The following is a summary of developments in Canadian Citizenship and Immigration that took place or were announced over the last few weeks.
Canada’s economy added 93,000 jobs in June:
Statistics Canada reports the Canadian economy added 93,200 jobs in June. Almost all of the jobs added are in Ontario (+60,000) and Quebec (+30,000). Canada’s unemployment rate has now dropped to 7.9% while the current unemployment rate in the US is 9.5%. The economy has added 246,200 jobs in the last four months alone. With this, Canada has almost recovered all the jobs lost during the recession that began towards the end of 2008. These statistics indicates the strength of the domestic economy in Canada.
Immigration policies could prevent labour shortages, negative economic impacts:
A new report from the Conference Board of Canada recommends that Canadian immigration policies should continue to evolve to prevent labour shortages that could stunt future economic growth by placing increasing importance on the skills of prospective immigrants and whether they match Canada’s labour needs.
Foreign investors have strong interest in Canada:
Canada’s superior economic position and strong growth prospects have combined to foster an excellent climate foreign investment. Canada’s pragmatic approach to economic management-strict banking regulations, stable banking system, low debt ratio, and economic immigration-has created a safe place to invest and foreign investors have been have been loading up on record amounts of Canadian bonds for the past 18 months
Canada proves commitment to relief efforts for Haiti:
It has been six months since an earthquake devastated the country of Haiti. Canada has spent $150 million to support humanitarian and recovery efforts by providing shelters, removing rubble, and leading water and sanitation projects and child protection initiatives. The Canadian government is very quickly processing applications by Haitians to be re-united with their families in Canada and has pledged more than $1 billion to long-term re-building efforts.