Navratri 2019: Nine-day long festival begins with great fervor on the first day

Navratri 2019: Nine-day long festival begins with great fervor on the first day

The festival is popularly and prominently celebrated in Gujarat, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Karnataka.

Navratri in Sanskrit means nine nights in which nine forms of Goddess Durga are worshipped in a particular order. Alongside observing fast and performing various rituals, preparing a special offering for each day holds symbolic significance.

The occasion is believed to mark Goddess Durga's victory over demon Mahishasura, which signifies the victory of good over evil.

This year, Navratri is being observed from September 29 to October 7.

Happy Navratri to you and your family!

Canada’s New International Education Strategy (2019-2024)

The new International Education Strategy (IES) builds on the attributes that make Canada a powerhouse in international education: strong schools and programs of study in both English and French; peaceful, welcoming and diverse communities; an enviable quality of life; opportunities to work and start careers; and pathways to permanent residency.

The new IES will, in collaboration with the provinces, territories, associations and institutions:

• Encourage Canadian students to gain new skills through study and work abroad opportunities in key global markets, especially Asia;

• Diversify the countries from which international students come to Canada, as well as their fields, levels of study, and location of study within Canada; and

• Increase support for Canadian education sector institutions to help grow their export services and explore new opportunities abroad.

The Minister of International Trade Diversification, James Gordon Carr said in a statement “International education is an essential pillar of Canada’s long-term competitiveness. Canadians who study abroad gain exposure to new cultures and ideas, stimulating innovation and developing important cross-cultural competencies. Students from abroad who study in Canada bring those same benefits to our shores. If they choose to immigrate to Canada, they contribute to Canada’s economic success. Those who choose to return to their countries become life-long ambassadors for Canada and for Canadian values.”

The IES includes a five-year Outbound Student Mobility Pilot program which will help post-secondary students with the costs of study or work abroad. The program also focuses on supporting under-represented students (e.g., Indigenous students, students from less privileged backgrounds, students with disabilities) to develop the skills they need to succeed in an increasingly globalized and changing economy.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will also improve its online services and forms to better connect to people who seek to visit, study or work in Canada. It plans to expand the Student Direct Stream (SDS) and make it available to prospective students from more countries. The SDS enables students who submit electronic applications and meet additional up-front requirements to benefit from quicker processing times.

Canada has world- famous universities such as McGill, in Montreal, and the University of Toronto, both of which are popular with international students. To make sure that Canada will remain one of the world’s top destination for learning, the new (IES) aims to strengthen Canadian international education competitive advantage to enable students to take what they learn and use it to help create jobs.

It is hoped that IES will increase awareness of what Canada has to offer international students and will contribute to Canada’s reputation as a respected centre of international education.

Quebec Introduces New Program to Help Newcomers Integrate

Immigration Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette stated that this program is a key piece to reforming Quebec’s immigration system. Adding that, Quebec is investing $20 million each year in its new “personalized support course” program to help newcomers successfully integrate into Quebec society.

The foreign national (FN) must first obtain a Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ) to immigrate which is issued by the Diversity and Inclusion (MIDI) ministry. The FN has to then apply to the federal government to become permanent residents.
Upon receiving the CSQ the FN has access to various resources and also has a designated immigration officer assigned to them. When the FN (now a newcomer) arrives in Quebec, they are greeted at the airport and invited to meet with a designated integration assistance officer within a week, and an individualized action plan is created for them.
Basically, there are four steps to this newcomer process:

1. Arrival

2. Francization

3. Integration into the job market

4. Community integration
   
   

Officers will monitor the progress of each immigrant and adjust strategies to provide services tailored to each applicant’s needs, said the government. Training will be offered in terms of francization, recognition of prior learning and information on all regions of Quebec.
Read more about the program here

Prince Edward Island issues 143 invitations in its latest draw

Prince Edward Island (PEI) launched its expression of interest in January 2018, and since then has made regular draws every month.

On August 15th, the PEI provincial nominee program (PNP) issued 10 invitations to applicants in the Business Impact stream, and 133 invitations to the Labour Impact Express Entry stream.

The total number of invitations that have been issued in 2019 stands at 1,065.

As the PEI PNP is linked to the federal Express Entry system, it enables the province to nominate applicants for PR through the FSWC, FSTC and CEC.

Quebec Experience Graduate Stream Applications Temporarily Suspended

The Government of Quebec has announced that the intake of applications to the Quebec Experience Program’s Graduates Stream has been suspended until November 1, 2019. In his ministerial instructions on July 10, 2019, Quebec’s Immigration Minister, Simon Jolin-Barrette has highlighted the key elements of the suspension.

However, there are a couple of exceptions under which the applicants can apply:

1.     Graduates who have a valid work permit as of July 10th, 2019, expiring before November 1, 2019, and are currently living in Quebec.

2.     Applicants who had previous applications terminated with the passing of Quebec’s Bill 9 in June 2019, and were either working or studying in Quebec on a temporary resident visa (TRV).

As this has curtailed international students from applying for the PEQ, students have other choices of either the Post Graduate Work Permit (PGWP) and the Canadian Experience Class pathways to attain permanent residence (PR).

Do You have a Question in relation to your options, JM Immigration can assist you, call/text 416-904-3815, or send your query to www.onecanadavisa.com.

World Humanitarian Day - 19 August

"From supporting civilians caught up in crisis to addressing disease outbreaks, women humanitarians are on the front lines."

— UN Secretary-General, António Guterres

Celebrated every year on 19 August, World Humanitarian Day is directed towards honoring humanitarian efforts worldwide and propagating the idea of supporting people in crisis. On this day, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OPCA) advocates on behalf of the entire humanitarian community.

Read the article here

Happy World Humanitarian Day!

If each of us reaches out in our own little way in helping to improve the welfare and happiness of people, the world will be a better place.

New Brunswick Occupation List for Express Entry Expanded

New Brunswick added 9 occupations to the New Brunswick Express Entry stream’s priority list (Labour Market Stream). This list now has 19 occupations. The applicants who apply and are selected in the Express Entry Stream are eligible to an additional 600 points, and makes them eligible to receive and invitation to apply (ITA) for permanent residence (PR).

NOC 9461 -Processing and packaging technician

NOC 7237 - Welders and related machine operators

NOC 9536 - Industrial painters

NOC 7231 - Machinist

NOC 7316- Machine fitters

NOC 9526 - Mechanical assemblers

NOC 6552 - Customer service representatives

NOC 6322 - Cooks

NOC 0631 - Restaurant and food service managers

NOC 6311 - Food service supervisors

New Brunswick’s Express Entry Labour Market Stream allows the New Brunswick (NBPNP) to use the federal Express Entry immigration selection system to nominate candidates who meet New Brunswick’s specific labour market needs.

The NBPNP only considers Expressions of Interest to this category from candidates who meet the eligibility criteria for the Federal Skilled Worker Class (FSWC) and who have a score of 67 points out of 100 in the FSWC selection factors.

Canada’s new biometrics rules: Europe, the Middle East and Africa

Fingerprints and a photograph are now required for identification purposes and have become mandatory for people from Middle East, Africa and Europe when applying either for a visitor visa, work permit, study permit, permanent residence or for asylum.

However, people coming form visa-exempt countries with a valid electronic travel authorization (eTA) do not have to provide biometrics.

Biometric cost CAD $85 for one person or CAD$170 for a family when applying together.

Visitor visa, study and work permit applicants need to give their biometrics once every 10 years. They don’t need to give your biometrics again until the 10-year period expires.

Permanent residence applicants need to give their biometrics and pay the fee each time they apply, even if they gave their biometrics in the past for another application.