Archive for January, 2009

Minister Kenney issues New Year’s Eve immigration statement

Published by
graham
at January 2, 2009 in Canada Immigration. 1 Comment

The Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, issued the following statement on New Year’s Eve:

“As we turn our thoughts to celebrating the start of a new year, I would like to take this opportunity to offer my best wishes to all Canadians and newcomers to our country, as well as look back on what we accomplished in 2008.

“Our government introduced an Action Plan for Faster Immigration that better aligns our immigration system with our labour market needs. The Action Plan will also help clear the immigration backlog and process new skilled workers in 6 to 12 months, as opposed to 5- to 6-years under the previous system.

“Our government has been investing an additional $1.4 billion over five years in settlement funding since 2006 for activities such as language training, job search and employment services to help newcomers integrate successfully in Canada.

“We introduced changes to the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program, which would make it easier for international students to get Canadian work experience after they graduate.

“We introduced the Canadian Experience Class, a new avenue for immigration which allows an applicant’s Canadian experience to be considered as a key selection factor when immigrating to Canada.

“In addition, our decision to extend NAFTA work permits to 3 years will make Canada an even more attractive destination for high-skilled professionals, such as doctors, nurses, lawyers, and teachers.

“In 2009, while other countries are considering scaling back their immigration levels, our government has promised to maintain immigration levels, including in family class, skilled worker, and humanitarian categories.”

“The coming year will present challenges. However, we will meet these challenges together as we have many times before. We are fortunate to live in a country of great peace, prosperity, diversity and potential.

“As Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, I wish you and your family a safe and joyous New Year’s celebration and a happy and prosperous 2009.”

Canadian networking site created to help new migrants

Published by
justin
at January 1, 2009 in Canada Immigration. 0 Comments

Canada has taken yet another positive step towards helping new migrants settle into their new
country by launching a networking website, loonlounge.com.

The site is aimed at people who are either considering a move to Canada, or who have recently obtained aCanadian skilled visa, and allows users to exchange experienced and advise, as well as make plans for their future in the country.

Loonlounge.com allows users to make contact with other potential migrants from similar parts of the world, as well as enabling them to network with others migrants who already live in specific Canadian provinces and territories. Users can also upload photographs and contribute to forums and blogs, swapping tips and experiences.

Canadian immigration hopes that the site will enforce a message that no one is alone when they move to Canada. By encouraging networking amongst migrants across the country, it hopes to enable new migrants to settle into their adopted homeland as quickly and smoothly as possible.

Canada’s attitude towards migration is summed up in the websites welcome message: ‘Immigration is fundamental to the future of Canada. This is your invitation to become involved.’