spaceace

spotted this in the Metro this morning.

Obviously take the article with a pinch of salt, but it could be bitter/sweet news depending on your circumstances

Waggle

Yeah I read something about the points matrix being tweaked - less points for work experience and more points for first language. Instead of 16 points you could get up to 20 points for maximum 1st language skills. And also I heard they were thinking of implementing a minimum language requirement.

I think they are trying to avoid getting immigrants with very poor language skills who skill make 67 points through education/work experience/job offer etc.

They are also putting more emphasis on age - instead of awarding maximum points up to 49, maximum points will only be awarded up to the age of 35 then it slides down all the way to 50, after which no points are awarded.

Wayne.

Funky Florist

Story of my life, I fear.

Waggle

Ah Well I am 38 and my wife (who is principal applicant) is 29. She got max 16 points for IELTS, which I guess in the "new" system would translate into 20 points, but then she'd end up getting less for work experience under the new scheme.

Bottom line is we'd probably end up with more or less the same points under this new scheme as the old one.

I think requiring a minimum language score is a good idea, since it stops people with very poor language skills, who happen to score highly in other areas, from immigrating. Canada needs people to integrate with the wider community and not just move there and stay within their own language cultures.

Wayne.

iaink

See also:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...rticle1912419/

PMM

Hi

I wouldn't worry too much at this stage, since there probably is going to be a Spring election, so regulatory changes would probably die.

j-dizzle

Could be good for a youngster like myself

Vbomb

Doesn't really affect you if you speak English well anyways! More points for you then It's making it harder for people who don't speak EN or FR that's all

Lubs64

You may want to read the latest CIC news release.
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/departm...2011-02-17.asp

helcat12

Recently I have read that there will be moves towards increasing the numbers of FSW Cat 2 and reducing Cat 1 due to the findings regarding employment rates in these two categories. The AEO system has been abused recently and I wonder if this will result in a move towards requiring the applicant to take the job and apply from within Canada as a TWP holder in future?
I agree with the language issue - speaking the native language is essential for integration and with so many non-English or French native-speaking immigrants I think Canada is right to be wary of immigrant communities becoming segregated by language. This has happened in the UK and leads to racial tension.
My only issue regarding the age preferences would be money - I probably wouldn't have had the cash as a 30 year old to be able to afford to immigrate and I think that due to various economic issues, most 30 year-olds now (with the exception of you, Waggle!) are probably less solvent as I was at the same age.
Will they drop the proof of finances requirements to reflect this?

PMM

HI

1. There is no POF if you have an AEO or are working in Canada with a job offer from an employer. It is unlikely that proof of funds will be lowered, it is to cover the first 6 months of living expenses.
2. The problem with the AEOs is the amount of fraud. Consultants and Lawyers have been "selling" AEOs for $10K-$12K. Here a couple of quotes from the evaluation done on the FSW program.

"The case studies showed that the quality of applications with AEOs varies across the missions. For example, the Buffalo office reports that most AEOs are approved and points awarded (about 90%), while the New Delhi office estimated an acceptance rate of about 30%. New Delhi officers have been compiling information on small businesses that have made multiple job offers.

Hong Kong office has seen a significant increase in AEO applications, most notably in the last few years, and a significant drop in approval rates (from over 90% at the time of IRPA implementation to just over 40% in 2007, and to only 24% in 2008

You might want to look at this earlier story on AEOs and an Immigration law firm. http://tinyurl.com/4jt35fd

helcat12

Indeed there is no POF if you are already working in Canada, but considering the vast majority of FSW applicants are Cat 1, will the younger people they are trying to attract (according to the article from spaceace) have the funds required? I wouldn't have had enough for the process and the POF cash as well at that age. Maybe I was just poor!
On the subject of FSW AEO, I personally cannot understand anyone risking the AEO route whereby you stay in your home country and hope your job still exists when PR finally comes through (which is why my OH and I are apart - he went over on a LMO/TWP while PR application is processed.) I suppose CIO also find this a bit odd, which is why they investigate to verify the job offer is bona fide and why many LMO and AEO applications are rejected. Our CIO approval took about 3 weeks longer than Cat 1s who applied at the same time - maybe CIO were checking thoroughly into my OH's job and company before accepting our application and forwarding it to the VO?
I expect data showing falsification of all sorts of documents is much higher in applications from countries such as the Indian sub-continent compared to Europe and the US. This is partly why the IELTS was made mandatory - lawyers were being paid to testify fraudulently to the language ability of applicants and verify false qualification documents. There has been a significant influx of immigrants from the Far East to cities such as Vancouver recently and perhaps CIC believes that they are offering jobs to their countrymen for immigration purposes rather than to the local workforce.
Could be true!

Waggle

Well I am 38 so I am only JUST in my thirties!

But I agree with other posters I doubt they will drop the POF levels. They want to make sure the immigrant can financially support themselves, and younger applicants won't require less funds than older applicants so why should they lower the limits?

I get annoyed enough with people on the canadavisa forum who are like "If I borrow the money and put it in my bank, can I just provide a funds letter without any statements" i.e. "Can I get away with defrauding CIC"? I think it's reasonable of Canada to ask that new immigrants can financially support themselves. My advice to anyone with insufficient funding is to wait until you've saved up sufficient funding, then apply.

Wayne.

rubberduckofdeath

I think the problem there is that the canadavisa forum has a high percentage of people from countries where it's common place to bend/break the rules, buy your way through situations etc because it's how their societies operate at multiple levels. They often don't recognise that it's not how things are done in lots of other countries.

helcat12

There is certainly more corruption in some other countries and the way things proceed can be unbelievably slow unless you are prepared to grease palms. I feel sympathy for some people from other countries as their situations can be dire and immigration can offer them a chance to make a better life, but their desperation can sometimes tempt them to take liberties with the truth.
The sad fact is that those who are playing by the rules count the cost in terms of both time and money of the attempts by others to cheat the system.
The Cat 1 route is widely abused by people trying to shoe-horn their experience into one of the in demand NOC categories and, as Waggle has said, find ways round the POF issue. Cat 2 should be less of an issue, as having a job with a verified LMO in itself proves that the worker is valuable to the Canadian economy, but clearly people are finding cheats to try to get round even this by applying for AEO with a fraudulent offer.
I think CIC will be increasingly strict about this and will eventually require workers to go through the LMO/TWP route to doubly ensure that the job offer is genuine and that all the requirements have been met.