Is your Immigration Consultant Authorized? Canada Immigration Going After Crooked Immigration Consultants

Crooked immigration consultants days are numbered or, at the very least, will be tougher.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is going after shady and unacceptable practices of immigration consultants that will protect applicants from immigration fraud and boost confidence in the integrity of Canada's immigration program.

Crooked immigration consultants may take advantage of the changes in the Canada immigration program - limiting the number of application to be accepted from certain categories of federal economic immigration stream - and lure many applicants.

Part of this initiative is naming of Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC) as the new regulatory body to oversee immigration consultants, taking over from the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants (CSIC). Members of CSIC can start to register with ICCRC on June 30, 2011. Transition to ICCRC from CSIC ends on October 28, 2011.

Immigration consultants or representatives are authorized to offer paid professional service if they are a member of good standing with ICCRC, provincial/territorial law society, including paralegals or members of Chambre des notaires du Québec.

CIC and the ICCRC will implement Bill C-35 to weed out crooked immigration consultants.

Bill C-35 [Act to Amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act]

makes it an offence for anyone other than an authorized representative to conduct business, for a fee or other consideration, at any stage of an application or proceeding. This includes the period before a proceeding begins or an application is submitted and means that anyone who provides paid immigration advice at the pre-application stage will need to be an authorized representative, as identified in section 91 of the Act.

Unpaid third parties, such as family members and friends, can still act on behalf of an applicant.

Know more about Bill C-35 here.

It is one's right to seek a better way of life for one's self and his/her family like migrating to a country like Canada. Hiring and paying for an immigration consultant can facilitate one's immigration application.

But not all immmigration consultants can help an applicant. Getting the help of unauthorized or incompetent consultant can delay the application, cost unnecessary fees or worse get the application denied.

By seeking professional advice only from legally authorized immigration consultants, applicants stand to have a better chance of migrating to Canada, realizing their dream for a better life.

At the same, doing so lessens the opportunity of crooked immigration consultants to victimize migrant-hopefuls. To me, it is a contribution in itself to curtailing immigration fraud and human trafficking.

Here's an authorized and experienced Canada Immigration Consultant.

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Changes on Canada Immigration Policies

Canada announced changes to its immigration policies. Basically, a reduce intake of immigration applications.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is limiting the number of new applications it will consider in certain categories of the federal economic immigration stream. Effective July 1, 2011, the changes will affect new applicants to the federal Skilled Worker, federal Immigrant Investor and federal Entrepreneur programs.

Read the entire CIC News Release about these changes here.

Federal skilled workers applications will be limited to 10, 000 a year. And within that limit, a maximum of only 500 new applications in each of the 29 priority/high demand occupations will be considered starting July 1, 2011.

In addition, a cap of 700 on new federal investor applications and a temporary moratorium on new federal entrepreneur applications will be introduced.

The 500 new application limit does not augur well for new applicants. I would advise them to seek the help of authorized immigration consultants immediately to explore their opportunities in migrating and working in Canada.

For those with pending applications, it is hoped that with these changes on Canada Immigration Policies, their applications can finally move forward.

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Plumbing Jobs in High Demand in the Middle East

Plumbing jobs are in high demand in the Middle East particularly in Saudi Arabia.

I went to the POEA website today and found out that there quite a lot of approved job orders for plumbers for Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries such as Kuwait, Qatar and UAE.

A Plumber busy with one of those plumbing jobs.

Plumbers install, repair and maintain pipes, fixtures and other plumbing equipment used for water distribution and waste water disposal in residential, commercial and industrial buildings.

That isn't just for this month alone. By my count, approved job orders for Plumbers were:

January 2011 - 129
February 2011 - 210
March 2011 - 309
April 2011 - 291
May 2011 - 307
June 2011 - 106 (June 15 the latest date)

You can view the approved job orders for plumbers in June, here. Or you can check them out yourself at the POEA website.

And that is not counting those job orders tagged as "Open". There are other countries that need plumbers as well but the bulk of the approved job orders are for deployment in the Middle East.

The recent discussion between labor officials of the Philippines and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia about refroms in the Saudi labor system augurs well for those Filipino plumbers hoping to use their skill there and earn enough for their families here.

The reforms discussed were:

• The recognition of “intermediary hiring firms" that will serve as sponsors and co-employers of workers and who will be responsible for the OFWs' welfare and protection;
• A mandatory, broad-range insurance for OFWs; the premium will be paid by employers;
• A new remittance scheme for OFWs; and
• The expansion of e-government facilities, an associated wage protection system, and better enforcement of existing regulations, including the establishment of 24/7 hotlines to receive workers’ complaints in various languages, including Tagalog.

Plumbing is skill that Filipinos are good at. Here's hoping that these plumbing jobs in the Middle East will help many Filipino plumbers showcase their competence in this trade skill and help their families in the process.

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June 20 Special Non-Working Day Pay Rule

Today, June 20, 2011, is a special non-working day by virtue of Proclamation 154, emphasizin the special national and historical importance of the 150th birth anniversary of the Philippine's national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal.

As such, private companies and employers must observe the appropriate pay rules for special non-working days set by the Deparment of Labor and Employment , such as today.

If Monday, June 20, 2011 is worked, an employee is entitled to 130 percent of his daily rate for the first eight hours, and to an additional 30 percent of his hourly rate on the said day for work performed in excess of eight hours.

If unworked, the worker or employee is not entitled to any payment, unless there is a favorable company policy, practice or collective bargaining agreement (CBA) granting payment for special days even if not worked;

If worked and it falls on the employee's rest day, the employee or worker is entitled for the first eight hours to 150 percent of his or her regular daily rate, and for work performed in excess of 8 hours, plus 30 percent of his or her hourly rate on the said day.

Any question or feedback? Call the DOLE Call Center at Hotline 2917 from your Globe or TM mobile phones, 908-2917 from your fixed-line phones for free, or text (SMS) at 2910; you may also inquire from the nearest DOLE regional office in your regions (400-6242 for the DOLE-National Capital Region (NCR office), or call or visit the Bureau of Working Conditions (BWC) located at 3/F, DOLE Building, Muralla Street cor. General Luna Street, Intramuros, Manila, tel. no. 527-3000, local 301.

From the Department of Labor & Employment (DOLE) advisory.

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NBI Clearance & Renewal Card, Do You Already Have Both?

The NBI Clearance is a major documentary requirement for Filipinos, almost a mandatory requirement for employment and serves a host of other purposes. New grads or those just entering the workforce will almost certainly be required to get one while veteran workers may be required to renew from time to time.

A Sample of an NBI Clearance Certificate
Image from Tom's Blog

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has long been offering a faster means of renewing one's NBI clearance via the NBI Clearance Renewal Card.

The Back Portion of an NBI Clearance Renewal Card
Image from John's Blog

Companies or employers require an NBI Clearance as prospective employee's proof that he/she has no legal/criminal liability. The NBI issues a clearance certificate if the applicant has no record on file (also referred to as nbi clearance hit) with them.

I recently applied for a new NBI clearance. The NBI Clearance Center is currently at the Victory Central Mall in Caloocan City.

New applicants are required to present two valid IDs ( PRC ID, SSS ID, TIN ID, School ID, Company ID etc). I just brought my NSO-Certified Birth Certificate. Those for renewal just need to present their old NBI Clearance certificates.

Here are the steps for New Applicants in obtaining an NBI Clearance that I recently undertook.

Get an application form. You will be asked for IDs. Fill out the required information. A Birth certificate comes handy as the birthplace of parents are needed info to fill out the form.

After which, you need to have your application form verified at the Data Check counters.

Next step is paying the clearance fee of Php 115.00. Bringing a Php 100 peso bill plus three 5-peso coins can facilitate your payment. There are automated machines inside the center accepting exact payment. As much as possible, avoid going there during lunch break as there will only be a few cashiers who will man the payment counters, translating to longer lines. An official receipt will be given after payment.

Next step is Finger Printing. It would be wise to bring tissue paper to clean the ink off your fingers as the Php 2.oo wet tissue being sold won't be enough to wipe off the ink completely.

Then, your image will be captured.

You will then proceed to Data Entry and where I believe the record verification process is done. If you have no namesake and no nbi clearance hit, your NBI Clearance certificate will be released on the same date. [Otherwise, getting your clearance will take longer and you will be required to return.]

You just need to present your official receipt at the next step, wait for your clearance certificate to be printed and you're done.

Your NBI clearance is valid one year from the date of issue. You will be issued two copies, one that you can give to your prospective employer and another for your personal copy that you will use for renewal.

However it would be wise to get an NBI renewal card. It costs an additional Php 120.00 but it promises an easier way to renew your NBI clearance from then on. And you get to keep another official government ID card.

For renewal, NBI clearance renewal machines (also available in selected malls) will only require you to swipe the NBI card, pay the exact fee, wait for your clearance print out and off you go.

Getting the renewal card should only take a few minutes longer. Your picture will be taken again together with your right thumb print and the card will be printed immediately.

For more information about NBI clearance, go visit the following links:
http://www.nbi.gov.ph/faq.htm
http://www.nbi.gov.ph/clearance1.htm

Or call the NBI Clearance Center via telephone numbers 351-4149 and 351-0619.

NBI Clearance Center
Victory Central Mall
#717 Old Victory Liner Cmpd. Rizal Ave.

We hope that jobseekers can complete all the documentary requirements as easily as possible including an NBI Clearance and an NBI Clearance Renewal Card.

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OFW Deployment to Bahrain Resumes

The State of National Safety in the Kingdom of Bahrain was lifted on June 1, 2011 and the DFA consequently downgraded the security classification from Alert Level 2 to Alert Level 1.

Here's hoping that the recent resumption of deployment processing for Bahrain-bound OFWs at the POEA will become permanent.

Also, OFWs should be aware of DFA Alert Level Guidelines and check to see if their destination countries fall on any of the alert level.

This site prays for the safety of all OFWs and encourages them to heed the government's authority involving deployment ban and repatriation from countries experiencing strife.

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Your Next Job Might Be From Either of These Job Fairs

Two job fairs on the same dates and relatively near locations. That ought to be good news for us, Filipino jobseekers, who intend to make the most of our time and money to land our next job and proceed with our respective careers.

I was aboard the MRT and as I passed by Megamall, I noticed big notice about a job fair. Searching online led me to these two job fairs that will be held simultaneously.


5th North Triangle Career Fair 2011
June 14-15, 2011
10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Trinoma Activity Center
Trinoma Mall
Quezon City


Philippine Star Career Guide Job Fair
June 14-15, 2011
10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Megatrade Hall
5th Floor Megamall B
Megamall, Mandaluyong City

Source


Trinoma is closer to my residence so I intend to go there first and then proceed to Megamall. Well, you might be standing in line with me then.

Good luck to all jobseekers!

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June 2011 Visa Bulletin - Delay in Processing Explained

The 3rd Ministerial Instruction (MI-3) is expected to be issued anytime now, on or before July 1, 2011. Considering the application backlogs, the upcoming Immigration Minister's Instruction would be crucial. It may worsen the backlogs or limit the opportunities for those planning to live and work in Canada. The next Ministerial Instruction may provide the new list of priority occupations, the number of applications to received and quite possibly, changes in the points system

Alternative Programs
If Citizenship and Immigration Canada decided to focus on their backlogs, there is a chance that there would be a fewer occupations to be listed as priority and fewer number of applications to be received for the next twelve months starting July 1, 2011. Should that be the case, that would mean the cap would be reached instantly. This is where you need to seriously consider finding an employer in Canada who might be willing to sponsor your application. Start preparing a Canadian resume format, prepare a good cover letter and find job vacancies through Canada Jobs Portal. With a job offer from Canada, you may apply under Provincial Nominee Program or Federal Skilled Worker program with Arranged Employment Opinion (AEO).

Delay in processing
Based on the recent processing times published at Citizenship and Immigration Canada website, it now takes 75 months for them to process applications filed on or before February 27, 2008 at Canadian Visa Office in Manila. It used to be 36 months. The Visa Office in Manila is yet to finish applications filed in 2004.

For applications filed between November 2008 and June 25, 2010, it now takes 12 months. It used to be 6-12 months.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada is prioritizing applicants filed under Ministerial Instruction 2 (MI-2) because it seeks to respond to the most urgent labor market needs first. That explains the delay in processing, why nurses filed under MI-2 are getting results faster than some nurses filed under MI-1 even if their applications were filed several months earlier.

Illogical Approach, Let's Make a Protest!
Citizenship and Immigration Canada's decision to prioritize applicant's filed under MI-2 does not make sense. It is illogical and unfair. Nurses and physicians are both included in the priority list under MI-1 and MI-2. Are they trying to say that nurses and physicians filed under MI-2 best respond to labor market demand? What's their basis?

If you are one of those affected, you have two options. You may either wait until your application is reviewed (12 months from the time the visa office received your application) or write a letter to the visa office and voice out your protest. You have all the right to write them a letter but avoid multiple and redundant follow up. I strongly suggest you do the latter. Otherwise, be prepared to wait longer if there are nurses and physicians again included in the Ministerial Instruction 3. Who do you think would be prioritized following their logic? We have already wrote them a letter, you can do the same.

Free Canadian Visa Internet Scam Alert
Please do not be deceived by scammers who promise free Canadian visa processing. Recently, many applicants have been receiving an email allegedly from no-reply@cic.gc.ca offering a free and guaranteed Canadian visa processing. Citizenship and Immigration Canada warned the public about it. It is a scam!

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