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Immigration changes will affect Postdocs, Visiting Professors, NAFTA Professionals and others

Posted by Human Resources on February 27, 2015 in Human Resources

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) recently announced changes to the International Mobility Program (IMP) that took effect on February 21, 2015. Groups that are impacted at Dalhousie include Postdoctoral Fellows, NAFTA Professionals, Visiting Professors and Clinical Fellows.

Changes to the IMP will affect foreign nationals who are applying for a work permit (or renewing/extending an existing work permit) that will be specific to Dalhousie University and that is exempt from the requirement for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).
 
CIC now requires that Dalhousie complete an application process and pay an employer compliance fee ($230) before inviting these LMIA-exempt foreign nationals to the university (or before an existing foreign worker applies to renew/extend their permit).
 
There are some exceptions to this new process in place. Canada Research Chairs (CRCs), students applying for Co-op work permits, and Fulbright Scholars are among the groups which have been exempted from this new requirement.
 
The full extent of changes to the IMP is not known at this time, but Dalhousie’s Human Resources team will provide further details as soon as information is available. We appreciate your patience while we implement processes to manage these changes.

IMPORTANT REMINDER: The Immigration & Refugee Protection Act requires that any person providing advice to foreign nationals regarding immigration requirements or processes must be a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC), or a member in good standing with a provincial law society. This means that without this accreditation, department administrative staff or faculty members are prohibited by law from providing any immigration-related advice or representation to foreign nationals.

If you are intending to make an offer of employment to a foreign national, or to invite a foreign national to Dalhousie for a visiting appointment, please contact Marlo Shinyei in advance to ensure compliance with the new requirements. Marlo can be reached at Marlo.Shinyei@dal.ca or (902) 494-2965.