Hi, How Can We Help You?
  • Email: info@eseumohimmigration.com

Category Archives: Uncategorized

May 7, 2024

Dear future neighbour,

Effective May 28, 2024, changes will be made to the proof of funds required for candidates in Express Entry pool. Consequently, candidates in the pool are expected to update their profile on or before May 27, 2024.

Proof of funds is a requirement for the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP). If the applicant possesses a valid job offer and work permit for Canada, proof of funds is not necessary for FSWP and FSTP. Additionally, candidates in the Express Entry Canadian Experience Class (CEC) are exempt from providing proof of funds.

The proof of funds is determined by the number of family members accompanying the applicant to Canada. When determining settlement funds, the applicant must include himself/herself, their spouse or common-law partner, any dependent children of the applicant (if applicable), and the spouse’s dependent children (if applicable).

See below new requirement for 2024 Express Entry Funds

Number of family members New Settlement Funds requirement is effective May 28 (in Canadian dollars) Old Funds Required (in Canadian dollars)
1 $14,690 $13,757
2 $18,288 $17,127
3 $22,483 $21,055
4 $27,297 $25,564
5 $30,690 $28,994
6 $34,917 $32,700
7 $38,875 $36,407
If there are more than 7 people, for each additional family member $3,958 $3,706

Only official letters from banks or financial institutions are accepted. The letters must have all current bank and investment accounts, existing debts including loans and credit card debts must also be listed.

The letter must also include the details listed below:

  • the bank or institution’s contact information (address, telephone number and email address)
  • your name
  • your outstanding debts (such as credit card debts and loans)
  • these details for each current banking and investment account you have with them
    • account numbers
    • date each account was opened
    • current account balances
    • average balance for the past 6 months

Need help obtaining a visitor visa to visit Canada, or professional help putting in a study visa application, work permit application, Expression of Interest, creating an express entry or provincial nomination profile, preparing your application after receiving an invitation to apply or even just reviewing an application you prepared yourself? Book a consultation or send us an email on info@eseumohimmigration.com

 

 

May 6, 2024

Dear future neighbour,

In latest International Experience Canada (IEC) invitation sent in the just concluded week, a total of 2,036 candidates were sent work permit invitations under various categories.

A sum of 1,776 profiles from 32 eligible countries in the Working Holiday Visa category received open work permit invitations. Currently, there are 32,556 candidates in this category, with 21,801 spots still available for the year. In this category, candidates from eligible countries can work with any Canadian company

Closed work permits were issued to 190 profiles in the Young Professional category. As of now, there are 4,953 spots available for upcoming draws in this category for the year.

90 invitations to apply for closed work permits were sent out in the International Co-op Internship category.

See below Working Holiday Visa Canada invitations based on countries and categories

Country Invitations since last week Available Spots Candidates in pool 2024 Quota Chances of receiving an invite this week
Andorra 1 15 0 25 Excellent
Australia 219 0 186 Unlimited Excellent
Austria 3 35 7 168 Excellent
Belgium 28 52 24 750 Excellent
Chile 6 6 8,604 725 Very low
Costa Rica 32 2 2,127 80 Very low
Croatia 6 245 0 275 Excellent
Czech Republic 14 644 11 1,000 Excellent
Denmark 13 170 5 350 Excellent
Estonia 2 61 0 110 Excellent
Finland 0 0 2 Unlimited Excellent
France 200 151 16,892 7,000 Very low
Germany 106 2,451 71 4,490 Excellent
Greece 6 56 3 160 Excellent
Hong Kong 11 27 7 200 Excellent
Iceland 1 112 0 120 Excellent
Ireland 117 8,129 66 10,500 Excellent
Italy 58 751 53 1,750 Excellent
Japan 182 2,321 150 6,500 Excellent
Latvia 2 1 12 45 Very Low
Lithuania 7 44 6 188 Excellent
Luxembourg 0 66 0 80 Excellent
Netherlands -1 0 130 500 Very low
New Zealand 54 1,434 43 2,500 Excellent
Norway 3 80 7 135 Excellent
Poland 14 357 10 635 Excellent
Portugal 19 1,351 23 1,750 Excellent
San Marino 0 24 0 25 Excellent
Slovakia 12 114 10 315 Excellent
Slovenia 2 58 2 80 Excellent
South Korea 116 51 1,454 10,000 Very Low
Spain 52 135 40 875 Excellent
Sweden 10 433 10 580 Excellent
Taiwan 80 55 2,243 940 Very Low
United Kingdom 401 2,370 358 9,000 Excellent
Total 1,776 21,801 32,556 61,851

See below Young Professional Categories Invitation

Candidates under the Young Professionals category can only work with the employer that has provided the job offer.

Country Invitations since last week Available Spots Candidates in pool 2024 Quota Chances of receiving an invite this week
Australia 5 0 6 Unlimited Excellent
Austria 0 4 1 10 Excellent
Chile 0 0 193 20 Very low
Costa Rica 2 0 136 18 Very low
Croatia 0 17 0 20 Excellent
Czech Republic 2 27 3 145 Excellent
Estonia 0 7 1 10 Excellent
Finland 0 0 0 Unlimited Excellent
France 67 1,221 58 2,200 Excellent
France: VIE 26 800 59 1,000 Excellent
Germany 16 168 8 350 Excellent
Greece 2 6 6 38 Excellent
Ireland 10 123 3 150 Excellent
Latvia 0 0 0 3 Excellent
Lithuania 1 2 2 10 Excellent
Luxembourg 0 10 0 10 Excellent
Netherlands 9 0 6 100 Very low
Norway 2 10 0 15 Excellent
Poland 2 94 2 110 Excellent
Portugal 0 191 0 200 Excellent
Slovakia 1 4 1 30 Excellent
Slovenia 0 11 0 15 Excellent
South Korea 12 1,316 13 1,500 Excellent
Spain 8 5 5 70 Excellent
Spain: ICEX Vives 0 49 0 50 Excellent
Sweden 0 88 4 100 Excellent
Switzerland 8 78 9 200 Excellent
Taiwan 0 1 8 50 Very Low
United Kingdom 17 721 27 900 Excellent
Total 190 4,953 551 7,324

See below International Co-op Internship category:

This category includes eligible candidates who are post-secondary students receiving a job offer for a work placement or internship in Canada. They must demonstrate that they will complete their studies by fulfilling this work placement or internship.

Country Invitations since last week Available Spots Candidates in pool 2024 Quota Chances of receiving an invite this week
Australia 1 0 0 Unlimited Excellent
Austria 0 2 0 2 Excellent
Chile 0 4 0 5 Excellent
Costa Rica 0 1 0 2 Excellent
Croatia 0 5 0 5 Excellent
Czech Republic 0 4 0 5 Excellent
Estonia 0 5 0 5 Excellent
Finland 0 0 0 Unlimited Excellent
France 57 1,905 60 3,800 Excellent
Germany 2 112 5 160 Excellent
Greece 0 2 0 2 Excellent
Ireland 0 34 0 50 Excellent
Latvia 0 2 0 2 Excellent
Lithuania 0 2 0 2 Excellent
Luxembourg 0 10 0 10 Excellent
Norway 0 5 0 5 Excellent
Poland 0 5 0 5 Excellent
Portugal 0 50 0 50 Excellent
Slovakia 0 5 0 5 Excellent
Slovenia 0 5 0 5 Excellent
South Korea 2 497 1 500 Excellent
Spain 1 2 0 15 Excellent
Sweden 0 20 0 20 Excellent
Switzerland 3 32 0 50 Excellent
Taiwan 2 6 0 100 Excellent
United Kingdom 2 92 2 100 Excellent
Total 70 2,807 68 4,905

According to IRCC recent update, the current processing time of IEC 2024 is 5 weeks.

Need help obtaining a visitor visa to visit Canada, or professional help putting in a study visa application, work permit application, Expression of Interest, creating an express entry or provincial nomination profile, preparing your application after receiving an invitation to apply or even just reviewing an application you prepared yourself? Book a consultation or send us an email on info@eseumohimmigration.com

May 6, 2024

Dear future neighbour,

IRCC is set to commence the issuance of invitations for Parents and Grandparents sponsorship 2024 on Tuesday, May 21, 2024.

The immigration department will randomly select some candidates from the pool who filled out the interest-to-sponsor forms in 2020 to invite them to apply.

The IRCC will start sending invitations to apply to 35,700 potential sponsors, aiming to receive up to 20,500 completed applications.

Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship 2024 Eligibility

To be eligible to qualify to sponsor your parents or grandparents for PR (permanent residency) in Canada, you must be:

  • a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident of Canada, or an Indian enrolled under the Canadian Indian Act who is at least eighteen years old.
  • must fulfill the IRCC financial requirement and have enough money to sustain the family you wish to sponsor, along with acceptable proof of income for the last three years.
  • must have submitted an interest-to-sponsor form for PGP in 2020.

See below Parents and Grandparents Sponsorship 2024 Income Requirement

Family size 2023 2022 2021
2 people $44,530 $43,082 $32,898
3 people $54,743 $52,965 $40,444
4 people $66,466 $64,306 $49,106
5 people $75,384 $72,935 $55,694
6 people $85,020 $82,259 $62,814
7 people $94,658 $91,582 $69,934
If more than 7 people, for
each additional person, add:
$9,636 $9,324

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will start sending invitations around May 21st and continue for about 2 weeks.

It is recommended to check the email address provided in 2020 if an interest-to-sponsor form was submitted that year but no invitation to apply was received in 2021, 2022, or 2023.

Sponsors who are not in the pool and desire to invite their parents or grandparents can go with the option of applying for a Canada Super Visa. With this option, the Super Visa holder has a valid ten-year visa and can stay in Canada for 5 years at a stretch and also have the opportunity to apply for an extension afterwards.

The average processing time for parents and grandparents (PGP) sponsorship applications across Canada is now 20 months, except in Quebec which is approximately 33 months.

Need help obtaining a visitor visa to visit Canada, or professional help putting in a study visa application, work permit application, Expression of Interest, creating an express entry or provincial nomination profile, preparing your application after receiving an invitation to apply or even just reviewing an application you prepared yourself? Book a consultation or send us an email on info@eseumohimmigration.com

May 3, 2024

Dear future neighbour,

Are you soon graduating from a Canadian institution? Congratulations in advance! It’s time to apply for your Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP), and we’re here to assist you with that.

See below few supporting documents you will need for your PGWP application

1. A valid passport exceeding the expected duration of the PGWP

2. Degree/Diploma or Transcript/Completion letter from your school

3. Valid study permit/visitor record

4. If you choose to go to the border to make your application (not recommended), you must have a valid visitor visa.

Do you need help applying for a PGWP for your loved ones to visit you or a study permit extension or visitor record? Need help obtaining a visitor visa to visit Canada, or professional help putting in a study visa application, work permit application, Expression of Interest, creating an express entry or provincial nomination profile, preparing your application after receiving an invitation to apply or even just reviewing an application you prepared yourself? Book a consultation or send us an email on info@eseumohimmigration.com

May 3, 2024

Dear future neighbour,

Congratulations to all soon-to-be graduates of Canadian institutions! We’ve curated this article with you in mind, anticipating your eagerness to invite loved ones to join in celebrating this significant milestone.

Depending on the nationality of your loved ones, some may require an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA), while others may need a temporary resident visa to enter Canada.

See below few supporting documents they will need from you for this application:

1. Proof of your status in Canada, e.g. a study permit or a PGWP

2. A letter of invitation

3. Proof of enrollment (if you are still studying)

4. Graduation invitation letter (mostly issued by the international center in your school)

5. And most importantly, proof of finances.

Please save this or share this information with someone.

Need help obtaining a visitor visa to visit Canada, or professional help putting in a study visa application, work permit application, Expression of Interest, creating an express entry or provincial nomination profile, preparing your application after receiving an invitation to apply or even just reviewing an application you prepared yourself? Book a consultation or send us an email on info@eseumohimmigration.com

April 29, 2024

Dear future neighbour,

Today, April 29, 2024, Canada’s Immigration Minister, Marc Miller, announced an increase in off-campus working hours for international students during class sessions, from 20 to 24 hours, effective September 2024.

The existing full-time work policy will not be exceeding April 30, 2024 as earlier announced. International students will only be permitted to work for 20 hours per week while class is in session from the 1st of May, 2024 till fall of 2024 when the government can make a permanent amendment to make it 24 hour per week work limit.

You would recall that in December of 2023, there were speculations that the working hour limit for international students in Canada might be increased to 30 hours. IRCC Minister announced that extending the time to 30 hours would affect the academics of students. He believes that the 24 hours limit will assist students to meet their needs as the cost of living in Canada has increased while also focusing on their studies.

International students currently in Canada on an academic break can work unlimited hours. However, those enrolled in summer classes must now follow the 20-hour per week limit for work.

Need help putting in a study visa application, work permit application, spousal open work permit, Expression of Interest, creating an express entry or provincial nomination profile, preparing your application after receiving an invitation to apply or even just reviewing an application you prepared yourself? Book a consultation or send us an email on info@eseumohimmigration.com

April 29, 2024

Dear future neighbour,

Today, April 29th, 2024, the Immigration Minister, Marc Miller, announced changes made to Start-up Visa and Self-Employed Persons Programs under the Federal Business category of the immigration levels plan.

Update on Start-up Visa

Starting on Tuesday, April 30, 2024, IRCC will roll out new policies for processing Start-up visa applications.

The Start-Up Visa program offers immigrant entrepreneurs the opportunity to obtain permanent residence while providing support to establish themselves in Canada.

To bolster the Start-up Visa Program, IRCC urges designated venture capital firms, angel investor groups, and business incubators to prioritize the most promising proposals by:

  • capping the permanent residence application numbers that IRCC will accept for processing every year to those associated with no more than 10 start-ups per designated organization.
  • granting priority processing to entrepreneurs whose start-up receives financial backing from Canadian capital or a Tech Network-affiliated business incubator. This includes both pre-existing and newly submitted applications in the inventory.

Foreign entrepreneurs seeking admission into the Start-up Visa Program are required to secure committed backing from either of the following:

  • a specified venture capital fund (minimum investment of $200,000)
  • an angel investor group (minimum investment of $75,000)
  • a business incubator (entrance into their incubation program)

Update on Self-Employed Persons Programs:

On same day, April 30, 2024, IRCC intends to suspend the intake of applications for the Self-Employed Persons program until the end of 2026. This decision comes as processing times have extended beyond four years due to the high volume of applications in the program inventory.

Even during the ongoing suspension, IRCC will persist in processing overdue applications while also assessing potential program reforms and safeguarding its integrity.

Canada’s Self-Employed Persons Program enables eligible foreign nationals with experience in cultural activities or athletics to establish themselves as permanent residents in Canada.

Need help obtaining a visitor visa to visit Canada, or professional help putting in a study visa application, work permit application, Expression of Interest, creating an express entry or provincial nomination profile, preparing your application after receiving an invitation to apply or even just reviewing an application you prepared yourself? Book a consultation or send us an email on info@eseumohimmigration.com

 

April 29, 2024

Dear future neighbour,

Calgary has a strong economy and job market, supported by the agriculture, energy and technology industries. It’s a great and welcoming place to live for newcomers.

Based on moneysense.ca’s findings, the following list outlines the top 10 locations for real estate investment in Calgary, Alberta. This ranking considers factors such as long-term price appreciation over the past five years, property value, income and education levels, as well as accessibility by foot, bike, and public transit.

1. Patterson, SW

2. Coach hill, SW

3. Cougar Ridge, SW

4. Tuscany, NW

5. Scenic Acres, NW

6. Christie Park, SW

7. Strathcona Park, SW

8. Signal hill, SW

9. West Springs, SW

10. Kincora, SW

Do you agree with the list above? Are there any neighborhood that you think should be on this list? Please share with us.

Need help obtaining a visitor visa to visit Canada, or professional help putting in a study visa application, work permit application, Expression of Interest, creating an express entry or provincial nomination profile, preparing your application after receiving an invitation to apply or even just reviewing an application you prepared yourself? Book a consultation or send us an email on info@eseumohimmigration.com

 

April 26, 2024

Dear future neighbour,

These Canadian stores offer great price matching and if your goal is to save on groceries or shopping and avoid high prices in general, you should get familiar with price matching.

Price matching policies ensure that you get the best price on the item you want without having to visit several stores. It is essentially a price guarantee that if you find the exact same item at a better price in another store, they will offer you that price or even lower.

See below list of stores that offer price matching:

1. Superstore: this store will price match at a lower price for a maximum of 4 items.

2. Best Buy: this store will match online, in store or print prices before purchase and within 30 days of purchase.

3. Canadian Tire: this store would match in store and within 30 days of purchase or 14 for other Canadian tire stores.

4. No frills: this store would price match with any major supermarket, they price match a maximum of 4 items.

5. Fresh co: this store would offer 1 cent less than the quoted price.

6. Lowe’s: will offer 10% off but the price quoted must be at least $1 lower to qualify

7. Home Depot: 10% off in store

In most cases the stores would like to verify that the quoted price is effective and available at a local store. For your own safety, we advise you confirm the policy of the store in question.

Are you currently in Canada or do you plan to move to Canada? If the answer is YES, then this information will definitely be helpful to you. Kindly share details of any store you know that offer this service that isn’t on this list.

Need help obtaining a visitor visa to visit Canada, or professional help putting in a study visa application, work permit application, Expression of Interest, creating an express entry or provincial nomination profile, preparing your application after receiving an invitation to apply or even just reviewing an application you prepared yourself? Book a consultation or send us an email on info@eseumohimmigration.com

April 23, 2024

Dear future neighbour,

Are you currently in Canada or planning on moving to Canada?

If your answer is YES to any of the above question, then this article is for you.

The cost of living in Canada is high and buying gas has become quite draining on resources. We have put together some applications below that can help you with saving on gas, some of them are gas reward programs and the rest are websites that would help you choose where to buy gas:

1. Costco: you can get wholesale gas prices cheaper than other stations.

2. PC Optimum: you can earn PC Optimum points at Shoppers Drug Mart, Loblaws, Real Canadian Superstore and other stores and turn them into gas savings.

3. Canadian tire: earn $0.03 per litre when you buy gas at Canadian Tire Gas+ locations.
4. GasBuddy: scan prices in your area and filter gas stations by price.

5. Waze.com: gas efficient routes + other driver updated gas prices

6. CAA.ca: search for gas prices nearby on this site

7. Gaswizard.ca: this site predicts the cheapest day to buy gas

Do you have any of the applications above? Save and share as this information could be helpful to you or someone around you.

Need help obtaining a visitor visa to visit Canada, or professional help putting in a study visa application, work permit application, spousal open work permit, Expression of Interest, creating an express entry or provincial nomination profile, preparing your application after receiving an invitation to apply or even just reviewing an application you prepared yourself? Book a consultation or send us an email on info@eseumohimmigration.com