Archive for June, 2008

Canada signs new immigration act with Prince Edward Island

Published by
graham
at June 24, 2008 in Canada Immigration. 0 Comments

Citizenship and Immigration Canada has announced an new Agreement for Canada – Prince Edward Island Co-operation in conjunction with PEI’s Minister of Innovation and Advanced learning.

The new agreement is geared towards making it easier for the province to attract a greater number of skilled workers from abroad, whilst processing applications more quickly and increasing its Francophone community.

“The Government of Canada believes in immigration and the signing of today’s new agreement means Prince Edward Island has an immigration agreement that is tailored to the province’s unique needs and priorities,” said Immigration Minister Diane Finley.

She continued: “The focus of the Prince Edward Island agreement is the removal of limits in the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), collaboration on overseas marketing initiatives, and the targeted use of the PNP to attract and retain Francophone immigrants. This will ensure that the province is able to select the number of immigrants it needs to meet labour market demands and build a stronger economy.”

Allan Campbell, Minister of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Rural Development for Prince Edward Island said: “We are very pleased to renew this immigration agreement with the federal government. It gives the province the authority we need to attract new immigrants who will meet gaps in our labour market and help boost our declining population.”

The key points outlined in the new agreement are as follows:

– Prince Edward Island will be able to address particular social, demographic, economic development and labour market needs.

– Prince Edward Island will be able to nominate more immigrants possessing the skills needed in the province, for quicker processing by the Government of Canada.

– Prince Edward Island and Canada will work together to share information and to develop and implement strategies to better integrate immigrants into the labour market. This includes improving the process for the recognition of foreign credentials.

- Canada and Prince Edward Island will enhance their cooperation in overseas immigration marketing initiatives, including bringing temporary foreign workers and students to the province.

– There will be increased encouragement for the recruitment and retention of Francophone immigrants through the Provincial Nominee Program.

Increased immigration will help boost the population of Prince Edward Island and will provide must needed skills that will benefit local business and industry.

Canada announces changes to permanent residency card application process

Published by
graham
at June 24, 2008 in Canada Immigration. 0 Comments

Canada’s department of Citizenship and Immigration has announced two major changes to the process of applying for a Permanent Residency (PR) card.

The first change in policy is that citizens applying to replace a PR card which is due to expire no longer need to send their current valid card with their application. Instead, they will be able to obtain a new card in exchange for their old one when they visit a local Citizenship and Immigration Canada office.
It is believed that allowing permanent residents to keep their valid PR cards whilst waiting for a replacement would benefit them as the cards can be used for travel.

The second alteration is that people applying for a new or replacement PR card are no longer required to obtain the signature of a guarantor, or sign a statutory declaration should they be unable to do so. Removing the need for a guarantor will simplify the application process for a PR card without compromising security as CIC can verify an applicant’s permanent residence status and identity due to passport, driver’s licence and employment information.

Citizenship and Immigration Minister, Diane Finley commented:

“These changes demonstrate our continued commitment to providing more convenient services to newcomers. We recognize that people may want to hold on to a valid card for travel purposes while waiting for the replacement. We also understand that newcomers may have difficulty finding a guarantor who has known them for at least two years.”

Changes to Canada’s immigration system ensure much-needed migrants will be welcomed first

Published by
graham
at June 24, 2008 in Canada Immigration. 0 Comments

The Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration has announced that changes to the Canadian immigration system have been made that will enable Canada to welcome migrants with much-needed skills by cutting the existing backlog of applications.

Minister Finley declared: “Our government believes in immigration,” said Minister Finley. “With these changes, we now have the tools in place to strengthen our system so that people with the skills for the jobs available can be brought to Canada more quickly.

“This is good for Canada and good for newcomers, who could have more opportunities to find work sooner, to provide a better life for themselves and their families and to benefit more from life in Canada.”

Changes to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) were recorded in Bill C-50, The Budget Implementation Act 2008, which now states that the government is set to begin prioritising certain areas of business or trade expertise that will help the country to overcome its current labour crisis. However it is yet to be announced which areas of trade and industry will benefit immediately.

Another change to the migration process is that Canada no longer has the obligation to process every application through to a final decision. This will affect all applications made on or later than 27 February 2008.

The new bill brings Canada in line with other countries such as Australia and New Zealand which are currently thriving due to a well-structured migration system. There are currently 925,000 people waiting for their applications for Canadian visas to be processed, and it is estimated that, were it not for these changes, this number would increase to 1.5 million by 1012. Furthermore, experts believe that, without these changes, waiting times for visa applications could be up to 10 years by the same time.

Minister Finley also commented on what would be the next step in implementing changes to the Canadian migration process:

“Our next step is to launch consultations with provinces, territories and other experts to ensure we accurately define the priorities for immigration,” she said. “Once we’ve determined Canada’s immigration needs, we can develop a set of instructions to guide the processing decisions of immigration officers, including whether applications are prioritized, retained or returned with a refund.”
According to research, the demand for skilled migrant workers in Canada is growing rapidly. It is estimated that by 2012, immigration is set to account for 100 per cent of labour growth throughout the country, with two thirds of jobs requiring post-secondary education.

Why so many Brits make the move to Canada every year

Published by
graham
at June 24, 2008 in Canada Immigration. 0 Comments

Popular Canadian magazine Muchmor Canada recently conducted a survey analysing the various reasons why newly-arrived British migrants chose to make the move across the Atlantic, as well as what they thought they would miss once they had migrated to Canada.

As many would suspect, the British weather was cited as a primary reason amongst new migrants seeking a better quality of life, claiming that Britain did not have a proper summer, had far too many rainy days and even lacked an adequate amount of snow.

Furthermore, the government also came under fire, with respondents largely claiming to have lost faith in Gordon Brown and his party whom they do not believe can make Britain a better place.

Another major factor in several migrants’ decision to migrate to Canada was the extremely huge cost of living in the UK, with the prices of housing, petrol and tax reaching extortionate levels. People also claimed that there was a strong feeling of having to “keep up with the Jones’s” in terms of jobs, houses and cars.

The NHS also took a hammering in the survey, with people complaining heavily about long waiting-lists as well as the risks of being treated in public hospitals, such as the possibly contracting the MRSA virus.

Moreover, migrants also claimed that Canadian people were generally speaking much more laid back and friendly that people back home.

Further reasons for the constantly growing number of Canadian visa applications from British citizens who have had enough of life in the UK included: chav-culture, yob-culture, congestion, too many asylum seekers, easy access to drugs, rising crime rates, litter, graffiti and the country’s binge-drinking culture.

When asked what they would miss most about Britain, the former UK residents suggested, naturally, that family, friends and pets top the list, however, beyond this, it seemed that all other answers given were all of a seemingly trivial nature, such as fish and chips, Irn Bru, Coronation Street, football, British beer and ‘decent newspapers’.

Generally speaking, the results of the survey showed that people, by and large, no longer feel that Britain offers the quality of life it once did, and is not the sort of place that parents wanted their children to grow up in. The vast majority of people who have made the move to Canada stated that they have absolutely no regrets.

Positive economic outlook for Canada

Published by
Justin
at June 11, 2008 in Canada Immigration. 0 Comments
A recent Financial Post article highlights the good news for Canada which has been fiscally responsible for years by attacking its national deficit and thereby seeing a number of budget surpluses year after year. Coupled with a strong resource sector the Canadian economy has seen steady growth across the board largely in part to oil and gas developments in Western Canada.
As Eric Katz points out, “Canada has the second largest proven oil reserves in the world after Saudi Arabia. It is the most politically stable of all oil producres in the world and sits right next tothe United States which is the world’s biggest consumer of energy.”
‘It is clear from this that Canada will continue to profit from its geographical and geological advantages for some time to come. As a result of this energy boom, there is a correlating job boom that is centred around Alberta and to a large extent British Columbia and Saskatchewan where new natural gas reserves have been discovered’, Katz said.