Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced, today, Friday, March 27, 2020, that the launch of the annual call for expressions of interest to apply to sponsor parents and grandparents will be delayed.  It was anticipated that the program would reopen in the upcoming weeks; however, because IRCC is dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, it has put a temporary hold on accepting new Applications.

Applicants from previous years who already received an Invitation to Apply will continue to have their Applications processed by IRCC.  As for new Applications, IRCC has indicated that they are committed to opening the 2020 program as soon as possible and will share any updates once they become available.  Abrams & Krochak will continue to post those updates on this blog as soon as they are announced.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will be increasing some Government fees, effective April 30, 2020 and every two (2) years, thereafter, in accordance with the cumulative percentage increase to the Consumer Price Index for Canada, published by Statistics Canada, for the two (2) previous years, rounded to the nearest five (5) dollars.

A.  EXPRESS ENTRY (FEDERAL SKILLED WORKER CLASS/FEDERAL SKILLED TRADES CLASS/CANADIAN EXPERIENCE CLASS)

1. Principal applicant processing fee will increase from 550 CAD to 825 CAD
2. Spouse or common-law partner of principal applicant processing fee will increase from 550 CAD to 825 CAD
3. Dependent child of principal applicant processing fee will increase from 150 CAD to 225 CAD

B.  BUSINESS CLASS (SELF-EMPLOYED/START-UP VISA)

1. Principal applicant processing fee will increase from 1,050 CAD to 1,575 CAD
2. Spouse or common-law partner of principal applicant processing fee will increase from 550 CAD to 825 CAD
3. Dependent child of principal applicant processing fee will increase from 150 CAD to 225 CAD

C.  FAMILY CLASS (SPONSORSHIP OF A SPOUSE/PARTNER/DEPENDENT CHILD or PARENT/GRANDPARENT)

All processing fees will remain the same.

D.  RIGHT OF PERMANENT RESIDENCE FEE

Will increase from 490 CAD to 500 CAD.

Abrams & Krochak’s top priority is to ensure the health and safety of both its staff and its clients while continuing to provide clients and potential clients, alike, with the highest level of service.

Like you, we are continuously monitoring information from all levels of government and official health organizations and have adopted the following steps for business continuity.

With the exception of Mr. Abrams, our office continues to be fully staffed and we have implemented stringent cleaning protocols, including the provision of hand sanitizers throughout our office.  However, for the protection of our staff and our clients, we have temporarily suspended in-person meetings.  You should know, however that, as a firm, we have invested in technology to ensure that our staff can work remotely if the need arises and, as always, we will respond to your e-mail inquiries within one (1) business day.

We have instructed our staff that if anyone feels unwell, he/she is to work from home or rest until he/she is fit to return to the office.  Likewise, we have asked our staff to work from home and follow Health Canada recommendations if he/she experiences symptoms of COVID-19 or has come into contact with someone awaiting test results.  Furthermore, we have instructed staff members to self-isolate if he/she has contracted the virus or come into contact with someone who has tested positive or who has returned from international travel.

As for Mr. Abrams, in support of public health recommendations to reduce the spread of COVID-19, he has chosen not to commute to the office and, instead, to work from home effective Tuesday, March 17, 2020 until further notice even though Abrams & Krochak remains fully operational and will continue to do so.

If you have any questions arising from an Immigration assessment that you received from Mr. Abrams after completing one of our Online Eligibility Assessment Questionnaires:

Express Entry (Federal Skilled Workers Program/Federal Skilled Trades Program/Canadian Experience Class)
Business Immigration
Spousal, Partner or Dependent Child Sponsorship
Parent or Grandparent Sponsorship

OR you wish to contact our office for the first time, please do NOT telephone.  Instead, please send Mr. Abrams an e-mail to either jabrams@akcanada.com or askus@akcanada.com or fill out our Contact Us form. Mr. Abrams will respond to your inquiry by return e-mail within one (1) business day.

If you are an existing client of Abrams & Krochak and have questions related to your file, please send an e-mail to info@akcanada.com.

Even though Mr. Abrams will be working from home, he remains ready and available to assist you. As the COVID-19 situation evolves and the advice of medical authorities is updated, he will review his decision to work remotely from home. Until then, you can expect to receive seamless, uninterrupted, quality service from both him and from Abrams & Krochak in a timely fashion.

On Sunday, March 15, 2020, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) released new instructions for those affected by COVID-19. Like other countries, Canada is working diligently to halt the spread of the virus; however, IRCC is adopting new policies and procedures to minimize any disruption to Immigration processing and to help applicants who are affected in any way by COVID-19. Among the steps being taken by IRCC insofar as Permanent Residence Applications are concerned are the following (reproduced from the IRCC website with minor text modifications):

Application Intake

Intake of new Permanent Residence Applications will continue. Files that are incomplete due to unavailable documents will be retained in the system and reviewed in 90 days.

New, complete Permanent Residence Applications under section 10 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR) will be processed as per normal procedures.

If a new Application is missing supporting documentation (associated fees are required), the applicant should include an explanation with his/her Application that he/she is affected by the service disruptions as a result of the novel coronavirus. The Application may then be promoted and reviewed in 90 days. New Applications should be promoted in the order they were received. If the Application is still incomplete in 60 days, officers should request the missing documents with an additional 90-day deadline.

Applications found to be incomplete with no explanation provided, or for reasons unrelated to the disruption of services associated with impacts of the novel coronavirus, may be rejected as per section 10 of IRPR, and all fees associated with the Application should be refunded to the applicant. The reason for rejection should be unrelated to the disruption of services.

Approved Permanent Residence Applications (COPR and PRV)

Permanent residence applicants who are in possession of a Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) and Permanent Resident Visa (PRV) and inform IRCC, by submitting a web form to IRCC, that they are unable to travel within the validity of their documentation should be processed as follows:

Valid COPR and PRV: In an effort to reduce the number of cancelled COPRs and PRVs, a note should be placed in the file explaining that the applicant is unable to travel, and the file should be brought forward to the expiration date of the COPR and PRV. If the applicant informs IRCC that he/she can travel prior to the COPR and PRV expiration, he/she is encouraged to use his/her existing COPR and PRV to land.

Expired COPR and PRV: If the applicant informs IRCC via the web form that he/she was unable to travel after the expiration of his/her COPR and PRV, or if he/she was unable to travel prior to expiration, officers are to re-open the Application, and it should be brought forward for review in 90 days.

Re-opened Applications

Approved Applications can be re-opened by cancelling the COPR and PRV and removing the final decision.

When to Review a Re-opened Application

Once the applicant informs IRCC via the web form that he/she is able to travel, a re-opened Application may be re-approved provided that the applicant and his/her family members, whether accompanying or not, have valid immigration medical examinations, criminal and security checks and passports.

If the 60-day waiting period elapses and the applicant has not informed IRCC that he/she is able to travel, a note should be placed in the Application, and it should be brought forward for review for an additional 60 days.