Archives for 2006

With the holiday season and the New Year upon us, we have an opportunity to take a look back at the year that was and consider what we may expect in Canadian immigration in the year ahead.

A Year in Review

With 2006 now in the rear view mirror, it is a good chance to take stock of the changes we saw to Canadian immigration policy and practice. Overall we saw a lot of positives for those interested in coming to Canada and the proof is in the numbers. Canada received approximately 250 000 new permanent residents in 2006, and Citizenship and Immigration Canada has approved a new target of up to 265 000 for 2007. We have also seen increases in temporary workers and foreign students.

In particular however the dominant trend of 2006 was a shift towards tailoring immigration to the labour market needs of different provinces. One aspect of this is in expansions of the Provincial Nomination Program (PNP), which began in 2002. The program allows provinces to nominate individuals to immigrate who will contribute to the province’s economic development, allowing these immigrants to move to Canada more easily.

Complimenting this pre-existing program is the introduction earlier this year of regional Occupations Under Pressure lists. Employers seeking to hire foreign workers in the occupations specified for their program face reduced bureaucratic requirements, and the individuals’ applications are expedited. The program began in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan, and has since expanded to Ontario.

The past year also saw some changes for immigrants who have already arrived in Canada. In Ontario, the Fair Access to Regulated Professions Act was recently passed, including measures to improve the recognition of foreign credentials, along with funding for retraining. International students have also seen welcome changes, in the form of work-permits that allow them to qualify for employment at any organization, where previously they were restricted to on-campus jobs.

A Look at Things to Come

What will 2007 bring for Canadian immigration? In the absence of a crystal ball, there are a few trends we can expect. One is a continued rise in immigration to Canada, as Citizenship and Immigration Canada has already approved a rise in the target range for permanent residents. With the programs mentioned above such as Provincial Nominee Programs and Regional Occupations Under Pressure list, we may also expect a surge in temporary workers.

Some structural changes to the government departments that handle immigration are expected to result from the Arar inquiry. The report by Justice O’Connor recommended that Citizenship and Immigration Canada, the Canada Border Services Agency and the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, along with several other departments regulating the flow of people in and out of Canada should now be overseen by an independent review board. While this change would not have any immediate implications for immigration, it represents an increasing integration between security and immigration agencies.

Lastly, with a minority government in power, we can expect a federal election sometime in the upcoming year. While only immigrants with Canadian citizenship may vote in the election, as the parties vie for votes within their communities, elections are a good opportunity for immigrants to have their voices heard by government. Ontario, home to half of the immigrants who arrive in Canada each year, has moved to a system of fixed election dates and will go to the polls in late 2007.

The province of Nova Scotia unveiled on Tuesday the Family Business Worker stream of applicants for the Provincial Nomination Program. The program will allow immigrants with family members who will provide them with jobs in family businesses to come to Canada more easily.

Under the Provincial Nomination Program, provincial governments can select immigrants that meet their economic needs. The new program in Nova Scotia is open to individuals with a guaranteed permanent job offer from an employer who is a close relative and has an established business in Nova Scotia. The position must meet minimum employment standards and pay at least $20 000 per year. Priority is also given to applicants whose family members demonstrate further willingness and ability to support the applicant and their dependents settle in Nova Scotia.

Family members eligible to come here under the program must be the business owner’s child, grandchild, sibling, niece or nephew, or aunt or uncle. Employers must own at least 33 per cent of the business, which should be under the same management for the past two years.

The Family Business Worker program combines the principles of economic class immigrants with family sponsorship. Those who qualify for the program have the resources and stability for a smooth transition. As Wadih Fares, a businessman from Nova Scotia and honorary Lebanese consul put it, “they do have a job, they do have the family (and) they do have the social fabric” that every newcomer needs.

The program looks to help immigrants to Canada to provide a helping hand to their family. Ron Heisler of Citizenship and Immigration Canada described the process. One man moved here “sort of helped by his brother-in-law,” said Mr. Heisler, which then “led to two more brothers coming, and all of their wives and children and now some of their in-laws. It’s just growing.”

The Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) announced this month a plan to extend Off-Campus work permits for foreign students to students at private institutions.

The Off-Campus Work Permit program is currently only available to students at publicly funded universities and colleges that choose to participate in the program. Without these permits, international students are restricted to employment on their university or college campus. With the new pilot project, the program will be extended to students at approximately 75 private academic institutions. The project is restricted to those private institutions which are authorized by their provincial government to confer degrees.

Minister Solberg described the program as a win-win situation. We want to help more international students get the Canadian work experience they need to adjust to life in Canada, particularly if they wish to stay. These students will be part of a significant labour pool from which regions facing labour shortages could draw.

CIC launched the Off-Campus Work Permit program in April of this year following a similar private project. Over 8300 international students have taken advantage of the opportunity thus far. The permits do not restrict the type of job a student may take, but do ensure that it remain part-time and not take precedence over studies.

Upon request, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) will provide a full refund to those who have provided advance payment for Right of Landing fees with parent or grandparent sponsorship applications.

The Right of Landing fee is not required until a visa is actually issued. The concern however is that the individuals seeking to sponsor their family member may have misconstrued the information in the CIC sponsorship guide as implying that advance payment would lead to faster processing. The guide suggests that if the applicant provides the fee with the earlier documents, they save the step in the process later on where they must submit payments. This does not however mean a faster processing time for the application.

With the queue for applications at approximately 100 000, parent/grandparent sponsorships face a long wait. In recognition of any possible confusion, CIC has volunteered to refund any advance payments of Right of Landing fees upon request until the time of visa issuance, when the payment is required.

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. – Eleanor Roosevelt

As the curtain comes down on another calendar year it’s a time to reflect and look ahead.

Thinking back on this past year, there are many things I’m thankful for. In particular…

Read Full Blog on CanadaVisa.com…

Hassan Samimifar is bitter, and it is hard to blame him for feeling that way.

Mr. Samimifar, an Iranian national, arrived in Canada 21 years ago and immediately applied for refugee status. Until 2003 he was waiting for an answer. When his file was finally addressed, his application was refused. After an immigration hearing scheduled for early December, Samimifar could be deported to Iran by early 2007.

Read Full Blog on CanadaVisa.com…

The time it takes to complete the processing of a Canada Immigration (Permanent Resident) Visa under the Skilled Worker / Professional category can be lengthy.  A Canadian job offer can help speed it up.

 Read Full Article on CanadaVisa.com…

In October, the Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration raised this year’s target for permanent residents. As Canadian birth rates decline and the economy grows, this upward trend has reached levels not seen in decades.

Canada increased its target for 2007—defined in ranges rather than set figures—to between 240 000 and 265 000, up from 225 000 to 250 000 this year. After several years of increases, the target has reached a level not seen since the early 1970’s. Mr. Solberg said that the increase would bring in the needed human capital to fill “extraordinary labour market requirements”.

The category seeing the greatest increase is skilled workers, who accounted for half of the total new arrivals last year. This group, along with other economic class workers, will account for nearly the entire expansion expected in 2007. The number of parents and grandparents targeted has been frozen at between 18 000 and 19 000 as immigration is prioritized to meet pressing labour demands.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada also announced in its report to parliament that Canada is on pace to achieve the high end of this year’s target range. These targets have been exceeded however in the past, as the 2005 range was exceeded by over 15 000.

Taking a look at recent trends in the makeup of this inflow, the largest proportion of Canadian immigrants in 2005 came from China, followed by India, the Philippines, Pakistan and the United States. Slightly over half of those who arrived in 2005 were native English speakers, while the proportion of immigrants who spoke French as their native language declined to just fewer than 5% in 2005. Ontario remained the most popular destination for settlement, attracting over half of new permanent residents.

As businesses in Western Canada continue to experience shortages of labour, the Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, announced changes to make it easier for companies to hire foreign workers.

The main change announced to the federal program for temporary foreign workers is to create regional lists of occupations in high demand—for example 170 jobs in Alberta and 129 in British Columbia. Saskatchewan is also in the process of developing a similar list. The lists include a wide range of employment, from tradespeople to professionals. The program aims to reduce the length of the process by over 25%.

While Ontario was not mentioned in this announcement, Minister Solberg addressed questions about the province’s absence in a letter to the Toronto Star. In the letter he pointed out that under ongoing negotiations for the Canada-Ontario Agreement on Immigration, included is a section to allow similar entry conditions for temporary foreign workers. He also noted continued development of a provincial nominee program for Ontario.

Advertising

When looking to hire a foreign worker in these high priority occupations, employers will not need to advertise as extensively for the position domestically.

To meet the new requirements for the listed positions, employers have to:

A. Advertise on the Government of Canada’s national Job Bank (or the equivalent in Saskatchewan, Quebec, or the Northwest Territories) for a minimum of 7 calendar days;

or

B. Demonstrate that they have established on-going recruitment mechanisms already in place (e.g., using recognized job internet sites, unions, professional associations, corporate website, professional journals, newspapers, newsletters).

*Note: For positions classified as skill level C (intermediate occupations) or D (labouring and elemental occupations) employers will have to satisfy both A and B.

Other Measures

Employers still have to fulfill all other requirements of the temporary foreign worker program. However, announced alongside the changes to advertising regulations were two other initiatives to improve information and communication.

The first of these measures will ensure employers are better informed about the process. Citizenship and Immigration Canada will be publishing a step-by-step guide written specifically to assist employers seeking to hire temporary foreign workers.

The federal government will also be consulting with its provincial counterparts to seek out other means to improve the immigration process. Minister Solberg announced the creation of federal-provincial working groups to identify areas of demand alongside new solutions to ensure needs are met.

Many industry leaders hailed the move. “This change will allow the immigration system to respond better to the business community’s needs,” said Dan Kelly, president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. The construction industry in particular has been particularly welcoming, feeling the effects of long-term labour shortages.

The Lists

Found here is list of occupations covered under the changes to the regulations. The list for Saskatchewan has yet to be finalized. While there is a great deal of overlap, differences between the lists reflect unique regional labour market needs.

To view the list click here.