Yukon is all set to accept applications under the Yukon Nominee Program (YNP) on an intake-based approach in 2025. This means the YNP will accept the applications during specific periods or in limited numbers, rather than being open constantly. They will stop accepting applications once the number of applications has hit the fixed cap for a given intake.
When will the YNP open its first intake in 2025?
The Yukon Nominee Program will begin its first 2025 intake on 29th January. The government will accept a maximum of 125 applications through the first intake. They haven’t set a fixed schedule for the intakes yet. However, it is reported that the YNP is most likely to hold intakes quarterly in the future.
The size and frequency of 2025 intakes may differ based on the number of nominations the YNP receives from the Canadian federal government.
Why was this change of approach necessary?
In 2024, the YNP received an increasing number of applications which exceeded the maximum allocation for nominations in Yukon. Thus, the program decided to stop applications submitted by Whitehorse employers that year to control the number of applications being accepted and streamline the process. This will help the YNP clear backlogs and process applications faster.
The labour market demands in Yukon fluctuate based on economic growth, seasonal industries and population trends. Intakes will enable the program to address the most pressing labour shortages in specific industries or occupations.
What is the Yukon Nominee Program (YNP)?
The Yukon Nominee Program (YNP) is a Canadian immigration pathway for Yukon to nominate eligible candidates for permanent residency. It is a collaboration between the Government of Yukon and IRCC with the purpose of addressing labour marketing shortages in the territory.
A foreign national must complete the application with their employer to be eligible for territorial YNP nomination. You will receive the nomination letter from Yukon if the application gets through. You can then apply for permanent residence to the Canadian federal government through the YNP.
You can get your eligibility assessed by licensed immigration consultants at top-reputed firms like Onkar Immigration. The professionals are trained to explain and guide you through all the nitty-gritty of the Yukon Nominee Program.
IRCC launched new changes to the issuance of Canadian visitor visas on November 6th, 2024. The purpose is to allow immigration officers to assess stricter factors while determining an applicant's eligibility for the visa. Earlier the government usually issued multiple-entry visas with maximum validity. As of 6th Nov 2024, officers need to consider the applicant’s financial status, connections to their homeland, medical history and purpose of visit to decide the type and duration of their visa. This blog discusses all the new guidelines applicants must follow to apply for a visitor visa in Canada.
Determining Single-Entry Visa or Multiple-Entry Visa
Before the update, immigration officers would commonly issue multiple-entry visas. Now they need to evaluate each application based on specific factors to determine the best type of visa for the applicant.
Feature
Single-Entry Visa
Multiple-Entry Visa
Number of Entries
Allows entry to Canada once.
Allows entry multiple times.
Validity Period
Typically valid for up to 6 months.
Can be valid for up to 10 years or until passport expiry.
Purpose of Use
Suitable for short-term visits like tourism, business, or special events.
Ideal for frequent travellers, such as those visiting for business, tourism, or family visits.
Updated guidelines to decide the right type of Canadian visa
Here are the key factors that IRCC considers while issuing single-entry or multiple-entry visitor visas to applicants.
Purpose of Visit
Immigration officers may issue a specific type of visitor visa based on your purpose of visiting the country.
Examples
For specific events that may last one day- A single-entry visa is commonly issued if you want to visit the country to attend specific events whether it's a conference, tourism or a training session.
Regular visits to Canada- A multiple-entry visa is issued for applicants who want to visit the country regularly.
Special situations- The officer may issue a single or multiple-entry visa for coming to the country for compassionate reasons. It depends on the applicant’s needs and the expected number of visits.
Financial Status
The Canadian government is most likely to issue a multiple-entry visa to applicants with stable finances. They may evaluate your financial capability to sustain multiple trips to Canada before issuing the visa.
Do you have a Canadian host who can cover your expenses? In that case, you need to submit proof of your relationship with the host and their financial stability before the visa is issued.
If you have an employer who is funding your work-related visits in Canada, you need to submit proof related to the financial support.
Medical Conditions
Officers may issue a single-entry visa or reduce the validity of the visa if the applicant has an ongoing progressive medical condition.
Are you coming to Canada for medical treatments?
In that case, the officers may ask for documents that prove your ability to cover all healthcare expenses in the country.
Ties to Home Country
Immigration officers would like to know if you have strong ties to your home country. This is like an assurance that you are going to return when the time comes.
Travel History
Applicants’ travel history can also influence an officer’s decision on issuing you a single-entry or multiple-entry visa. For example, applicants with a history of travelling abroad may be issued a multiple-entry visa.
Similarly, officers may issue a single-entry visa if you have a history of getting your visa refused for any country including Canada.
Deciding Canadian Visitor Visa Validity Period
Multiple-entry visas no longer are automatically valid for up to 10 years.
The validity period of Canadian visitor visas depends on the circumstances of each applicant. Here are the factors that influence the decision on the validity of a Canadian visitor visa.
Visit’s purpose and duration
The validity period of your visa is decided based on the purpose and duration of your visit. Single-entry visas are most likely to be issued if your purpose of visiting the country is short-term.
Economic status in the applicant’s home country
Officers evaluate the status and financial stability of the applicant in their home country. A shorter validity period of visas is determined if the political or economic conditions in the home country of the applicant is unstable.
Evolving ties between Canada and the applicant’s home country
The officers also take the connections between Canada and the applicant’s home country into account while determining the validity period of their visas. A shorter validity period is issued if the ties are weak or have weakened over time.
What Should New Visitor Visa Applicants Expect?
You may have several queries if you are applying for a Canadian visitor visa after 6th November 2024. There are licensed immigration consultants who can guide you through the recent changes and prepare you for a successful visa application process.
However, here are the key changes you must expect while applying for a visitor visa in Canada in and after 2025.
The purpose of your visit to Canada will decide the validity and type of your visa. Whether you are issued a single-visit or multiple-entry visa, depends on your travel intentions.
You may have to submit a wide range of documentation to be eligible for a multiple-entry visa. Most common documents include proof of finances, reasons for multiple trips and ties to the home country or family in the home country.
Multiple-entry visas are most likely to have shorter validity periods from now on.
The visa officers issue visitor visas based on the individual circumstances of every applicant. They will adopt a more personalized approach to issuing visitor visas.
How to Submit a Canada Visitor Visa Application?
You must abide by all the new changes made to the visitor visa. Follow these easy tips to get through the application process successfully.
Proper documentation
Submit clear documentation of every proof that you are asked to submit in the process. Common documents include proofs that reflect the purpose of your visit, financial status and ties to your home country.
Strong ties to home country
Show your strong connections to your homeland through property, employment or family. This ensures that you will return once your purpose of visiting is served.
Financial proof
Whether you are handling finances on your own or a Canadian host is funding you, submit the right documents for a smooth issuance of a visitor visa.
Health insurance
You should make sure that your health insurance covers your stay if you are visiting for medical reasons.
The processing time for visitor visas differs based on country. India, for instance, has a processing time of 113 days whereas USA applicants get their visas processed in 26 days. You can increase your chances of getting the visa approved if you follow the recent changes and submit all necessary documents. You can get stepwise guidance through every step of visa application from trained professionals in a reputed immigration firm like Onkar Immigration in Alberta.
The Canadian Government will not accept any applications under the Parents and Grandparents Program for permanent residence in 2025. IRCC will process the PGP applications submitted in 2024 until further notice. They will issue invitations to eligible sponsors from last year’s batch throughout 2025 and hence no new applications will be accepted this year. While you cannot sponsor your parents or grandparents for permanent residency in 2025, you can still sponsor them for a super visa.
Why PGP Applications are Paused in 2025?
Family reunification has always been a major goal of the Canadian Government. They have paused any new applications for the Parents and Grandparents Program to clear the existing backlog. IRCC wants to process the PGP applications submitted in 2024 and issue invitations to apply to a maximum of 15000 applicants based on a lottery system.
In October 2024, IRCC announced a 20% reduction in permanent resident targets for 2025 including PGP applications. This decision was influenced by several factors such as rapid population growth, housing problems and changes in labour market demands.
In 2024, IRCC issued invitations to apply under the Parents and Grandparents Program to 35,700 candidates who were chosen randomly based on a lottery system. The goal was to accept 20,500 applications.
However, the 2024 annual report to parliament on immigration states that there were at least 40,000 parent and grandparent permanent residency sponsorships waiting to be processed by the end of 2023. A PGP sponsorship application takes around 24 months to process.
Can You Still Invite Your Relatives to Canada in 2025?
Yes, you can still invite your parents and grandparents to Canada in 2025 through the Super Visa. A super visa is a long-term, multiple-entry visa for parents and grandparents to stay in Canada for up to 5 years at a time. They don’t need to renew their status during their stay.
Eligibility criteria for a super visa in Canada
You must provide a letter of invitation.
Proof of financial support and income (meeting the Low Income Cut-Off, or LICO).
Purchase medical insurance for them valid for at least one year and covering $100,000 or more.
They may need to undergo a medical examination.
Applying for a Super Visa to bring your parents or grandparents to Canada can be a rewarding but complex process. While it is possible to apply on your own, working with an experienced immigration consultant can significantly ease the process and improve your chances of success. Whether it is understanding eligibility requirements or drafting a persuasive invitation letter, the professionals can assist you through the super visa application process.
The Canadian Government increased specific immigration application fees from 1st December 2024. Whether you want to restore your status as a student in Canada or get your temporary resident permit, it is crucial to abide by the updated immigration fees set by IRCC. This blog discusses the new fees that you must follow from 1st December 2024.
New Immigration Fees 2024 in Canada
Type of Immigration Application
Old Fees
Updated Fees
Return to Canada authorization
$459.55
$479.75
International Experience Canada (IEC)
$172
$179.75
Serious criminal grounds inadmissibility
$1148.87
$1199
Temporary resident permit
$229.77
$239.75
Restoring ‘worker’ status
$384
$394.75
Restoring ‘visitor’ status
$229
$239.75
Restoring ‘student’ status
$379
$389.75
Criminal grounds inadmissibility
$229.77
$239.75
What if You Have Already Paid the Immigration Fees Prior to The Change?
It is okay if you have paid the old fees before the new fees rule was implemented. Chances are you submitted an online application before the updated fee structure was announced. In that case, IRCC processes the applications based on the previous fees.
Things are different if you have submitted a paper application. IRCC may not reject your paper application if you:
Pay the entire old fees
Submit a complete application
Send the application via email before the fees changed
Once IRCC receives the application, they will ask you to submit the rest of the amount based on the fees you paid and the new amount that you are supposed to.
How do I pay the right fees?
Let’s say you have submitted a paper application for a PGWP and paid the old fee ($250) before the new fee ($300)was announced.
So, you need to pay $50 ($300-$250) more to complete the entire payment.
Here’s how to do it:
Create an account or sign into yours if you have one on IRCC’s official website.
Choose the option “make an additional payment” under the online payment tool button.
Enter the amount you must pay and make the payment.
IRCC will send a receipt for every payment.
It can be tedious and time-consuming to keep track of every change in immigration rules whether it's prices or eligibility criteria. You can however seek assistance from trustworthy immigration firms like Onkar Immigration. They can make the process easy and effective for you.
Some foreign students who applied for a PGWP after 1st November 2024 must meet additional fields of study requirements to be eligible for the work permit. The new requirements do not apply to students graduating from a university with bachelor's, master’s, or doctoral degree programs. Students graduating from any other program including degree programs must meet the new eligibility criteria to obtain their PGWP.
What are the New Selection Criteria for PGWP?
IRCC announced a detailed list of 966 instructional programmes grouped into five categories. International students who graduated from a university degree program need not meet this criteria and are eligible for PGWP for up to three years. All other students need to be a part of any one instructional program relevant to specific fields of study to be eligible for a PGWP.
Here are some examples of academic/instructional programs along with their field of study
Field of Study
Instructional/Academic Program
Healthcare
Veterinary Medicine (DVM)
Dentistry (DDS, DMD)
Dental Clinical Sciences, General (MS, MSc, PhD)
Medicine (MD)
Podiatry/Podiatric Medicine (DPM)
Agriculture and agri-food
Agriculture, General
Agribusiness/agricultural business operations
Farm/Farm and Ranch Management
Agricultural business technology/technician
Animal/livestock husbandry and production
Transport
Air Transportation, Other
Truck and bus driver/commercial vehicle operator and instructor
Ground transportation, other
Railroad and railway transportation
Marine transportation, other
Trade
Construction trades, other
Plumbing technology/plumber
Business machine repair
Heavy equipment maintenance technology/technician
Glazier
STEM
Management Science
Digital Marketing
Actuarial science
Geography
Urban studies/affairs
Environmental Health
You can visit here to get the complete list of programmes and their respective field of study.
The programmes listed above are categorized based on the CIP or Classification of Instructional Programs. CIP is how Canada describes and categorizes academic or instructional programs for foreign students. Consider it similar to the NOC system for classifying jobs in Canada.
Tips to Know CIP Code for Your Program
Follow these steps to find the CIP code for your educational/instructional program.
You will be redirected to the sub-programs that will help you prepare for a career in your relevant field.
Click the code beside your sub-programs.
Now you will find the instructional program classes under the subcategories.
Click the relevant program.
You will find more detailed information about the program. You must read the program description before picking the CIP code to ensure that you choose the right one.
Are There Any Requirements for International Students?
Yes, students must meet the new language requirements to be eligible for PGWP if they apply on or after 1st November 2024. The language criteria vary depending on the student’s study levels in Canada.
For international students graduating with a university bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree
You need CLB 7 in English or NCLC 7 in French in all 4 languages
For international students graduating from any other university program
CLB 7 in English or NCLC 7 in French in all 4 languages
For any other program not mentioned above
CLB 5 in English or NCLC 5 in French in all 4 languages
The new eligibility criteria changes are an attempt by IRCC to align PGWP with the current labour market needs. The government wants to ensure a smooth experience for all international students while stabilizing the Canadian economy. You can make the most of the PGWP options if you stay informed on the changes and new selection criteria. Professional immigration consultants can help you out with the necessary support and guidance.
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