In the city of Calgary, Alberta, you can rent a three bedroom apartment for an average of $2,837 in the city centre. This is according to statistics available on Numbeo.com which are gathered from residents in the city.
Unfortunately, accommodation affordability cannot be the only factor you consider when moving to a new city. We will be reviewing these factors and recommend cities based on statistics to help you make an informed decision.
See below in descending order the list of the cost of renting a similar apartment in the city centre in the province of Alberta:
1. Calgary – $2,837
2. Airdrie – $2,500
3. Edmonton – $2,115
4. Cold lake – $2,000
5. Fort Saskatchewan – $2,000
6. St. Albert – $1,639
7. Medicine Hat – $1,500
8. Grande Prairie – $1,450
9. Lethbridge – $1,125
Did we leave out any? Would you like to ask some questions? Are you interested in studying in Canada? Need help obtaining a visitor visa to visit Canada, work permit application, Expression of Interest, creating an express entry or provincial nomination profile or even just reviewing an application you prepared yourself? Start the journey by sending an email on info@eseumohimmigration.com
The province of Ontario announced on Wednesday, March 27, 2024 that they will be giving 96% of study permit applications to public funded universities and 4% to private universities, language schools, and other institutions in the province. Career colleges will not receive any applications.
Institutions offering skilled programs such as STEM, Skilled Trades, Health Human Resources, Childcare and Hospitality will be prioritized. French-language enrollment will also be prioritized as employers compete for employees with French-language skills.
This measure is taken by the Ontario government to provide graduate with in-demand jobs and also meet with the demand of the province’s labour market.
See below criteria that will be used to issue applications to the institutions
Institution must prioritize programs in the high-demand fields: skilled trades, human resources in health, STEM, hospitality, and child care.
an institution cannot exceed the 2023 permission levels.
as a last safety measure, the proportion of foreign permits cannot go above 55% of the institution’s first-year domestic enrollment in 2023 (except in high-demand sectors).
IRCC announced putting a cap on study permit applications for international students January of 2024, this cap does not include those enrolled in master’s and doctoral degree programs and those in kindergarten through grade 12.
The allocation of study permits to an individual institution for 2024 and 2025 cannot exceed the number of permits Ontario issued in 2023 and the ratio of international permits cannot exceed 55% (exclusive of high-demand areas) of the institution’s 2023 first-year domestic enrollment.
Applications for 22 out of 23 universities will remain at the 2023 level. Algoma university is the only university to witness a decrease in 2023 applications.
A total of 11 of Ontario’s 24 public colleges will also maintain applications at the 2023 level. Conestoga College and other public-private college partnerships will see a huge decline in application.
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
In a targeted round of invitation announced on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, British Columbia invited over 126 candidates for permanent residency under both Express Entry and BC PNP Skills Immigration Stream.
Profiles under the 35 Tech Occupations, early child educators, 39 healthcare-related occupations and 25 construction-related occupations,
See below details of the latest BC PNP Draw
Date
Draw type
Stream
Minimum
Score
Number of invitations
March 26, 2024
Childcare: Early childhood educators and assistants (NOC 42202)
Skilled Worker, International Graduate (includes EEBC option)
85
28
Targeting 25 Construction occupations
90
21
Targeting 39 Healthcare occupations
85
30
Targeting 35 tech occupations
114
47
Veterinary care
85
See below full list of Construction Occupations:
22114 Landscape and horticulture technicians and specialists
72102 Sheet metal workers
72103 Boilermakers
72104: Structural metal and platework fabricators and fitters
72105 Ironworkers
72106: Welders and related machine operators
72200 Electricians (except industrial and power system)
72201: Industrial electricians
72300 Plumbers
72301: Steamfitters, pipefitters and sprinkler system installers
72302 Gas fitters
72310 Carpenters
72311 Cabinetmakers
72320 Bricklayers
72400: Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics
72401: Heavy-duty equipment mechanics
72402: Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics
72,500 Crane operators
73100 Concrete finishers
73101 Tilesetters
73102: Plasterers, drywall installers, finishers and lathers
73110 Roofers and shinglers
73111 Glaziers
73112: Painters and decorators (except interior decorators)
73113 Floor covering installers
See below full list of eligible Healthcare-related Occupations
30010 Managers in health care
31100 Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine
31101 Specialists in surgery
31102 General practitioners and family physicians
31110 Dentists
31112 Audiologists and speech-language pathologists
31120 Pharmacists
31121 Dietitians and nutritionists
31200 Psychologists
31201 Chiropractors
31202 Physiotherapists
31203: Occupational therapists
31204 Kinesiologists and other professional occupations in therapy and assessment
31209 Other professional occupations in health: diagnosing and treating
31300 Nursing coordinators and supervisors
31301 Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
31302 Nurse practitioners
31303 Physician assistants, midwives and allied health professionals
32101: Licensed practical nurses
32102 Paramedical occupations
32103 Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists
32109 Other technical occupations in therapy and assessment
32110 Denturists
32111 Dental hygienists and dental therapists
32112: Dental technologists and technicians
32120 Medical laboratory technologists
32121 Medical radiation technologists
32122 Medical sonographers
32123 Cardiology technologists and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists
32124 Pharmacy technicians
32129 Other medical technologists and technicians
32200 Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and acupuncturists
33100 Dental assistants and dental laboratory assistants
33101 Medical laboratory assistants and related technical occupations
33102 Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates
33103 Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants
41300 Social workers
41301 Therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies
42201: Social and community service workers
See below full list of eligible Tech Occupations
10030 Telecommunication carriers managers
20012 Computer and information systems managers
21100: Physicists and astronomers
21210 Mathematicians, statisticians and actuaries
21211 Data scientists
21220 Cybersecurity specialists
21221 Business systems specialists
21222 Information systems specialists
21223 Database analysts and data administrators
21230 Computer systems developers and programmers
21231: Software engineers and designers
21232: Software developers and programmers
21233 Web designers
21234 Web developers and programmers
21300 Civil engineers
21301 Mechanical engineers
21310: Electrical and electronics engineers
21311 Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers)
21320 Chemical engineers
21399 Other professional engineers
22110: Biological technologists and technicians
22220 Computer network and web technicians
22221: User support technicians
22222 Information systems testing technicians
22310 Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians
22312: Industrial instrument technicians and mechanics
50011 Managers: publishing, motion pictures, broadcasting and performing arts
51111 Authors and writers (except technical)
51112 Technical writers
51120 Producers, directors, choreographers and related occupations
52119 Other technical and coordinating occupations in motion pictures, broadcasting and the performing arts
52112 Broadcast technicians
52113: Audio and video recording technicians
52120: Graphic designers and illustrators
53111 Motion pictures, broadcasting, photography and performing arts assistants and operators
The processing time frame for BC PNP Skills Immigration and Post-nomination request remains three months respectively. Applications are only processed when completed applications are submitted by applicants and received by BC PNP.
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
In the second Express Entry Draw announced this week on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, IRCC sent 1,500 invitations to apply for PR in a category-based selection draw for French language proficiency.
Profiles with minimum CRS score of 388 were invited in this round of invitation.
See below summary of Express Entry Draws in 2024
Date
Draw Type
Number of ITAs
Minimum CRS
March 26
French language proficiency
1,500
388
March 25
General
1,980
524
March 13
Transport occupations
975
430
March 12
General
2,850
525
February 29
French language proficiency
2,500
336
February 28
General
1,470
534
February 16
Agriculture and agri-food occupations
150
437
February 14
Healthcare occupations
3,500
422
February 13
General
1,490
535
February 1
French language proficiency
7,000
365
January 31
General
730
541
January 23
General
1,040
543
January 10
General
1,510
546
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
In the latest Express Entry Draw announced on Monday, March 25, 2024, a total of 1,980 invitations to apply were sent in a general round of invitation.
Profiles with CRS score of 524 and above were considered in this round of invitation.
See below summary of Express Entry Draws in March
Description
March 25, 2024
March 13, 2024
March 12, 2024
Draw type
General or all program draws
Targeted draw for 10 transport occupations
General or all program draws
Invitations
1,980
975
2,850
CRS Cutoff
524
430
525
Tie-breaking rule
February 25, 2024
July 31, 2023
March 12, 2024
See below Express Entry CRS Score distribution
CRS score range
Number of candidates
601-1200
987
501-600
10,573
451-500
60,108
491-500
8,065
481-490
10,499
471-480
17,083
461-470
13,275
451-460
11,186
401-450
50,569
441-450
10,174
431-440
10,410
421-430
9,186
411-420
10,414
401-410
10,385
351-400
55,099
301-350
28,536
0-300
5,348
Total
211,220
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
In the latest PEI PNP Draw announced on Thursday, March 21, 2024, invitations to apply for permanent residency were sent to 83 candidates under the Labour and Express Entry category.
Profiles in the healthcare, construction, and manufacturing sectors were considered in this round of invitations. Also, 2 invitations were sent under the Business Work Permit Entrepreneur category.
See below summary of 2024 PEI PNP Draw 2024
Invitation Date
Business Work Permit
Entrepreneur Invitations
Minimum Point Thresholdfor Business Invitations
Labour & Express Entry Invitations
Total Invitations
Selection Attributes
2/29/2024
–
–
24
24
Invitations were issued to individuals working in the healthcare and construction sectors.
2/15/2024
1
105
121
122
Critical Worker, Skilled Worker, and Express Entry invitations were issued to individuals working for a PEI employer with a minimum EOI score of 65.
2/1/2024
–
–
78
78
Invitations were issued to individuals working in the healthcare, construction, manufacturing, food processing, agriculture, and early childhood education sectors.
1/18/2024
2
80
134
136
Invitations under the PEI Express Entry, Skilled Worker, and Critical Worker Streams were issued to individuals working for a PEI employer with a minimum point score of 65.
See below the expected PEI PNP draw schedule for 2024:
April 4, 2024
April 18, 2024
May 2, 2024
May 16, 2024
May 30, 2024
June 20, 2024
July 4, 2024
July 18, 2024
August 1, 2024
August 15, 2024
August 29, 2024
Sept 19, 2024
October 3, 2024
October 17, 2024
October 31, 2024
November 21, 2024
December 5, 2024
December 19, 2024
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
In an Express Entry Draw announced on Thursday, March 21, 2024 by Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program, 2,281 candidates were invited to apply for provincial nomination.
Express Entry profiles with a primary occupation in one of the below-listed tech occupations created between March 21, 2023 and March 21, 2024 with a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score ranging from 468 to 480 received invitations.
NOC 20012 – Computer and information systems managers
NOC 21211 – Data Scientists
NOC 21220 – Cybersecurity specialists
NOC 21221 – Business systems specialists
NOC 21222 – Information systems specialists
NOC 21223 – Database analysts and data administrators
NOC 21230 – Computer systems developers and programmers
NOC 21231 – Software engineers and designers
NOC 21232 – Software developers and programmers
NOC 21233 – Web designers
NOC 21234 – Web developers and programmers
NOC 21311 – Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers)
NOC 22220 – Computer network technicians
NOC 22221 – User support technicians
NOC 22222 – Information systems testing technicians
Candidates have a duration of forty-five days to secure their provincial nominations by submitting a complete application.
These profiles will receive 600 points after receiving an OINP nomination, raising their CRS score to between 1068 and 1,080 which will ensure their inclusion in the future general Express Entry draw.
See below all Ontario Express Entry draws of 2024
14,708 invites for permanent residence have been issued as a result of the 7 OINP Express Entry draws held so far in 2024.
OINP Express
Entry Stream
Invitations
CRS Score
Range
Human Capital Priorities stream
8,589
350-480
French-Speaking Skilled Worker stream
984
317-469
Skilled Trades stream
5,135
350-424
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
On Thursday, March 21, 2024, the Immigration Minister, Marc Miller and Employment Minister, Randy Boissonnault announced an update on Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) and Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) as well as other reforms IRCC plans on implementing.
Canada’s temporary resident population has increased, reaching up to 2.5 million (6.2% of the overall Canadian population in 2023). IRCC aims to reduce the temporary resident population to 5% over the next three years.
See below Temporary Residents according to Province as of September, 2023
Ontario, the largest province, has the most of all the categories, followed by Quebec and British Columbia.
Province
Total Temporary Residents
Asylum Claimants
Work Permit Holders
Study Permit Holders
Both Work and Study Permit Holders
Others (mainly refers to family members living with permit holders)
Ontario
986,863
90,793
419,475
284,739
159,806
32,050
Quebec
470,976
146,723
200,522
63,799
38,858
21,074
British Columbia
400,964
11,384
196,259
138,434
38,848
16,039
Alberta
150,320
5,766
89,575
36,576
11,013
7,390
Manitoba
60,615
1,434
32,608
18,068
6,652
1,853
Nova Scotia
45,794
325
20,712
13,619
9,056
2,082
Saskatchewan
30,704
236
15,512
10,512
2,957
1,487
New Brunswick
27,458
188
13,864
7,476
4,626
1,304
Newfoundland and Labrador
12,911
73
6,063
5,017
1,186
572
Prince Edward Island
9,953
26
5,192
3,702
745
288
Yukon
1,446
0
1,120
217
80
29
Northwest Territories
567
7
490
38
20
12
Nunavut
108
3
87
4
3
11
Canada has set an annual target for all economic immigration programs of 266,210 for 2023, with a goal of exceeding 301,000 by 2025.
In order to put a cap on the number of temporary foreign workers allowed into Canada as the gap between unemployment and job vacancies is gradually closing up. The validity of the LMIA program was extended to 12 months during the pandemic to help ease labour market conditions. However, from May 1, 2024, the validity period for LMIA will return to 6 months. This change will not affect employers part of the Recognised Employer Pilot program.
All the employers identified in the 2022 workforce solution roadmap will have a reduction from 30% to 20% of their workforce coming through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program under the low wage stream of TFWP.
The healthcare and construction sectors are exempted from the above-mentioned new TFWP measure until August 31, 2024. Employers in the agriculture sector are also not affected by the new TFWP measures.
Currently, the number of Canadian Permanent Residency spots available through economic immigration is limited compared to the Temporary Residents in Canada. Canadian immigration is now very competitive as it targets people with expertise in occupations with labour shortage, Francophones and those with 3-4 years of experience with a high level of education.
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
In a bid to improve the level of education, experience, and language abilities required for employment success in the province, come January, 2025, the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program will be creating three new streams for international students.
These streams would replace the current BC PNP International Graduate and International Post-Graduate streams.
Please see below the new BC PNP Streams that would take effect from January, 2025
1. Bachelor’s Stream
The bachelor’s stream will be open to recent graduates with bachelor’s degrees from qualifying post-secondary institutions. Graduates with an undetermined full-time employment offer will be eligible to register in this stream.
2. Master’s Stream
The Master’s stream will be open to recent graduates with master’s degrees from approved postsecondary institutions in any field of study. Graduates with a minimum one-year full-time work offer in a skilled occupation will be able to benefit from this stream.
3. Doctorate Stream
The doctorate stream will be open to graduates and candidates for doctoral-level studies at qualified postsecondary institutions. Graduates and PhD candidates may apply directly to this track.
Students who complete diploma or certificate programs in Canada (who are not qualified for these new graduate streams) can still qualify for other BC Provincial Nominee Program streams.
This update is part of the new measures being put in place by the province to protect international students from fraudulent institutions and organizations as the province aims to improve the eligibility conditions for Canadian permanent residency candidacy through the BC provincial nominee program.. The changes made by BC PNP includes:
a new three-stream system for bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral graduates,
Enhanced language requirements, and
Priority of in-demand employment that assists the economy in British Columbia
The new graduate streams will require at least a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 8 proficiency.
The B.C. PNP aims to identify people who will boost B.C.’s economy by prioritizing workers in health care, construction, early childhood education, and other in-demand jobs. More information on this update will be announced later this year.
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
In the latest BC PNP Draw announced on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, over 166 invitations to apply for permanent residency were sent out in general and targeted round of invitations for 35 tech occupations, early childhood educators, 25 Construction occupations, and 39 Healthcare occupations.
See below latest BC PNP Draw
Latest BC PNP Draw: March 19
Date
Draw type
Stream
Minimum
Score
Number of invitations
March 19, 2024
General
Skilled Worker
125
88
Skilled Worker
– EEBC option
125
International Graduate
125
International Graduate – EEBC option
125
Entry Level and
Semi-Skilled
98
Childcare: Early childhood educators and assistants (NOC 42202)
Skilled Worker, International Graduate (includes EEBC option)
80
27
Targeting 25 Construction occupations
85
21
Targeting 39 Healthcare occupations
80
30
Veterinary care
80
<5
The processing timeframe for BC PNP Skills Immigration and Post-nomination requests is three months respectively. Applications are only processed when completed and submitted.
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
