Canada Immigration: Manitoba State Nomination 2018

Manitoba has announced a number of changes to its Provincial Nominee Program, including the creation of an in-demand occupations list and a new pathway aligned with Canada’s Express Entry system.

The measures are part of a broad restructuring and renewal of the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) to provide newcomers with new pathways to permanent residence in the province. The changes include the restructuring of three existing immigration streams —MPNP-B business immigration stream, Skilled Worker in Manitoba Stream and Skilled Worker Overseas Stream — and the creation of a new International Education Stream.

One of the key changes is the introduction of a new in-demand occupations list that will be used to prioritize Expressions of Interest (EOI) for inviting applications from the new Skilled Worker Overseas stream. That stream will now be subdivided into two pathways — the Manitoba Express Entry Pathway and the Human Capital Pathway.

The Express Entry Pathway, which is due to come into effect in January 2018, will allow Manitoba to nominate qualified applicants who meet the criteria for Canada’s Express Entry system and have an active Express Entry profile. Among other criteria, priority will be given to candidates who have a minimum of six-months experience in an in-demand occupation as well as a close friend or relative in Manitoba or a valid Invitation to Apply issued by the MPNP.

The Human Capital Pathway is for international skilled worker applicants with skills and training covered by the In-demand Occupations list, and who demonstrate a high potential for establishing themselves in their chosen occupations sooner after arrival in Manitoba. Family connections or previous post-secondary or work experience in Manitoba in the last five years are required to qualify for this stream, among other criteria. 

Changes to MPNP-B and Skilled Workers in Manitoba

The MPNP-B stream has been renamed the Business Investor Stream (BIS), effective immediately, and it has been sub-divided into the Entrepreneur Pathway and the Farm Investor Pathway.

A government news release said the BIS will prioritize applicants who start a business within the first 12 months of their arrival in Manitoba, especially those who want to establish their business outside Winnipeg. Applicants in the Entrepreneur Pathway would receive a temporary work permit and rather than provide a good-faith deposit of $100,000, they would sign a business performance agreement to purchase an existing business in the province or start a new one. The province says the new criteria is scheduled to come into effect in the first quarter of 2018.

The new Skilled Workers in Manitoba Stream will also be subdivided into two pathways: the Manitoba Work Experience Pathway and Employer Direct Recruitment Pathway.

The Manitoba Work Experience Pathway is for applicants currently working in Manitoba with temporary work permits and whose jobs are not found on the In-demand Occupations list. The Employer Direct Recruitment Pathway is for international applicants with job offers from pre-approved Manitoba employers.

International Education Stream

Finally, the new International Education Stream is designed to provide “faster pathways to provincial nomination” for international students graduating in Manitoba and whose skills meet the needs of the province’s employers.

Effective in April 2018, the new stream will target graduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs who are completing internships “that support industry innovation” in their fields of study. Under the new stream, Manitoba’s provincial government says international student graduates from Manitoba institutions who have found a long-term job in an in-demand occupation will no longer have to work for six months before applying for the MPNP.

“The new International Education Stream will make it easier for international students with a Manitoba education to build their careers and settle here in the province,” said Manitoba’s Education and Training Minister, Ian Wishart.

Canada Immigration Points Down to 439

Canada Immigration Points Down to 439

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has invited 2,750 candidates in the Express Entry pool to apply for Canadian permanent residence in a draw that took place on Nov. 15. The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of the lowest-ranked candidate issued an Invitation to Apply (ITA) was 439.

All candidates with a score above 439 were invited to apply. While some candidates with a score of 439 received ITAs, IRCC said a tie-break procedure was necessary, meaning only those candidates with a CRS score of 439 who entered their profiles in the Express Entry pool prior to a specified date and time were invited to apply. In this case, that time and date was October 19, 2017, at 12:02:28 UTC.

Today’s cut-off CRS score of 439 is 19 points lower than last week’s draw, which had a cut-off score of 458.

It is interesting to note that this latest draw was the fourth in three weeks, which has only happened once before since Express Entry was introduced. Canada announced new three-year immigration targets on Nov. 1  and more frequent draws could have the effect of increasing the number of ITAs issued and lowering the CRS cut-off score as candidates with higher scores are removed from the pool.

Under its recently announced Immigration Levels Plan, Canada is planning to welcome nearly one million new permanent residents between 2018 and 2020. Nearly 250,000 of those newcomers to be admitted through programs managed under the Express Entry system, namely: the Federal Skilled Worker Class (FSWC), the Federal Skilled Trades Class (FSTC), and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC). The number admitted through these programs is set to increase year-on-year.

This latest draw was the 78th draw to take place since the Express Entry system was introduced on Jan. 1, 2015, and the 28th since the start of 2017.  So far this year, 80,523 ITAs have been issued.

With fluctuating CRS thresholds, it is helpful to look at which sorts of candidates are receiving ITAs following the latest draw. The following examples below are entirely hypothetical.

Mary is 36, has a Master’s degree and recently wrote her IELTS and obtained a score of 8 in each category (reading, speaking, writing and listening). She has been working as a university professor for 4 years. Her CRS of 440 would have been sufficient to obtain and ITA during the most recent draw from the Express Entry pool.

José is 32 has been working in Canada as a retail manager for 2 years. He studied commerce in Canada and obtained a bachelor’s degree. Jose has an intermediate English language proficiency. Before coming to Canada to study, Jose worked as a retail manager overseas for two years. His CRS of 441.

Rupa is a 29 year old who has been working as a computer programmer for five years.  She has a bachelor’s degree and an advanced English language proficiency. Rupa has never worked or studied in Canada. Her CRS of 441 would have been sufficient to obtain an ITA during the most recent Express Entry draw.

“This latest draw is a good sign for the coming year,” said Attorney David Cohen. “More frequent draws from the Express Entry pool and a greater number of ITAs could have the effect of lowering the minimum CRS score required. As Canada strives to achieve a higher target, we’re hoping more ITAs being issued continues into 2018.”

What is Risk and Risk Management?

What is risk?

Risk is defined as ‘an uncertain event or set of events that, should it occur, will have an effect on the achievement of objectives. A risk is measured by the combination of the probability of a perceived threat or opportunity occurring and the magnitude of its impact on objectives.’ All organizations, including temporary ones such as those concerned with programmes or projects, will encounter uncertain events when trying to achieve their objectives. These uncertain events may arise inside or outside the organization. Each individual uncertain event that would impact one or more objectives is known as a risk. Within this definition, ‘threat’ is used to describe an uncertain event that would have a negative impact on objectives if it occurred and ‘opportunity’ is used to describe an uncertain event  that would have a positive impact on objectives if it occurred. The combined effect of risks to a set of objectives is known as risk exposure, and is the extent of the risk borne by that part of the organization at that time.

What is risk management?

Every organization manages its risk in some way, but not always in a way that is visible, repeatable or consistent, to support effective decision-making. The task of risk management is to ensure that an organization makes cost-effective use of a risk management process that includes a series of  well defined steps. The aim is to improve internal control and support better decision-making through a good understanding of individual risks and the overall risk exposure that exists at a particular time.

Accordingly, in this guide, the term ‘risk management’ refers to the systematic application of principles, an approach and a process to the tasks of identifying and assessing risks, and then planning and implementing risk responses. This provides a disciplined environment for proactive decision-making.

For risk management to be effective, risks need to be:

■■ Identified This involves considering uncertainties that would affect the achievement of objectives within the context of a particular organizational activity and then describing them to ensure that there is a common understanding.

■■ Assessed This involves estimating the probability, impact and proximity of individual risks so they can be prioritized, and understanding the overall level of risk (risk exposure) associated with the organizational activity.

■■ Controlled This involves planning appropriate responses to risks, assigning owners and
actionees and then implementing, monitoring and controlling these responses.

Why is risk management important?

Some risk-taking is inevitable if an organization is to achieve its objectives. Those organizations that are more risk aware appreciate that actively managing not only potential problems (threats) but also potential opportunities provides them with a competitive advantage. Taking and managing risk is the very essence of business survival and growth. Effective risk management is likely to improve performance against objectives by contributing to:

■■ Fewer sudden shocks and unwelcome surprises
■■ More efficient use of resources
■■ Reduced waste
■■ Reduced fraud
■■ Better service delivery
■■ Reduction in management time spent fire-fighting
■■ Better management of contingent and maintenance activities
■■ Lower cost of capital
■■ Improved innovation
■■ Increased likelihood of change initiatives being achieved
■■ More focus internally on doing the right things properly
■■ More focus externally to shape effective strategies.

Many of these benefits are applicable to both the private and public sectors. Whereas the private sector focuses mainly on shareholder returns and the preservation of shareholder value, the public sector’s role is to perform cost-effectively, in accordance with government legislation and policies.

What is CND Certification?

What is CND Certification?

Certified Network Defender (CND) is a vendor-neutral, hands-on, instructor-led comprehensive network security certification training program. It is a skills-based, lab intensive program based on a job-task analysis and cybersecurity education framework presented by the National Initiative of Cybersecurity Education (NICE). The course has also been mapped to global job roles and responsibilities and the Department of Defense (DoD) job roles for system/network administrators. The course is designed and developed after extensive market research and surveys.

The program prepares network administrators on network security technologies and operations to attain Defense-in-Depth network security preparedness. It covers the protect, detect and respond approach to network security. The course contains hands-on labs, based on major network security tools and techniques which will provide network administrators real world expertise on current network security technologies and operations. The study-kit provides you with over 10 GB of network security best practices, assessments and protection tools. The kit also contains templates for various network policies and a large number of white papers for additional learning.

CND Course Outline

Module 01: Computer Network and Defense Fundamentals.

Module 02: Network Security Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Attacks.

Module 03: Network Security Controls, Protocols, and Devices.

Module 04: Network Security Policy Design and Implementation.

Module 05: Physical Security.

Module 06: Host Security.

Module 07: Secure Firewall Configuration and Management.

Module 08: Secure IDS Configuration and Management.

Module 09: Secure VPN Configuration and Management.

Module 10: Wireless Network Defense.

Module 11: Network Traffic Monitoring and Analysis.

Module 12: Network Risk and Vulnerability Management.

Module 13: Data Backup and Recovery.

Module 14: Network Incident Response and Management.

Who Is It For?

• Network Administrators
• Network security Administrators
• Network Security Engineer
• Network Defense Technicians
• CND Analyst
• Security Analyst
• Security Operator
• Anyone who involves in network operations

About the Exam

• Exam title: CND
• Exam code: 312-38
• Number of questions: 100
• Duration: 4 Hours
• Availability: ECC Exam
• Test Format: Interactive Multiple Choice Questions

Canada Immigration (One Million More Immigrants Required)

Canada Immigration (One Million More Immigrants Required)

Nearly one million new immigrants will settle in Canada between 2018 and 2020, under what Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen has labeled “the most ambitious immigration levels in recent Canadian history.”

The ambitious target has been set in the government’s new multi-year Immigration Levels Plan, which was tabled in the House of Commons on November 1. Economic migrants will make up the majority of new permanent residents admitted to Canada, with most economic newcomers set to immigrate through the Express Entry immigration selection system. Targets for the economic categories generally — as well as Express Entry specifically — will increase every year until 2020.

The move to a multi-year plan deviates from previous plans rolled out annually, which have set targets for the upcoming year. After consulting with provincial governments and the business community, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) moved to a longer-range forecast in order to allow stakeholders to plan for appropriate service levels and use of resources.

“This historic multi-year immigration levels plan will benefit all Canadians because immigrants will contribute their talents to support our economic growth and innovation, helping to keep our country at the forefront of the global economy,” stated Minister Hussen at a press conference in Toronto.

Under the plan, 310,000 new permanent residents will settle in Canada in 2018. This target will be increased to 330,000 newcomers in 2019, with a further 340,000 to settle in 2020.

Express Entry and PNPs

Of all these newcomers, around 565,000 will be admitted through the economic programs, with close to a quarter million to arrive through one of the federal economic programs managed under Express Entry. Throughout 2017, IRCC has made it increasingly clear that Express Entry is now the main driver of economic immigration, with more Invitations to Apply (ITAs) issued so far this year than over the two previous years together.

The increased target intake for Express Entry candidates in 2017 was a contributory factor towards a decrease in Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) cut-off thresholds this year, as an increased intake places downward pressure on CRS cut-off thresholds. Whereas the lowest score drawn in 2016 was 450, the lowest score drawn so far this year for Federal Skilled Worker Class (FSWC) and Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates was 413, with even lower record low thresholds for Federal Skilled Trades Class (FSTC) candidates (most recently a threshold of 241 in a draw that took place just hours before IRCC tabled its multi-year plan).

An even higher target intake for 2018 and beyond may contribute towards even lower CRS cut-off thresholds.

Another 184,000 or so economic migrants and their accompanying family members will be admitted through the Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs), which allow provinces and territories to nominate individuals based on their ability to settle into the provincial labour market. As has been the case since 2015, certain ‘enhanced’ PNP streamswill be aligned with Express Entry, while other ‘base’ streams will allow provinces to welcome new immigrants from outside the Express Entry pool. An enhanced provincial nomination is the single most valuable factor under the CRS, as it results in 600 additional CRS points and an ITA at a subsequent draw from the pool.

Next year may bring even more PNP activity than in 2017, which itself has been a busy year on this front. In January, 2018 Alberta is set to join other provinces and territories in offering an enhanced Express Entry stream, though the exact criteria for that stream remains unknown at this time. Over recent months many provinces have taken a more hands-on, dynamic approach to their Express Entry-aligned PNP streams. Ontario, for example, has targeted candidates in certain occupations, notably in Information Technology (IT). Saskatchewan has expanded its in-demand occupations list, Nova Scotia recently reopened its popular Express Entry ‘Demand’ stream, and British Columbia launched a Tech Pilot, with certain IT/tech occupations prioritized through its streams, including its Express Entry stream.

Growing the economy

Among the other economic programs, the province of Quebec will welcome 94,000 skilled workers and business immigrants over the next three years, and Canada will continue to welcome business immigrants through its federal programs, with more than 2,000 federal business immigrants persons and their family members to be admitted by the end of 2020.

Family reunification and refugee settlement remain important

Other key highlights from Canada’s multi-year Immigration Levels Plan include a target to reunite around 265,000 spouses, common-law partners, dependent children, parents, and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents through the Family Class programs, with a slight increase in the overall Family Class targets year-on-year.

Since coming into office in late 2015, Canada’s Liberal government has made family reunification a priority, with measures to reduce processing times, bring in more immigrants through the Parent and Grandparent Program (PGP), and an extension of a successful work permit pilot program allowing sponsored spouses and common-law partners in Canada to work while their applications await a decision.

Canada’s long-standing tradition of resettling international refugees will also continue, with a target to approve around 43,000 refugees for permanent residence in 2018. A further 45,650 refugees may be settled in 2019, with a target for 48,700 more in 2020.

Building for the future

Last week the government of Canada released new details on the immigrant make-up of the country, based on data gathered during the 2016 census. Around 22 percent of Canada’s population is now made up by first-generation immigrants, all of whom settled as permanent residents and many of whom have since gone on to become naturalized citizens of Canada. Many more residents are in Canada on temporary status, such as on a work permit or as an international student.

By 2036, the share of Canada’s population made up by immigrants is projected to reach as high as 30 percent of the overall population.

The government’s latest Immigration Levels Plan builds on a gradual increase in the target intake over recent years. In 2011, the then-Conservative government set an overall target of around 250,000, with subsequent plans showing a gradual increase in the target year-on-year.

“This Immigration Levels Plan shows that the government is serious about growing the country for the benefit of all, but it is doing so in an incremental way. At a time of global unrest and the coming to power of less progressive governments in many developed countries, Canada is showing that there is another way to do things. A progressive, incremental approach working with business and public stakeholders, with the support of elected representatives, is the right approach,” says Attorney David Cohen.

“For individuals and families around the world, including some already in Canada, this Immigration Levels Plan may be the blueprint that allows you to make Canada your new permanent home. With the federal government and provincial counterparts tweaking their programs and strategies on an ongoing basis, it is important to get an evaluation of your options and remain vigilant for changes over the course of 2018 and beyond.”