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Migrants will soon be able to apply for 'Express Entry,' for Canada under a new scheme which will be launched in January 2015.
Citizenship and immigration minister Chris Alexander has urged employers to make sure they are ready for the new Express Entry scheme. Meetings are currently being held across the country with stakeholders and business leaders, to ensure the transition to the new scheme runs smoothly when it is launched in the new year. More meetings are set to take place within the coming months.
In order to qualify, candidates are required to fill out an online profile which will register their interest in moving to Canada. They will also have to meet the requirements of one of the Canadian immigration programs for skilled immigrants. Provinces and territories can also nominate Express Entry candidates for their provincial nominee programmes.
Employers will be able to consider Express Entry candidates where there are no Canadians or permanent residents available.
Candidates will be ranked against others within the pool of applicants, and will be judged on prospective economic success once in Canada. This means only the highest ranking candidates will be able to apply for permanent residence.
Alexander also pointed out that the jobs offered to Express Entry candidates must pass the Labour Market Impact Assessment.
Around 150,000 people have arrived in Canada this year so far, from over 200 countries. This is more than double the number compared to the same period last year.
Citizenship
Mr Alexander says that the large number of immigrants who have become Canadian citizens this year confirms that there have been significant improvements in the immigration system.
A bill came into force on 1st August this year aimed at reducing waiting times for Canadian citizenship by streamlining the process. It is estimated that the processing times will be cut to less than a year. The current backlog will also be reduced by more than 80% over the next few years. However it will still take a number of years before newly arrived migrants will be eligible to apply for citizenship.
Since 2006, over 1.3million people have arrived in Canada – the highest level of immigration in Canadian history.
