Earlier this month, we introduced you to LoonLounge.com, a social network where Canadian residents and future immigrants can connect and learn from each other, become engaged in Canadian communities, and ultimately help improve the Canadian immigration and settlement processes. The response from our newsletter subscribers and the Canadian media has been overwhelmingly positive, with a flux of new members on LoonLounge and praise coming from such highly regarded Canadian news agents as the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star.

Last year, the province of Alberta introduced the Strategic Recruitment Stream of the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP). This program recognizes the valuable contributions that workers from overseas have made in North America by fast-tracking the Canadian Permanent Residency of certain US H1B visa* holders. The application procedure has recently been modified.

As of April 17, 2009, Canada’s Citizenship Act will be amended. The new law now limits Canadian citizenship to the first generation born abroad to Canadian citizens.

Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister (CIMC) Jason Kenney spent some time this month in India and Pakistan to work on further strengthening Canada’s relations with the two countries. He met with important political figures and religious leaders from various communities to discuss immigration to Canada, employment in Canada for Indian and Pakistani residents, and Canadian investment in the region.

In order to hire a foreign worker, Canadian employers may need to satisfy Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) that they cannot find any Canadian citizens or Permanent Residents to fill the available position. HRSDC’s role is to ensure that Canadian residents have first access to Canadian jobs. To better reflect Canada’s evolving labour needs, HRSDC has recently altered employer requirements for hiring from abroad.

Throughout his years in immigration law, David Cohen has learned that there is an important link missing in the Canadian immigration process. He has seen new immigrants thrive just as he has seen others struggle. Those who succeed do so because of their connections to Canada – connections with people in Canada, Canadian community organizations, Canadian employers, and Canadian resource centers.

I have previously written about what I perceive to be the missing link in Canadian immigration. My grandfather’s story illustrates it best. When he arrived in Canada many years ago, my grandfather had nothing but the name of a man in Montreal who once lived in his town. My grandfather was eternally grateful when, after tracking the man down, he was given a small space to fix shoes in the corner of the man’s store. This social support, given through a random act of kindness, enabled my grandfather to begin a new life in Canada. This is the link not common enough in the fast-paced reality of Canada today. The notion has kept coming back to me, that there must be some way to facilitate connections like the one that helped my grandfather to successfully settle in Canada.