The opportunity to apply under Federal Skilled Workers program is still limited to 29 in-demand occupations and it will remain this way until June 30, 2012. If you have signed up a consultancy agreement with Canadian Immigration Consultancy and your application was affected by changes in the immigration regulations, chances are your application is not yet filed. Some of you may have been waiting for quite a time now for your occupation to get included in the priority list. Some others may actually be included but did not make it to the cap. We understand that this may disappoint you, but it isn't necessarily the end for your dream to live and work in Canada .
Here are few things you may do as an alternative:
1. If your application is not yet filed, it is important that you continue getting your documents ready. It is best that your application is ready for filing as soon as the opportunity for your occupation opens up again. If you haven't done yet, please fill up the application forms using our client's portal (http://clients.go2canada.com) and submit your documents for checking.
2. Citizenship and Immigration Canada will still accept application for occupations not included in the list, provided the applicant has an Arranged Employment. While waiting for the next Ministerial Instruction, it would be best if you will start looking for possible employer in Canada . How to find jobs in Canada
3. The key to getting an Arranged Employment in Canada for regulated occupations is getting your credentials assessed by the regulatory body for your occupation/profession.
Nurses, for example, need to pass the Canadian Registered Nurse Examination before they could work as a nurse. The first step in getting your credentials assessed is by deciding which province in Canada you want to practice your profession. In Canada , Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs), Registered Nurses (RNs) and Registered Psychiatric Nurses (RPNs) are regulated by different regulatory bodies determined by each provincial government. Provincial and Territorial Regulatory Bodies - Nurses in Canada
Once you already have the eligibility to work in Canada as nurse, you can then start looking for employer in Canada . Once you have the job offer, that’s the time that we can then file your application for a Canadian Visa. Guide for Filipino Nurses planning to work in Canada.
For information on how to get your credentials recognized, visit http://www.credentials.gc.ca/recognition/how.asp
4. If you have relatives in Manitoba or Saskatchewan , we may also file your application under the Provincial Nominee Program. If you have friends in Manitoba, they are also eligible to be your sponsor under the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program.
Ministerial Instruction 3 (MI-3 Updates)
As of October 11, 2011, the Centralized Intake Office (CIO) has already 2,768 received total complete Federal Skilled Workers program applications out of the overall cap of 10,000. Under the Ministerial Instruction 3 (MI-3), there is a cap of 500 applications per occupation. The cap for Registered Nurses and Professional Occupations in Business Services to Management has been reached already. For the latest tally of applications received, visit Citizenship and Immigration Canada official website.
Applications filed to CIO from July 1-9 have already received the assessment notice. It used to take only about 30 days for CIO to make an assessment but it now takes about 3 months. If you have filed your application within the said period and haven't received the notice yet, check your email spam folder. If it's not there, you may check your application status by contacting the CIO. Here's how to check your CIO application status.
Canadian Visa Office Manila Visa - Processing Status
If you have your file number from Canadian Visa Office - Manila, you can actually check your application status online. But to give you an idea on what application date is currently being processed by Manila Visa Office, here's a breakdown based on the period applications were filed:
Pre-Feb 27, 2008 FSW Applications
Applications filed before February 27, 2008 are those filed mostly using the Simplified Application Process. Current average proceesing 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 unanticpated backlogs. The latest MI-1 applications being processed by Canadian Visa Office in Manila are those we filed October 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, and the Canadian Visa Office in Manila is current so far.
Here's how to check your application status online.
October 2011 Visa Bulletin - Alternatives
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