Hi everyone. My name is Jade Calver. I own and operate Calver and associates Canadian
Immigration Services. Today, we're going to be talking about covid and its implications
on immigration applications to Canada for 2020. Currently it's November 2020 so everything
is current as of today. The first question I'm getting is can I start the immigration
process to Canada right now during covid 19? The answer is yes. Immigration Canada
is still accepting applications for all of its programs. There are a few changes so things
as far as processing times are taking a little bit longer. So we're really seeing applications
being processed a little bit slower across the board in most categories.
The only thing that is really normal, if you will, in terms of processing times are family
class so that's sponsorship applications. Everything else is taking a little bit longer
but, yes you can still submit an application to immigrate during covid 19. The only thing that's
going to be affected is the processing time of the application. A lot of my clients will ask
"well is it worth it to put an application in right now?" My answer is yes because this puts
you at the front of the queue. I'll talk about this in another video but Immigration Canada has
upped their immigration target levels for 2021 so it's really important to get your application in
first so that you're processed and considered for when they start letting people back into Canada,
which after the pandemic it's going to see a significant increase and you want to have
your application in first. As I said so they are processing applications normally - they're
taking longer but they're still being accepted. The applications from within Canada are being
processed as a priority so it's really important that if you're in Canada as a temporary resident
and you're applying for permanent residency, you really need to start thinking about your
permanent residency and get your application in. We are seeing priority processing for applications
in Canada. Over this Summer, so Summer 2020 we saw the Canadian Experience Class, for example,
just those who qualified under the Canadian Experience Class being invited to apply,
which you know we saw a lot of people with low CRS scores being able to apply for permanent residency
so it was those people started the application process early and are now seeing approvals
for permanent residency. The other update for permanent residency applications is that with
covid-19 even if you submit an application and you're unable to get a document due to covid-19
related reasons, they will still process your application. For example, if your country is
unable to give you a police certificate, they'll still process your application and then just wait
until you're able to provide that document to finalize the application. Another question I get
right now from my clients is "Is Canada allowing permanent residents to travel to Canada right
now?" The answer depends on if and when you were approved for a permanent residency. So if you have
an application for permanent residency that was approved before March 18th 2020, you are exempt
from the travel restrictions and you are able to fly. If your permanent residency application
was approved after March 18th, 2020, you have to either wait for approval from Immigration Canada,
or if you qualify for one of the exemptions - for example you're a spouse of a Canadian,
then you are able to travel to Canada right now. This means for the most part, most of
our clients right now aren't able to travel to Canada to confirm their permanent residency with
the exception being you know those who meet the exemptions so if they're in the U.S. or if they
have a spouse in Canada. We can help you if you're approved for permanent residency, if you're having
trouble knowing if you're able to travel to Canada, let us know and we can help. The final
question that I'm getting regarding travel to Canada during covid-19 is "Are workers - workers
students and visitors able to come to Canada at the moment?" So again, for the most part, the rule
for visitors is "no" unless you have someone in Canada. So a close family member - so spouse,
children, a parent - right now, you're not able to come to Canada as a visitor. If you're coming from
the U.S. you can come as a visitor but for either criteria you need to show that you're coming for
a - you know - a non-discretionary purpose, meaning that it has to be - you have to be
reuniting with family and staying longer term rather than just a simple visit. As far as workers
are concerned so most workers as long as you have a job offer so if it's not for an open work permit
most workers are able to come to Canada right now so if you are applying for a work permit and you
get an approval, you can fly to Canada right now and lastly students so as of October 2020,
Immigration Canada released a rule that the DLI, so the Designated Learning Institution, that
you're studying at has to have a readiness plan. So they have to be equipped to deal with covid-19.
I'm finding that most schools as of the end of November 2020 are approved as DLIs for students
to travel to Canada for. So, at the moment most students are able to travel to Canada. With this
in mind, so if you are able to travel to Canada, please note that the quarantine requirement is
still in effect. So this means that when you come to Canada, you will have to quarantine for two
weeks. You need to have a place that you can tell the border officer "this is where I'm going and I
will not come into contact with anybody for those two weeks" So it is important to be ready with
that quarantine plan when you present yourself at the border - that's mandatory for anyone
that's traveling to Canada at the moment. So that's everything for today as far as covid-19
and travel regulations to Canada. If you have any questions regarding covid-19 updates as it
relates to Canadian immigration, you can contact us. We're online at calverimmigrationservices.com