Posted on May 18 2015
Nearly half of the skilled immigrants who qualified for a chance to obtain permanent residency within the first three weeks of the launch of a new immigration system were not applying from abroad but were already in Canada, CBC News has learned.
Canada launched a new system known as express entry on Jan. 1 as a way to recruit the best and brightest of foreign nationals to fill open jobs for which there are no available Canadian workers.
The report, obtained by immigration lawyer Richard Kurland through an Access to Information Act request, shows there were 775 candidates who made it to the top of the express entry pool in the lead up to the first-ever draw. The new data lists their country of residence and their citizenship.
Where did the candidates come from? Many — 346, or 45 per cent of "the top 775 candidates in the pool" — resided in Canada, according to the Jan. 22 report prepared by the Department of Citizenship and Immigration.
Thirteen per cent were living in India, followed by 4.5 per cent in the United Arab Emirates. Smaller percentages resided in other countries.
"Please note that data is intended for internal CIC use only and has not yet been released to the public," said an immigration official in an email dated Jan. 22. The cautionary note was underlined.
The government offered permanent residency to 779 skilled workers in its first draw held on Jan. 31.
"Express Entry is already getting impressive results in its first month," declared Immigration Minister Chris Alexander in a written statement issued on Feb.2.
"The fact that everyone who was invited to apply for permanent residence in this round of invitations already has a valid job offer or provincial nomination shows that Express Entry is working to fill Canada's existing labour market gaps," Alexander said.
How does the new express entry system work?
The first 779 skilled workers, according to that same statement, included "professionals in natural and applied sciences, and industrial, electrical and construction trades."
Kurland said "the overwhelming majority would be expected to be temporary foreign workers" because the new points system rewards people already working in Canada.
Under the express entry points system, skilled immigrants who receive a permanent job offer backed by a positive labour market impact assessment are among the first to receive an offer to apply for permanent residency. (The assessment, or LMIA, is a document employers need to hire a foreign worker over a Canadian one.)
While immigration officials have publicly stayed mum on the subject of giving temporary foreign workers permanent residency through express entry, they have been more open to discussing the matter with stakeholders.
Sarah Anson-Cartwright, the director of skills policy at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, told CBC News she has had numerous conversations with immigration officials who said the majority of candidates that were offered express entry at the onset were temporary foreign workers.
"The first three draws for express entry were mostly temporary foreign workers with valid LMIAs," Anson-Cartwright said based on exchanges with officials from the Department of Citizenship and Immigration.
The government picked 779 skilled workers in its second draw on Feb. 7 and 849 in the third draw on Feb. 20.
The new report made public through the Access to Information Act also shows that India, Philippines and Pakistan were the top three source countries for prospective skilled immigrants under express entry.
Notably absent from the top was China, which in 2013 was the top source country for permanent residency in Canada, according to Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
The newly released data ranked China sixth, behind Ireland and Nigeria but slightly ahead of Iran.
"That is a surprise," said Kurland, who obtained the data after it was circulated internally among immigration officials.
The data also revealed that nine candidates were listed as "stateless" and three as "unspecified." The U.S. ranked 19th.
While Kurland conceded that this is a very early snapshot, he also told CBC News that "If the trend holds, it looks like express entry is going to be a real game-changer for where Canada sources skilled workers."
The office for Immigration Minister Chris Alexander directed CBC's request for more information to departmental officials who in turn were not immediately available for comment.
As of April 10, the government has offered to fast-track the permanent residency of 7,776 skilled immigrants under express entry.
Top 10 source countries for 775 highest-ranking candidates:
1. India: 228 candidates or 29.4 per cent
2. Philippines: 122 candidates or 15.7 per cent
3. Pakistan: 46 candidates or 5.9 per cent
4. Ireland: 34 candidates or 4.3 per cent
5. Nigeria: 29 candidates or 3.7 per cent
6. China: 29 candidates or 3.7 per cent
7. Iran: 21 candidates or 2.7 per cent
8. U.K.: 19 candidates or 2.4 per cent
9. Egypt: 18 candidates or 2.3 per cent
10. South Korea: 14 candidates or 1.8 per cent
For more news and updates, assistance with your visa needs or for a Free Assessment of your profile for Immigration or Work Visa’s just visit www.y-axis.com
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How many types of work passes are there in Singapore?
Foreign nationals looking to work in Singapore must have a valid employment pass or a work visa. Singapore work visas, also known as work passes, allow foreigners to reside and work in the country throughout the work permit duration. Singapore boasts a growing economy, offering competitive salaries with low tax rates. The country has around 24,100 job vacancies with an average salary of $60,840 to $70,000. Singapore offers different work passes for various categories of foreign workers, such as Singapore work visas for professionals, work visas for Skilled and semi-skilled workers, Trainees and students, Family members, work options for those on a visit pass, etc.
*Want to apply for a Singapore work visa? Let Y-Axis guide you with the process.
Singapore has different work visa categories for different skilled foreign workers.
Here is the list of Singapore work visa categories:
You can refer to the below table for complete details of the Singapore work passes:
Singapore Work Visa for Professionals
Pass type |
Who can apply? |
Employment Pass |
Foreign managers, executives, and professionals. |
They should be earning a minimum of $5,000 per month. |
|
They should clear the (COMPASS) Complementarity Assessment Framework. |
|
EntrePass |
Foreign entrepreneurs looking to manage and set up a business in Singapore. |
The business must have innovative technologies and be venture-backed. |
|
Personalised Employment Pass |
EP Pass holders with high salaries or foreign professionals from overseas. |
Overseas Networks & Expertise Pass |
Individuals from arts and culture, business, sports, research, and academia. |
Singapore Work Visa for Skilled and Semi-Skilled Workers
Pass type |
Who can apply? |
S Pass |
Skilled workers earning with a minimum monthly salary of at least $3,150. |
Work Permit for migrant worker |
Skilled and semi-skilled migrant workers from the construction, marine shipyard, manufacturing, and process sectors. |
Work Permit for migrant domestic worker |
Migrant domestic workers who wish to work in Singapore. |
Work Permit for confinement nanny |
Confinement nannies from Malaysia that are looking to work in Singapore for a maximum of 16 weeks starting from the date of the child's birth. |
Singapore Work Visa for Trainees and students
Pass type |
Who can apply? |
Training Employment Pass |
Foreign workers taking practical training and must earn at least $3,000 monthly. |
Work Holiday Pass (under Work Holiday Programme) |
For students & graduates between the ages of 18-25 who are looking to work and holiday for 6 months in Singapore |
Work Holiday Pass (under Work and Holiday Visa Programmes) |
For New Zealand & Australian students and graduates between 18-30 who are looking to work and holiday for 12 months in Singapore |
Training Work Permit |
Semi-skilled students or foreigners taking practical training in Singapore for up to 6 months. |
Singapore work visa for Family members
Pass type |
Who can apply? |
Dependant's Pass |
Spouses and children of qualifying S pass holders and Employment pass holders. |
Long-Term Visit Pass |
Parents, common-law spouses/partners, step children of qualifying S pass holders, and Employment pass holders. |
Singapore work visa for individuals willing to work on a visit visa
Pass type |
Who can apply? |
Miscellaneous Work Pass |
Foreign workers, journalists, religious workers on taking up a short work-related assignment in Singapore for upto 60 days. |
Work Pass Exempt Activities |
Individuals looking to participate in eligible short-term activities without a work pass. |
Work pass exemption for foreign students |
Foreign students who are studying full-time at approved institutions and schools in Singapore. |
Work passes for holders of Long-Term Visit Passes issued by ICA |
Foreigners who are married to a Singaporean PR holder or parents accompanying a child who is studying in Singapore. |
*Are you looking for step-by-step assistance with Singapore Immigration? Contact Y-Axis, the world’s No. 1 overseas immigration consultancy, for end-to-end assistance!
What are the requirements for Indian students to study in Canada?
Canada is one of the top study abroad destinations and the main requirements to study in Canada include a valid Canadian study permit and a letter of acceptance from a Canadian university. The other requirements includes the criteria specified by the Canadian universities you want to apply for. Canada is famous for its world-class education system and recognized universities, including 31 global QS-ranking institutes. There are more than 8000 recognized universities and more than 16,000 university programs.
*Want to study in Canada? Y-Axis is here to help you with all the necessary requirements.
The following are the documents required to get admission to study in Canada:
Note: The Canadian government has announced to end the expedited study permit processing of SDS which was launched in 2020.
The following are the documents required to apply for a Canada student visa:
The following are the steps to apply for a Canada Student visa:
Step 1: Get a letter of acceptance from a recognized university
Step 2: Apply online at the CIC website for the visa
Step 3: Collect all the necessary documents
Step 4: Submit the visa application with the necessary documents
Step 5: Pay the visa application fee
Step 6: Wait for your visa approval
Step 7: Fly to Canada
*Are you looking for step-by-step assistance with Canadian immigration? Contact Y-Axis, the world’s No.1 overseas immigration consultancy, for end-to-end support!