Family Members of Temporary Foreign Workers Can Now Be Eligible to Get Employed in British Columbia CA

Starting today, a pilot project is launched allowing temporary foreign workers to bring along family members and work too in British Columbia, Canada.

Read it in full here.

In a pilot project in British Columbia, Canada will be exploring the benefits of allowing family members of temporary foreign workers to also work in the province together.
Before this project, only spouses and common-law partners of temporary foreign workers employed in a managerial, professional or skilled trades job have been eligible to obtain an open work permit in British Columbia.

But through this pilot project, up to 1,800 working permits will be available for spouses, common-law partners and working-age dependants of temporary foreign workers and will be offered only until February 15, 2013.

Find more information about being a temporary foreign worker in Canada here. It is also important to take note of the New Rules of Canada's Temporary Foreign Workers Program that took effect last April 1, 2011.

Getting hired to work temporarily in Canada not only allows foreigners to earn a living for a short period of time. Being so gives them the Canadian Experience that will open more doors of opportunities.

If this pilot project proves to be successful and expanded to the entire country, skilled working families of foreigners like Filipinos stands a good chance in finding greener pastures in a developed country like Canada.

Read more...

August 2011 Visa Bulletin - The Clock Is Ticking

Centralized Intake Office (CIO) started to receive applications for Federal Skilled Workers (FSW) program under MI-3 since July 1, 2011. CIO will only accept a total of 10,000 applications from July 1, 2011 to June 30, 2012 with a cap of 500 applications per occupation. 

As of August 4, 2011, the total complete FSW applications received by CIO is 694 already. And just like last year, it looks like Professional Occupations in Business Services to Management (NOC 1122) will be the first to reach the cap. If your occupation is included in the current list of priority occupations, let's get your application filed ASAP! Don't waste time, the clock is ticking.

Occupation not included in the list?
There are other programs to live and work in Canada - Provincial Nominee Program, Quebec-Selected Skilled Workers Program and Arranged Employment. While waiting for your occupation to be included in the priority list, try to maximize the Internet by sending your resume to Canadian employers. Here's how to find jobs in Canada.

How to Check CIO Application Status
IF your application was already filed at Centralized Intake Office (CIO) and you are wondering what the status is, there is a way to check it. But verify first with the courier service you used if it was in fact delivered to and received by CIO. You may contact CIO's Client Service Unit 6 weeks after your application is received.

Live-in Caregiver Program On Hold
There was a rumor circulating online that Canada's Live-in Caregiver Program is currently on hold. There is no truth to that. There were changes introduced in the past but the program is still open. For Filipino applicants, however, there are certain requirements you need to comply with POLO and POEA.

SCAM Alert: Cascadia Hotel and Suites Scam
The best way to fight online scams is to be informed. To legally work in Canada, you don't need to get in touch with a Zonal Coordinator for the Immigration Entry Assessment Fee.

Canadian Language Benchmark
Just to clarify, Canadian Language Benchmark 8 is not equivalent to IELTS Score of 8. The Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) are the national standard used in Canada for describing, measuring and recognizing the English language proficiency of adult immigrants and prospective immigrants for living and working in Canada.

Temporary NBI Clearance Processing Center
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is in process of migrating to a new processing system and it now takes longer to get an NBI Clearance. Expect long lines of people applying for NBI clearance so it is best if you go there really early to Temporary Processing Center. NBI Clearance is onc of the requirements for all types of PR Visa Application.


Canadian Visa Office Manila Visa - Processing Status

Pre-Feb 27, 2008 FSW Applications
Applications filed before February 27, 2008 are those filed mostly using the Simplified Application Process. Current average processing period for this batch is 62 months. Canadian Visa Office in Manila is currently processing applications filed November 2004.

Ministerial Instruction 1 (MI-1)
MI-1 applications are those filed at Centralized Intake Office from Feb 28, 2008 to June 25, 2010. Applicants under this batch are those with at least one year experience in of the 38 high demand occupations. They were originally promised 6-12 months processing period. The promised processing period materialized only during the first few months but since there's no limit on the number of applications to be received, it resulted to unanticipated backlogs. Canadian Visa Office in Manila is now processing MI-1 applications received August-September 2010.

Ministerial Instruction 2 (MI-2)
MI-2 applications are those filed at Centralized Intake Office from June 26, 2010 to June 30, 2011. Applicants under this batch are those with at least one year experience in any of the 29 in-demand occupations and were promised 6-12 months processing period. There's a cap of 1,000 applications per occupation, thus, and the Canadian Visa Office in Manila is current so far.

Read more...