Canada PR Visa Processing Fee to Increase from April 30, 2020

With effective from April 30, 2020, Canada is going to increase some of its immigration processing fee pertaining to Canada PR visa as an adjustment for inflation. The increased fee will be applicable to certain categories of immigration applications. Anyone who has submitted his/her application prior to this date, old government processing fee will be applied to their case. However, applications registered after 9:00 a.m. EDT on April 30, 2020, new application fee will be applied as old fee will be returned to the applicant.

Updated Fee Structure

Express Entry System (federal skilled worker class/federal skilled trades’ class/Canadian experience class)

The new Canada PR cost structure will be as follows:

• For the principal applicant, the government processing fee will increase from C$550 to C$825.

• The processing fee for spouse or common-law partner will increase from C$550 to C$825.

• The process fee for a dependent child will increase from C$150 to C$225.

Business class (self-employed/start-up visa)

• The principal now have to pay C$1,575 for the processing fee, which was C$1,050 earlier. 

• The processing fee for a spouse or common-law partner will go up from C$550 to C$825.

• The processing fee for a dependent child of principal applicant will increase from $150 CAD to $225 CAD.

Right of Permanent Residence fee

The right of permanent residence fee will go up from C$490 to C$500.

It is worth noting that it was in 2002 when IRCC last increased the permanent residency fee for Canada PR visa applicants. The fee will now continue to change after every two years in accordance with the consumer price index. 

The primary purpose of the changes in immigration fee is to balance the cost of providing services to prospective candidates and the fee paid by them. The move will put the pressure off from Canadian tax payers and also ensure a balance between the taxpayer and the prospective newcomer applying for Canada immigration. 

Interested in calculating your Canada PR points? Want to learn more about your options for Canada PR visa? Contact our immigration consultants today and kick-start the process of your life-changing journey. 

Benefits of Obtaining a Queensland State Nomination

State nomination visas allow Australian states and territories to fulfill skills shortages in the local labor market by admitting foreign workers who are qualified in specific occupations that are in-demand across the state/territory or in specific regional areas. Candidates can receive a Queensland state nomination under the Skilled Nominated Visa (Subclass 190) and the Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa (Subclass 491).

Some major benefits of being nominated by Queensland include:

• Applications for state nomination visas are processed on a priority basis. Thus, the entire process can be completed within a relatively short duration.
• Since the state nomination visas are points-tested i.e. eligibility is determined through a point-based ranking system, only the highest-scoring registrants are granted the visa. State nomination allows candidates to increase their point score. Eligible candidates nominated for the Subclass 190 Visa QLD can avail five points, while those nominated for the Subclass 491 visa can gain 15 points. 
• State nomination visa holders are granted the same working rights as Australian citizens. They are not tied to a particular employer, and are eligible for entitlements such a leaves and public holidays. Visa holders can also enroll themselves in the public healthcare system and access high salaries. The minimum wage in Queensland is also high.
• Candidates from a broad range of occupations can apply for state nomination visas, since some occupations on the Queensland Skilled Occupation List – which features all the skills shortages in the state – may not be in demand across Australia or in other states/territories. 
• After two years of living in Queensland, the visa holder can also move to other Australian states or territories and pursue long-term job opportunities anywhere in the country.

While the nomination is issued by Queensland’s nominating authority – Business and Skilled Migration Queensland (BSMQ) – the visa is granted by the Australian Department of Home Affairs (DHA). Thus, in order to be considered for Queensland state nomination, candidates must fulfill the relevant eligibility requirements of both BSMQ and the DHA. Eligible aspirants can apply for nomination, and if nominated, can submit a visa application to the DHA.

Apply for state nomination via South Australia 190 visa and 491 subclass

Are you a successful businessman or an investor who is looking for opportunities for expansion in a lucrative immigration destination? If yes! The South Australia 190 visa is one very smart way to make you way in to one of the most beautiful and sunniest parts of Australia.

Being nominated via this pathways opens many opportunities not only for business owners and newcomers but as well as skilled workers who do not have enough points to secure via other pathways such as Subclass 189 visa, evaluating core human capital factors age, competency in English, Skilled employment experience, Specialist education qualification, Australian study requirement, Professional Year in Australia,, Credentialed community language, Study in regional Australia as well as Partner skills.

Categories such as Business Innovation, Business Investment, Significant Investor, Business Talent (venture capital entrepreneur) and Business Talent (significant business history).Adelaide, the capital of South Australia is considered one of the most livable cities in the world in terms of its lifestyle, services as well as the high standard of living it provides to its permanent residents. To apply via South Australia 190 visa you will be required to be nominated by SA, and if that is not enough you can even be nominated to live in a regional designated area of Australia via the newly launched pathway of 491 visa South Australia.

This pathway requires you to live and work in Australia for a period of 5 years as well your occupation must be present on the updated list of skilled occupations. This list is basically prepared depending upon the local labour requirement, and whether or not the province is facing acute shortage of skilled workers in that particular occupation or industry. This is besides the score that are tallied using the help of Australia point’s calculator.

Before you apply for 190 permanent or the 491 provisional visa, you must ensure that you have scored a minimum of 65 points or more on the Australia point system. If your visa application to South Australia state nomination is successful you will required to at least be required to live and work there for a time period of 2 years.

For more information on South Australia 190 and 491 subclass visa, you can get in touch with our certified immigration consultants.

British Columbia Removes Guaranteed ITA Scores

The British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) Tech Pilot has made some crucial changes to its program. In February 2020, the province consecutively held three immigration draws and also announced that the province will stop posting the scores that guarantee an Invitation to Apply (ITA) to applicants applying through any of the BC PNP streams. The province said that applicants can check the required scores by reviewing the draws conducted in every week. 

As a popular Canada PNP program, the province of British Columbia has sent out a total of 1,096 invitations to candidates under both BC Express Entry and Skills Immigration categories. In February 2020 alone, British Columbia 221 ITAs were issued to Tech Pilot applicants.

Previously, the province of British Columbia would post a guaranteed invitation score for each category to depict the minimum points that applicants need to secure an Invitation to Apply (ITA). Now, as of February 19, 2020, candidates whose scores are above the certain points threshold in the SIRS will no longer be guaranteed an ITA for the provincial nomination.

A statement by the BCPNP officials said that “In the past, a guaranteed invitation score for each category was posted (subject to change) to illustrate the minimum points that an individual would need to be guaranteed an invitation to apply”.

“The points were based on a sampling of pre-2016 BC PNP applications”.

Applicants who have applied for Canada immigration through any of the existing BC PNP pathways, and also have a qualifying job offer in one of the 29 in-demand occupations in BC may be considered for an ITA under the BC PNP Tech Pilot Program.

As a fast-track immigration program, the Tech Pilot program is a pathway for skilled Tech or IT workers to immigrate to British Columbia. The program was introduced because of the rising demand for IT professionals in BC. The Tech Pilot stream is a very unique pathway for the IT workers to fulfil the ongoing demand for talented techies in the province.

In order to apply, candidates must create an online through British Columbia PNP portal and register their profile under Skills Immigration Registration System (SIRS). Once the registration is complete, the applicant may then follow the process of applications for the BC Skills Immigration stream they have opted for.

Canada PNP program is the ultimate way to migrate to Canada. Call us to discover your eligibility today!

Benefits of South Australia State Nomination

South Australia (SA) offers a quality of life that is comparable to Australia’s more popular immigration destinations, at a relatively lower cost of living. SA is home to ethnically diverse communities, thriving in a vibrant natural landscape. With mild climate and excellent healthcare and education systems, SA is truly an immigrant’s delight. These are some of the major reasons why several foreign nationals seek a South Australia state nomination, which can allow them to temporarily or permanently relocate to the state.

A nomination can be issued to candidates under two visa categories:

The Skilled Nominated Visa (Subclass 190), which allows foreign skilled workers – who are nominated by a state/territory governing agency – to permanently live and work in Australia.

The Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) Visa (Subclass 491), which allows foreign skilled workers – who are nominated by a state/territory governing agency or sponsored by an eligible relative in Australia – to live and work in a designated regional area of the country for up to five years. After three years of living in the regional area, the visa holder can apply for permanent residence (PR) through the Subclass 191 Australia PR process.

Immigration aspirants stand to gain significantly from being nominated by the SA government. Some major advantages of receiving an SA state nomination include:

• The entire state of South Australia is considered ‘regional’. Thus, the immigrant does not necessarily have to live in the countryside or rural regions. Even metropolitan and urban centres, which have sophisticated lifestyle infrastructure, are considered ‘regional’, and are accessible to the visa holder. Adelaide, the state capital, is consistently ranked among the most livable cities of the world.
• Eligibility for both state nominated visas is determined by a point-based system. Obtaining a nomination allows Subclass 190 candidates to claim 5 additional points, while those nominated for the Subclass 491 Visa can add 15 points to their score. This greatly enhances the applicant’s chances of success in the visa process.
• Those applying for state nomination must have an occupation that features on SA’s state nominated occupation list, which features a very broad range of occupations – implying that a more diverse group of people are likely to be eligible for state nomination.
• Aspirants who have received a state nomination can have their visa application processed on a priority basis.
• Immigrants receive government assistance for settling in SA and finding employment.

In order to obtain a South Australia state nomination, eligible aspirants must submit an Expression of Interest to the Department of Home Affairs (DHA). The SA government invites the highest-scoring candidates – who meet the criteria for nomination – to apply for nomination. If the nomination is approved, the DHA will spontaneously invite the nominee to apply for the relevant visa. Within 60 days of receiving this invitation, a complete visa application – including supporting documents and visa fees – must be submitted to the DHA. The DHA will determine the final visa outcome.