Canada Immigration News

The Canadian Government has issued new rules for the Temporary Foreign Worker Program in order to protect workers.

'The government is taking action to protect temporary foreign workers, including live-in caregivers, from potential abuse and exploitation', said Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney.

'We owe it to them, their employers and all Canadians to ensure that the program is fair and equitable. After all, they are an essential element of Canada’s economic success.'

Temporary foreign workers are critical in order to fill the skills gap that Canadian citizens and permanent residents are unable to bridge.

The changes will come into effect on April 1, 2011 and will include the following measures:

• A more rigorous assessment of the genuineness of the job offer;
• A two-year prohibition from hiring temporary foreign workers for employers who fail to meet their commitments to workers with respect to wages, working conditions and occupation; AND
  A limit on the length of time a temporary foreign worker may work in Canada before returning home.
• Employers seeking to hire temporary foreign workers, including live-in caregivers, will now be assessed against past compliance before authorisation can be granted, and employers found to have violated worker rights may be refused authorisation to hire a foreign worker.

The Canadian Government has agreed to ease restrictions on the number of migrants that can permanently immigrate each year after pressure from the provinces.

The Canadian Government has increased the number of Canadian Visas available for provincial nominees. Provinces, such as Alberta, have been lobbying the Harper government to scrap its plans to impose a Canadian Visa cap on the number of migrants arriving through the provincial nominee program.

Many provinces are experiencing permanent labour shortages and have asked for an increase in the numbers of workers they can nominate to fill permanent jobs. Alberta’s cap imposed by the government initially sat at 4,400 - well short of the 5,000 places Alberta had requested this year.

Canadian immigration officials initially indicated in June that the number of visa places under the provincial nominee programme will be reduced, but on Tuesday they announced they will increase the numbers after reviewing their case loads and immigration targets for the year.

The provincial nominee programme is considered a good solution for labour shortages as migrants must already have obtained work in Canada before arriving, and therefore are almost immediately paying taxes and contributing to the economy.

Alberta Immigration Minister Thomas Lukaszuk said the additional nominees would be critical to sustaining the short-term economic turnaround as well as long-term growth.

However, he said the number was just a start and still doesn't address Alberta's long-term economic and immigration needs. Alberta will now receive 5,000 provincial nominees this year up from the 4,400 initially approved.

British Columbia will now receive 3,500 provincial nominees, a slight increase from the initial 3,200.
Saskatchewan has been allocated 4,000 up from 3,700, and Manitoba will now get 5,000 places increased from 4,600.

Insurance adjusters and claims examiners have been added to the list of occupations on the Federal Skilled Worker program.

The program identifies occupations in Canada that are considered in-demand or high-need. Should an immigrant have at least one year of paid work experience during the last 10 years in one of the qualifying occupations they become eligible for a permanent resident visa.

Insurance adjusters and claims examiners are one of 11 new additions to the program, bringing the total number of qualifying occupations to 29.

'The government of Canada amended the list of qualifying occupations to better respond to the present needs of Canada's economy', the Canadian Immigrantion Newsletter says.

'While most regions in Canada are experiencing a shortage of professionals and skilled workers in these occupations, some cities and regions have a particularly high need for workers with this experience.

A new Vancouver-area project will help female migrants to Canada better understand and more fully engage in Canadian society.

Canada immigration has provided funding to help newcomers settle into Canada.

John Weston, Member of Parliament for West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country, on behalf of Canada Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, announced funding for Home Instruction for Parents of Pre-School Youngsters (HIPPY) Canada for their Practicing Citizenship project.

Mr Western said giving new Canadian Visa arrivals and other newcomers the tools to fully participate in Canadian society is something that will serve all Canadians in the long-run.

'We are acting to help new and established Canadians succeed together in building a strong, integrated society', he said.

The Practicing Citizenship project aims to increase the participation of ethno-cultural minority women in Canadian society with classes on Canadian history and democracy, practical experiences in the community, mentoring and literacy training.

Approximately 50 female newcomers to Canada will gain the knowledge and confidence necessary to become fully engaged in their local communities.

The employment and immigration minister for Alberta has said Canada’s temporary foreign worker program needs to be reassessed for the province.

He wants to give the option of a permanent Canadian visa for temporary workers.

Thomas Lukaszuk said the program had fulfilled its purpose in providing more workers but that it was a short term solution only.

Lukaszuk's parliamentary assistant, Calgary MLA Teresa Woo-Paw, will chair a series of discussions throughout Aleberta in the Autumn concerning the Canadian temporary foreign worker program.

Woo-Paw's final report will be the basis for recommendations to Ottawa on how to change the program for the better.

Immigration rules for temporary foreign workers have been eased in recent years, allowing people with a variety of skills and educational backgrounds to enter Canada with working visas valid for up to two years in duration.

In all Canada, Alberta has seen the largest increase in temporary foreign workers in the last five years, from 16,000 in 2005 to nearly 66,000 in 2009.

Lukaszuk said the program was not designed to be a gateway to long-term residency, but he thinks that many workers would jump at the chance of residency if it were offered.

Mr Lukaszuk said the government could consider permanent status for this workforce, like the Canadian Skilled Worker Visa, to avoid a continual movement of foreign workers in and out of the same positions.

The results of a new analysis have shown that the federal government’s move to fast-track immigrants with needed skills has halved processing times.

Canadian visa processing time for applications overall dropped to 26 months in 2009 from 50 months in 2005.

Federal legislation in 2008 committed the government to speedier processing of in-demand occupations.

Skilled worker applications now are being approved in about seven months, much quicker than the five or more years it used to take for processing such applications.

However, progress on the speedy approvals of foreign worker visas has not been matched by progress on Canadian family visas to reunite family members.

A spokesman for Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said that the results of the new analysis demonstrate that the country is more attractive to the "best and brightest" individuals from around the world.

A recent meeting in Ottawa between federal, provincial and territorial ministers has been held with the agenda being to improve the Canadian Immigration system so that it is better equipped to attract new skills and a younger workforce.

The Canadian Immigration minister Jason Kenney said 'If Canada wants to succeed in the global economy, our country must be able to attract and retain immigrants with the skills it needs today while preparing us to face the challenges of the future'.

'After today’s discussion, I am confident that our governments’ combined efforts will help position Canada as a destination of choice for the world’s best and brightest, while continuing to maintain our humanitarian tradition.'

The ministers agreed to an increased focus in welcoming and supporting newcomers, with increased involvement of provinces and territories in managing the immigration system. They also agreed to the importance of planning immigration levels on a long-term basis to make immigration and the issuing of a Canadian Visa for a needed worker more responsive to economic needs and those of the regions.

The ministers also discussed work done on the Pan-Canadian Framework for the Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Qualifications. The aim of the framework is to allow for greater industry recognition of workers' qualifications to enable more efficient skills recognition.

Toronto will be hosting the G-20 summit shortly. The host country has emerged as one of the strongest economies in the world and has weathered the storm that has crippled most of Europe, Asia, and the USA.

Canada is currently at the top of the more exclusive G-7 countries, with a strong financial system, low debt, and high levels of immigration. Chief economist at CIBC, one of Canada’s largest Banks, Avery Shenfeld, notes that 'Canada’s rich resources, resilient financial system and favourable demographics relative to other G7 nations make it an economic contender looking out over the next five to ten years'.

Canada is a popular destination for migrants. The preliminary data released from Citizenship and Immigration Canada illustrates this point well. In 2009, a staggering amount of immigrants were admitted into Canada. The data shows that over 500,000 newcomers were welcomed into Canada. The numbers are doubly impressive when you consider that Canada only has a population of 34 million people.

Shenfeld notes that 'where economic growth goes, corporate earnings, dividends and other rewards for investors are likely to follow'. The Government of Canada is encouraging investment in Canada by offering Permanent Residency to those who are willing to contribute to the Canadian economy.

Two popular investment programs in Canada are the Federal Investor Program and the Quebec Investor program.

There are three essential requirements for the investor programs in Canada.

The investor must be willing to make an investment in Canada. There are two ways the investor can go about this:

A.) The investor can invest $400,000CAD into the Canadian Government. They are guaranteed to receive the entire $400,000 back after five years. There is no risk and this approach is completely passive. The funds are guaranteed by the Canadian Government; OR
B.) The investor can go through a designated Canadian bank. The investor pays the bank $120,000CAD, and the bank in turn makes an investment in Canada. With this option, none of the investor’s money will be returned.

The investor must also have a net worth of $800,000CAD.

The investor must either have two years of business experience or two years of managerial experience.

Upon approval of applications, foreign investors are granted Canadian Permanent Residency status. Permanent residents are offered an abundance of opportunities and benefits in Canada. Permanent residents have access to most of the social welfare programs in Canada, including free health care. Permanent Residents can also live and work anywhere in Canada with minor exceptions, this means that the applicant is not tied to a specific employer. Permanent Residents can also apply for full Canadian Citizenship after three years of living full time in Canada.

Another positive element about the Investor Program is that Permanent Residency is not merely given to the principal applicant. A qualifying spouse and dependent children are also given full Permanent Residency. This means that the applicant’s spouse and their dependent children have the ability to work and study in Canada.

Permanent Residents also have the ability to sponsor eligible family members. This provides immigrants with options to sponsor their aging parents and grandparents. And if these family members are approved, they are also granted Permanent Residency Status.

Canadian immigration rates should be increased to help the country become home to 100 million people as well as a global power, according to a scholar from the University of Toronto.

Irvin Studin of the University of Toronto has written a paper that looks at impact of population growth through immigration. The paper was recently published in the international affairs magazine Global Brief.

Mr Studin's study explored the potential strategic influence that Canada could wield if the population grew to 100 million Canadians with a vast territory rich in natural resources, technology and strong national institutions.

The scholar says this could be achieved by instigating an aggressive immigration policy to triple Canada’s current population of 34 million to 100 million people.

'First, a far larger demographic base to build strong national institutions and structures across the vast territory of Canada — institutions that, while today are often absent or weak, would eventually serve as a bulwark for international strategic influence.'

Studin also wrote that the strategic arms of the state would also benefit from an increased population, with business, cultural or scientific sectors among those that would benefit. Canada would also be a larger national market as a result.

'In the process, the Canada of 100 million, through the force of new domestic structures, coupled with growing international impact (and prestige), undergoes an evolution of the national geist — one arguably appropriate for this new, more complicated, more international century. In short, Canada becomes a serious force to be reckoned with.'

Studin reckons that the 100 million mark could be reached within a few generations, approximately 2080, largely through increased immigration - the Canadian immigration rate would need to be increased by around 20% to 30% on current rates to be successful.