Central Intake Office Gears up for Canadian Immigration Applications

Citizenship and Immigration Canada has designated the Case Processing Centre in Sydney, Nova Scotia as the Central Intake Office (CIO) for new Skilled Worker applications with two exceptions:

1. Cases in which the applicant has Arranged Employment in Canada or
2. Cases in which the candidate is legally resident in Canada as a foreign student or foreign worker for 12 months prior to applying.

Arranged Employment means that the applicant has a permanent offer of employment by a Canadian employer and that offer has been confirmed by the regional Service Canada office. Applicants in these cases would apply directly to the visa office responsible for the jurisdiction of their citizenship or residence. For cases in which the candidate has been a foreign student or foreign worker for at least 12 months, the case may also be submitted to the visa office responsible for the candidate's citizenship or permanent residence, or to the visa office in Buffalo, NY, USA.

For other cases, the newly designated CIO will handle receipt and paper screening of skilled worker applications. Cases which are compliant with the Ministerial Instructions will then be forwarded to the responsible visa office abroad, where processing is supposed to be completed within 6-12 months. Once the case is forwarded, candidates will have only 120 days to supply adequate documentation corroborating all regulatory requirements for eligibility.

Fast-Track Occupations Announced by Minister of Immigration

Jason Kenney, Canada's newly appointed Minister of Immigration has announced the Ministerial Instructions governing processing of skilled worker applications. This announcement includes occupations which are presently slated for fast-track processing.

From CIC:

Under changes to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, federal skilled worker applications are assessed for eligibility according to the eligibility criteria listed below. Note: This does not apply to applicants intending to live in the province of Quebec.

These criteria affect you only if you applied on or after February 27, 2008. If you applied before February 27, 2008, your application will be processed according to the rules that were in effect at that time.

In order for your application to be eligible for processing, you must either:

• have an offer of arranged employment, OR
• be a foreign national living legally in Canada for one year as a temporary foreign worker or an international student, OR
• be a skilled worker who has at least one year of experience in one or more of the following occupations:

0111: Financial Managers
0213: Computer and Information Systems Managers
0311: Managers in Health Care
0631: Restaurant and Food Service Managers
0632: Accommodation Service Managers
0711: Construction Managers
1111: Financial Auditors and Accountants
2113: Geologists, Geochemists and Geophysicists
2143: Mining Engineers
2144: Geological Engineers
2145: Petroleum Engineers
3111: Specialist Physicians
3112: General Practitioners and Family Physicians
3141: Audiologists and Speech Language Pathologists
3143: Occupational Therapists
3142: Physiotherapists
3151: Head Nurses and Supervisors
3152: Registered Nurses
3215: Medical Radiation Technologists
3233: Licensed Practical Nurses
4121: University Professors
4131: College and Other Vocational Instructors
6241: Chefs
6242: Cooks
7213: Contractors and Supervisors, Pipefitting Trades
7215: Contractors and Supervisors, Carpentry Trades
7217: Contractors and Supervisors, Heavy Construction Equipment Crews
7241: Electricians (Except Industrial and Power System)
7242: Industrial Electricians
7251: Plumbers
7252: Steamfitters, Pipe fitters and Sprinkler System Installers
7265: Welders and Related Machine Operators
7312: Heavy-Duty Equipment Mechanics
7371: Crane Operators
7372: Drillers and Blasters – Surface Mining, Quarrying and Construction
8221: Supervisors, Mining and Quarrying
8222: Supervisors, Oil and Gas Drilling and Service
9212: Supervisors, Petroleum, Gas and Chemical Processing and Utilities