Author Archive for Justin
Stocks looked to be in decline all over the world on Tuesday 20 May, with one exception: Canada. This was no ordinary one off bucking of the trend, either; in fact, the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX)’s main measure set yet another record, fuelled by energy stocks as oil prices hit heights never seen before.
The S&P/TSX composite index surpassed 15,000 for the first time on Tuesday, achieving a record close of 15,047.34, up 63.14 points or 0.4 per cent for the day. It also reached a new intra-day high of 15,090.74, and resulted, overall, in a close which put it 24 per cent higher than its close of 12,132.13, a 14-month low recorded on 21 January.
The new heights reached on the TSX have been attributed largely to the booming Canadian energy industry, which continues to be a primary reason for mass immigration to Canada.
As these export based sectors such as energy are attractive to investors, the Canadian dollar rose 81 basis points to 1.00083 US on Tuesday.
Canadian migration expert Eric Katz highlighted the significance of Canada as an energy supplying nation and explained how the booming industry has created a need for mass immigration in order to sustain itself. He said:
“The main reason for the record stock market high in Canada is that energy prices are going through the roof. Most people do not realize that Canada is the main energy supplier to the United States after Saudi Arabia and before all other oil and gas producing countries. Furthermore, Canada has the second largest oil reserves in the world.
“What this means is that we are, as a nation, a net exporter of energy and are virtually energy self sufficient. In immigration terms this has set an insatiable demand for foreign skilled workers in the trades, management and related fields. More people moving to Alberta’s oil rich cities means more housing having to be built and therefore a greater need for more plumbers, carpenters and electricians as well as bankers, IT professionals and other services professionals, such as those in healthcare, that go along with any major economic boom.”
Canadian Immigration wait times have surged more than 20 per cent since 2004, according to statistics released by Liberal MP Jim Karygiannis.
Karygiannis obtained the figures from Citizenship and Immigration Canada through the Access to Information Act.
The figures also reveal disparities in the way Canada processes applications from different countries.
Some immigrants are forced to wait a staggering 2,300 per cent longer than others depending on where they’re from and what immigration category they fall under.
A dependent child whose file is dealt with by Canadian officials in Beijing, Seoul or Ankara, for instance, has an 80 per cent chance of being processed within four months. But a child’s average wait time is 13 months in Singapore, 19 months in Guatemala and 34 months in Cairo.
Similar disparities occur in the skilled workers category.
A skilled worker could expect to be processed within 14 months in Lima and 15 months in Paris but would likely wait up to 71 months in Kyiv.
The 2006 figures released to Karygiannis indicate:
-For dependent children, although 80 per cent of overall cases were processed within 11 months, there were significant variations by geographic area. Eighty per cent of cases were completed within three months in Vienna, five months in Jamaica, seven months in Damascus, eight months in London, and 19 months in Haiti and Guatemala.
-For parents and grandparents, 80 per cent of cases were processed within 40 months. But the figures were eight months in Sao Paolo, 11 months in London, 19 months in Mexico, 30 months in Colombo, 34 months in Beijing, 36 months in Rabat and Guatemala, 40 months in Islamabad, and 45 months in New Delhi.
-For skilled workers, 80 per cent of cases were processed within 62 months - an increase from 43 months in 2004. Eighty per cent of cases were completed within 14 months in Lima, 15 months in Paris, 31 months in Vienna, 54 months in London, 59 months in Rome, 62 months in New Delhi, 63 months in Islamabad, 64 months in Beijing and 71 months in Kyiv.
-Processing times increased most dramatically in the skilled workers category. The parents/grandparents category also saw a sizeable increase, while processing times fell significantly for children and slightly for spouses.
-For spouses and partners, 80 per cent of cases were processed within nine months. Eighty per cent of cases were completed within five months in Taipei, 13 months in Buffalo, N.Y., and Buenos Aires registered among the longest wait times at 15 months.
-The overall percentage of applications for temporary resident visas refused by Canadian officials has remained stable.
-In 2006, 32 per cent of applications for temporary resident visas were rejected from Africa and the Middle East. That compares with a rejection rate of 19 per cent for the Asia-Pacific region and 14 per cent from the Americas.
I’m heading to the UK in March and hitting the road with Richard Gregan of Overseas Emigration Visas. If you’re considering emigrating to Canada these seminars are an opportunity to clarify any questions you may have about Canada visa requirements.
My colleague, Richard Gregan, is a registered migration agent for New Zealand and Australia and will be covering Australia immigration and New Zealand immigration.
We’ll be in the following cities on the dates below:
Glasgow, Saturday 8th March
Manchester, Sunday 9th March
Birmingham, Monday 10th March
Bristol, Tuesday 11th March
London, Wednesday 12th March
OE Visas immigration seminars cost £12. For further information and to book contact info@canada-immigration-visas.co.uk or call 0845 601 7810.
A coalition of industry professionals - “Canadian Coalition for Tomorrow’s IT Skills” has called on the Canadian government to loosen Canada immigration requirements to more easily allow highly-educated skilled workers to live and work in Canada. The coalition also intends to market the technology sector to high schools in an effort to attract more high-tech post-secondary students.
More than 90,000 jobs in the information technology sector will need to be filled in the next three to five years and could potentially impact the Canadian economy to the tune of $10.6-billion, said Conference Board of Canada vice-president of organizational effectiveness, Dr. Michael Bloom.
“The problem is much bigger than any of us at the Conference Board has identified,” said Mr. Bloom.
A “perfect storm” of socio-demographic factors, negative perceptions of the tech sector following the bubble burst of 2002 and a significant drop in university enrolment in IT programs across Canada has all come together to create this dire scenario, said Mr. Bloom.
source: David George-Cosh, Financial Post
Published: Monday, January 21, 2008
Labour shortage could cripple Canada’s tech industry: report
Canadian Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Diane Finley, has announced that Canada expects between 240,000-265,000 immigrants in 2008.
The target is set out in the 2007 Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration tabled today in the House of Commons. The report provides information on immigration activities in 2006 and outlines the immigration plan for 2008.
“Our government believes that immigration plays an important role in building our communities and growing our economy,” said Minister Finley. “The immigration targets tabled today will help ensure that Canada continues to grow and benefit from all that newcomers and their families bring to our country.”
The Canadian Experience Class, first announced in the 2007 budget and a key element of the government’s long-term immigration plan, will be implemented in 2008 for certain skilled temporary workers and international students with Canadian degrees and Canadian work experience. Once the class is established and for the first time, individuals meeting specific criteria will be able to apply for permanent resident status from within Canada.
The Canadian Experience Class adds to other initiatives to address labour market needs and to help in the successful integration of newcomers. These include establishing the Foreign Credentials Referral Office (FCRO), improving the Temporary Foreign Worker program and expanding the Provincial Nominee Program.
The FCRO is working with the provinces and territories to help internationally trained individuals get their skills assessed and recognized. The Provincial Nominee Program allows provinces and territories to identify and nominate immigrants who will address their labour market needs.
Canada is continuing its humanitarian tradition by, for example, resettling 800 Karen refugees from Thailand and committing to welcoming 2,000 more. Canada also played an important role in negotiations on the protracted situation of Bhutanese refugees in Nepal, agreeing to resettle 5,000 of them over the next few years.
The federal government has also committed an additional $1.3 billion in settlement funding over five years, and $342 million per year ongoing, to help newcomers succeed.
The Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration, which must be tabled by November 1 each year, is a requirement under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
A Europe-wide immigration study has included Canada for the first time in it’s Migrant Integration Policy Index.
Canada placed 5th equal with Finland out of 28 countries. Sweden, Portugal, Belgium and The Netherlands were placed ahead of Canada.
Jack Jedwab, executive director of the Montreal-based Association for Canadian Studies said the findings “reaffirm we are a nation that’s open to diversity, and set a high standard in a world where it is increasingly important to be sensitive to immigrants”.
Canada ranked first among all nations in several categories - including openness to dual citizenship, a major draw for some immigrants. Canada scored well in a category that credits a nation’s willingness to reunite separated families through immigration. Canada’s anti-discrimination policies, embodied in state institutions that promote equality and immigrant access to human rights protection, boosted Canada’s ranking, as well.
A new federal pilot project has been launched to speed up the recruitment of temporary foreign workers in Alberta and British Columbia for the following occupations which have been identified as being in high demand:
- carpenters
- crane operators
- dental technicians
- food counter attendants
- food and beverage servers
- hotel and hospitality room attendants
- hotel front desk clerks
- pharmacists
- registered nurses
- retail sales clerks
- snowboard and ski instructors
- tour and travel guides
Human Resources Minister Monte Solberg said that rather than waiting as long as five months for a government labour market opinion about the need to bring in temporary foreign workers, employers will have an answer in five days.
Continue reading ‘Alberta and British Columbia to fast track Temporary Foreign Workers’
In today’s podcast certified Canadian immigration consultant, Eric Katz, dispells a couple of misnomers about Canada’s investor immigration program and provides examples of successful applications.
To emigrate to Canada under Canada’s investor immigration program you need to have a net worth of $800,000 CAN and must invest $400,000 CAN in passive investment. The $400,000 is returned after 5 years without interest. The money can not be a loan and the investor must evidence of management experience.
The advantage of the investor immigration program over the entrepreneurial program is that there are no terms and conditions applied to investor immigration whereas an entrepreneurial; visa has terms and conditions that must be met within a given period.
In this podcast, Canadian immigration consultant, Eric Katz, discusses investor immigration to Canada and the implications of federal applications versus applications to Quebec.

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