Headline

Canada Updates Express Entry Programme For 2025

Published

10 months ago

February 10, 2025

The Canadian Immigration Department has introduced updates to the Express Entry programme for 2025, which will affect skilled workers, tradespeople, and healthcare professionals who hope to obtain permanent residency in Canada.

As cited by the DAAD Scholarship, the new guidelines include changes to job offer requirements, specific eligibility criteria for various sub-programmes, and updates to Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) rules.

For applicants aiming for Canadian permanent residency, a valid job offer is critical to qualifying for the Express Entry programme.

Under the revised system, applicants must ensure that their job offer meets specific requirements, including details about the employer’s name and address, the start date, the correct National Occupational Classification (NOC) code, and a written confirmation of job duties, pay, and employment conditions.

It is important to note that a work permit alone does not qualify as a job offer for Express Entry.

For those on open work permits, securing a formal, valid job offer is essential to proceed with Express Entry application processes.

Canada’s Express Entry system comprises three sub-programmes with different job offer requirements including:

Federal Skilled Worker Programme (FSWP) and Canadian Experience Class (CEC): Job offers must be full-time (30+ hours per week), paid, and continuous, lasting at least one year after obtaining permanent residency.

The job must be in a NOC TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3 category and come from an employer with a new Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).

Federal Skilled Trades Programme (FSTP): Applicants with job offers from one or two employers in eligible trades (e.g., electricians, carpenters, welders) can qualify. Employers must provide a valid LMIA unless the applicant’s work permit offers an exemption.

Physicians: Special rules apply to physicians. Job offers are not required to be continuous for a year for applicants who applied after April 25, 2023. These applicants can still earn points under the Federal Skilled Worker Programme (FSWP) and improve their Express Entry score.

A Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) is required for most applicants, as it proves that no Canadian worker is available to fill the position.

As of 2025, applicants who do not hold a valid Canadian work permit or are working under an open work permit must ensure that their employer has secured an LMIA.

However, LMIA requirements may be waived if the applicant has worked full-time for the employer for at least one year under a valid work permit, or if the work permit is exempt under international agreements or provincial agreements.

Once a valid job offer is secured, applicants must demonstrate their ability to perform the duties of the position. They must also meet any licensing or certification requirements in the province where they plan to work.

Since each province has different rules, applicants are directed to consult the relevant licensing authorities for their profession.

Headline

12 Die, 30 Missing In Peru Landslide

Published

15 hours ago

December 1, 2025

Editor

At least 12 people, including three children, died in a landslide at a river port in central Peru on Monday, and 30 were reported missing, officials said.

The landslide submerged a boat with about 50 passengers on board, and another with none, as they were docked at the port of Iparia in the Amazon jungle region of Ucayali, according to a police report cited by the Andina news agency.

Six people were injured, it added, and a search and rescue operation was underway at the start of the Peruvian rainy season.

Without giving a toll, Peru’s COEN national emergency operations centre said on X that tragedy struck at dawn due to “erosion” of the bank of the Ucayali river.

It said the navy has been called in to help.

AFP

Headline

Nigeria Grants Asylum To Guinea-Bissau Opposition Candidate

Published

16 hours ago

December 1, 2025

Editor

The Nigerian embassy in Guinea-Bissau has granted asylum to Fernando Dias da Costa, the country’s opposition presidential candidate, following alleged threats to his life after last week’s military coup, The Cable Reports.

The coup was announced by military officers on Wednesday, just days after Guinea-Bissau’s presidential election in which both incumbent President Umaro Embaló and his main challenger, da Costa, claimed victory before official results were released.

Nigeria condemned the takeover and urged an immediate return to constitutional order.

In a letter to the President of the Economic Community of West African States Commission, Omar Touray, dated November 30, the Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Tuggar, said President Bola Tinubu had approved asylum and protection for da Costa inside the Nigerian embassy in Bissau.

Tuggar wrote that the decision was made “in response to threats made against da Costa’s life.”

“In this regard, it would be appreciated if you would kindly mandate the ECOWAS Stabilisation Support Mission in Guinea-Bissau to provide him protection and security while in the premises of the Nigerian embassy,” the letter stated.

The foreign affairs minister’s Special Assistant on Media and Communications Strategy, Alkasim Abdulkadir, confirmed the letter’s authenticity to The Cable on Monday.

He said, “The decision of the Federal Government of Nigeria to grant asylum and provide protection to Fernando Dia Da Costa falls squarely within Nigeria’s sovereign responsibility and longstanding commitment to regional peace, stability, and democratic governance.”

He added that Nigeria acted “in the broader interest of de-escalation,” saying the government had exercised its discretion “to prevent further deterioration of tensions and to promote social cohesion in Guinea-Bissau and the wider West African sub-region.”

According to Abdulkadir, the intervention aligns with ECOWAS principles and reflects Nigeria’s role as a stabilising force in West Africa.

Following the coup, ECOWAS held an emergency virtual summit of heads of state and subsequently suspended Guinea-Bissau from the regional bloc until constitutional order is restored.

Headline

Trump To Attend FIFA World Cup Finals Draw On Friday

Published

16 hours ago

December 1, 2025

Editor

The White House on Monday confirmed US President Donald Trump would attend the draw for the FIFA World Cup finals in Washington later this week.

The United States will co-host the 2026 tournament alongside Canada and Mexico.

“On Friday, President Trump will attend the FIFA World Cup final draw at the Kennedy Centre,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

Trump has made the World Cup a centrepiece event of both his second presidency and the 250th anniversary of US independence next year.

But the giant sporting extravaganza has not escaped the political turmoil caused by Trump’s hardline stance on a host of issues.

Trump, a Republican, has raised the possibility of moving games from some US host cities amid a crackdown on what he says is crime and illegal migration in some Democratic-run areas.

AFP