The Canadian economy showed the largest monthly gain in jobs on record in April, adding 108,700 jobs. In addition, Canada’s jobless rate fell from 8.2 per cent in March to 8.1 per cent in April.

Last year, Citizenship and Immigration Canada announced that the Young Newcomers Internship Program would become a permanent program, after a 1-year pilot project proved to be successful. Last week, Canadian immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced that the program would be expanded.

According to MoneySense Magazine, the capital city of Ottawa is once again voted the most liveable city in Canada, for factors such as quality of schools, housing costs, availability of jobs, and other factors that influence the daily standard of living.

Like all the provinces and two of the territories, Ontario and Nova Scotia have their own Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs).  Both provinces have recently made modifications to the International Student streams of their PNPs to make it easier for applicants to qualify for the programs.

The Southern Ontario town of Peterborough aims to attract more immigrants, and has set up an online portal about living and working in the town to help achieve this goal.

The Canadian government is introducing special accommodations for individuals on temporary status in Canada who have been affected by the April 14 volcanic eruption in Iceland.

Saskatchewan can look forward to substantial economic growth in 2010, according to three economic reports released this month.

In 2009, the province of Manitoba welcomed the highest number of new immigrants in almost a century, and hopes to welcome 20,000 newcomers annually by 2017.

The province of Saskatchewan, which has been enjoying an increase in immigrants over the last few years, has created a portal for newcomers to help them find the settlement services they need. The web portal was launched this week.

On Friday, Citizenship and Immigration Canada announced a special visa application program for business visitors from Mexico. Called the Business Express Program, this initiative will allow Mexican nationals employed by a pre-approved list of businesses to receive priority processing of their Canadian visa applications. Visas for qualified individuals are expected to be processed within 24 hours.

The Canadian government announced today that it is renewing its immigration agreement with the province of British Columbia. The new agreement is intended to formalize and build on the existing cooperation between the federal and provincial governments regarding immigration and settlement issues.

The Province of Prince Edward Island (PEI) is set to introduce new Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) categories in the near future.

Canadian citizens who apply for passports will receive enhanced passports containing an electronic chip in the near future. The chip is being introduced to increase security by reducing the risk of fraud and tampering.

The Canadian economy is faring better than expected, as Canada’s Gross Domestic Product grew at an annual rate of more than 6 per cent in January.

Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced proposed changes to Canada’s refugee system that he says will provide more protection to those who need it and will deter those who do not need Canada’s protection from taking advantage of the system.

A new immigration portal for newcomers to Canada was launched today by communities in Northwestern Ontario. The portal provides information on settling and working in Northwestern Ontario cities and towns, such as Thunder Bay and Kenora.

Hire Immigrants Ottawa, a group that helps employers integrate skilled immigrants into the labour market, has been presented with an award for its work by Carleton University, a respected Canadian educational institution.

On Tuesday, Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced that the Canadian government has begun the process of reviewing current Canadian immigration procedures, with a view to further streamlining application processing under the Federal Skilled Worker category.

Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced today that the Canadian government will reduce application processing delays by streamlining language proficiency assessment for Federal Skilled Worker and Canadian Experience Class applications.

Statistics Canada (StatsCan) released a report today that projects that by 2031, almost a third of the country’s population will be foreign-born.

Earlier today, a conference was held in the Waterloo, Ontario region in order to help Internationally-Educated Professionals (IEPs) enhance their skills and learn how to build a professional network in Canada.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada announced today the expansion of their online resource for newcomers that will enable them to locate government services easily.

New Brunswick Health Minister Mary Schryer announced today that immigrants will no longer have to wait three months after moving to the province to become eligible for provincial healthcare coverage.

Yesterday, the city of Kingston in Ontario announced the introduction of a new web portal aimed at attracting new immigrants to the city.

The Conference Board of Canada is predicting that Saskatchewan will experience a 2.5 per cent growth in GDP in 2010. In addition, the province expects to welcome more immigrants this year thanks to its popular Provincial Nominee Program.