Travelling to Canada as a Visitor Each year over 30 million temporary residents visit Canada for temporary basis. These temporary visitors include tourists, foreign workers and international students. At Akrami and Associates we get daily calls on visitor visa applications being denied. Reasons for your application being denied [...]

What is the Express Entry Program? Express entry is a new program set up by citizenship and immigration Canada (CIC) designed to attract and select skilled workers to Canada for possible permanent residency. This program is an electronic process that is created to connect employers, the federal and [...]

Do I need an eTA as visitor to Canada? Are you planning to travel to Canada not sure if you need to apply for any other documents prior to booking a ticket to Canada? If you come from visa exempt country such as Italy, Bermuda, Australia, Germany and [...]

Invitations to Apply: Skilled Immigrants under Express Entry The new electronic system of Express Entry was introduced in January, 2015. Before Express Entry, Skilled Immigrants needed to apply by submitting a paper-based application to the relevant case processing centre. This would often result in lengthy processing times due [...]

What is the difference between Criminal Rehabilitation and a Temporary Resident Permit? If you are planning a trip to Canada but you have a criminal record, you may be denied entry if you are considered ‘inadmissible’ by the Customs Officer. Canada has very strict regulations regarding entry to [...]

Denied entry into Canada with an Criminal Record The Canada Border Service Agency has very strict health and safety regulations when it comes to who can enter Canada. One reason why you may be denied entry is due to ‘criminal inadmissibility’. If you have ever committed or been [...]

Express Entry: Good news for International Students applying for Permanent Residence The Express Entry system may soon be undergoing some reforms in order to make the Permanent Residence application process easier for international students. The Immigration Minister John McCallum has openly referred to international students as the ‘cream [...]

Do I need a Study Permit in Canada? That depends on your situation. Over the last few years, Citizenship and Immigration Canada has made a number of changes to regulations for study permits. Many of these new rules were implemented on June 1, 2014. The main reason the [...]

Express Entry Invitation to Apply For many people hoping to apply for Permanent Residence (PR) in Canada, it can feel like half the battle is receiving your ‘Invitation to Apply’ (ITA). The previous system was a ‘first-come-first serve’ application process, were all PR applicants had to do was [...]

International Experience Canada (IEC) In an effort to support international youth mobility programs, Canada has entered into agreements with certain countries under the umbrella of the International Experience Canada (IEC) program. The aim of IEC is to open up Canada to young people who wish to live and [...]

Canada Family Reunification For many Canadian Citizens and Permanent Residents, living away from their families could be difficult; especially when it comes to Parents and Grandparents. That is why Immigration, Refugee & Citizenship Canada (IRCC) introduced the ‘Super Visa’. What is a Super Visa? If you are from [...]

Avoid Being Denied Entry into Canada – DUI If you are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, entering Canada is usually a relatively simple process: show the officer your passport and travel documents, go through customs, and then be on your way. Quite often travelers from the U.S. [...]