Archives for 2004

A processing factor which continues to feature prominently in Vienna is the requirement to screen for war crimes and crimes against humanity. This applies not only to immigration applicants but to many visitors as well.

Approximately fifty five percent of all immigration applicants and just over half of all visitor applicants come from the countries that made up the former Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia. Given the atrocities that occurred in the struggles for independence, extraordinary screening is required for many of the applicants. A separate information form must be completed by many of those applicants and the forms need to be reviewed and the answers assessed as part of the decision making process. Separate databases must also be accessed and further referrals made in prescribed cases. The risk of involvement in war crimes serves to limit the number of cases where interviews can be waived and the related screening continues to demand considerable attention.

Sponsored by the Canadian Immigration website, www.canadavisa.com.

Controversy seems to follow some public figures like the smell of cheap perfume. Unfortunately for her, such is the lot of Canadian Minister of Citizenship & Immigration, The Honorable Judy Sgro.Don’t get me wrong. I think her appointment was a wise choice, given her background and the ethnically diverse riding she represents. Moreover, I admire her character. She displays a feisty street-fighter side in the House of Commons, giving better than she gets, when attacked. She is the kind of person you’d want on your side in a bar-room brawl. Hard not to like.That said, her short tenure as minister has been marked by a number of disputatious events:

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Finally convinced that the record would show a majority of voting Ohioans do indeed want four more years, I clicked-off the TV. Unable to sleep, I continued my read of Philip Roth’s “The Plot Against America.” Now there’s a scary combo for those of my ilk. And I’m not even American!

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The Honourable Judy Sgro, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, today announced the launch of Canada’s Citizenship Week from October 18–24, 2004.

“Citizenship Week is a time to reflect on the values that speak to the heart of being a Canadian,” said Minister Sgro. “Citizenship Week is intended to help remind all Canadians — young and old, born in Canada or abroad — that we all have a right to belong and be proud of our country.”

To launch Canada’s Citizenship Week, Citizenship Judge Suzanne Pinel presided over a reaffirmation ceremony with Grade 5 and 6 students at Elgin Public School. Minister Sgro also attended the ceremony along with Jason Dunkerley, Paralympics medalist and recent Canadian citizen.

In schools, community and cultural centers and offices, many new Canadians will take the oath of citizenship in ceremonies from coast to coast and others will reaffirm their citizenship at these events by publicly reciting the oath of citizenship.

“Immigrants bring valuable contributions to Canada’s social, cultural and economic fabric. I encourage all Canadians to help newcomers to Canada feel that they are part of the Canadian family by extending a warm hand of welcome whenever they can,” said Minister Sgro.

For further information on Canada’s Citizenship Week, including citizenship ceremonies open to the public, and how you can get involved in promoting citizenship in your community, please visit the “What’s New” section of Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s Web site at http://www.cic.gc.ca

In the first quarter, the flow of foreign workers changed little compared to the same period of 2003, dropping 1% to 18,034 people. While some changes in rank occurred, the top ten source countries for foreign workers were the same as in the first quarter of 2003.

The United States continued to rank as the leading source country, with 3,140 entrants in the first quarter. This represented a decline of 15% compared to the same quarter of 2003, and 17% of all foreign worker entrants. Mexico ranked second with 2,562 workers, a 4% increase.

Australia was the third largest source of foreign workers for the quarter. Canada took in 1,590 workers from Australia, a figure virtually unchanged from the same period in 2003. France ranked fourth overall, sending 1,450 workers, which represented a 23% increase over 2003. The Philippines continued a trend toward increasing prominence in foreign worker numbers, rising from seventh source country last year to fifth in the current quarter.

Quebec was the only province to increase its intake of foreign workers. The province took in 10% more workers, for a total of 2,978 in the first quarter. The city of Montréal was the destination of the greatest number of these entrants (2,120 people, or 71% of the provincial flow).

A traveler was surprised recently when he was denied entry from the United States into Canada. The reason: Four years ago, he was convicted in the United States of driving under the influence of alcohol.

“I was put on the next plane back home. Sad, humiliating, and I think ridiculous,” says the man, who asked that his name not be used.

Actually, most countries bar foreign visitors with criminal records for some period of time. But each country has widely differing rules on what qualifies as a serious enough infraction to bar the door.

Canada’s rules generally apply to any indictable criminal offense, including drunken driving and shoplifting – offenses they can find on various criminal databases. Last year, Canadian officials refused admittance to 17,841 foreign visitors because of their criminal records, said immigration spokesman Jean-Pierre Morin.

But he adds that his country allows for rehabilitation. A foreign national with a single offense is deemed rehabilitated after 10 years. If at least five years have passed since your crime, you might be able to apply for rehabilitation by filling out a form; decisions are made on a case-by-case basis at the Canadian consulate. Details: www.cic.gc.ca.

The word of law is absolute. Its meaning, its interpretation is less clear.

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I remember, as a child, the sadness in my grandfather as he recounted his sister’s plight. From the safety of Canada, in the late 1930s, he did everything in his power to get his sister out of Poland ahead of the Nazis. He managed to get her to England on a temporary visa while he begged Canadian immigration authorities to allow him to sponsor her to Canada. His plea fell on deaf ears. Canada had by then slammed its doors on fleeing European Jews. England sent her back to Poland when her visa expired. She was never heard from again.

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Q. My husband and I applied for permanent residency under the federal skilled worker’s program and recently received our passports stamped with the immigrant visas. At the time we applied we were both in US. Since then I have found a job in Quebec and have been working and living in Quebec since July 2003. I anticipate being in Quebec until July 2005 and then moving to Ontario where both my husband’s and my family live.
Since we do not anticipate staying in Quebec in the long term, we would like to land in Ontario. Will then immigration officer see a problem if he sees that I live and work in Quebec but have not applied for the Quebec certificate of admissibility?

Answer: If it appears that you intend to reside in Quebec following landing in Canada as a permanent resident, then an immigration official is likely to insist that your obtain a Certificat de sélection du Québec prior to concluding the process. This would typically apply even if you do not necessarily intend to remain in Quebec permanently after landing.

If you are able to defer your landing for a sufficient period, then this may allow you to retain your Quebec employment temporarily, but land in Ontario without difficulty upon its conclusion.