The expression “sooner rather than later” has been my motto for Canada Immigration applicants for years. The reason is that the Canadian Federal Government often changes its immigration rules without notice. A few years back, not only did Canada change its immigration rules upon a federal election it went one step further and made them retroactive to applicants already in the pipeline. That being said, it is important for applicants to apply as soon as they are qualified and to not wait until a future date – or else they may be disappointed later.
In my previous article titled “ Immigration to Canada is relatively easy compared to USA” , I indicated how much easier it was to immigrate to Canada. I however forget to mention one caveat – one must apply “sooner rather than later”. While the USA has a tendency to inform applicants of what is to come and what edition of applications are accepted – Canada does no such thing. Applicants must use current applications and qualify on the day of filing or they may be out of luck later.
The above is crucial to note because once again Canada Immigration has changed its laws. Less than two years ago, Canada announced 38 in-demand occupations. In other words, applicants who have at least one year of experience in one of the listed occupations were able to qualify. No job offer or relative required. On June 26, 2010, the Federal Government, without notice changed some of the occupations and reduced the number to 29 occupations. While dentists and pharmacists may be happy, accountants and professors are out. There is no retroactive provision so if an applicant applied before June 26, 2010 you are governed by the old laws. As well, it is important to note that for the first time (similar to USA quotas), Canada Immigration is capping the number of applicants. Only the first 20,000 qualified applicants will be processed in one year. So as stated before, if you qualify, it is important to apply early to reach the cap and before the list changes. Sample of occupations are:
Occupations that remain in demand
Food Service & Restaurant Managers
Doctors
Nurses
Certified Nursing Assistants
Licensed Practical Nurses
Physiotherapists
Chefs
Cooks
Electricians
Plumbers
Welders
X-ray Technologists
New Occupations that are now qualified
Dentists
Dental Hygienists
Pharmacists
Production Managers
Management / Business Consultants
Insurance Adjusters
Scientists
Architects
Psychologists
Social Workers
Occupations no longer qualified
Accountants
Auditors
Financial Managers
Computer Managers
Geologists
Professors
Instructors
Engineers
Attorney Henry Moyal is a certified and licensed immigration lawyer in Toronto, Ontario.
The above article is general advice only and is not intended to act as a legal document.
Send questions to Attorney Moyal by fax, phone 416 733 3193 or email canada@moyal.com