On June 18, 2019, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) launched two new five-year pilot programs for eligible caregivers. The new programs are intended to make it easier for caregivers to change employers, bring their immediate families to Canada, and apply for permanent residence after obtaining two years of qualifying work experience in Canada. The previous programs, Caring for Children and Caring for People with High Medical Needs, ended on June 18, 2019. If you have already applied under one

On October 17, 2018, recreational use of cannabis (marijuana) became legal in Canada. The Cannabis Act came into force then, and now governs usage, cultivation, possession and trafficking in cannabis. It is very important to understand that only cannabis purchased or cultivated legally per the rules and restrictions found in the Act is considered legal. Any cannabis purchased outside of a properly regulated store (or online store), or grown at home without following the proper restrictions, is still considered “illicit”

The Federal Government has announced plans to start collecting exit information for almost all individuals who travel out of Canada.  It may come as a surprise to many that Canada does not currently know when most people leave the country.  While we collect information on individuals who legally enter Canada, we generally don’t track when people depart.  Our only form of exit tracking was implemented in 2013 when Canada began receiving entry records from American authorities for foreign nationals and

UPDATE: Parent/Grandparent interest to sponsor form will be available at noon EST on January 28, 2019. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) kept eager applicants guessing until the very last minute, but finally announced on December 31, 2018 that the much anticipated reopening of the 2019 Parent/Grandparent Sponsorship program would not occur right at the dawn of the new year, but would instead be reopening “in late January”.  The announcement, which was done via Twitter also indicated that IRCC would