience Canada through work and travel. In March 2023, Canada and Finland signed a new youth mobility agreement. Finland's youth are expected to be able to partici

  Ontario plans to prohibit employers from asking for Canadian work experience in job applications The Government of Ontario proposes legislation prohibiting employers from requiring "Canadian work experience" in job applications. Ontario’s Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development believes this will address labor shortages by allowing newcomers to secure better-suited jobs instead of settling for positions overqualified.  Ontario aims to enable internationally trained immigrants to work in their fields of study, fostering their integration and supporting the provincial workforce. Ontario's Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism, Michael Ford, states this change will benefit families, communities, and businesses. Details of the Ontario plan to prohibit employers from asking for Canadian work experience Officials estimate that supporting internationally trained newcomers to work in the professions for which they studied could boost the province

  Why are there still increasing numbers of asylum claims in Canada? In March, Roxham Road, a pathway used by many asylum seekers to enter Canada, had been closed. However, Canada has still processed over 80,000 asylum applications this year.  This is partly due to expedited visa processing and more straightforward asylum claims at airports in Montreal and Toronto. Immigration offices in Ontario and Quebec also receive inland claimants who entered Canada legally or illegally.  Part of the answer, it appears, is that Montreal and Toronto's international airports have become magnets for asylum seekers. According to Radio-Canada, immigration officials secretly implemented a new policy to speed temporary visa processing, including eliminating the requirement for applicants to provide proof that they will leave Canada at the end of their stay. This is said to have made it simpler for persons who would typically struggle to get tourist visas to enter and then claim asylum upon arrival. T

  Ottawa urged to crack down on immigration employment scam The Federal Government works to prevent employers from charging fees to temporary foreign workers under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). However, some workers are still being exploited and made to pay large sums to secure jobs in Canada.  Immigrants pay to get a Canadian employer to apply for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), which is needed for a work permit. Scams involving LMIA fraud are known, but the Government has taken steps to guard employees against them.  Some foreign workers pay to stay in Canada and get semi-skilled LMIA jobs to settle in the country. The TFWP has led to profiteering by unscrupulous employers and immigration consultants. Last year, the Federal Government changed regulations to ensure temporary foreign workers are not charged for their recruitment. Details of the immigration employment scam  Ottawa is being urged to crack down on an immigration scam in which people looking for wo

  McGill and Concordia Universities will continue to attract anglophone international students Quebec’s immigration minister believes that new rules requiring more French proficiency from international students will not negatively impact universities like McGill and Concordia. Previously, under the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ), international students could easily enter Quebec by combining education with career goals.  However, in 2019, eligibility limits were imposed, causing a backlash and a reversal of the decision. McGill University and Concordia University criticized the new rules, stating that they will attract international students despite the changes in the PEQ rules.  The PEQ, a popular program for international students, changed in May to increase the French language proficiency of applicants. However, the reforms will exclude graduates from anglophone universities, even if they are fluent in French. About the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ)  The province of Quebec runs a