November 1, 2017 – Canada plans to welcome 980,000 new immigrants over the next three years under an ambitious 3-year Canada immigration plan announced by the federal government today.
as 360,000 by 2020 under the multi-year plan.
Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen described the announcement as ‘historic’, as the government outlines its plan for the next three years, featuring managed increases across all categories.

In 2018, the immigration target will rise to 310,000, from the current 300,000 set for 2017. This target could rise to as much as 330,000 under the latest announcement.
In 2019, the target will be 330,000, with an upper limit of 350,000 new immigrants.
In 2020, the target figure will be 340,000, and the upper limit 360,000.

The ambitious plan will drive up immigration numbers to historic levels as the government pushes the annual number of newcomers towards 1 per cent of Canada’s population a target first used by the Liberals in the early 1990’s. The current levels of 300,000 correspond into an immigration rate near .82.
The managed increases are designed to allow Canada’s integration capacity to grow with the number of new immigrants being welcomed.
Canada’s Immigration Plan: Main Targets

The Liberal government election promise of relaxed citizenship requirements have finally arrived! As of October 11, 2017, new rules have come into effect to make it easier for Canadian permanent residents to apply for citizenship by reducing the time that they need to be physically present in Canada before qualifying for Canadian citizenship.
On October 4, 2017, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (“IRCC”) announced that long awaited changes to the Citizenship Act would take effect on October 11, 2017. These changes were initially approved in June 2017 when Bill C-6 became law making obtaining citizenship more flexible and accessible for potential applicants, but it was not known exactly when they would come into effect.
Below are three of the important changes you need to know about:
Three in Five Rule
You are now eligible to apply for Canadian citizenship if you have physically resided in Canada for three (3) years in the five (5) years immediately before the date of your citizenship application, which replaces the former rule of four (4) out of the past six (6) years.
Time Spent Before Permanent Residence Counts
IRCC will once again recognize days spent in Canada as a temporary resident towards the residency requirement for citizenship. Days spent in Canada before becoming a permanent resident now count as half-days, up to a maximum of 365 days, towards meeting the physical presence requirement to obtain Canadian citizenship. These changes will specifically help people who have studied and worked in Canada before becoming permanent residents.
Relaxed Testing Requirements
Previously, applicants between the ages of 14 and 64 years were required to pass language and knowledge testing requirements for Canadian citizenship. The new rules will make these requirements mandatory only for applicants between the ages of 18 and 54 years, exempting older and younger applicants from testing both English or French language proficiency and knowledge of Canada.
These new changes make citizenship more attractive and accessible for potential applicants. In combination with the reduction of the physical residence requirement to only three years of physical presence in Canada, these newly implemented rule changes make citizenship attainable as early as two years after you become a permanent resident of Canada.
IRCC introduced the new revisions to Canada’s citizenship provisions during Citizenship Week held between October 9-15, which is intended to celebrate and reflect upon what it means to be Canadian. By implementing these changes, Canada is actively encouraging permanent residents to take the final step to apply for citizenship and become part of the Canadian family.

Liberal government raises age of dependency to 22

Age for dependent children in Canada’s immigration programs was 18 under Conservatives

The age for dependent children has been restored to under the age of 22 as of October 24, 2017.
This means that applicants for permanent residence to Canada can include their dependent children up to the age of 22 in an application for permanent residence in any of Canada’s immigration programs whether family sponsorship, Express Entry, business immigration, caregiver or refugee applicants.
Restoring the age for dependent children to under the age of 22 was one of the Liberal government’s major immigration election platforms in 2015.
This is the second immigration election promise to finally be implemented this month with the changes to the Citizenship eligibility requirements taking effect on October 11.
The age for a dependent child had been under the age of 22 for many years; however on August 1, 2014 the former Conservative government lowered the age of the dependency to 18 or younger, noting that adult children could apply for permanent residence on their own merit.
For many families the inability to include their young adult children in their immigration applications was a deterrent to coming to Canada.
When introducing this statutory change, the Regulatory Impact Assessment Statement (RIAS) noted that “when families are able to remain together as an economic household unit, their integration into Canada and their ability to work and contribute to their communities improves.”
The restoration of the age of dependency up to 22 is positive news for prospective immigrant families as well as for Canada.

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) has launched a new stream for candidates with a job offer from an Ontario employer in one of seven occupations identified as in-demand in the province.