Now 313 Skilled Workers are Applying for Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program

Canada has ten provinces and three territories. Each province is providing Provincial Nominee Programs to nationals across the world. Currently, in a draw on March 16, there are 313 candidates got an invitation to apply for Manitoba PNP. Manitoba requires skilled persons having a certain set of skills to enter. If you are a Pakistani National and wants to get Immigration to Canada then Manitoba should be your first choice. There are some Manitoba Provincial Nominee Programs Requirements which are available at the official website. Moreover, you have to show your intention to settle in Manitoba.

Skilled Workers Draw at 16 February 2017  

In this draw 250 candidates got an invitation to apply, those invitations are called as Letter of Advice (LAA). You can apply to get immigration to Manitoba in the Sub Category of Skilled Workers. There are about 63 applicants who received LAA form the Manitoba.

Here are few lines about the initiatives of Manitoba for this program:

Exploratory Visits

This category is for those who are qualified for the pre-approved Exploratory Visit. The Government of Manitoba warmly looking for the prospective candidates who met the required criteria for the Exploratory Visit.

Recruitment Missions

If you are a Skilled Worker and having the interest to settle in Manitoba then in this recruitment some representatives of Manitoba conduct an interview to assess you according to the criteria. Moreover, you have to provide your Expression of Interest (EOI) to Manitoba.

Importance of EOI

If you have provided your EIO then you can receive the LAA form the government of Manitoba. Once you got the certificate then you can apply for Immigration to Canada.

Points system

Once you have provided all data then you will be eligible for the special point system to rank in the list of all candidates. Under this point system, each applicant can get up to 1000 points in this Point System.

Immigration to Canada is now quite easy to approach. You can apply for any of the ten provinces for Provincial Nominee Program. These PNPs are attracting the more and more immigrants to make Canada their favorite destination for immigration. If you are planning to move to Canada then you should not waste a single minute. Presently, the immigration laws in Canada are very friendly for the immigrants. As immigrants from the world, if you form Pakistan then you should apply for immigration to Canada also.

Trump’s Immigration Policies Pose a Test for Canada and Its Open Borders

Canada has long been viewed as a country that is open to migrants. But the reality is far more complex and is increasingly colored by events taking place south of the border.

In particular, the Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement, which took effect in 2004 and requires asylum-seekers to apply for refuge in their first country of arrival, has cast some doubt on the narrative of Canadian tolerance. 

Over the past decade, Canadian authorities have denied entrance to thousands of migrants seeking asylum, many of them from African countries such as Somalia, Nigeria, Sudan and Ghana. 

In all likelihood, it has discouraged many more from attempting to reach the border in the first place. ...

Source: worldpoliticsreview

“No change to visa requirements for Sri Lankan travellers – High Commission of Canada

The High Commission of Canada to Sri Lanka reports that there has been no recent changes to visa requirements for Sri Lankan travellers.

“Sri Lankan citizens require visas for travel to Canada. There have been no recent changes to visa requirements for Sri Lankan travellers” –  the  Canadian High Commission reported as there has been reports claiming a change in Canadian visa requirements for Sri Lankan travellers.

The Canadian High Commission further noted that in case of a change to visa requirements, it would be announced by the Government of Canada via Government of Canada websites, social media and press releases.

The High Commission of Canada encourages all travelers to verify visa and entry requirements and ensure that they have proper visas required for entry to Canada in advance of travel.

Sri Lankan citizens contemplating travel to Canada are encouraged for accurate information on visa and entry requirements for Canada and for more information on how to apply. Source: newsfirst

New Zealand has a patchy record on Muslim immigration

Donald Trump's attack on Islam, particularly his efforts to impose a temporary travel ban from seven (recently changed to six) predominantly Muslim countries, has rightly caused outrage in this country.

Some of the comments seem to suggest though that the events in the United States during these early weeks of the Trump administration are a type of madness unimaginable in New Zealand. We haven't come anywhere close to a "Muslim ban", but this country's past policies in relation to Muslim immigration are by no means beyond reproach. Could populist and xenophobic policies surface in future?

Discrimination on the basis of ethnicity and religion characterised New Zealand's immigration and refugee policy until the late 1980s. The country wanted British immigrants. Small numbers of refugees from the Middle East began arriving in New Zealand from the late 1970s, comprising people of Baha'i and Christian backgrounds.

The admission of Muslim refugees remained controversial. In response to pressure from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to resettle Iranian refugees in 1985, New Zealand said that it wasn't prepared to accept any Iranian refugees other than those of the Baha'i faith. In the mid 1980s, churches and groups (such as Islamic Associations) approached the New Zealand government to accept refugees from Afghanistan.

New Zealand was unwilling to accept more than a very small number largely due to the perception that the refugees, who were "devout" Muslims from rural often nomadic backgrounds, would have difficulty fitting in.

The 1987 Immigration Act reflected a major policy shift. It ushered in the selection of immigrants on the basis of their skills and qualifications rather than their ethnicity and religion. New Zealand's refugee quota of 800 (later reduced to 750) was set up at this time.

The refugees would be accepted because of their need for protection (and sometimes on a regional basis) not on the basis of their religion or ethnicity. Refugees from the Middle East and Africa, who were Muslim, arrived in significant numbers, escaping war, famine and economic collapse which displaced millions of people.

Among the newcomers were Somali refugees who arrived in the early 1990s. Staff at the organisation then charged with settling refugees recalled the debate about their acceptance. There was anxiety about their being Muslim. What if they are fundamentalists? What about female circumcision?

There were concerns about the group of 50 Muslim refugees from Saudi Arabia New Zealand accepted in the mid 1990s after the Gulf War.

According to some people involved in refugee resettlement at that time, the issue was not religious bias against the Muslim faith but ease of settlement in the community. If the cultural differences were too large, the community wouldn't cope. If the community couldn't accept the refugees, their chances of having good settlement outcomes were poor.

Increased security concerns after the terrorist attacks of September 2001 (9/11) impacted on the selection of refugees, with immigration reports on quota composition referring to the need to ensure that cases did not pose a security risk. The high-profile case of Algerian asylum seeker Ahmed Zaoui, a lecturer in Islamic traditions, shows how the new security concerns affected the way New Zealand dealt with asylum seekers.

Zaoui arrived in New Zealand in 2002, seeking political asylum. He was detained and transferred to the maximum security prison at Paremoremo, where he was kept in isolation for 240 days. In 2003, New Zealand declined Zaoui's application for refugee status on the grounds that though he had a well-founded fear of persecution in Algeria, there were "serious reasons" for considering that he had committed terrorist or non-political crimes. Read More: stuff

New Canadian Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program Details

Canada has launched an important program for the immigrants across the world. This program is named as Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program. AIPP is launched on 6^th march 2017 and is attracting the nationals from every country of the world. This is a special program for those individuals who are serious to settle in Atlantic and help to boost its economy.

The government of Atlantic is now accepting 2000 applications approximately in the current year. Skilled individuals will have to get a job offer from the employer to apply for this program. If you are a Pakistani national and searching for Immigration to Canada then this program can make your dreams true. This unique program will process not less than 2,000 new applications in 2017.

The Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will process the applications more quickly and within six months IRCC will accept more than 75% application in this year. There are few provinces of Canada who are with the collaboration to the Federal Government taking part in this AIPP. These provinces are as under;

1. Prince Edward Island (PEI)
2. Nova Scotia
3. Newfoundland and Labrador
4. New Brunswick

Moreover, there are few subprograms under the AIPP and those are as under.

If you are a skilled worker then you can apply in the programs mentioned below;

1. The Atlantic High-Skilled Program (AHSP)
2. The Atlantic Intermediate-Skilled Program (AISP)

If you are an International Graduate then you can apply under this program;

1. The Atlantic International Graduate Program (AIGP).

The above mentioned three subprograms having the same requirements as required under the AIPP Canada.

Three attractive points of the AIPP which makes this program more attractive in the present times!

                     i.            The AIPP completely works outside the sphere of Express Entry system.

                    ii.            No point system is for this AIPP.

                  iii.            A general rule; first come first served will follow by the AIPP.

Immigration to Canada is very popular among the nationals of the world’s every country. In fact, Canada is providing different attractive and distinctive programs to the immigrants. Pakistani applicants are also welcomed along with the other applicants from the world. The Canadian government wants to allow more and more immigrants to enter and help to boost its economy.

Setback for Australia's ban on phones in immigrant detention

CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA 

The Australian government hit a legal setback Friday in its bid to ban cell phones from immigration detention centers — a policy that critics argue would treat asylum seekers like criminals.

A judge rejected the government's submission that the Federal Court of Australia did not have jurisdiction to hear a challenge to the proposed ban.

The government has two weeks to decide whether it will appeal Justice Steven Rares' ruling. If there is no appeal, the Federal Court will hear a class-action suit by detainees who say a blanket ban on phones in all Australian immigration detention centers would be illegal.

The ban would affect hundreds of detainees on the Australian mainland and on the Australian territory of Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean.

The phone ban would not apply to asylum seekers who attempted to reach Australia by boat and have been sent to immigration camps on the Pacific island nations of Nauru and Papua New Guinea.

Most asylum seekers arrive in Australia by plane and are kept in mainland detention centers along with foreign nationals who have breached their visa conditions and criminals who are awaiting deportation after serving prison sentences.

The Department of Immigration and Border Protection had planned to confiscate all phones last month, but human rights lawyers obtained an injunction allowing inmates to keep in contact with the outside world until the legality of the new policy is decided.

George Newhouse, a senior lawyer at the National Justice Project that initiated the legal challenge, said that while phones are banned in Australian prisons, asylum seekers should not be treated like criminals.

"Seeking asylum does not make you a criminal. Mobile phones provide asylum seekers with vital access to the outside world, to loved ones and to advocates — their mental health and their families depend on this," Newhouse said.

"The blanket ban on phones punishes innocent men, women and children and demonstrates the increasing criminalization by this government of asylum seekers who have committed no crime," he added.

Border Force Commissioner Roman Quaedvlieg told a Senate committee last month the ban was needed to prevent plotting of escapes and drug crimes.

"I cannot countenance running a custodial setting ... that allows mobile phones to be used as an enabler to crime," he said.

The government did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the court decision. Source: newsobserver

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457 visa crackdown coming for fast-food workers, Peter Dutton says

The Federal Government is cracking down on the number of 457 skilled worker visas handed out to McDonald's and other fast-food chains.

More than 500 skilled worker visas have been approved for fast-food outlets over the past four years.

Nearly 300 have worked at McDonald's, almost 100 at KFC and more than 70 at Hungry Jacks. More than 300 individual stores employ foreign staff.

More than 100,000 Australians work for McDonald's alone, while at least 13,000 are employed by Hungry Jacks.

The August 2011 census data showed that there were around 175 000 employees in "takeaway food services".

There had been a fast-track visa process for the industry after Julia Gillard's Labor Government approved the Fast Food Industry Labour Agreement in 2012, but the Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has recently scrapped it.

"Australian workers, particularly young Australians, must be given priority," Mr Dutton said.

"The Turnbull Government is committed to ensuring that career pathways are available for young Australians.

"Fast-track arrangements for the fast-food industry put in place by Bill Shorten and Chris Bowen in 2012 are not consistent with putting Australian workers first."

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said he commended Mr Dutton for taking action on the agreement, while Treasurer Scott Morrison took aim at the former Labor government on the issue.

Speaking to Sydney radio station 2GB, Mr Morrison said Labor had handed out the visas "like confetti".

But Opposition employment spokesman Brendan O'Connor said 457 workers could not take part in unskilled work.

Mr O'Connor has dismissed the announcement as a "complete lie".

"The notion that 457s can take jobs of flipping burgers means either Peter Dutton is lying or they are misapplying the 457 visa," he said.

"Secondly, there are thousands and thousands of workers, overseas workers, that are working in retail … They are working on student visas and working-holiday visas."

But Mr Dutton conceded the decision mostly affected managers and people who would be involved in the running of the business.

"There is some concern about the actual role that people were fulfilling as opposed to the role they had signed up to," he said.

"So there were a number of aspects to our consideration."

Fast-food businesses can still apply through the regular 457 process. Read More: abc

Missing Chinese tourist found in Taupo

A Chinese tourist who went missing after leaving her Auckland hotel room last week has been found in Taupo, police say. 

Police located 42-year-old Ling Fang Mai at a Taupo address last night.

Mai initially arrived in Auckland last Wednesday as part of a tour group and spent the afternoon visiting the Mt Eden summit before checking into a motel in Parnell around 8pm.

That night, she told her roommate she was going for a walk but never returned. 

It is understood she was in New Zealand on a one month tourist visa.

On Tuesday, Mai contacted a family member in China to say she was OK.

However, detective inspector Aaron Pascoe said police continued to look for her as the circumstances of her disappearance and the single contact with her family did not fully allay concerns for her welfare. 

A team of officers had been making enquiries about her whereabouts since her disappearance and located her at a Taupo address.

A great deal of time and effort went into looking for her, he said. Source: stuff

How to Apply for Australian Skilled Nominated Visa (Subclass 190)

Australian Immigration is the most favorite destination for the immigrants of the world. Immigration laws in Australia are quite friendly for the immigrants. If you are planning to apply for Australian immigration then the present time is pretty good for you. The Australian government wants to save its friendly environment from the extremists.

Skilled individuals are warmly welcomed by the Australian government. If you are a Pakistani national and looking for Australian Immigration for Pakistani then you can make your dreams true easily. The first important step in this immigration is the invitation to apply. Once you get an invitation to apply then the all next steps are very easy to follow.

If you are invited to apply for Skilled Nominated Subclass 190 visa then you have to put a deep eye over the 60 days limitation. These 60 days are very crucial because you must file the application along with all the required documents in this specific period. The whole procedure to file your application is online.

The provided data in your application will tell your interest about the category head. The Expression of Interests will disclose your interest for the post you applied. You should submit authentic proof about your skills because it will boost your application among the other applicants. If you failed to file the authentic proofs of your skill then you might lose your immigration chance for Skilled Nominated Visa.

There are three important steps to follow:

1.    Submit Online Application

2.    Documents Checklist

3.    Provide Family Particulars

Submit Online Application

The process to file your application is online. Australia introduced online application system several years ago. You must submit your application under the head of Skill select.  The original application fee must be paid through credit card. If you have dependents and they are above 18 years of age then you must pay the extra fee according to the requirements.

Documents Checklist

All the important and necessary documents must be attached with the online application. These documents show your interest in your preferred skill select head. This head is known as Documents Checklist. You must attach the original or certified copies of the documents as per the directions.  If your documents are not in the English language then you must attach the translated documents. Moreover, this translation must be done by the recognized translator. All documents must be scanned and attached properly. If you think that an additional documents or details are necessary to be uploaded then you must inform to the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship.

Provide Family Particulars

Under this head, you must provide all necessary particulars about your family and dependents; spouse, children, parents, actual partner, and same-sex mates. This is an important requirement in the process of Skilled Nominated Subclass 190 visa and for all other immigrations.

Australian Immigration is at the top of the list of all immigrations. Australia is a multicultural country and full of natural resources. Wildlife and maritime view make it more attractive place to settle.

Local Iranian Student Speaks to CW6 About Being Detained & Deported

Sara Yarjani speaks with CW 6’s Neda Iranpour about being detained and deported because of her Iranian background. She is getting her master’s degree at California Institute for Human Science in Encinitas and is here with a student Visa. 

She was visiting family in Austria during winter break and upon her return, mid-flight, President Trump signed the first travel ban. When she landed at LAX she was told her student Visa no longer was valid because of her Iranian background. 

She was detained for 23 hours and sent back to Austria. She says she has not lived in Iran in 20 years but she grew up there, so to be detained because of her heritage came as a shock to Yarjani, who has never had any trouble traveling. 

During the interview, Yarjani said she worries about entire races or religions being discriminated against. She says there must be a better way to keep the U.S. secure from terrorism and she hopes fear does not guide policy. 

She did receive an outpouring of support when news got out about her deportation and she wanted to thank everyone who reached out to her. Yarjani was recently invited to be the guest of Congresswoman Judy Chu in Washington D.C. during President Trump’s speech to Congress. 

She is back home from D.C. now and focusing on getting her master’s degree in holistic health. Read More: cw6sandiego

Ciobo defends visa rules as Indonesia and Australia seek to cement trade deal

Australia’s trade minister, Steve Ciobo, has defended tough visa entry requirements for Indonesian students ahead of a high level visit to the country to complete an Australia-Indonesia trade deal.

Australia’s prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, will join Ciobo and a delegation of 120 Australian business people for the Indonesia-Australia Business Week (IAWB).

Indonesia is Australia’s 13th largest trading partner and Australia is hoping to get more access for vocational education and tertiary institutions to operate in Indonesia, while Indonesia wants to get access to training and education in Australia. 

Ciobo said both countries were looking to finalise the deal after a decade of negotiations. He has met his counterpart, the Indonesian trade minister Enggartiasto Lukita, 14 times since the latter came to the post in July last year.

In February, during a visit by the Indonesian president, Joko Widodo, to Australia, Indonesia agreed to lower tariffs on Australian sugar from 8% to 5%, while Australia agreed to remove tariffs on pesticides and herbicides coming from Indonesian suppliers.

Ciobo said on Monday the visa requirements imposed on Indonesians looking to study in Australia were part of an overall immigration system.

Indonesians aged 18-30 who apply for visas need to show they have access to $5,000 in their bank account, provide a letter of support from the Indonesian government, show they have completed two years of undergraduate study, have good English and provide a chest X-ray.

“Anything we do, we do in the context of existing visa requirements,” Ciobo said. “That’s part and parcel of the requirements we have in terms of securing visas for people from outside of Australia. We have requirements in terms of health for things like tuberculosis but we will look at it in the context of the overall deal.”

The Australian delegation is looking for opportunities in vocational education and training, tourism, financial services and technology, water and sustainable urban design and agribusiness supply chains.

Ciobo said Australia would like to have better access for the Australian labour force.

“Tens of millions of new Indonesian households are forecast to join the middle class over the next five years, presenting significant opportunities for Australian exporters to supply the growing needs of Indonesian consumers with Australian goods and services.”

The prime minister will travel to Indonesia on Monday night. Read More: theguardian

Trump's ban on immigration could have an unexpected beneficiary

President Trump's executive order on "merit-based immigration" could have an unexpected beneficiary: Canadian start-ups.

Venture capitalists and angel investors in Canada said his executive order could cause highly educated immigrants — an important talent pool for fast-growing technology companies who need engineers, developers and salespeople — to seek work in hubs across the border, like Toronto and Vancouver, rather than in Silicon Valley.

The executive order, which Trump signed in January, prevents Syrian refugees from entering the United States for an indefinite period, suspended all refugees' admissions for 120 days and prevented citizens of seven majority-Muslim countries from entering the United States for 90 days. On Wednesday, administration officials said Trump will drop Iraq from the list in a new immigration order he is expected to sign this month. The Pentagon and State Department had urged the administration to reconsider, because Iraq has played an essential role in fighting the Islamic State Group.

Drawing on links with cities farther south — like Seattle and San Francisco — Vancouver, Canada's third-largest city, has pulled in thousands of skilled workers and entrepreneurs in recent years. Now U.S. tech companies are increasingly sending inquiries to Canadian economic development authorities to see how they can shift workers north of the border. Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson has been reported to say these requests have risen sharply.

Many of the world's largest tech groups already operate in Vancouver. They include Amazon, which is looking to add to its staff of 700 in Vancouver.

"There is a real shortage of talented people who can do the jobs that are needed," said Janet Bannister, a general partner in Toronto- and Montreal-based Real Ventures, which bills itself as Canada's largest and most active early-stage venture capital firm. "There are many very qualified, ambitious, hardworking people who will no longer be able to go to the U.S. Many of those people will come to Canada, as Canada embraces diversity. The Canadian business community will benefit as a result."

Cost is also an important consideration. A skilled worker in British Columbia earns around $1,222 a week, compared to $3,400 in California, according to BC Stats, a government agency.

Protectionism unfurled

Trump is moving full speed ahead on his immigration policies, despite many protests against them. In his speech to Congress on Tuesday night, Trump said the country is taking "strong measures to protect our nation from radical Islamic terrorism."

"According to data provided by the Department of Justice, the vast majority of individuals convicted for terrorism-related offenses since 9/11 came here from outside of our country," he said. "We have seen the attacks at home — from Boston to San Bernardino to the Pentagon and, yes, even the World Trade Center."

Trump also mentioned that his administration has been working on "improving vetting procedures."

"[W]e will shortly be taking new steps to keep our nation safe — and to keep out those who would do us harm," he said.

More than 50 lawsuits have reportedly been filed against the order.

Many in Canada's tech community opposed the original executive order. In response to it, more than 150 entrepreneurs, investors and others signed an open letter embracing diversity in Betakit, a publication that covers Canadian start-up news and tech innovation. The technology community in Canada includes a large number of transplants from other countries. In Toronto, one important hub, 49 percent of the population is made up of immigrants, of whom 31 percent arrived between 2000 and 2011, according to the city of Toronto.

The letter calls on the Canadian federal government to institute "an immediate and targeted visa providing those currently displaced by the US. executive order with temporary residency in Canada."

"This visa would allow these residents to live and work in Canada with access to benefits until such time as they can complete the application process for permanent residency if they so choose," the letter says. "We encourage provincial and municipal governments across Canada to lend support as they can." Read More: cnbc

Tempted To Move Out Of The U.S.? New Zealand Wants To Help You Escape

Right after the presidential election, visits from U.S. citizens to the Immigration New Zealand website soared. Think 56,300 visits in 24 hours versus the usual average of 2,300. And New Zealand Now — a website about living, working, studying and investing in the country — experienced the same spike, with a 192% increase in U.S. visitors. Even Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg joked before the election that she might move to New Zealand if Trump won.

While some Americans might not have been serious about their intent to leave the country, 

The city has launched an initiative called LookSee Wellington. The goal? To recruit 100 talented technology candidates from across the globe, with a focus on the United States. The program arranges meetings with prospective employers who have roles that match a candidate's skills, and flights and accommodations are covered.

But here’s the thing: Whether you work in the tech industry or not, Wellington is a great place to live. Diversity is celebrated, gay marriage is legal and the first female leader was elected more than 20 years ago. If you hold a work visa valid for two years or more, public healthcare is free or low cost. The city also has more restaurants, cafes and bars per capita than New York City. And New Zealand has been called an "incubation nation," a place where innovation thrives and where people can make a real change and have impact.

We interviewed one expat who has already made the move: San Francisco native Alanna Irving (formerly Krause), who is cofounder of both Loomio, an online tool for collaborative decision-making, and Enspiral, a social entrepreneurship network. Here, Alanna tells why she relocated to Wellington — and why you should, too.

Begley Bloom: What inspired you to move to Wellington?

Irving: I traveled and lived in different countries throughout my twenties, just sort of jumping from one opportunity to the next. It was great, but I eventually came to realize that I wanted to make more considered choices, connect to a community more deeply and find meaningful work that wasn't "just a job." When I discovered a thriving community of social entrepreneurs in such a fantastic city, I knew it was a place I could continually learn and grow, personally and professionally. I've been here over six years, and that's still true.

Begley Bloom: How did you find out about Wellington? 

Irving: I originally came to New Zealand on a working holiday visa, with no particular plan to stay long term. At the time, I was just hopping from country to country soaking up experiences. But once I got to Wellington, I pretty much knew I wouldn't want to leave after only one year.

Begley Bloom: Tell me about your companies. When did you start them? What were you doing before?

Irving: My resume before I got here was all over the place. I started a web design company in the U.S., was a translator in Japan, worked in IT in London, studied in Spain and volunteered in India. I didn't know how all these different experiences were going to add up to a career — or if they ever would. When I arrived in Wellington in 2011, I encountered entrepreneurs using the tools of business and software for positive social impact in exciting ways. All my different experiences actually prepared me perfectly to work at the intersection of people, tech, business and impact, so I jumped into Enspiral. It grew from just a few software developers to a network of over 300 people with diverse skills, who want to use their working lives to make the world a better place. A group of us founded Loomio in 2012, when entrepreneurs from Enspiral and activists from the Occupy movement realized we actually needed to solve the same problem: effective decision-making without meetings. We started a worker-owned co-op and built an online tool that's now used by thousands of groups around the world. Read More: forbes