Canada Immigration Visas

THERECORD.COM | INSIDER | Employers hard-pressed to fill tech jobs

More than 90,000 technology jobs will be created in Canada in the next five years, but the pipeline of IT grads from colleges is not keeping up, a new series of reports suggests.

In Waterloo Region, there are 2,000 technology job vacancies at any given time, according to Communitech, the region’s technology industry group.

The Tech Labour Market reports, released yesterday by the Information and Communications Technology Council, suggest that industry executives and government leaders need to find ways to fill the growing needs of Canada’s technology industry.

The issue here is how and where are the twin cities going to locate their new recruits? Torontonians and Ottawa residents will generally not move once they have put down roots. The other possibility of going to California and Boston is not likely going to be of any help at least in the long term as Americans in general do not move to Canada in big numbers. How many Canadians would actually leave California’s climate and job possibilities to come back to Canada?

The real solution in finding people for this quaint tandem city just 45 minutes west of Toronto is to go overseas to Europe and Asia on a recruiting mission. More specifically the number of UK grads and experienced skilled workers in England, Scotland and Wales would more than likely fill the gap since their educational system is similar to ours at the university level, business conducted in a similar manner and of course they speak English.

For an industry that continually thinks outside the box in terms of technology, it is time they start thinking outside of the box in terms of their markets for recruitment. They may just be pleasantly surprised.

Keep an eye on Canada’s immigration rules, U.S. analyst tells legislators

WASHINGTON (CP) - U.S. officials should watch how Canada enforces its immigration rules to see if the neighbour to the north is being tough enough, an American analyst told a Congress committee this week.

This is clearly an example of how Canada will be harmonizing its border enforcement with the United States. In order to stay on good relations with its southern counterpart, Canada will likely move quickly to integrate its international security with the Americans which some have called creating ‘Fortress North America’. The issues of maintaining sovereignty and security will be a delicate balance and no doubt be a hot political issue in Canada. The major parties will have to throw the trade issue into the mix as Canada sends most of its exports south of the border.

globeandmail.com: Canada ranks 7th as tourist destination: report

TORONTO — Canada ranks seventh in a new study of world travel and tourism destinations released Thursday, but could do a better job putting out the welcome mat for tourists.

Canada tied with Singapore and Luxembourg in the international survey of 124 countries listed in the Geneva-based World Economic Forum’s first ever Travel &Tourism Competitiveness Report.

Switzerland heads the list, followed by Austria, Germany, Iceland, the United States and Hong Kong.

Minister Day announces that NEXUS takes off at Toronto Pearson International Airport

Toronto, Ontario, February 12, 2007 - The Minister of Public Safety, the Honourable Stockwell Day, announced today that the NEXUS Enrolment Centre and automated self-serve kiosks are now operational at Toronto Pearson International Airport and that NEXUS will expand to six more airports across Canada. The expansion to Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax will be completed soon.

“Canada’s New Government is inviting Canadians to apply to be in the NEXUS program, which serves as an alternative to a passport under the U.S. Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, or WHTI, air rule,” said Minister Day. “By becoming a NEXUS member, travellers are pre-approved to cross the Canada-U.S. border by land, sea, and now by air through Toronto Pearson International Airport.”

This is the latest in security measures put out by both Canada and the United States to ensure the quick movement of persons and vehicles that balances security with a common sense approach to the movement of goods and services. Essentially the applicant for Nexus cards are pre-screened by both Canadian and US Governments.

Great Lakes legislation stirs controversy

Michael Oliveira, Canadian Press
TORONTO — Legislation to protect Great Lakes water from being siphoned to jurisdictions not immediately surrounding the lakes is being finalized by Ontario, Quebec and eight U.S. states.
This legislation will be controversial as water becomes more of a commodity in North America since some States will suffer longer Summers and drought with the imminent effects of Global Warming. some scientists are predicting a drop of more than 3 feet in water levels by mid-century