No more sponsorship for parents and grandparents until further notice

As of November 5th, 2011 (last Saturday), Citizenship and Immigration Canada will not accept any sponsorship applications to sponsor parents or grandparents until further notice or for 24 months (until November 4th, 2013) because the waiting period for parents’ and grandparents’ sponsorships is currently longer than 4 years.

All applications received by Centralized Processing Centre-Mississauga after November 5th, 2011 will be returned to the applicants. Only those applications received by CPC-M before November 4th, 2011 at 5 p.m. will be processed continuously.

The material in this article is only for general information. For your specific situation, please consult a professional before you submit your application.


New PhD Eligibility Stream under the Federal Skilled Worker Class

As of November 5th, 2011, international students pursuing PhD studies at qualified Canadian educational institutions may apply under the Federal Skilled Worker PhD Eligibility Stream.

How to be qualified:

1. Your application MUST be received after November 5th, 2011 by the Centralized Intake Office (CIO) in Sydney, Nova Scotia.

2. You must be either
a. an international student who is currently enrolled in a PhD program, by a qualified Canadian educational institution AND who has completed at least 2 years towards the completion of your PhD AND who is in good academic standing AND who is NOT a recipient of a Government of Canada award requiring you to return to your home country

OR

b. a graduate of a PhD program from a qualified Canadian educational institution within 12 months from the date of your application to CIO Sydney, Nova Scotia who is not a recipient of a Government of Canada award requiring you to return to your home country or you have completed such requirement already.

3. You must still meet all other requirements of the Federal Skilled Worker class, as well as the minimum requirements and minimum pass mark in order to be qualified under this stream. Only 1,000 applications per year are allocated for this program, starting November 5th, 2011 to October 31st, 2012.

The material in this article is only for general information. For your specific situation, please consult a professional before you submit your application.