A recent study by the Conference Board of Canada (CBC) has revealed that Canada needs to increase its annual intake of skilled migrants of it is to remain a competitive destination for foreign workers. 

The CBC recommended that the intake for permanent residency should be increased from its current quota of 250,000 migrants to 360,000 by 2025 if it is to compete with the likes of Australia and New Zealand in terms of attracting skilled workers from abroad.

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Canada advised to increase skilled migration

Jason Kenney has succeeded Dianne Finley as minister of Canadian immigration at a time when the position gives him unprecedented power over who gains entry to the country.

Best known for being the Conservatives’ envoy to migrant groups, Kenney has vowed to structure Canada’s migration policy in a way which will ensure the economy’s labour needs are met, and not as a move to gain political power.

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Kenny appointed Canada's new immigration minister

Statistics Canada has emphasised the significance of immigration with regard to the country’s workforce, stating that it will account for 100 per cent of labour market growth by 2011.

Currently, a number of key Canadian industries are being forced to turn down work opportunities as they simply do not have the volume of expertise required to undertake major contacts.

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Migration is the answer to Canada’s labour shortage

As the ongoing bid to attract an increasing number of migrants to its shores, the Canadian government has made the Durham region the latest recipient of funding designed to help new migrants settle into society.

Immigration Minister Diane Finley has pledged funds to a total of six organisations in the Durham area, which has become increasingly popular as a destination for new Canadian migration in recent years. The funding, set to amount to a total of $6 million, is expected to help some 2,400 foreign migrants integrate themselves into their new communities.

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Durham region benefits from Canadian immigration funding

The Canadian government has announced a pilot scheme to centralise the intake of applications for Canadian skilled migration.

$109 million has been pledged by the government in order to implement the changes, which will see 30 newly-trained staff working alongside experienced staff in a new office located in Sydney, Nova Scotia. The centre will provide a faster service for the processing of Canadian skilled visa applications, which it will begin in October.

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Canada takes measure to speed up migration application processing

As of 17 September, Canada’s new visa class, named the Experience Class, has been in full effect. Under the newly-introduced scheme, certain temporary foreign workers and students will be allowed to apply for permanent residency in Canada.

The scheme targets foreign workers and international student graduates with professional, managerial and skilled work experience. Unlike Canada’s traditional visa classes, the Experience Class allows an applicant’s previous experience in Canada to serve as a “key selection factor” in relation to their application for Canadian residency.

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Canadian Experience Class introduced to national immigration scheme

Statistics released by Citizenship and Immigration Canada have revealed that a growing number of people are migrating to Canada’s small and mid-sized towns towns, rather than the traditional big cities.

Last year, Charlottetown’s migration intake increased by a staggering 73 per cent on 2006, with other small regions such as Moncton and Saskatoon welcoming a migration increase 31 per cent and 40 per cent on the pervious year. Overall, Alberta revelled in a massive increase of 93 per cent migration intake compares to the figures for 2006.

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Canadian migrants heading for smaller towns

Canada has taken a further step towards attracting and retaining foreign workers by introducing a scheme designed to facilitate the transition from temporary to permanent residents for certain temporary foreign workers and foreign students.

The Canadian Experience Class opens up a new path for professionals and students graduates from abroad with qualifications in managerial, technical or trade work who hope to become permanent residents of Canada; keeping the Canadian migration policy in line with other popular migration destinations such as Australia.

Selection will be based on a pass / fail system, and applicants will be allowed to remain and continue employment in Canada whilst their application is being processed. All applicants will require a moderate command of either English or French.

Immigration Minister Diane Finley commented:

“The Canadian Experience Class is one more measure this government is proposing to make our immigration system more attractive and accessible to individuals with diverse skills from around the world, and more responsive to Canada's labour market needs.”

The Canada Gazette explains:

“The proposed Regulations create two distinct streams with different thresholds for each selection criterion, one for recent foreign graduates, and the other for temporary foreign workers.

Foreign graduates will need to obtain 12 months of legal work experience within a 24-month period prior to making a CEC application, obtain a Canadian credential by studying in Canada full-time for at least two academic years, and meet the language benchmark for their occupation skill level.

Temporary foreign workers will need to obtain 24 months of legal work experience in Canada within a 36-month period prior to making a CEC application and meet the language benchmark for their occupation skill level.”

The Canadian government has released a timetable of meetings to be held between Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) and state officials in various Canadian provinces.

The meetings will be aimed at discussing which occupations will be considered worthy of allowing migrants into Canada under the new fast-track immigration system and which would not.

Following the changes made to the Immigration and Refugee Act on 18 June, the government now has the right to process the applications of certain migration hopefuls over others based on their occupation.

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Canada unveils conference agenda to redress immigration priorities

Canadian Immigration Ministry takes migration priorities into its own hands
Under new immigration law, Canada’s Minister for Migration and Citizenship, Diane Finley, and her staff will have the power to dictate which categories of migration applications are prioritised, held pending future consideration or returned with a refund.

The move comes as a further means of reducing a migration application backlog, which can last up to six years. Under the new legislation, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) aims to cut this down to six to twelve months. Moreover, the law aligns Canadian immigration with the country’s labour shortages, allowing much needed professionals to obtain visas more quickly, thus addressing the workforce crisis as efficiently as possible. 

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Canadian Immigration Ministry takes migration priorities into its own hands