Cuts to Skilled Worker & Family visas: what they mean for you

Posted on 01. Mar, 2011 by Emmanuelle Archer in Announcements, Blog
1 comment

If you’re planning to relocate permanently to Vancouver, you may already know that the federal governement is sharply decreasing the numbers of visas in two categories: Skilled Workers (-20%) and Family Reunification (-30%).

How will these changes affect you?

As far as getting your visa is concerned, probably not that much.

What you need to know: the Skilled Worker visa is a federal program.
Because Canada has two levels of governement (federal and provincial), you can also apply through a provincial program called the PNP (Provincial Nominee Program).

Since this program is run by the provinces themselves, federal quotas do no apply.

So it’s business as usual, then?

Not quite. With the Skilled Worker category becoming increasingly restrictive, chances are more and more applicants will go through the PNP to get their visa. And since BC is one of the most popular provinces for newcomers, this can only mean more competition and longer processing times.

So if you haven’t started the process yet, my advice is to get your visa application in sooner rather than later.

What about the Family Reunion category?

What you need to know: with these new quotas, bringing your parents to Canada could now take up to 13 years. 13 years!

Whether this will affect your long-term plans or not depends entirely on your personal circumstances.

Were you planning on having your parents come to Canada to look after your kids while you start your own business? Do you foresee your aging parents becoming dependent on you in the future?

If so, you may need to re-evaluate your immigration project, or at least adjust some of your plans so that your family life doesn’t suffer.

Were you aware of these cuts to some visa categories? Have they impacted your immigration plans at all? If you have any questions or remarks, please share them with us in the comments!

Emmanuelle

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