The USCIS will increase EB5 fees (I-526 filing) from USD $3,675 to $11,160, effective April 1, 2024.
https://www.uscis.gov/forms/filing-fees/frequently-asked-questions-on-the-uscis-fee-rule
Canada has a new Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship as Marc Miller was given the role in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s reshuffle.
Miller steps up from his position as Minister of Crown Indigenous Relations to take over from Sean Fraser, who has been in the role since 2021. Fraser is the new Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities.
To read the full article, please click here.
Immigration Minister Sean Fraser says the government will get back on track by the end of the year after COVID-19 caused a major backlog in the processing of immigration applications and long waits for people seeking status in Canada.
The government last year announced it would spend $85 million to plow through the backlogged applications, which Fraser says will be used mainly to hire more staff.
The additional immigration workers will help the government get back on top of its established turnaround times for study and work permits, permanent resident renewals, visitor visas and proof of citizenship applications.
To read the full article, please click here.
Settlement services are crucial to a newcomer’s success in Canada. They help new Canadians get work, learn English or French, find a place to live and, more broadly, succeed in this country. With the pandemic exacerbating the already challenging process of beginning a new life in a new land, settlement services have never been more critical.
To help ensure that all newcomers have access to the support they need, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, today announced an investment of $100 million over the next 3 years to improve the way newcomers access settlement services through the service delivery improvements (SDI) process.
To read the full article, please click here.
...beginning July 26, 2021, individuals who have applied for the recently opened pathway to permanent residence will be eligible for an open work permit while awaiting the results of their application.
The pathway to permanent residence was opened to international students who graduated from a Canadian institution, health care workers and those in other designated essential occupations on May 6, 2021. To qualify for the pathway, individuals must be legally working in Canada at the time of their application and maintain their temporary resident status until a decision is made on their permanent residence application.
To read the full article, please click here.
As most IRCC offices, visa application centres (VACs) around the world, and application support centers (ASCs) in the United States have reopened, many applicants can now provide the supporting documents needed for IRCC to process their application. As a result, IRCC will no longer be automatically extending deadlines for submitting the required supporting documentation. However, IRCC will continue to provide deadline extensions to clients who are still unable to provide required documentation due to COVID‑19 disruptions.
Over the coming months, IRCC officers will contact citizenship, permanent residence and temporary residence applicants, on a case-by-case basis, to request that they provide supporting documents or a reasonable explanation of how a COVID‑19-related disruption prevents them from obtaining this information.
To read the full article, please click here.
Although Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) continued to accept and process applications throughout the pandemic, the global travel restrictions and capacity constraints led to a shortfall in admissions over the last several months. To compensate for the shortfall and ensure Canada has the workers it needs to fill crucial labour market gaps and remain competitive on the world stage, the 2021 to 2023 levels plan aims to continue welcoming immigrants at a rate of about 1% of the population of Canada, including 401,000 permanent residents in 2021, 411,000 in 2022 and 421,000 in 2023. The previous plan set targets of 351,000 in 2021 and 361,000 in 2022.
To read the full article, please click here.
Confederation is pleased to introduce the Start-Up Visa Program (CSUV) - Business Incubator stream. This CSUV program is a fast, simple and straight-forward route directly to Permanent Residence, which allows the applicant to live anywhere in Canada. Confederation will manage the complete process with the incubator and immigration.
St. Lucia has introduced a Covid-19 Relief Bond, valid until Dec.31/20, with a 50% decreased bond investment. It has also reduced the National Development Fund investment level. Please contact Confederation for full details.
The Antigua Government has announced a new investment option for families of 6 or more people. The applicant family invests in the University Fund, in order to qualify for citizenship, and also receives 1 year of free tuition for 1 family member. Please contact Confederation for full details.
The Honourable Marco Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, tabled the 2020‒2022 Immigration Levels Plan in the House of Commons.
The new plan will benefit all Canadians because immigration drives economic growth, spurs innovation and helps employers access the talent they need to thrive. Welcoming more newcomers will help to address the demographic challenges of an ageing population and to compete and win in a competitive global marketplace.
The proposed plan is based on the solid economic foundation of the previous levels plan and continues to responsibly grow the number of permanent residents admitted to Canada each year, from 341,000 in 2020 to 351,000 in 2021 and 361,000 in 2022.
To read the full article, please click here.