Prime Minister Stephen Harper is signalling more changes to Canada’s immigration policy are in store.

We want to wish all of our readers and clients, at CanadaVisa.com, and Campbell Cohen, happy holidays and a fruitful new year.

A new online tool will be deployed by the Quebec government to help immigrant engineers as they seek to become members of the Order of Engineers of Quebec and have their credentials recognized in the province.

Like other provinces in Canada, notably Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia out west, Canada’s easternmost province, Newfoundland and Labrador, is also in the midst of an energy and resources boom that is taxing its ability to provide the skilled labour to complete planned projects.

Foreigners in Canada under the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP) can now receive open work permits immediately after completing their caregiver commitments, and submitting an application for permanent residence (PR).

British Columbia’s government has created a task force to look at ways to boost skilled immigration to the province.

With an economy that is the best in Canada, and an unemployment rate near the lowest in the country, Saskatchewan is quickly becoming a hot destination for temporary workers, immigrants, and others.

Montreal recently made the New York Times list of globally hip cities — the only one in North America, alongside such luminaries as Shanghai, Berlin, and Barcelona.

As of December 5^th, new candidates to the Quebec Skilled Worker program who want to receive points for language for French and/or English, will have to submit test results along with their application.

A final step during the application for Canadian Permanent Resident status, submitting your passport to the visa office so it can be stamped, is no longer necessary for citizens from Visitor Visa exempt countries.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada will be moving more of its business progressively online, says Minister Jason Kenney, with impending changes to include the ceasing of the printing and mailing out of forms and application kits starting December 1^st.

The amount of money the federal government allocates to provinces to help in the settlement of new immigrants has expanded significantly in the last half-decade, and is being spread more accurately to reflect their destinations within Canada.

According to new report by the Fraser Institute, Alberta is the most economically free jurisdiction in North America, topping all other provinces and states, based on data from 2009.

It is estimated that around 10,000 Irishmen and women have relocated to Canada in the past two years, with the Canadian Ambassador to Ireland, Loyola Hearn, quoting much higher numbers possible in the near future.

British Columbia is likely to see more than 5000 immigrants get permanent residency under its Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) in 2012.

Immigration from Latin American countries to Canada has risen by 121% between 1996 and 2006.

Above Canada’s second largest city, Montreal, sits Laval, also an island-bound city, that has become Quebec’s fastest growing English-speaking community, and home to many of its immigrants.

Today, November 11^th, Canada celebrates Rememberance Day, like the rest of the Commonwealth countries, which recalls the end of World War I, on this day, in 1918.

While there is humanitarian justification, as well as has been proven an economic benefit, the Canadian government plans to cap new refugee claims under the private sponsorship program, under the justification of reducing a growing backlog.

More immigrants are beginning their settlement in Canada spread throughout the country via the Provincial Nomination Program (PNP).

The Government of Canada has placed a two year moratorium on the Family Class program for parents and grandparents. As of November 5, 2011, no new sponsorship applications will be accepted for that specific category of the Family Class program.

Next year, up to 10,000 additional immigrants will be allowed into Canada under the Federal Skilled Workers program.

The Government of Canada will be accepting up to 1,000 international PhD students as permanent residents through the Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) program per year.

The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada is suggesting ways for the federal government to ease the transition for foreign-trained doctors to set up shop in Canada.

This week, Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney will be unveiling the 2012 Immigration Action Plan. According to an early statement made by Kenney, immigration levels will stay around 250,000 newcomers a year.