January 2013 Visa Bulletin - Are you Ready?

According to Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, the list of Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) Agencies will be released in Mid-February 2013. This is one of the major requirements under the new Federal Skilled Worker program, which will start accepting new applications starting May 4, 2013. It may take about a couple of months to process the Educational Credential Assessment. You should be ready by now!

Since there is no details yet as to what documents are needed, how much should be paid and where to send the documents for assessment, the most you can do now is prepare the certified true copies of your College and High School credentials (diploma and transcript of records). The high school diploma and Form 137 may or may not be required but it would be best just the same to have it ready. The processing fee could be about CAD250-CAD400.

IELTS Score and CLB Level Equivalent.
The guidelines are now clear. In order for your IELTS Score to be valid, it should be General Training module and there must be no score lower than 6 in any of the four areas (Listening, Writing, Reading and Speaking). To get the maximum points (24 points) your scores should be at least 8 for Listening and 7 for the reast. For those asking for review centers, we recommend Jrooz Review Center.

On Federal Skilled Trades Program
So much hype was made about the new Federal Skilled Trades program, but apparently, the program is not as that friendly for those outside Canada. Those outside Canada can still be eligible but it would really take serious commitment and determination for you to be eligible. The program requires a job offer or Certificate of Qualification, both of which will be coming from Canada.

The Federal Skilled Trades Program is open for 43 job classifications and will be accepting a maximum of 3,000 applications for the year 2013. To get a Certificate of Qualification, you must first identify which province you want to settle in and check out the provincial trade isntitution's resquirements for you to apply. The complete list is here: Certificate of Qualification - Federal Skilled Trade Class 

Pre-February 27, 2008 Applicants
The litigation challenging the law that closed the files of FSW applications filed before February 27, 2008 that did not received a decision before March 29, 2012 is still ongoing. If the petitioners win, those files that were closed will be opened and will be processed. The decision is expected to be made mid of March 2013. For updates about development of this litigation, check this out. 

Application Status - Check Online
If your application is already filed and you already have the file number with you, you may check your application status via Citizenship and Immigration Canada website.  For those applying for Temporary Resident Visa, you can't check your status online but please be guided of the current processing period: Tourist Visa - 15 working days, Work Permit - 12 weeks and Live-in Caregiver Program -20 months.

If you are just completing the requirements to file your application, please log on to our clients portal at http://clients.go2canada.com and click the application history tab. 

Client Service Associate
In order to serve you better, a Client Service Associate is now assigned to address your concerns in the event your Agents are not replying to your queries within a reasonable time. You may email feedback@gatewaytocanada to get immediate feedback. In sending your emails, please don't foeger to indicate your Full Name, your Agent's name and the Program you are applying for.