New Business Immigration Measures: What Your Workers Need to Know

All-Program Draws for Express Entry Resumed on July 6, 2022

Qualified candidates were invited to apply for permanent residence through the Federal Skilled Trades Program, Federal Skilled Worker Program (“FSW”) and the Canadian Experience Class (“CEC”). This marks the first time CEC candidates have been invited since September of last year and the first time FSW candidates have been invited since December 2020.

Government of Canada Re-established Mandatory Random Testing Offsite of Airports for Air Travellers

Mandatory random testing has resumed on July 19, 2022, for travellers who qualify as fully vaccinated, arriving in Canada by air to the four major Canadian airports, Vancouver, Calgary, Montréal and Toronto. The Government of Canada paused mandatory random testing for those entering Canada by air on June 11, 2022, as part of a broader strategy to transition testing for air travellers outside airports.

USCIS Announced the Second Phase of its Premium Processing Expansion

Premium processing expansion’s second phase concerns petitioners who have a pending Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers, under the EB-1 and EB-2 classifications, specifically under the following categories:

• 1. E13 multinational executive and manager classification; and
• 2. E21 classification as a member of professions with advanced degrees or exceptional ability seeking a national interest waiver (NIW).

Starting on August 1, 2022, USCIS will begin accepting Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service, from petitioners who wish to request this upgrade for the following:

• 1. E13 multinational executive and manager petitions received on or before July 1, 2021; and
• 2. E21 NIW petitions received on or before August 1, 2021.

Any premium processing requests will be rejected if the receipt date is after the above dates. USCIS will take 45 days to adjudicate these cases and will not accept new (initial) Forms I-140 with a premium processing request at this time. USCIS will continue its expansion toward premium processing availability of additional Form I-140 petitions, Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigration Status and Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization in the fiscal year 2022.

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