Massive drop in the number of Nigerians visiting United States

There has been a huge drop in the number of Nigerians travelling to the United States.
This was confirmed by the data, from the United States Tourism and Travel office.

This massive drop in the number of Nigerians visiting United States, was caused by the increment of United States visa fees, for Nigerian applicants.

The number of Nigerian travellers started to decrease in the year 2016, after experiencing immense growth from 2011 and 2015, before massively dropping in 2019.

The Nigerians that travelled to the United States were reduced to about 34,000 as of October, 2019. A 21 per cent reduction.

Read Nigeria reduces the visa fees for US citizens seeking for visa to come into the country

The increase in visa fees, also known as the reciprocity fees

The reciprocity fee will be charged in addition to the non-immigrant visa application fee, also known as the MRV fee, which all applicants pay at the time of application, this was stated by the  United States Government.

It was speculated that the huge drop in Nigerian applicants was caused by a lot of implemented policies and visa clamp downs, experienced by Nigerians, in the Trump administration.

The policies also gave rise to anxiety and fear, fuelled rumours among indigenes,
causing the, the United States embassy in
Nigeria, in mid 2019, to deny a widespread
rumour that it had placed a ban on issuing
student visas to Nigerians.

Also read Questions, Answers, Advice and Insight, on U.S visiting visa

For example, 

The reciprocity fees

The new visa fee was increased from $80 to $303, and this was termed a reciprocity fee, because it was increased, in response to the
increased charges/fees imposed on the United States Citizens by the Nigerian Government.

Even after the Nigerian Government withdrew the extra charges and reduced the visa fees imposed on the United States applicants, the United State's Government refused to burg and reciprocate.

This was done and reduced in order to get the United State Government to reverse its price increase.
The increased visa fees has made it difficult for many Nigerians to apply for U.S visa.

Both the visa fees and the non immigrant fees are not refundable and their amounts are based on the visa classification and Nigerians whose applications for a non

immigrant visa was denied will not be
charged the new reciprocity fee.

Suspension of the interview waiver

The Trump administration also suspended its visa interview waiver for Nigerian applicants indefinitely.

The waiver allowed frequent travellers from Nigeria, to renew their visa without going through in-person interviews each time

Also read U.S increases the cost of visa fees for Nigerians

Noticeable visa clamp down

Report has also shown that Nigerians were the highest ranked African country for US visa overstays in 2018.

Because of these new policies, there has been several reports that the Trump administration was looking to put restrictions on issuance of visa to countries whose citizens, have a track record of overstaying after the expiration of their short-term US visas.

Even though official data confirm the effects of the measures, there were already warning signs the administration’s policies were having an adverse impact on potential
travellers.

The second largest  drop was for visitors
from Venezuela (17.7 per cent).
And the US is restricting entry to Venezuelans and Argentinians, migrants with 15.6 per cent drop and Sweden, 11.1 per cent.

Lots of people are exiting the south American country due to the political and economic crises, they are presently experiencing.

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Nigeria reduces the visa fees for US Citizens Seeking for Visas into the country

The Minister of interior, Rauf Aregbesola, has disclosed in a statement, that the Nigerian Government has reduced the
fees for the citizens of the United States seeking for visas into the country.

The statement reads,

The attention of the Ministry of Interior has been drawn to the introduction of reciprocity of visa fees by the United States of America.

The ministry acknowledges that there were engagements with the United States Embassy on the issue and in the aftermath, a committee was set up to conduct due diligence in line with the ministry’s extant policy on reciprocity of visa fees.

The committee had concluded its assignment and submitted a report but the issuance of authorisation for its recommendations was delayed due to transition processes in the ministry at the policy level.

Read Reason why Nigeria was placed on US watch list

Rauf Aregbesola, The Minister of Interior,
has approved the reduction of visa fees,
to be paid by US citizens, seeking for admission into the country, in line with
reciprocity policy as recommended by the
committee.

In line with this, Muhammad Babandede, the Comptroller-General of Nigeria Immigration Service, has been directed to implement the reduction in Nigeria’s visa charges to United States citizens with effect from Thursday, August 29, 2019.”

This new fees was implemented 24 hours after US authorities increased the cost of visa application for Nigerians.

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The Reason Why United States placed Nigeria on Watch List

Mary Leonard, the newly deployed US diplomat states that her home government placed Nigeria on their Watch List, in order to deepen conversation on the issue.

US Ambassador Reveals The Reason Why Nigeria Was Placed On Their Watch List


The United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Leonard, on Tuesday said that America placed Nigeria on its watch list due to the humanitarian situation in the country. The newly deployed US diplomat disclosed that her home government took that step in order to deepen conversation on the issue.

In a statement by Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, Leonard was quoted as saying,

There are people who make things less attractive than they seem.

The report (on Nigeria) will deepen conversation of the situation in the country especially with religious leaders and mediators.

The United States recognises and celebrates the integration in Nigeria and would always side with transparent processes.

I have worked for three decades before coming to Nigeria. We will do a lot together for peace, security and delivering humanitarian assistance.

Read US denies report on student visa ban


The United States Senate voted 53-45 against the president’s plan to sell $8 billion worth of U.S. weapons to Saudi Arabia. 

Adding more fuel to the fire, just short of a dozen Republicans voted with Democrats and killed the deal.

The United States Senate voted against President Donald Trump..

The 7 Republican senators who voted against the President are:

Rand Paul (KY)
Sen. Susan Collins (Maine)
Lindsey Graham (S.C.)
Todd Young (Ind.)
Mike Lee (Utah)
Jerry Moran (Kansas)
Lisa Murkowski (Alaska)


As noted by The Hill, the White House Office of Management and Budget issued a veto statement against the resolutions of disapproval ahead of Thursday’s vote.

The change of ownership of these services and capabilities to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan supports the foreign policy  and national security objectives of the United States directly, by improving the security of friendly countries that continue to be important forces for political and economic stability in the Middle East.”

The assistant secretary of State for political-military affairs, R. Clark Cooper, told the House Foreign Affairs Committee said in a statement:

That the White House has hit back at criticism from Congress, arguing that a heightened threat from Iran is its justification in invoking the emergency to provide weapons and resources to Saudi Arabia.

These sales and the associated emergency certification are to be used to address the military need of our partners in the face of an urgent regional threat posed by Iran; promote the vitality of our bilateral relationships by reassuring our partners; and preserve strategic advantage against near-peer competitors.”


Read Questions, Answers, Advice on US visiting visa

Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) Foreign Relations Committee Chairman, the is working on a broader bill to approve the sale to Saudi Arabia, but it will likely limit certain weapons and resources that the U.S. can sell to the kingdom.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was in favor of the deal, and urged his colleagues to reject the effort to block the arms sale, arguing there were other steps lawmakers could take, including visiting the region or meeting with Saudi officials.

Rejecting long-planned arms sales strikes me as an overly blunt tool with several unintended consequences. The dynamics at play are not black and white. We can best shape these dynamics by working closely with our partners to encourage them in the right direction rather than turning our back.

Trump wanted to sell Saudi Arabia the weapons and resources amid rising tensions with Iran.

Iran has been responsible for carrying out an attack on an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman and shot down a U.S. drone, in the past few weeks.

The US Congress refused to work with the President,, Donald Trump, when he tried to combat the threat, Congress refuses to work with him.

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Citizenship Expectation In Canada

Becoming a Canadian citizen is one of the defining  moment for Canada’s immigrants, because It marks the end of their newcomer journey and the beginning of their journey as a Canadian with the same rights as those born in Canada.

These rights includes the right to vote, to run for political office, to be to apply for any government office, if they wish, to travel with a Canadian passport, and to travel outside of Canada whenever they want.

Policy changes made by Canada over the past decade have hurt naturalization rates, but recent reforms could change that, because presently, Canada expects a 40 per cent increase in citizenship among immigrants by 2024.

A recent study (Statistics Canada study) has shown, that fewer recent immigrants, are gaining Canadian citizenship and this is seen as a cause for concern, but improvements are on the horizon.

A study carried out by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 2018, reported that about 91 per cent of immigrants who had lived in Canada for at least 10 years has gotten their citizenship, compared with the OECD average of 63 per cent. Other top destinations for immigrants such as Australia (81 per cent) and the United States (62 per cent) lag behind Canada by a wide margin.

The country’s high rate of citizenship acquisition is an important indicator that Canada does a good job of facilitating integration and has also shown that Canada takes pride in supporting the citizenship journey of immigrants.

The Low possession of Citizenship

Statistics Canada’s new study finds that citizenship acquisition was 86 per cent at the time of the 2016 Census compared with 82 per cent during the 1991 Census.

However, this great insight has been overshadowed by the obvious decline in citizenship acquisition among more recent immigrant cohorts.

Statistics Canada’s analysis found that the citizenship rate for most immigrant cohorts fell in 2016 compared with the 2006 Census. Immigrants with low income, official language proficiency, and education have experienced the sharpest drop in naturalization.

In 1996, for example, 68 per cent of eligible immigrants who had been in Canada for five years were citizens, but this figure fell to 43 per cent in 2016.

Read Employment Increase and decrease in Canada


Decline in Citizenship possession among recent immigrants

The Statistics Canada’s study on this, suggests that the citizenship policy changes made by Canada over the past decade  massively affected the rate in naturalization.

In 2010, Canada introduced new language requirements and a new citizenship exam. Immigrants between the ages of 14 and 64 had to demonstrate a minimum language proficiency and obtain a pass mark of at least 75 per cent on their citizenship exam (the previous pass mark was 60 per cent). In 2017, these requirements were reversed to only apply to those aged between 18 and 54.

Strict language proficiency and citizenship test requirements have made it more difficult for immigrants with low education to become citizens and weak language proficiency skills.

The rationale for these changes was to ensure immigrants were integrating into Canadian society by demonstrating their language proficiency and understanding of Canada’s history, geography, politics, laws, and economy. The government also introduced multiple versions of the citizenship test to reduce cheating and ensure immigrants had a strong knowledge of the topics that it covered.

The fee hikes also played a role in affecting the acquisition of citizenship, the fees were said to help the government recover the costs of processing citizenship applications.

The citizenship acquisition currently costs a total of $630 per person to apply for citizenship. A family of four needs to pay $1,500,

these increase in citizenship fees made it to be less affordable for low-income earners and immigrants to apply for citizenship.

In addition, the federal government increased the citizenship application fee from $100 to $300 for adults in February 2014 and then raised it again to $530 in January 2015.

The fee for children remained the same at $100. Both adult and child applicants also had to pay an extra $100 for right of citizenship fee.

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U.S IMMIGRATION NEWS

US has increased the cost of tourism, student and business visa fees. The United States Embassy in Nigeria says effective from Thursday, August 29, 2019, Nigerians applying for student and business and student visas will not only pay the N59,200 fee but will have to pay an extra $110 (N40, 700) after the visa has been issued to them bringing the total cost to N99, 900.

Applicants seeking the L1 Visa (work permit) will pay an extra N112, 100 if given visas while those applying for H4 Visa (dependency/spousal) will pay an extra N66, 600.

Applicants who are denied visas are exempted from paying the said N40,700.
Before this new development, hundreds of Nigerian visa applicants has also complained that they had not been able to secure US visa appointment dates despite making payments for visas.

The US embassy released a statement blaming the Nigerian Federal Government, that the increment was done in order to get back to the Nigerian Government, for what they meted out on it's citizens.

The US Embassy adopts the rate of N370/$1 for Nigerians which is higher than both the official rate and the black market rate.

Read Questions, Answers, Advice and Insight on US Visiting Visa

US Embassy denies report on student visa ban

 A statement by the Embassy of the United States of America in Nigeria denying a report that it had stopped issuing student visa to Nigerians has drawn criticisms on social media.

The Embassy, had through it's verified Twitter handle @USEmbassyAbuja denied and described as false and fake, the report by an online medium that it had placed a ban on study visa for Nigerians until further notice.

FakeNews Alert! Be advised, reports of Student Visa ban for Nigerians is false. If you have seen such manufactured item on Facebook and Twitter or received it via WhatsApp, please communicate that it is false,” the tweet read.

President Donald Trump has suspended the entry of newcomers into the United States, if they are not covered by American health insurance within 30 days of entering the country, or do not have the financial means to pay for their own healthcare costs. 

This measure was set to come into effect on November 3rd, 2019.

The proclamation will apply to those seeking immigrant visas; a platform that has remained a known route for people seeking a green card from the U.S. The only group exempted from this rule are asylum seekers, refugees, children, or people who are already in the United States. 

The spouses and parents of the US citizens would likely be affected most, as immigration to the United States is majority-family-based.

The US Embassy has suspended the Interview Waiver

The Embassy and Consulate of the United States in Nigeria have suspended the interview waiver “Drop Box” application process effective May 14, 2019. All applicants are required to schedule regular appointments until further notice.

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QUEBEC NEEDS 80,000 IMMIGRANTS PER YEAR, NOT 50,000

Report has shown that Quebec needs 80,000 immigrants per year, not 50,000.

Quebec has Exercised its economic right and interest, under the Canada-Quebec Accord.

Quebec needs almost twice as many immigrants as it is currently targeting, in order to sustain a stable economy.

Canada’s second largest province has welcomed around 50,000 immigrants annually, in recent years. ranking second behind Ontario.

Quebec’s newcomer intake ranked sixth among Canada’s provinces and territories, on a per person bases.

The province’s decision to reduce its newcomer intake to a maximum of 41,800 in 2019, last year, in order to create programs that will help in improving and increasing the new comer integration made Quebec to lag even further behind.

A recent Conference Board of Canada study shows, that Quebec is aging faster than the national average, coupled with a a decrease in birth rate.

These characteristic realities could have a negative effect on the quality of life of people in the province of Quebec.

Because, due to that, there will be a decrease in economic growth and the tax revenues needed for funding the social services, the Quebecers enjoy such as, health care, subsidized daycare and education.

The study speculates that Quebec may have a higher death rate than birth rate by 2028. This is not expected to happen at the national level until 2034.

This means that Quebec will have to strategize and work on how to grow its population urgently than most other provinces, territories or regions.

Study has shown that Immigration is the most realistic solution to increase population growth.

Strategies to promote higher birth rates in western countries have not brought much success and Quebec is evidence of this.

Quebec’s birth rate remains as low as the national average, despite it's universal input on the daycare program.

The Conference Board of Canada study has stated that about 100 per cent of Quebec’s population growth will come through immigration by 2023, compared with the 2034 at the national level.

The province announced that it will increase its 2020 immigration target to a maximum of 44,500 newcomers, and could restore immigration to the 50,000 threshold by 2022.

The province has announced that it's working on ensuring that immigration is restored to the 50,000 threshold by 2022 and also to ensure, that the province's immigration target is increased to a maximum of 44,500 newcomers.

The lower levels may cause a little difficulty, in Quebec's ability to attract businesses and investment.

But these levels remain too low in light of the province’s characteristics circumstances.
If it continues on this level of immigration between now and 2040, its economy would only grow by about 1.4 per cent annually in real terms compared with the perceived Canadian average of 1.9 per cent.

Quebec’s lower immigration targets will now slow population growth and that could have negative economic consequences.

For instance, businesses could choose to invest in other provinces with stronger and higher population growth since those regions or territories will have more available workers to produce and consume goods and services.

Why invest in a province or region with a low population and slow economic growth when others, such as the neighbouring Ontario will enjoy higher rates of growth due to immigration..

Why Quebec Needs 80,000 Newcomers Annually

If Canada continues to increase its immigration level, and if Quebec exercised its prerogative under the Accord, the province would be on track to welcome over 80,000 newcomers annually moving
forward.

This number may sound high, but on a per person bases, most provinces are already welcoming Immigrants at this rate today.

Quebec’s economic growth would strengthen to an average of 1.7 per cent over the next two decades, if it welcomed its proportionate share of newcomers, as it is eligible to do under the Canada-Quebec Accord.

This federal-provincial agreement enables Quebec to admit a percentage share of immigrants in proportion to its demographic weight in Canada.

Given Quebec’s population size today, this means it can welcome at least 23 per cent of Canada’s immigrants each year, or around
75,000 newcomers.

Economic integration is improving Although Quebec’s decision to reduce levels was based on the rationale of improving the social and economic integration of newcomers,

Statistics Canada data shows that economic integration in the province has been improving in recent years.

Immigrant participation and employment rates, as well as their wages, have gone up, while their unemployment rates have gone
down.

Quebec’s demographic challenges should help to further these positive developments. The scarcity of labour in the province will likely benefit both Canadian-born and
immigrant workers.

Moreover, numerous reforms made by Quebec over the years such as the introduction of its online Arrima expression of interest system will likely result in continued positive economic integration outcomes.

Given its rapidly aging population and low birth rate, Quebec would serve the best interests of its citizens by exercising its right under the Canada-Quebec Accord to welcome immigrants into their provinces.

Every province pursues policies that it genuinely believes is in the best interests of promoting higher living standards and ensuring quality life for its citizens. 

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EMPLOYMENT INCREASE AND DECREASE IN CANADA

The new labour force survey has shown that Canada has added 443,000, new jobs in the 12months between October 2018, October 2019, led by gains in full time work, with a rise in employment in the province of British Columbia and New Foundland, last month.

Statistics Canada's new labour force Survey report states that Bristish Columbia and New Foundland leads Canada's other provinces in employment gains.

In October Canada shed 1,800 net jobs, leading to an overall drop in Employment, but the rate in National employment, remained steady at 5.5 per cent.
The small halt in net jobs in October, was followed by a large increase in employment gains in Aug and September.

Bristish Columbia led Canada's other provinces with a of 15,000 net jobs in October.
Statistics Canada's report states that this was driven by the increase in full time work for people aged 55 and over.

The province’s unemployment rate remained stable at 4.7 per cent, making it the lowest in Canada.

But the unemployment and employment rate in Canada's other provinces remained mostly unchanged in October.

Newfoundland and Labrador also posted a gain of 2,700 net jobs in October, the report was mostly of part time work among those between the core working ages of 24 and 54.

Employees who are over 55 make
gains.
Employment among working men and women aged 55 and above increased in
October by a total of 31,000 net
jobs.
The unemployment rate for this group stood at 4.7 per cent, down 0.2 percentage points.

Statistics Canada has reported that employment for this age group has increased by 187,000 net jobs between October 2018 and October 2019, or 4.6 per cent.

Employment among men aged 25 to 54 declined by 29,000 net jobs in October.

Statistics Canada's report has stated that there was a slight difference in employment among women aged 24 to 54 and no change was noticed in employment for people between the age of 15 to 24

However, employment in this group was up by 94,000 net jobs compared to October 2018.


Industrial Employment Increase and Decrease..

There has been a noticeable decrease in people employed in the manufacturing and construction sector in October, by 23,000 and 21,000 respectively.

A great part of the loss in the manufacturing
came from Ontario while the decline in construction was spread across five provinces led by Quebec and Ontario.

There was an increase in employment in public administration by 20,000 in October, with gains reported in British Columbia,

Employment in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Quebec.

Statistics Canada has reported that the 18,000 net job gains reported in this field was the second increase in three months. Compared to October 2018, employment was up by 64,000.

Employment was also up in October for people working in the real estate, insurance, finance, rental and leasing industry

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SASKATCHEWAN INCREASES THEIR LIST OF ELIGIBLE IN-DEMAND OCCUPATION

Saskatchewan increases the list of eligible in-demand occupations.

By Nneka Odilichukwu

The Saskatchewan province has increased the list of in-demand occupations linked to both its In- Demand Occupation category and Express Entry.

The In-demand Occupations used to be 19 occupations, but has now been increased to more than 200.
After the overhaul and reshuffling, More than 200 occupations may now be eligible, for Saskatchewan Permanent resident.

These are two popular streams within the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) that do not require a job offer or work experience in Canada in order for a candidate to be eligible.

One of these streams, the Express Entry sub category , is for candidates who also have a profile in Canada’s federal Express Entry pool.
Candidates in the Express Entry pool who obtain a provincial nomination through the SINP’s.


The other stream, the In-Demand Occupation Sub-Category, has been made available to candidates who are not in the Express Entry pool. If nominated, these candidates would apply for permanent resident, outside of express entry, which is slower by comparison.


Express Entry sub-category, are awarded an additional 600 points towards their ranking score, effectively guaranteeing an invitation to apply for Canadian permanent residence.

Both immigration sub-categories require work experience in an eligible high-skilled occupation, among other criteria. A high-skilled occupation is one that is rated skill level A or B or Skill Type 0 under Canada’s National Occupational Classification, or NOC.

Read Minimum amount needed by an Express Entry or Permanent resident applicant and work-study candidates


To apply for Saskatchewan provincial nomination, you must have a minimum of 1-2years work experience in the past 10years and certification in any of these Saskatchewan occupation in-demand.

This is the list of the previous Saskatchewan occupation In-Demand.

Saskatchewan previous In-Demand Occupations List National
Occupation
Classification
(NOC).                         Occupations

0423.   Managers in social and community services

1311  Accounting technicians

2174 Computer
Programmers and interactive media developers

2251 Architectural technologists and technicians

3211 Medical laboratory technologists

3215 Medical Radiation
Technologists

3216 Medical sonographers

3234 Paramedics

4151 Psychologists

4212 Social and community service workers

4214 Early childhood educators and assistants

4215 Instructors of persons with disabilities

5254 Program leaders and instructors in recreation, sport and fitness

6331 Meat cutters

6332 Bakers

7292 Glaziers

7312 Heavy-duty equipment mechanics

7321 Automotive service technicians, truck and bus mechanics

7322 Motor vehicle body repairers

This was the initial In-Demand occupation List of Saskatchewan, before it was updated and increased to over 200 In-Demand occupation on Sept, 2019.

The other stream, the In-Demand Occupation Sub-Category, has been made available to candidates who are not in the Express Entry pool.
These candidates would apply for permanent residence outside of Express Entry, if they were eventually nominated, which is generally slower by comparison

Rather than listing the occupations that are now eligible, the SINP is only listing the 129 occupations that are excluded .

Read Provincial Nomination and how to apply to Canadian Provinces for Permanent Resident


This leaves more than 200 occupations that may now be eligible. Both Express Entry candidates and individuals considering immigrating to Saskatchewan through the In-Demand Occupation Sub-Category must register a separate Expression of Interest with the SINP.

These SINP streams have long been a great pathway for eligible candidates, albeit with work experience in a very limited number of occupations, to pursue nomination and then permanent residence in Canada.

This is a List of the programs, released by the Saskachewan government, that are not eligible, for the program sub-category.

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ABBREVIATIONS/ACRONYMS THAT ARE CONSTANTLY USED FOR EXPRESS ENTRY AND CANADA VISA APPLICATION

SOME EXPRESS ENTRY ABBREVIATIONS

Abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase, by any method. It's a new word created from the initial letters of a long name or phrase.

It may consist of a group of letters or words taken from the full version of the word phrase.
They can be seen in every area of our daily lives, because it's an easy way of shortening and pronouncing words.

We will be stating some of the abbreviations and acronyms related to Canadian Express Entry..


ACRONYMS:

AVO   -  Accra Visa Office

PCC   -  Police Clearance Certificate

FSW   -  Federal Skill Worker

EE      -  Express Entry

ITA      -  Invitation To Apply

PPR   -   Passport Requirement

MR     -   Medical Request

POF   -   Proof of Fund

CRS   -   Comprehensive Ranking System

NOC   -   National Occupation Clarification

AOR    -  Acknowledgement of Receipt

PER    -  Positive Eligibility Review

COPR -  Confirmation of Permanent Residence

PEI      -  Preliminary Evaluation for Immigration

AOR    -  Acknowledgement of receipt letter.

BDEC  -  Background Decision

CC       -  Credit Card

CHC     -  Canadian High Commission –  Refers to the Canadian embassies, Visa offices, and Consulates.

CIC      -   Citizenship and Immigration, Canada – the umbrella body which governs both CIOand local CHC offices.

CIO      -   Centralized Intake Office in Sydney Nova Scotia – where you sent your application.
Sometimes it is mentioned as CIU (Centralized Intake Unit).

DD       -   Demand Draft (Bank Draft / Certified
Cheque / Money Order)

ECA     -   Educational Credential Assessment

ECAS  -   Client Application Status, an official CIC service which allows to view the status of your application on-line

FD       -    Fixed Deposit

SLU     -    Second Level Update

FILE BF'D TO - File Brought Forward date

FINDEC -   Financial Decision

FOSS     -   is a central database of applications

GCMS    -   Global Case Management System

IMMCAT -   Immigration Category

JD          -   Job Description

M01-M07 -   level of Medical assessment. M01 means perfect

MEDDEC - Medical Decision

MI           -  Ministerial Instructions

MR         -  Medical Examination Request

NCR       -   No Criminal Record

NOC       -   National Occupation Classification

OREQ     -  Other Requirement

PCC        -  Police Clearance Certificate

PER        -  Confirmation of Positive Eligibility Review from CIO

PI            -   Principal Immigrant

POF        -   Proof of Funds

PPR        -   Passport Request

PPS        -   point at paper screening stage

PS           -   Prescreen (another explanation is Paper selection)

PSDEC   -   Paper Selection Decision

RPRF     -    Right of Permanent Residence Fees

SEC CRIM - Security criminal

SELDEC -    Selection Decision

SS          -    This spreadsheet

SW1       -    Skill Worker 1

UCI         -    Unique Client Identifier, an 8-digit identification number. People usually get it from CIC in a PER confirmation

VO          -    Visa Office

RBVO     -    Received by Visa Office

XREF      -    Cross referenced applicant

PR         -     Permanent Residency

NA          -     Not Applicable

IP           -     In Progress (1 or 2) and refers to the status of your background check

NBG       -     Next Step is to Conduct a Background Check

BOWP    -     Bridging Open Work Permit

PGWP    -     Post Graduation Work Permit

CSIS      -     Canadian Security Intelligence Service

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CANADA CITIES RATED HIGH ON GLOBAL LIVABILITY

Three of Canada's Biggest Cities are Among the 10 Most Livable in the World...

Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto among top 10 most ‘livable’ cities in the world, according to the latest Economist Intelligence Unit Global Livability Index.

The Economist Intelligence Unit is a division of The Economist Group, which operates the popular magazine The Economist.

Canadian cities ranked high on Global Livability Index based on stability, culture, healthcare, infrastructure, and education.

Calgary, Alberta, was the highest-
ranked Canadian city on the annual
index, placing fifth out of the 140
cities surveyed.

Vancouver and Toronto held on to their rankings from last year, ranking sixth and seventh, respectively.

The most livable city in the world was Vienna, Austria, for the second year in a row.

The 140 cities reviewed received a livability score based on qualitative and quantitative factors under each of the following five categories:

Stability: This category examines the prevalence of crime and the threat of terror, military conflict or civil unrest.

Healthcare: This category focuses on the availability and quality of private and public healthcare, over-the-counter drugs and other general healthcare indicators.

Culture and Environment: This category looks at temperature rating; climate; the level of corruption; social or religious restrictions; food and drink; and other social components.

Education: This category covers the availability and quality of private and public education.

Infrastructure: An assessment of the quality of roads, public transportation, availability of housing, and other elements.

If a city gets a rating of 100 in a specific category it means the conditions are ideal, whereas a rating of 1 is considered intolerable.

How Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto fared 

Calgary’s overall livability score was 97.5, help by perfect scores in four (4) of the five categories.

Only its Culture and Environment score came up short at 90 out of 100.

Vancouver was the only city in the top 10 to receive a perfect score in the Culture and Environment category and also scored 100 in both Healthcare and Education.
However, it came up short in the Infrastructure and Stability categories with scores of 92.9 and 95, respectively.

Toronto earned perfect scores in
Stability, Healthcare and Education,
but was the lowest-ranked in the top 10 for Infrastructure at 89.3.
Its score in Culture and Environment
was 97.2.

Read More

GTA WELCOMED ABOUT 60,000 PERMANENT RESIDENTS IN FIRST HALF OF 2019.

Why an Ontario Regional Immigration Strategy is Needed to Connect Immigrants with Good Job Opportunities Beyond the Greater Toronto Area would Benefit them as well as Ontario

UPDATE...

In 2018, the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) welcomed 106,000 new permanent residents. In other words, the GTA welcomed more immigrants than Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and the four Atlantic provinces combined.

Immigration to the GTA is not slowing down as the region has already welcomed nearly 60,000 immigrants in the first half of 2019 — significantly more immigrants than any province is able to attract over an entire year.

Immigration is undoubtedly beneficial to the GTA as it makes the region one of the most culturally vibrant in the world, and also economically and fiscally healthier than the rest of Ontario.

At the same time, it would be beneficial for immigrants, the GTA, and Ontario to identify how to encourage more immigrants to build a life in other parts of the province.

Today, the GTA constitutes 45 percent of Ontario’s population but attracts nearly 80 percent of its immigrants. This means that 55 percent of the province benefits from just 20 percent of its newcomers.

This comes at a time when immigrants are needed more than ever to alleviate the economic and fiscal challenges that are posed by Canada’s ageing population and low birth rate. Connecting immigrants with good job opportunities in other parts of Ontario would benefit them as they would be able to start their lives in Canada in communities that are more affordable than the GTA.

These communities would benefit from attracting more global talent who would be a major source of labour, consumption, and tax revenues.
Meanwhile, the GTA would benefit since this would help to alleviate the infrastructure challenges it faces (e.g., Public Transit, Affordable Housing) due to the rapid population growth caused by large flows of Canadians and immigrants alike to the region.

The federal and provincial governments recognize the importance of promoting a broader distribution of immigrants across Ontario. For instance, the Canada - Ontario Immigration Agreement, which guides the relationship between the two parties, formalizes their commitment to work together on this front. In its 2019 budget, the Ontario government noted it will test new pilot programs so that smaller communities can attract more immigrants.

CICNEWS

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AIR PEACE TO EVACUATE NIGERIANS IN SOUTH AFRICA

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja
__________ 
PRESS RELEASE
No: MFA/PR/2019/42

AIR PEACE TO EVACUATE NIGERIANS FROM SOUTH AFRICA

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to inform the general public that following the recent unfortunate xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals, including Nigerians in South Africa, the Proprietor of Air Peace Airlines Chief Allen Onyema, has volunteered to send an aircraft from Friday 6th September 2019 to evacuate Nigerians who wish to return to Nigeria free of charge.

The general public is hereby advised to inform their relatives in South Africa to take advantage of this laudable gesture. Interested Nigerians are therefore advised to liaise with the High Commission of Nigeria in Pretoria and the Consulate General of Nigeria in Johannesburg for further necessary arrangement. 

Signed

Ferdinand Nwonye
Spokesperson
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Abuja

Wednesday, 4 September, 2019

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REGIONAL IMMIGRATION STRATEGY IN TORONTO

Ontario to Encourage Immigration Outside the Greater Toronto Area, Canada.

Ontario working on encouraging and ensuring immigration outside the Greater Toronto Area.

Regional Immigration Strategy would assist existing efforts and set targets for growing immigration around Ontario.

Ontario must identify new ways of ensuring more immigrants settle outside the Greater Toronto Area in order to guarantee more balanced population growth across the province and maintain a “high quality of life” for all its residents in the coming years, a new Conference
Board of Canada study shows.

The Greater Toronto Area, or GTA, currently welcomes 77 percent of new immigrants to Ontario, which translated to 106,000 newcomers to the GTA in 2018.

Contact us to create a smart a Express Entry for you.
Apply here: https://amplelife.net/travel/apply

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Everything You Need To Know About Canadian and Australian Express Entry, Permanent Entry, Provincial Nominee Pragram

Home support workerFederal Skilled Trades Program

Victoria Inner Harbour Flowers Canada

Immigration is the international movement of people into a destination country, of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship, in order to settle or reside there, especially as permanent residents or naturalized citizens, to take up employment as migrant skilled workers or temporarily as a foreign worker.

There are basically about three countries that offer permanent residence through Express Entry to foreign workers presently and I'm sure you know them already.
Yes right >

Canada, Australia and New zealand.

But you have to pass through several laid down rules, processes and also meet all the criteria and requirements before being considered or awarded the permanent residence card to any of these countries.

Canada, Australia and New Zealand, etc has been hot recently.
Because they are like the perfect destinations for skilled workers from different countries, who are looking ways to beautify their future and that of families, by working and living in a country with quality life and stable economy.

And these countries promises to fulfil all their desires.

For example

Canada has created several pilots, about 80 of them, that allows foreigners, especially skilled workers, who are looking for a stable country to relocate to, to apply and immigrate, to live and work in their country.

Examples of these programs are,

Federal Skilled Workers Program (FSW)
Federal Skilled Trades Program 
Canada Experience Class Program 

Atlantic Immigation Pilot Program,
and the most recent one
The Caregiver Pilots

example

Home child care provider pilot
Home support provider


These Pilots are managed by the Canadian Federal Government and they work together with the Canadian Provinces and Communities to choose, assess and invite skilled workers from different nationalities who met the Express Entry requirements/permanent resident requirements, to apply.

Applicants who have high Comprehensive ranking system points can be awarded the permanent resident card, through the Express entry directly.

But those with low CRS points, can also get their permanent resident card, by applying to the various provinces in for Provincial Nomination, if they are assessed and nominated, they will be given an Invitation to apply.

Now, the only difference the Express entry and provincial nomination, is that, applicants who are lucky to be invited through the direct express entry program, which is coordinated and handled by the Canadian Federal government , will have the liberty and freedom of changes or relocating to another province, whenever they feel like.

But applicants who get to immigrate through the Provincial Nominee Program, will be mandated to live and work, in the province that nominated them, for about three years, before they will be allowed to move to another province.

This also applies to Australian and New zealand countries too, their own is known as Regional Nomination.

Where an applicant, can apply to any in Australia for regional nomination, to be allowed by the region or territory to come to their region to work, live and assist in developing the it and it's economy.

And do you know the most amazing thing about this??

You can travel with your family, that is, your spouse and children.

For both Canada and Australia 

Your spouse will be given a work permit, while your children will start schooling for free.

Amazing right?

I'm sure at this point, you now understand why a lot of people keyed into this program.

Skilled professionals from various countries are massively applying for the Express entry program, to be accepted by these countries, in any program they are eligible for.

So no one should be blamed, because every one wants the best for their children and families, and if that bright future is going to come their immigration, then so be it.

Nigeria is also among the countries that gets the Express Entry invitation the most, that's to show we have a lot of qualified, eligible and skilled workers, who are willing to work and create a niche for themselves.
But they always encounter one problem, which is

'The Process'.

The Express Entry process looks easy, but can be complicated and confusing, especially for people who are about to start working on their application.

And that brings us to the reason why we're here, to bring you real stories, from real people , who has gone through the Express Entry application process, tourism, visit to  various countries and successfully gotten their Permanent Residence Card to either to that country of their choice.

Brisbane City, Australia

You are also welcome to write to us and share your immigration stories and process with us.

We also want to know your thoughts on what we're doing, whether its helpful and ways we can improve.

Thank you for stopping by.

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