canada redux

How Will Illegal Immigration End?

2007-02-10T09:00:00.000-08:00

We hear all sorts of solutions for ending illegal immigration. Build a wall! Beef up border security! Fine employers, and create a massive guest-worker program. Or America could insist on tamper-proof identification cards, or detention, deportation or even amnesty for some illegal aliens -- or all of these measures somehow combined.

But ultimately the solution lies in the hope that a Tijuana might become as prosperous as a San Diego -- now a few miles away but a world apart.

After all, Hong Kong used to be a magnet for illegal immigrants who streamed in from impoverished Red China. Not so much any longer. Shanghai, for example, in two decades has become almost as wealthy as the old British colony.

East Berliners used to risk their lives to cross the wall into the West. Now billions of dollars are being invested in restoring the eastern half of a united Germany's capital.

Since World War II, poor workers from largely agrarian, Catholic and authoritarian Spain flocked northward into industrialized, Protestant and more democratic Germany and France to find work. Today, Spain's employment and growth rates compare favorably with those of its northern neighbors.

In each of these cases, once poorer regions bordering far wealthier societies have -- either by emulation, absorption or coercion -- radically liberalized their economic systems. With jobs and capital almost as plentiful at home as abroad, few wish to leave.

When Mexico follows suit, its relationship with the United States will resemble our connection with Canada. That should be our goal. Our northern neighbor's economy and political system are comparable to America's -- and thus the number of Canadians arriving here is small and almost the same as the number of Americans leaving for Canada. And by any benchmark, the weather, arable land and coastline of Canada are not nearly as inviting as Mexico's.

Yet currently, Mexico's per capita gross domestic product is about a quarter of the United States'. Wages in Mexico are far lower than in America. No wonder Mexicans come here by the millions.

So how will Mexico ever achieve parity with the United States?

The Mexican government must begin selling off inefficient state enterprises, especially in gas and oil. It should offer greater protection of property rights and ensure title searches. Mexico must stop the old nationalist rhetoric and welcome foreign investment, create a transparent judicial system and allow land to be freely bought and sold.

Most importantly, the Mexican bureaucracy must end endemic corruption that so exasperates foreign investors who would otherwise bring to Mexico efficient job-producing businesses.

There is no chance of Mexico being absorbed by its neighbor as East Germany was by the West. America will not create a continental union as happened in Europe and which so benefits Spain. Nor can even we count on complacent Mexican elites to believe they can become richer by deregulating their economy and competing in the global marketplace as has happened in China. Apprehensive Chinese leaders, after all, changed their rules only because they thought they had no choice after seeing the Soviet Union fall.

So what can the United States do?

Offer both help and tough love.

Granting Mexico favorable trade incentives is cheaper in the long run than dealing with the social problems caused by illegal immigration and the economic consequences of billions of U.S. dollars being sent southward from Mexican workers. The North American Free Trade Agreement, however controversial, has probably helped decrease Mexico's general poverty rate and increase its gross domestic product.

By closing the borders, the U.S. would stop subsidizing Mexican failure. At present, workers come to America not only because of higher wages, but also on the assumption that their cash income will often be untaxed and augmented by subsidized state health care, housing and education.

Tax evasion and American entitlement help to free up workers' dollars to be sent back to Mexico. In economic terms, that translates to the United States economy subsidizing millions of the unemployed in Mexico through $20 billion annually in cash remittances. This money weakens the incentive of millions in Mexico to seek employment or to demand government reform.

Finally, we need honesty about the problem. Mexico masquerades as a revolutionary socialist state, replete with flashy radical slogans that date back to the old days of Emiliano Zapata and Pancho Villa.

In truth, Mexico City's creed is elitism and a fossilized cronyism. Its privileged few have hurt millions of their hardworking citizens who deserve far more humane treatment -- and sometimes find it only here in America.

thxs Victor Davis Hanson
RealClearPolitics

Thousands of Israelis seeking asylum in Canada: reports

2007-02-06T16:05:00.001-08:00

At least 3,000 Israelis, most of them citing a fear of spousal abuse and Palestinian violence, have requested asylum in Canada since 2000, recent reports out of Israel said.

Two major newspapers in Israel said that Canada has already granted refugee status to hundreds of Israelis, but thousands of others have filed applications.

The reports, from the Yediot Ahronot and Maariv newspapers, both quoted figures from the Israeli Foreign Ministry that show at least 3,000 Israelis filed applications seeking asylum in Canada. Maariv said that upwards of 500 of the applications had been approved in the last six years.

Yediot quoted the Israeli Ambassador to Canada, Alan Baker, as saying many of the applications Canadian officials were seeing were in fact bogus and that they were "harming Israel's image and representing it as a country whose citizens are persecuted."

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said the department was aware of the number of Israelis seeking asylum in Canada, and said "we have taken the matter up with the Canadians," but he did not elaborate.

The Canadian embassy in Tel Aviv said it did not have the data, and referred inquiries to the government in Ottawa.

thxs

cdc.ca

Worry in Canada over caribou population

2007-02-04T15:03:00.000-08:00

Canada is a country that is extremely aware of its wildlife and is a concern of its daily activities with organizations such as WildLife raising money and awareness. Here is an article that demonstrates:

The caribou population in Canada's vast Northwest Territories is falling rapidly and the increasingly warm climate could slow the animals' chances of recovery, a wildlife specialist said on Friday.

Herds of barren-ground caribou -- which for centuries have been a crucial source of food and furs for local aboriginals -- have dropped by between 40 and 86 percent over the last 10 years. The largest single herd fell from 472,000 animals in 1986 to 128,000 in 2006 and is still declining.

"The level of concern is very high in the Northwest Territories," said Ray Case of the territories' environment and natural resources ministry.

Case -- blaming natural factors such as varying climate, insect levels, the amount of food available, and the number of predators -- said the caribou population had traditionally risen and fallen over a 30-year cycle.

But he told Reuters that warmer winters and easier access for hunters to the ranges that the caribou cover make it harder to say what will happen to the herds in years to come.

"That doesn't suggest global warming is driving this but certainly there is concern that things are changing ... we do have some uncertainty about what the future holds as far as climate and as far as human activity," he said.

Case spoke by telephone from Inuvik, in the Mackenzie River Delta, where politicians, wildlife officials and aboriginals were attending a four-day summit on the caribou herds.

"If they experience a number of years with very low calf production and calf survival the herds can decline quite quickly. They can also increase quite quickly," he said.

Over the past few years hunters have been allowed to kill a an average of 11,000 animals annually, a number that Case said would have to be reduced.

He also expressed concern about modern forms of transport that allow hunters to reach once inaccessible areas where in the past the caribou would have taken refuge while herd levels gradually recovered.

"They can't hide from us any more. People can either go by ice road or snowmobile or aircraft and actually find the caribou and continue to harvest ... we need to be cautious about how we manage the future," Case said.

Animal rights activists say they are concerned about increased mining and oil extraction on calving grounds in Canada's mineral-rich northern region. Case said this did not seem to be a major factor in the territories.

"There has been some drilling, some seismic activity on some of the ranges but over the period that this decline occurred the activity has been very low," Case said.

"There hasn't been activity on all of the ranges yet all of the caribou herds have shown a similar decline."
thxs David Ljunggren forests.org

Immigration Canada Must Allow Families to Enter Country

2007-02-03T20:26:00.001-08:00

Immigration Canada tried to block two families that each has a child with an intellectual disability from immigrating to the country. It refused their permanent residency applications on the grounds that the children might cause “excessive demands” on social services.

Fortunately, the justices of the Supreme Court of Canada did not agree. On October 21, they rendered their decision in two cases, the Hilewitz and de Jong cases, which were on appeal from the Federal Court of Appeal (FCA). The families appealed the decisions of the FCA that a medical officer is not required to consider the family’s personal circumstances, including a family’s ability to provide disability supports, in making recommendations about their immigration to Canada.

The decision is a victory for persons with disabilities and their families. Justice Rosie Abella noted that Canadian immigration policy has applied “exclusionary euphemistic designations” that concealed prejudices about persons with disabilities. The Court directed that Immigration Canada should conduct individualized assessments of a family’s immigration application and immigration officials should consider the resources, time, personal and financial supports, as well as community supports, that families are able and willing to provide.

ARCH represented the Canadian Association of Community Living (CACL) and Ethno-Racial People With Disabilities Coalition of Ontario (ERDCO) before the Supreme Court of Canada in both cases. The CACL and ERDCO intervened in order to draw the court’s attention to the fact that people with disabilities are denied admission to Canada based on negative stereotypes.

Migrants "harder working and more reliable"

2007-02-02T08:56:00.000-08:00

A poll of 500 employers by the Institute of Directors (IoD) found that migrants are viewed as outperforming indigenous employees "by a large margin" across a whole range of measures.

Underlining this belief, a lack of skills among the British workforce was by far the most common reason given for employing migrants, cited by some six out of 10 employers. In contrast, just 16 per cent said they employed migrants because they were cheaper.

Unsurprisingly, IoD members emerged as being very supportive of encouraging immigration into the UK, with almost six out of 10 (57 per cent) supporting a policy of total freedom of movement of labour within the EU.

Nevertheless, they also have serious doubts about the Government's performance over immigration policy. Only 13 per cent of IoD members think the Government has an effective immigration policy, whereas 73 per cent think it is ineffective.

Those surveyed also overwhelmingly disagree with the view that immigration should be completely unrestricted, with eight out of 10 disagreeing with the view that there should be 'no obvious upper limit' to immigration.

"As demonstrated by our survey, migrant workers provide a vital boost to the UK economy," said Miles Templeman, IoD Director General.

"It also, more than we expected, shows that migrant workers outperform across a whole range of measures including productivity, education and skills, work ethic, reliability and the amount of sick leave. Immigration however, should not be left unrestricted and should be controlled on a skills basis."

And he added: "in a global economy, the UK workforce has got to raise its game on skills and performance."

Immigrants Back For Second Chance

2007-02-01T09:19:00.000-08:00

Baby Francesca De Sousa remained contentedly oblivious to the tearful and joyous return to Canada of her parents and two older sisters yesterday, about 10 months after they were deported to Portugal.

Francesca's mother Maria De Sousa, 36, was seven months pregnant when she, husband Antonio, 37, and daughters Tanya, 13, and Anna, 11, left – after four years in Canada and a failed bid to stay here on a refugee asylum claim.

They were among hundreds of Portuguese families deported last year, mostly after overstaying work permits and visitor's visas.

"We don't know what the future is going to bring us," said Maria, as her sister-in-law translated the thoughts she expressed after landing at Pearson International Airport on an Air Transat flight from Lisbon.

"Everybody loves the country – the husband, the wife, the kids, even the little one, for sure she's going to love the country," said Maria.

"We're happy. It's a new life. There's hope for us for a better life, so it's good," she added.

Their arrival was the result of a one-year temporary resident permit signed by the minister of immigration after assurances of a guaranteed job for Antonio De Sousa as a roofer in the GTA's booming construction industry.

Returns like that of the De Sousas leave Peter Ferreira, president of the Portuguese Canadian National Congress – who fought last year's boost in deportations of Portuguese migrants, many of them construction workers – wondering why the government was so insistent on sending them packing in the first place.

"That's the million-dollar question," said Ferreira, saying last year's deportations were needless.

Ferreira said he knows of at least a dozen such families who have already returned, some just months after their removal. He estimates that about 80 per cent of the 400 or so removed last year are either back or in the process of coming back.

He said it's possible the immigration department wanted to send a hard-line message.

"Maybe the government reassessed the situation," he said. "It was a given that the country needed these people and continues to need these highly skilled individuals."

The deportations made headlines after it was revealed that Canada Border Services Agents entered schools to enforce deportation orders, in one case taking children into custody first to lure their parents out. Many of the Portuguese workers, who had entered Canada as visitors or on temporary work permits, had lodged refugee claims in an effort to stay, based on misleading information.

The rise in deportations sparked demonstrations urging then immigration minister Monte Solberg to let the hard-working families remain.

It's estimated that 200,000 people of various nationalities are living illegally in Canada, often in industries that face a labour shortage such as construction and hospitality. One estimate suggests that there are at least 15,000 undocumented immigrants in Toronto's Portuguese community.

Solberg denied at the time that a crackdown was underway but said it was important to uphold Canada's immigration laws while showing compassion toward families being uprooted, sometimes after years of getting themselves established here.

In many cases, the Portuguese who applied for refugee status would not have sufficient "points" to win admission to Canada under the normal immigration procedure, which strongly emphasizes education level, language skills and job experience.

Ferreira said those returning are doing so on written guarantees from employers to Human Resources and Skills Development Canada stating that a job is available to them that could not be filled by a legal resident of Canada. The request then requires the consent of the minister of immigration.

A spokesperson for Immigration Minister Diane Finley said he could not comment on the situation of the returning Portuguese deportees because of privacy considerations.

But another immigration department spokesperson said temporary residence and work permit holders could apply to have their stay extended.

She said the question of whether they could apply for permanent residency in Canada would "depend on the individual circumstances of the family."

thxs Phinjo Gombu
The Toronto Star

340,000 immigrants can't get credentials recognized, landmark study says

2007-01-31T06:53:00.000-08:00

A recent report tells us that foreign credentials of 340,000 Canadians or permanent residents of visible minorities have not been recognized, and Canada is losing $4.1b every year because of that.

CIC accepts about 90,000 skilled workers every year. So the number of immigrants who could not have their credentials recognized equals to an skilled worker inventory of 4 years.

The report was a one-year work dubbed "INCLUSIVE, ACCESSIBLE AND RELEVANT WORKPLACE LEARNING: A Position Paper On Visible Minorities And Workplace Literacy", and was completed by the National Visible Minority Council on Labour Force Development.

One of the stunning conclusions this report has made is that "racism and discrimination continue to be identified as a contributing factor to the unemployment and underemployment of visible minorities and their lack of advancement in the workplace."

Visible minorities have higher education than Canadian-born, but immigrants are less fortunate:

Visible minorities are faced with a multitude of socio-economic inequities. Even though studies have shown that attaining post-secondary education is a critical component of professional development and workplace success in Canada, educated visible minorities continue to have higher unemployment rates than the total population. Statistics show that 47.5% of Canadian-born, visible minority workers, aged 25 to 34, have completed university, compared to 26.6% of Canadian born, non-visible minority workers.

But immigrant unemployment rate is much higher than national average. Immigrants obviously have not enjoyed the economic prosperity and low employment rate other Canadians have been enjoying these years.

However, the national immigrant unemployment rate hovers around 30% while the national unemployment rate remains steady at around 7%. Whether Canadian-born or immigrant, visible minorities' access to the labour market can be challenging. In addition, even when gainfully employed, a glass ceiling often prevents advancement for visible minorities.

The natural consequence of ramping unemployment rates is poverty:

It is not surprising, therefore, that the 2001 Statistics Canada census reported that 36% of all visible minority persons in Canada lived in poverty in comparison to 20% of the Canadian population.

The percentage of unattached visible minorities living in poverty was recently polled at 52.9% compared to the national rate of 38%. The percentage of visible minority families living in poverty was 26% compared to the national average of 12.9%. One in five visible minorities with post-secondary education are among the poorest 20% of the nation's population. In such cases, attaining post secondary education has not had a positive impact on economic independence.

The report writers blame the failure of foreign credentials recognition as the heart of all problems:

The higher rate of poverty in visible minority communities is due, in part, to 340,000 ready, able and well-educated individuals being unable to access the labour market. The problem is that their credentials were earned outside Canada and are not recognized by employers, sector councils, government accreditation bodies and human resources departments in this country. In addition to this colossal loss of human resource potential, the non-recognition of foreign credentials represents an annual, national, economic loss of $2.7 to $4.1 billion in earnings.

The report says newer immigrants are earning less and less than their predecessors, which is an alarming situation.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The following recommendations are being made to relevant stakeholders for discussion
and action:

A) Developing a National Workplace Learning Strategy for Visible Minorities

(1) NVMCLFD recommends that:

* The Government of Canada, in consultation with NVMCLFD and other relevant stakeholders develop a National Visible Minority Workplace Learning Strategy that takes into consideration local differences and community needs.
* The Government of Canada provides the necessary funding to implement this National Strategy at a level that will meet future challenges due to demographic changes and labour market skill shortages.

B) Addressing the Needs of Visible Minorities
(2) NVMCLFD recommends that the Provinces and the Government of Canada, in partnership with relevant stakeholders, respond to the specific training needs of visible minorities in the workplace.

(3) NVMCLFD recommends that the Provinces and the Government of Canada make an ongoing commitment to funding a comprehensive approach to language training programs for visible minorities in the workplace, that include both advanced levels as well as basic level literacy training.

(4) NVMCLFD recommends that:

* Sector Councils, the Provinces, and the Government of Canada recognize the plight of the many visible minorities who work in certain seasonal and casual construction, manufacturing, mining, agricultural industries andbaddress their needs for workplace training; and
* All levels of government, unions and employers ensure that seasonal and casual workers are covered under provincial and federal labour codes in order to protect their basic rights as workers.

(5) NVMCLFD recommends that Sector Councils, the Provinces, and the Government of Canada recognize that many visible minorities and immigrants work in non-unionized workplaces.

(6) NVMCLFD recommends that Chambers of Commerce, Business Councils, Sector Councils, Provinces and the Government of Canada undertake an initiative to provide bridging opportunities for the many visible minority immigrants who are prevented from obtaining employment commensurate with their qualifications due primarily to a lack of Canadian experience.

(7) NVMCLFD recommends that:

* The Provinces and the Government of Canada, in particular HRSDC and NLS, ensure workplace learning programs are funded on a long term and sustainable basis; and
* Funding selection and allocation criteria be made public and transparent.

C) Involving Employers

* The Chambers of Commerce, the Provinces, the Government of Canada and other related stakeholders implement a nation wide program to educate;
* Employers, particularly small and medium size businesses on the economic and social advantages of offering workplace learning programs; and
* The Provinces and the Government of Canada develop tax and other incentive for businesses that develop and provide workplace learning for their workers.

D) Promoting “Workplace Learning”
(9) NVMCLFD recommends that:

* The Provinces and the Government of Canada, in particular HRSDC and NLS, utilize the term “workplace learning” instead of “workplace literacy”;
* The Government of Canada expand the Essential Skills Framework toinclude socio-cultural competencies.

E) Recognizing Foreign Credentials and Prior Learning
(10) NVMCLFD recommends that regulatory bodies, the Provinces and the Government of Canada develop plans and strategies to accelerate the recognition of foreign credentials in all occupational areas.

(11) NVMCLFD recommends that the Provinces and the Government of Canada provide financial support to offset the cost of translation and evaluation of the foreign credential documents for those immigrants with job skills that are needed in Canada.

(12) NVMCLFD recommends that employers, educational institutions and all levels of government establish a consistent approach to evaluating prior learning when evaluating the skills and abilities of visible minorities.

F) Learning from the Current Project
(13) NVMCLFD recommends that the Government of Canada, particularly HRSDC and NLS, provide funding for NVMCLFD:

* To convert the lessons learned from the current project into training and reference material for other stakeholders to assist employers in implementing effective workplace learning programs for visible minorities;
* To continue its work in areas that are identified in the above recommendations.

G) Combatting Racism as a Significant Barrier
(14) NVMCLFD recommends that:

* Chambers of Commerce, Business Councils, Provinces, the Government of Canada, unions, employers and all other stakeholders recognize the reality of the negative economic impact on the country of racism and its deterrence to the full utilization of visible minorities in the workforce; and
* All levels of government, unions and employers provide “unlearning of racism” and diversity training to all employees.

chineseinvancouver.blogspot.com

Immigration to Manitoba Reaches 50 Year High

2007-01-30T07:13:00.000-08:00

The past year saw the province increase its immigration levels by 23% over 2005. The majority of immigration to the province fell under Manitoba's Provincial Nominee Program - accounting for 6600 workers. Under the program, the province is able to directly select immigrants that will meet the province's needs in categories agreed upon with the federal government. The province also saw increases of over 10% in the family class and refugee categories.

In 2006 Manitoba attracted half of all provincial nominee immigrants to Canada—despite a population that stands at approximately 3% of the Canada’s total. The province's success is attracting attention from its neighbours, especially booming Alberta. Iris Evans, the Minister of Employment, Immigration and Industry for the province of Alberta, visited Manitoba last week to study its strategies. "I wanted to know how they managed to speed it (immigration) up and do it so quickly and seemingly so effectively," said Evans in an interview.

Despite the significant increase, Manitoba continues to push for more immigration to fill human resource needs and fuel the growing economy. The province has a long term plan in place, hoping to welcome roughly 10000 new immigrants per year over the next 10 years. Since 1999, just over 50000 immigrants have made their homes in Manitoba.

Source: Winnipeg Free Press

Immigration is Selfish

2007-01-29T07:00:00.001-08:00

To talk sense about immigration, we must start with the axiom that all immigration is selfish. No one moves from a good land to a wretched one voluntarily. However personally traumatic it may be, an immigrant chooses to move to better himself.

Diversity? Were Canadians Ever Consulted?

Doubters are invited to check out the Haitian, North Korean or Burmese -- I guess it's now the Myamar -- embassies. There are no lineups of would-be immigrants outside their doors. Why? The reader is likely chuckling at the obvious answer: No one in his right mind would wish to migrate to those wretched lands.

Exactly. The pro-immigration propaganda in Canada is that immigration, especially diversity, "enriches" us. If it does in the odd case, it is entirely by accident. Immigrants do not seek a new land to "enrich" the inhabitants but to enrich and better themselves.

Knowing this, then, a prudent country will seek to carefully screen and regulate immigrants to ensure that they can and do contribute, that they will not be a burden and that they do not bring criminal ways or disruptive social or moral practices with them.

Integrating into Canadian Society?

Finally, North Americans, especially Canadians, have been fed a poisonous gruel of guilt by the self-interested immigration lobby. We have been haranged that to oppose immigration is some form of smug superiority or, that term that reduces even sturdy men to cringing wimps, "white supremacy." How, it is demanded, can you dare impose your standards or your cultures on newcomers? That is a clear sign of white supremacy.

The very act of immigration settled the question of superiority. As it's axiomatic that no one leaves a better place for a worse, the immigrant himself has acknowledged the superiority of the land to which he has immigrated. By coming to Canada or the U.S., the immigrant has admitted in a most dramatic way, that these lands are better than the one he's left. The reason these lands are better is the culture. Canada and the U.S. are based on a Christian culture of caring for one's neighbour. Both share a legal culture of respect for the rule of law and a system that strives for impartial and fair justice. Both have a political system rooted in Britain that emphasizes the consent of the governed and representation of the governed. It is this political and moral culture that make these lands the desirable havens they are for immigrants, so desireable that many will lie or bribe flesh-smuggling "snakeheads" to take them there.

Wasn't Fluency in English or French Supposed to Be A Requirement for Immigrants?

Banks cater to Newcomers & Slap Hefty Fees on Canadians.

Effete academics may debate the merits of one culture over another. Immigrants by the act of flocking to North America have provided a resounding rebuke to cultural relativism. They have acknowledged the overwhelming superiority of the lands to which they have come.

by Peter Fromm
canadafirst.net

Winner of Best High School Film at Toronto Film Festival

2007-01-28T08:52:00.000-08:00

My Landing Experiance

2007-01-25T13:48:00.000-08:00

On 19th October 1999, I went to Canada to go through the landing process. Here's how it went:

My plane landed at Montreal Dorval airport in the middle of the evening. After the usual long walk, I arrived at passport control, and handed over my passport and all the forms. The lady there checked my passport and then sent me into the Immigration office. There was no queue, so I went straight up to the counter and was greeted by a friendly man. He separated the various parts of my visa, and stapled my copy into my passport. He then directed me to go left into the customs office, then left again into Quebec Immigration. As I left the counter he welcomed me to Canada.

I missed the customs office completely, and ended up in Quebec Immigration, where a man, after establishing that I didn't speak french, arranged a meeting with an immigration official for the next day. He also gave me a pack containing literature about living in Quebec, and welcomed me to the province.

I wandered back the way I had come, and eventually found the customs office. I was ushered into a small room containing one desk, and asked to take a seat. After entering some data into the computer, the customs official asked me what goods I had with me, and what I was having shipped. I gave him the lists I had prepared before leaving England, which he seemed happy with. He stamped them both, fed the value of my goods into the computer, and printed off a goods receipt, which I will need to bring with me when my goods arrive at customs. He also gave me some customs literature, and welcomed me to Canada.

All that took no more than 15 minutes, then I was out into the baggage reclaim area, slightly dazed, and apparently a Canadian permanent resident. After collecting my luggage, I went out to be greeted by Jen, who had a big bunch of flowers for me, with the three flags of Canada, Quebec and Montreal.

thxs Mark!
http://www.lambic.co.uk/

The Medical - What to expect.

2007-01-24T18:07:00.000-08:00

This is Chapter 3 - a mere glimpse - of Carolyn's story and how she came to live in Canada. You are all invited to get the full scoop at her website. For now, here is a taster that may just help you all:

As you know, you have to have a full medical. The rules for this are constantly changing so do whateber they tell you to in your application kit. But this is what happened to us....

When we had it done we were sent the forms and told to go to a designated doctor who then sent the completed forms to Ottawa, who then sat on them for months and months. The reason for this seemed to be to test the applicants, if the elevated blood pressure and stress from waiting, wondering and worrying didn t kill us then we were, presumably, deemed fit enough to enter Canada. Nowadays, as I understand it - Disclaimer: I quite often get the wrong end of the stick so you may want to check this out for yourself - they are streamlining ............hmmmmmm :-) don't you just love it when governments use words like streamline and simplify. I mean you just know that some boffin sitting in a government cupboard is paid to come up with ever more ingenious ways to complicate matters for the ordinary man(woman) in the street!......the whole process and apparently have handed over the medicals to a private company so that you should be able to get the whole thing done much faster and any follow ups can be addressed quicker.

So, the actual medical...what do they do? They take a detailed history:- they want to know about operations and illnesses and so on. They measure your height and then they weigh you - fortunately because it s for Canada they do it in kilograms.....I sounded much thinner in Kilograms. You pee into a little jar and then, no matter how hard you try to pursuade them not to....and I tried, believe me I tried....they insist on taking a whole armful of blood. Now I have long been of the opinion that if God had intended us to part with any of the red stuff He would never have covered us in this unbroken skin thing and would probably have put a little tap somewhere. And I am absolutely certain that it was never in His plan for us to walk around with empty arms - even for Immigration purposes - but apparently God has not shared His opinion with Canadian Immigration so be prepared to be punctured. They also x-ray your chest. They let you keep a robe on while doing this.....for some reason this surprised me.....medical science really suffered a great loss when I decided not to be a doctor don't you think?...... It did cross my mind that it might be amusing to keep an underwired bra on for the x-ray .....you know....two smiles on your chest?......well, perhaps it's only amusing to me....... Absolutely EVERYONE must have an x-ray so if you are pregnant you will have to delay the medical until after you give birth, something to bear in mind when applying.

The Canadian Immigration people appear to be absolutely obsessed with our (applicants) lungs. My son has mild, exercise induced, asthma - to me the obvious solution is "Don't exercise!" and I have managed to avoid doing that for quite some time now, but Matt likes to run. We were stupid....er...sorry...honest and told the doctor about it. If we hadn t mentioned it there is no way he would have known. ..... something to think about. So Matt got hauled back in for further tests. They wanted to make sure it was asthma and not TB. I am sure there must be quite a difference but then I have already mentioned that I am not very up on medical issues.

I have heard through the Internet that many minor conditions are not a barrier to immigration. What they are looking for are long term, serious illnesses and/or carriers of diseases that could endanger the Canadian public. Mild diabetes or mildly elevated blood pressure will not keep you out. Nor will mild asthma, poor eyesight or hearing, provided it does not affect your work. I have heard of a case, however, where one of the principal Applicant's dependent children had cerebral palsy and the whole family was turned down. Again, something to bear in mind before you part with your application fee and start paying for the medicals. We paid $120 each for our medicals - this was in July 1995. This can vary depending on where you go.

When you are approved for Permanent Residence you MUST land (enter Canada as an immigrant) before the anniversary of your initial medical. If you are called back for further tests it is still the first date that they go from. If for any reason your application is not approved until after that anniversary you have to undergo another medical - yes and pay for it again! No, it s not fair but I know it has happened to quite a few people - especially those who are not interview-waived.

http://www.witchweb.net/immigration/c3.html

Is Canada Right for You? An Immigration Reality Check

2007-01-23T17:23:00.000-08:00

For thousands of people around the world, Canada is the immigrant's dream destination. Welcoming people, lack of racial tensions, a booming economy and excellent school and healthcare systems add up to a country they would love to call home.

Sounds wonderful? Are you asking yourself right now: "How do I get started?"

Unfortunately, a lot of people fall into the trap of pushing ahead with their applications without asking themselves a far more basic question, which is: "Is Canada right for me?"

They move to Canada having done little real research, without truly understanding the difficulties they might face and what they need to do to overcome them. The result is often frustration, disappointment and worry as their drain their bank accounts while trying to get settled in.

Make no mistake, Canada holds many wonderful opportunities for immigrants, but it takes a lot more than a permanent resident's visa to succeed.

Research into every aspect of Canadian life, and preparation for what you can expect here are key to settling in. With that in mind, let's dispel any illusions you might have about the country and do a reality check on what life is really like for new immigrants:

How easy is it to get started?

The answer to this question depends on whom you ask. When researching for a feature article for The Essential Guide on Moving to Canada, most people admitted the first year is almost always the most difficult. Few are so lucky as to immediately land the job of their dreams. Many don?t even get a job in the early months after the move to Canada, and if they do, it is in a field totally different from what they have worked in.

Assuming the worst, you will need to have enough funds to tide you and your family over for at least a few months. Citizenship and Immigration Canada insists on a transfer of around C$10,000-$15,000 when you move to the country (the figures vary depending on the size of your family). Our advice however is to work out approximately how much you will need to support you and your family for the first six months (and that includes rent/mortgage, initial ?setting-up-home? expenses, groceries, travel and other costs), and put that aside as a ?start-up? fund.

In most cases, the going gets easier over time. People find better-paying jobs or earn promotions, having overcome the ?Canadian experience? hurdle. As you become more comfortable in your new surroundings, your circle of friends will grow, you will develop your own favourite places to shop and find new avenues of entertainment.

Even misfortunes like losing a job will not seem an outright tragedy once you are entitled to benefits such as unemployment insurance.

The trick really is to make sure you have enough funds to tide you over the crucial early months ? basically prepare for the worst while hoping for the best.

Are jobs easy to come by?

The question of jobs is paramount in the minds of most immigrants, which is why we have devoted an entire chapter to it. It?s often a matter of talent, timing and luck. You should be willing to ?reinvent? yourself to find a job that requires your knowledge and skills if work isn?t available in your own field.

Immigrant stories on the job front are so varied that it would be unfair to generalize. Some find jobs almost immediately after they arrive, others wait several months before even getting a call for an interview. It must be said though that for most skilled immigrants, finding employment is usually just a matter of time.

What about education?

Education standards in Canada are excellent. Schooling is free, but college and university education is expensive. Many teenagers take up summer jobs to help pay their way through college and student loans are also available.

There are also several institutions that offer special interest courses for children and adults. Many immigrants enrol themselves in evening or night courses to polish their skills in subjects that might help promote themselves better in the job market.

Canadian winters? Brrrr!

Canadian winters are a huge source of concern for most immigrants, especially those from countries where it never snows. There is no denying that the winter months are bitterly cold. However, so long as you are properly attired when outdoors and your home and car is equipped for the season, there is no cause for alarm. Many immigrants are surprised by how well they cope with winter in Canada, and children especially have a ball in the snow.

There will always be days when the weather is especially rough (usually when it?s both cold and windy), but then which part of the world doesn?t have its bad days?

If below freezing temperatures are too chilling a prospect for you, look at setting up home in a city nearer the West Coast. Vancouver, for example, rarely has snow and temperatures below 0 Celsius are unusual.

Will I be able to adjust to life in Canada? Will I lose my ethnic identity?

Adjusting to the Canadian way of life really depends on the immigrant?s background and his or her willingness to make the change. It helps to have a spirit of adventure and the readiness for a challenge. There are many aspects of life in Canada that you might find different from what you are used to ? whether it pertains to job-hunting, buying a home or socialising.

Having said that, it is not in the least bit true that you will start to lose your identity or sense of roots. Immigration levels in Canada are high, and some 250,000 new immigrants set foot on Canadian soil each year. So don?t be surprised when you find yourself surrounded by people of your own race, creed or colour at work, on the roads or at the malls.

Canada respects all religions and cultures, and whether you go to a church, temple, mosque or gurudwara, you will likely find a place of worship near you.

There are several clubs and associations that cater to individual communities or nationalities as well as organisations that help new immigrants adjust to life in Canada, so look at using these services.

There are even television and radio networks which broadcast programmes in ethnic languages, and as for films, we?d be surprised if you didn?t find what you were looking for at a neighbourhood video store!

thxs Archie DCruz
lasr.net

Canada's newcomers: Immigration patterns

2007-01-22T19:53:00.000-08:00

The following information was taken from a Statistics Canada report on Canada's demographic situation between 2002 and 2004, and from 2001 census data by Statistics Canada, with some information from Citizenship and Immigration.

Top 10 source countries for immigrants coming to Canada (2004):

China and Hong Kong: 38,608
India: 28,183
Philippines: 13,900
Pakistan: 13,011
Iran: 6,491
United States: 6,470
Romania: 5,816
Great Britain: 5,353
South Korea: 5,351
Colombia: 4,600

Top 10 source countries for immigrants coming to Canada (up until 1981):

United Kingdom
Italy
U.S.
Germany
Portugal
Netherlands
India
Poland
China
Countries of the former Yugoslavia

In 2004, Canada admitted 235,800 immigrants. That figure is down from the 250,000 in 2001, but close to the annual average of 224,600 between 1990-2004. Canada's immigration rate is roughly double that of the United States.

Where do they go?

In 2004:

Ontario: 53.1 per cent
Quebec: 18.8 per cent
British Columbia: 15.7 per cent
Alberta: 7 per cent
Manitoba: 3.2 per cent
Other provinces and territories: 2.4 per cent

In 2004, 72 per cent of immigrants ended up in Canada's largest cities: Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal.

100,088 chose to settle in Toronto
38,045 chose to settle in Montreal
32,575 chose to settle in Vancouver.

Those headed to Toronto come from: China, India, Pakistan, Philippines and Korea.

Immigrants to Montreal tend to come from: China, France, Morocco, Algeria and Haiti.

Immigrants to Vancouver are from: China, India, Philippines, Korea and Taiwan.

Children

Seventeen per cent of immigrants in the 1990s were schoolchildren aged between five and 16. Here's how it breaks down in the metropolitan areas:

One in six (17 per cent) of school-age children living in Toronto and Vancouver had immigrated within the past 10 years, as had about seven per cent of Montreal's school-age children.
Urban Ontario:
The cities of Toronto, Markham, Richmond Hill and Mississauga had proportionally higher numbers of new immigrants (one in four) in their school-age populations.
Urban B.C.:
The city of Richmond had the highest proportion of newcomers (32 per cent ) in its school-age population. Nearly three in 10 children in Burnaby in this age group were newcomers, as were 24 per cent in Vancouver, 22 per cent in Coquitlam and 11 per cent in Surrey.
Montreal urban community:
Twelve per cent of school-age children were immigrants who came in the 1990s. But within the MUC, Saint-Laurent had the highest proportion of newcomers (25 per cent) in their school-age population.

Visible minorities and ethnic origin

Three-quarters of immigrants arriving in Canada during the 1990s were visible minorities.

On the flip side, three out of every 10 individuals who were visible minorities were born in Canada. Visible minorities who are most likely to be Canadian-born:

Japanese (65 per cent)
Blacks (45 per cent)
Chinese (25 per cent)
Arabs and West Indians (21 per cent)
Latin Americans (20 per cent)
Koreans (17 per cent)

Chinese are the most populous visible minority in Canada numbering one million. South Asians come in at number 2 with 917,000 people.

While the census reported Canada had people from 200 ethnicities, 39 per cent of the total population reported their ethnic heritage as "Canadian."

Canadian was the most frequently reported origin (alone or in combination with other origins) in almost all provinces in 2001. The exceptions were Saskatchewan, where German was the most frequently reported origin; British Columbia, where English was the most frequent origin; North American Indian in the Northwest Territories; and Inuit in Nunavut.

Top non-official languages spoken at home:

Chinese*
Punjabi
Arabic
Spanish
Tagalog (Filipino)
Russian
Persian (Farsi)
Tamil
Urdu
Korean
*reported as Chinese, Cantonese, Mandarin or Hakka

cbc.ca

Canada and the US to Implement Tighter Border Controls

2007-01-21T12:20:00.000-08:00

On Friday last week, the Canadian government unveiled a CND$432 million (USD$362 million) program to increase border control and security along the border with the United States. This was immediately after plans by the U.S. were revealed to have unmanned spy planes patrolling the border and only about one week before passports become mandatory for U.S. residents to cross the border by plane.

The major border security initiative by the Canadian government will be implemented over the next five years, and with the aim of protecting the border from terrorist, economic and environmental threats.

Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day made the announcement on Friday at the Canada-U.S. border crossing between Windsor and Detroit, where one-third of the USD$1.6 billion in daily trade between the two countries crosses the border daily.

This one contact point between the neighbors exceeds the total trade between the U.S. and Japan.

18,000 trucks cross the U.S.-Canada border each day. As well, all railroad, air and marine cargo carriers will eventually have to file electronic manifests before their shipments arrive. This is expected to allow border service agents to decide in advance if a cargo, or those delivering it, should be screened more closely.

The eManifest program, which is part of the larger effort, will coordinate this effort and is expected to consume the bulk of the allocated funds (~USD$337 million). The electronic manifests will become mandatory at the 119 border crossings, but an exact target date is not yet announced.

When he was elected almost a year ago, Canada's Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, pledged to strengthen the frontier between the worlds largest trading partners.

The lack of security measures along both sides of the 8,890 kilometer (5,300 mile) border has been widely criticized, particularly since the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001.

Passports and biometric identification

Another strategy is the joint Canadian-U.S. NEXUS traveler program, which allows low-risk travelers to cross the border more easily as long as they're willing to submit to a background check and provide fingerprints and other personal data.

NEXUS air, highway and marine programs were consolidated last month into a single 'trusted traveler' program. NEXUS, which started in 2002, now has more than 110,000 members in Canada and the U.S.

Canadians who want to join must pay an $80 fee, good for five years' membership, and supply proof of citizenship, admissibility and place of residence.

Those who have criminal records, who have violated customs or immigration law or are inadmissible to Canada or the United States under immigration rules are not eligible for the program.

The program is also being extended to Mexico to facilitate border crossings between the U.S. and its southern neighbor.

If accepted into NEXUS, a digital photo of a persons irises will be taken, which will be used to identify NEXUS members. Those who cross at land borders can use dedicated lanes, while marine travelers can report to border officials by phone.

A NEXUS membership will be recognized as an alternative to a passport under the U.S. Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which comes into force for air travelers on 23 January 2007.

In Canada, but especially in the United States, there is a backlog of people attempting to obtain passports. The requirement for air travelers to present a passport has been announced broadly since early last year.

The date has been moved several times, originally being expected to take effect from 01 January. Due to holiday travel concerns, it was extended twice until the present date was finalized late last fall. It currently applies to air travelers, but by 01 January 2008 it will apply to travelers by ship and by car.

Remote-control spy planes

The United States currently has a program in place to observe the U.S.-Mexico border with unmanned drones. Called Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), they are based upon military spy planes and are being increasingly adapted for remote-control border patrol operations around the world.

Planned for sometime late this summer, the first UAVs will officially take flight to patrol the U.S.-Canada border. The first one on the northern border will be a single General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) MQ-9 Predator 'B' aircraft.

Four Predator Bs are expected to be in operation by September, at a cost of just over USD$16 million each with USD$10 million in annual maintenance funding for the program. Known as "The Reaper," it is a new, improved version of the UAV used by the U.S. military in Afghanistan operations with "enhanced capabilities."

In parallel, new satellite-to-ground communications infrastructure will be developed at an existing air and marine operations centre at Riverside, California. At an estimated cost of $105 million, the communications system is designed to allow improved co-ordination of UAVs operated throughout U.S. national airspace to watch all borders.

UAVs used on the Canadian border will operate out of existing U.S. National Guard facilities at Grand Forks, North Dakota. This is the first step to lay the foundation for expanded Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) operations along the nation's northern border.

In September 2006, officials of the U.S. Homeland Security Department unveiled plans for an array of sensors, infrared cameras, watchtowers and drones that will eventually monitor the country's entire border with Canada. The goal, they said, was to have the world's longest undefended border under surveillance within three to six years.

"What we are looking to build is a virtual fence, a 21st-century virtual fence," U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said at the time.

thxs workpermit.com

NAFTA Immigration

2007-01-20T10:32:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd start the year with a review of NAFTA occupations that allow US and Mexican citizens to work in Canada without a work permit. If your eduation and experience fall within one of the following listed occupations, you may be able to work in Canada under the provisions of NAFTA. As always, it is best to consult legal counsel to ensure eligibility:

General Professions
Accountant: Baccalaureate, licenciatura degree, C.P.A., C.A., C.G.A., or C.M.A.

Architect: Baccalaureate, licenciatura degree, or state or provincial licensure

Computer systems Analyst: Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree, or post-secondary diploma or certificate and three years of experience

Disaster Relief Insurance Claims Adjuster: Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree and successful completion of training in the appropriate areas of insurance adjustment pertaining to disaster relief claims, or three years of experience in the field of claims adjustment and successful completion of training in the appropriate areas of insurance adjustment pertaining to disaster relief claims.

Economist: Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree

Engineer: Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree, or state or provincial licensure

Forester: Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree, or state or provincial licensure

Graphic Designer: Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree, or post-secondary diploma or certificate and three years of experience

Hotel Manager: Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree in hotel management, or post-secondary diploma or certificate and three years of experience

Industrial Designer: Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree, or post-secondary diploma or certificate and three years of experience

Interior Designer: Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree, or post-secondary diploma or certificate and three years of experience

Land Surveyor: Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree, or state, provincial or federal licensure

Landscape Architect: Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree

Lawyer: (Including Notary in the province of Quebec) L.L.B., J.D., L.L.M., B.C.L., licenciatura degree (five years), or membership in a state or provincial bar

Librarian: M.L.S. or B.L.S. for which another baccalaureate or licenciatura degree was a prerequisite

Management Consultant: Baccalaureate degree, licenciatura degree, or five years of experience in consulting or a related field

Mathematician (including Statistician): Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree

Range Manager/Range Conservationist: Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree

Research Assistant (working in a post-secondary educational institution): Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree

Scientific Technician/Technologist: Must work in direct support of professionals in: chemistry, engineering, geology, geophysics, meteorology, physics, astronomy, agricultural sciences, biology or forestry; and must possess theoretical knowledge of the discipline, and must possess the ability to solve practical problems in the discipline, or the ability to apply principles of the discipline to basic or applied research

Social Worker: Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree

Sylviculturist: (including forestry specialist: Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree

Technical Publications Writer: Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree, or post-secondary diploma or certificate and three years of experience

Urban Planner (including Geographer): Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree

Vocational Counselor: Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree

Medical Professions

Dentist: D.D.S., D.M.D., Doctor en Odontologia, Doctor en Cirugia Dental, or state or provincial licensure

Dietitian: Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree, or state or provincial licensure

Medical Laboratory Technologist (Canada) or Medical Technologist (Mexico): Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree, or post-secondary diploma or certificate and three years of experience. Must be seeking entry to perform chemical, biological, hematological, immunological, microscopic , and bacteriological tests, procedures, experiments, and analysis in laboratories for diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of disease

Nutritionist: Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree

Occupational Therapist: Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree, or state or provincial licensure

Pharmacist: Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree, or state or provincial licensure

Physician (teaching or research only): M.D., Doctor en Medicina, or state or provincial licensure

Physio Therapist or Physical Therapist: Baccalaureate degree, licenciatura degree, or state or provincial licensure

Psychologist: Licenciatura degree or state or provincial licensure

Recreational Therapist: Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree

Registered Nurse: Licenciatura degree or state or provincial licensure

Veterinarian: D.V.M., D.M.V., Doctor en Veterinaria, or state or provincial licensure

Science Professions

Agriculturist (including Agronomist): Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree

Animal Breeder: Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree

Animal Scientist: Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree

Apiculturist: Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree

Astronomer: Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree

Biochemist: Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree

Biologist: Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree

Chemist: Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree

Dairy Scientist: Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree

Entomologist: Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree

Epidemiologist: Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree

Geneticist: Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree

Geochemist: Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree

Geologist: Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree

Geophysicist (including Oceanographer in Mexico): Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree

Horticulturist: Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree

Meteorologist: Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree

Pharmacologist: Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree

Physicist (including Oceanographer in Canada): Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree

Plant Breeder: Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree

Poultry Scientist: Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree

Soil Scientist: Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree

Zoologist: Baccalaureate or licenciatura degree

Teacher: Requires baccalaureate or licenciatura degree for teaching college, seminar or university

Gianpaolo Panusa
entercanada.ca

Israelis comprise 25% of Jews in the GTA

2007-01-18T15:29:00.000-08:00

More than 50,000 immigrants from the State of Israel currently reside in the Greater Toronto Area, comprising some 25 per cent of the GTA’s Jewish population, a new demographic study reveals.

Nearly 2,700 Israelis immigrated to Canada in 2004 and 2,601 arrived the year before – the two highest numbers on record – states the report, titled The Israeli Community in the Greater Toronto Area.

Prepared by David Gidron for the Israeli House, a component of the Israeli Consulate in Toronto, the study found that altogether, 64,859 Israelis immigrated to Canada from 1946 to 2004, with the vast majority settling in the GTA. That figure does not include children born in Canada.

Ties between Israeli immigrants and the established Jewish community remain tenuous. In the report, Gidron calls on Jewish community leadership “to find ways to strengthen the connection to this group… Some of the Jewish bodies – especially the bodies connected to Jewish education – are, in my opinion, moving too slowly and are having difficulty in finding solutions to the needs of the Israeli community. It is important that these bodies put the Israeli issues on their agenda in order to help ensure we don’t lose the next generation, the children.”

A copy of the report has been turned over to the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto and it is now being studied. The report was prepared to assist the Israeli House in planning the kind of services it would offer Israeli expats and to provide the Israeli Canadian Forum, a new organization that will serve as an umbrella organization for Israelis, with information about their target audience. The study is based on Canadian census data, information compiled by the consulate and on material found in Citizenship and Immigration Canada reports.

Gidron believes integrating Israeli newcomers will pose a challenge to the established Jewish community on a number of fronts, but the new, relatively young population group also offers tremendous opportunities for community growth. A community-wide “very serious dialogue” is needed, he said

Posing one difficulty is the cultural divide: many Israelis perceive Canadian Jews as too formal, cool and standoffish.

Another point of separation is religious identity: Canadian Jews’ connection to the community and to their Jewishness is often through synagogue affiliation. Most Israelis, however, are secular. “They look at Jewishness first from the point of nationalism and ethnic identity and less from the point of view of religion,” Gidron said. “It will take years, if ever, to see Israelis migrate to shuls.”

Gidron said he is concerned about Jewish continuity among youths whose parents are Israeli. “They aren’t in day schools and they are not tied to Israel, the land, as they are not living there. That’s a major challenge for anyone who works for the community.”

Gidron, who moved to Toronto two years ago, said Israeli immigrants are forced to address the universal Jewish dilemma of continuity – but with a twist. “In Israel, they do not deal with the question of what it is to be a Jew. They come here and for the first time, they have to give thought to that question.”

Israeli parents are confiding in him that their children are “marrying out and they are not sure what they did wrong.”

Gidron suggested Hebrew supplementary schools might provide a means of bringing young Israelis into the community, but they would have to focus on Israeli history, geography – “for them, Israel the land is pragmatic, it’s not a dream,” he said – and written Hebrew. Tanach could be taught as in Israel, from a historical and cultural perspective, he offered.

Gidron attributed the rise in Israeli emigration to a number of factors. Israelis meet Canadian immigration criteria and so have little difficulty in obtaining visas. Canada is likely the second most popular destination for Israelis, after the United States, he said.

While “we’d be happy if the Israeli community packed up tomorrow and went back home,” he said out-migration is now seen as a normal development in a mature country.

As to Israelis’ integration into the wider community, Gidron is guardedly optimistic. It will depend on “whether the community is open enough to take in a brother that is a little different, and bring them in as an equal. The community here puts people in ‘boxes.’ Is the community open enough to make a new box? [If so] Israelis will respond if there is a box built in their way.”

Some of the report’s other findings:

The largest concentration of Israeli immigrants in the GTA is in Vaughan (2,840), a city immediately north of Toronto. Second is the area around Finch (1,150) and third the area around Lawrence (670). • Two-thirds of the Israeli community earn less than $40,000 per year. Israeli immigrants are relatively young compared to other groups of Jews and most have arrived in the last few years, keeping their incomes low. • Sixty-nine per cent of Israelis are salaried workers, while only 1.6 per cent receive a government pension. 7.23 per cent receive government assistance. • 14.5 per cent live in poverty.

cjnews.com
PAUL LUNGEN

Immigration to Canada - The Pass Mark System

2007-01-17T07:06:00.000-08:00

As you may already know, life in Canada provides many advantages, including universal health care and reduced safety concerns. For this reason, Canada had to implement a program that would prevent the country from being overwhelmed by immigrants. Having an influx of too many new people would simply be too great a strain on the current system and could cause it to collapse.

Canada does want immigrants to come to their country. Otherwise, they wouldn't have lowered the required Pass-Mark score from 75 to 67. However, they do want to ensure that all new immigrants will be able to fit into their culture, will be able to support themselves and their families, and will make a positive contribution to the community into which they move.

The Pass-Mark system is a method of evaluating individuals who apply to become permanent Canadian residents based on those standards.

Elements of the Pass-Mark System

The Pass-Mark System evaluates applicants in six areas:

• Education
• Language ability
• Work experience
• Age
• Arranged employment in Canada
• Adaptability

Each of these areas can earn you a specific number of points based on your responses.

The maximum number of points available for each area is listed below:

Education – 25 points

Language – 24 points

Work experience – 21 points

Age – 10 points

Arranged employment in Canada – 10 points

Adaptability – 10 points

Alex Berez
stepbystepimmigrationcanada.com

Maple Leaf abandons China deal

2007-01-16T21:04:00.000-08:00

WINNIPEG Maple Leaf Foods has shut down its program to import workers from China after discovering that 61 employees at its Brandon pork plant paid $10,000 each to come to Canada under a deal arranged by the partner of a Maple Leaf executive.

Maple Leaf said it had no knowledge of the payments, and although no criminal wrongdoing is alleged, they launched an investigation immediately after learning that many workers are struggling to pay debts related to the fee, which is equivalent to about four times the average annual salary in China.

The company said it hired a Canadian immigration consultant to find workers on its behalf. Although the company refused to identify the consultant, The Globe and Mail has learned that it is Sophia Cummings Enterprises, based in Vancouver.

Maple Leaf confirmed that a company executive is in a relationship with Ms. Cummings but refused to give the name.

Linda Kuhn, a spokeswoman for Maple Leaf, said there was full disclosure of that relationship and it played no role in awarding the contract.

Ms. Cummings is travelling abroad and could not be reached for comment.

The company planned to bring in several hundred workers from China on temporary visas to staff its Brandon plant. The workers arrived in Brandon, a city of 40,000 250 kilometres west of Winnipeg, last spring. They were adjusting well to the community and earning good reviews at work, the company said. But in October, some of the workers asked to be moved out of the apartments arranged for them by Maple Leaf because they were too costly.

That is when it emerged that many of them were struggling under a weight of debt.

"The extent of the cost I'm sure has borne some burden on these people," Ms. Kuhn said.

Officials with the United Food and Commercial Workers union said the Chinese employees are reluctant to speak publicly for fear of repercussions against them and their families in China. But the union said it is concerned about the situation. The workers are paid a starting salary of about $15 an hour for various kinds of work in the plant. Although they are in Canada on temporary visas, some may eventually be able to stay in Manitoba through the provincial nominee program.

Maple Leaf has recruited abroad for many years, particularly in Mexico and El Salvador, partly because of the widespread labour shortage in Western Canada. But Ms. Kuhn said they have never encountered this kind of payment arrangement before.

They stress that the payments are not illegal and were arranged in another country, but they are concerned that it happened without their knowledge or approval.

As a result, they have terminated their business relationship with Ms. Cummings.

The Department of Human Resources and Social Development delved into the case and interviewed several of the Chinese workers after being contacted last month by Maple Leaf.

"We're trying to get to the bottom of this as well," said George Rohulych, the department's manager of employment programs. "What we've been able to learn is that these workers had responded to ads in China from a company that offers its services to people wanting to secure international employment."

For the equivalent of about $10,000, payable in cash only, the workers received training in meat-cutting and some education in English as a second language.

Although it seems a great deal of money, there is nothing the department can do about this type of arrangement, Mr. Rohulych said.

"All that we do is provide a labour-market opinion to the employer that enables them to recruit outside of Canada," he said. "I have no jurisdiction if workers use a third party or if an employer uses a third party."

Initially, he was concerned that the workers had paid for their passage to Canada, which is illegal under the terms of the temporary worker visa. But that proved not to be the case, he said. It is unclear where the money ended up.

Maple Leaf has government approval to bring in 182 more foreign workers this year, but with their China plans on hold, it's not known where those workers will come from.

"I know they're anxious to bring more workers in because they have a need at the facility," Mr. Rohulych said.

Ms. Kuhn said Maple Leaf is considering making some form of restitution to the 61 workers, but she could not say how much money they might receive.

globeandmail.com
JOE FRIESEN

Refugee board sex scandal demonstrates need for independent appeal: NDP

2007-01-15T13:22:00.000-08:00

OTTAWA - Reports of sexual harassment of a young female Korean immigrant by a member of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada clearly demonstrates the need for an independent appeal process, said NDP Immigration Critic Bill Siksay and Deputy Critic Olivia Chow.

"As an immigrant woman, I was outraged by reports of sexual harassment by a member of the Immigration and Refugee Board," said Chow, MP for Trinity-Spadina which is home to thousands of immigrants and refugees.

"This is not just an isolated tale of abuse by a Liberal crony appointee, but a stain on our country for which the Government must hold itself responsible. It is a terrible indictment of our tattered and frayed immigration and refugee system. This sordid episode is a sign of a badly broken immigration system in Canada, which was neglected by four successive Liberal governments. Clearly, the neglect continues with the Harper Conservatives. Enough is enough!"

According to Siksay, MP for Burnaby-Douglas, the NDP has been advocating an independent refugee and immigration appeal process for years, to help protect against this kind of egregious abuse.

"Four years ago in 2001, the House of Commons approved one such independent appeal process -- the Refugee Appeal Division, but neither the Liberals nor the Conservatives have acted on that House direction," said Siksay.

"There can be no more excuses, nor more delays. The need has been demonstrated time and again, and it would be inexcusable for the Government to delay any further, when a clear remedy exists and has already achieved House of Commons approval. Everyone in this country deserves better."

ndp.ca
****

A refugee judge has been charged by the RCMP after a South Korean woman alleged he offered to assist her in her refugee claim in return for sexual favours.

The woman and her boyfriend secretly videotaped a conversation she had with a man she said was 47-year-old Stevan Ellis, a Toronto-based adjudicator with the Immigration and Refugee Board.

A copy of the tape was sent to IRB chair Jean-Guy Fleury, who suspended Ellis and forwarded the information to the RCMP.

Ellis, who has adjudicated 1,279 refugee claims over his tenure, has also been banned from IRB premises.

The RCMP charged Ellis with breach of trust, knowingly making or issuing a false document or statement, or accepting or agreeing to accept a bribe or other benefit in respect to a refugee application.

Several weeks ago, Toronto Starreporter Nicholas Keung reported that the woman and her boyfriend, Brad Tripp, met with the Mounties to give a statement on her allegations of sexual misconduct against Ellis and a copy of the videotape that was broadcast by CTV.

On the tape, Ellis, a lawyer and former Toronto city councillor, told the woman known as Kim: "Let see what I can do. I'm going to work on it. I really want to be friends with you."
He allegedly suggested he could approve her refugee claim if she had an affair with him, but warned her not to tell her boyfriend.

The couple told the Star that a copy of the tape had been mailed to IRB chair Fleury two weeks previous.

In a statement posted on the IRB website, Fleury said he became aware of "allegations of a serious breach of the member's code of conduct" and removed Ellis from hearing cases, pending an internal review.

"The allegations of misconduct in this instance are very serious," wrote Fleury, who was not available for an interview.
"Canadians have a right to demand that the IRB's processes are conducted in an ethnical and fair manner. There is no tolerance for abuse of any kind in this institution."

Tripp told the Star that Ellis first met Kim at a refugee hearing in July and subsequently visited the restaurant where she was a waitress five times — but only twice while she was there.

"The first time, she called and told me the refugee judge was here. I thought that was coincident. But at the second time, he actually asked her out for a coffee to discuss her case," recalled Tripp, who has been seeing Kim for 15 months. "We talked to some people and thought it was odd and we decided to record it."

This is believed to be the first time allegations involving sexual favours between an IRB member and a claimant have occurred since the board's inception in 1989.

Ellis, a two-term member of the old Toronto city council, was named to the IRB in October 2000 and renewed in 2002, two years before rules were changed to "professionalize" the board and eliminate patronage appointments of people poorly qualified for the job.

Refugee lawyers who have dealt with him describe him as professional and knowledgeable, though a "maverick" at times.

"He's less formal in his manner than other members and ... he's said he's been in private practice before and he doesn't wave the rule book at you," said one.

Acceptance rates for South Korean refugee claimants are low — about 11 per cent compared with an overall 40 per cent of the 20,000 annual claims.

Kim, 25, came to Canada in 2004, claiming she'd been a victim of domestic violence, the grounds most commonly used by South Koreans, said Soh Young Jeong, a reporter with the Korea Times, a Toronto-based community paper.

toronto star

Canada Welcomes New Minister of Citizenship and Immigration

2007-01-14T18:53:00.000-08:00

As Prime Minister Stephen Harper shuffles his cabinet, it has been announced that the Honourable Diane Finley will become the new Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. The Honourable Monte Solberg will be moving on to become Minister of Human Resources and Social Development.

Ms. Finley was first elected to parliament in 2004, representing the rural Ontario riding of Haldimand-Norfolk. Since February 2006 she had been serving as Minister of Human Resources and Social Development (HRSDC). Prior to her Conservative Party of Canada forming the government in early 2006, Ms. Finley acted as the Official Opposition Critic for Agriculture and Agri-Food.

Mr. Solberg leaves the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration after 10 months on the job. In his new position at HRSDC, he will be working closely with Ms. Finley in co-ordination of policy and programs.

The prior experience earned by Ms. Finley at HRSDC should serve her well in her new post. The knowledge of human resource needs in the Canadian economy should assist her in ensuring that immigrants to Canada are met with jobs and training. The experience will also prove useful in working with other government departments to provide services for immigrants. Ms. Finley holds an MBA from the University of Western Ontario, working in both the public and private sectors before entering politics.

Canada announces increased immigration targets for 2007

2007-01-12T17:05:00.000-08:00

Canada plans to admit between 240,000 and 265,000 new permanent residents to the country in 2007 under new immigration targets.

In tabling its annual report to Parliament on Tuesday, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) unveiled the highest immigration targets for 25-years, and expects the final figure for this year to come close to the current target of 255,000 migrants.

2005 saw 262,236 new migrants accepted into Canada, of which 156,310 were in the Economic Class that includes skilled workers, investors, provincial nominees and live-in carers. The 2007 aim is to admit 15,000 more skilled workers than in 2005.

Whilst Canada is looking to attract more skilled workers, the proportion of family class immigrants will drop, and CIC has announced that it will freeze the number of grandparents and parents at between 18,000 and 19,000.

China still provides more new arrivals than any other country (16 per cent), followed by India (13 per cent) and the Philipines (7 per cent).

In his preface to the report, Immigration Minister Monte Solberg said Canada's new Tory Government believes immigration will play an important role in building the country and helping the economy grow.

He wrote: "Each newcomer has a story to tell: whether they are bringing their skills and entrepreneurial talents to help Canada’s economy grow; reuniting with family members; or seeking security and stability.

"Canada needs the talent and dynamism that immigrants bring. In an internationally competitive global market for talent, Canada is facing skills shortages at home in particular sectors and in specific regions of the country.

"Immigration has a role to play in addressing labour market challenges and my goal is to ensure the immigration program better responds to our needs as a country in a way that is fair, transparent and adheres to the rule of law, while protecting the health, safety and security of Canadians."

Last Spring's budget saw $307-million pledged for language training and other settlement services, and $18-million for an agency to assess and recognize foreign credentials.

Recent legislation changes aimed at reducing the skills shortage also now allow for foreign students foreign students to work off-campus while they study.

Top 10 countries of origin, 2005 - CIC

China: 42,491
India: 33,146
Philippines: 17,535
Pakistan: 13,576
U.S.: 9,262
Colombia: 6,031
U.K.: 5,865
South Korea: 5,819
Iran: 5,502
France: 5,430

visabureau.com
nov 2006

Sociology PhD student earns $10,000 scholarship for immigration research

2007-01-10T12:59:00.000-08:00

University of Alberta student Marlene Mulder was awarded the inaugural Alberta Award for the Study of Canadian Human Rights and Multiculturalism for her study on the social challenges and experiences of immigrant groups in Canada.

Mulder, whose previous research includes the settlement experiences of refugees in Alberta and the settlement of Kosovar refugees in Alberta, is a sociology PhD student currently working at the Prairie Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Integration. Her interest in immigration studies has led her to accumulate years of community work experience before entering graduate studies.

"Immigration has always been my focus. I have personally worked with refugee sponsorship since 1979 when the first families came from Vietnam. So it has been a personal interest of mine to support and help refugees settle in Canada since then," Mulder said. "My interest is driven by my experiences."

The $10,000 award is given to graduate students attending an Alberta post-secondary institution whose area of study contributes to the advancement of human rights, cultural diversity and multiculturalism. The award is administered by the Alberta Advanced Education through the Alberta Scholarship Programs in recognition of Alberta's centennial.

For her dissertation, Mulder plans to examine the various cultural stresses that Canadian immigrants experience in order to adapt to this country. The main factors that she will explore include marginalization, separation, assimilation and integration of Canadian immigrants and how they relate to Canada's immigration requirements.

"I'm going to be looking at whether the points that people get in order to qualify for immigration to Canada - such as age, education, employment experience, contacts in Canada - are actually the factors that they need in order to be successful in Canada," said Mulder.

Mulder said there is an increasing federal government interest in encouraging immigrants to settle outside traditional destinations such as Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal, in areas where there are fewer support services available to immigrants. She is interested in compiling data on the factors that would make a community a good place for immigrants to settle.

Geographical location and size of the city definitely influence the success of immigrants, since this can translate into job opportunities, community resources and support systems in place for newly landed immigrants.

"A city like Edmonton or Calgary, a mid-size city, would have full services for immigrants and that would be much different than smaller cities, such as Wetaskawin, that doesn't have the same services for new comers," Mulder said. "That's probably fine if people already speak English or have been educated in a system that is comparable to the Canadian system. But that's certainly going to be more difficult if they need integration services."

Mulder is also interested in the settlement of refugee groups compared to other immigrants, since they immigrate under different circumstances and are likely to face different obstacles.

"Refugee groups usually have to leave without all the choices, resource, and preparations that others have. And in terms of refugees too, there has been a growing interest in bringing people in as groups ... so I think we need to do some research and look into how it benefits the immigrants and the communities.

Iris Tse
ualberta.ca

Ottawa rules out amnesty for 200,000 illegal workers

2007-01-09T16:28:00.000-08:00

Ottawa has ruled out amnesty for the estimated 200,000 undocumented workers toiling in Canada's underground economy, saying it would not be fair to those who have applied legally and are waiting in line, according to a letter obtained by The Globe and Mail.

Allowing illegal workers to stay would likely "encourage more illegal immigration," noted Linda Arseneau of Citizenship and Immigration Canada's ministerial enquiries division in an Oct. 18 letter to the Universal Workers Union.

"Even a small increase in the number who decide to come here and stay here illegally based on the hope of regularization would simply recreate the very problem the proposal is supposed to fix," the letter says.

The decision is a bitter disappointment to Portuguese and Hispanic groups, home-builder associations and unions in Ontario that have lobbied CIC to allow undocumented workers in the construction industry to regularize their status.

The groups have met with five different immigration ministers in six years to press the issue. Former immigration minister Joe Volpe signed a memo of understanding with the Coalition for Undocumented Workers last year for a regularization program that would allow undocumented workers already in the Greater Toronto Area to apply to stay.

The initiative was never passed because of opposition from within the Liberal caucus.

Andy Manahan, of Universal Workers Union Local 183, said he hopes Ottawa will not move to deport about 20,000 undocumented workers in Toronto, many of whom are keeping the construction sector afloat. Another 20,000 work as house cleaners and cooks in the GTA, while a recent report estimated the total of illegal workers in Canada at 200,000 to 500,000.

"We need these people and they cannot qualify under the current immigration system, which favours white-collar workers," Mr. Manahan said. "The best solution would be if the government reformed the points system to encourage skilled tradespeople to apply."

Daniel, 47, his wife and two grown sons arrived in Toronto from Mendoza, Argentina, seven years ago and have been working as house framers ever since, hoping Ottawa would introduce a temporary amnesty.

"There is a demand for our labour. Most Canadians don't want to do this work," Daniel said. "We are paying taxes and spending money. An amnesty isn't a solution, but the government could create a temporary program to help us get status."

He and his family must decide what to do next, and they live in fear of being discovered by immigration officials and ordered to leave.

"This is not a good way to live," he said.

Immigration Minister Monte Solberg understands the difficulty and vulnerability of those working illegally in Canada, according to the letter, which says he is committed to "ensuring that Canada's immigration policy is reoriented to meet the demands of our labour market."

But CIC also wants to maintain the integrity of the immigration program and "drive foreign workers to legal channels."

Ontario is planning to introduce a provincial nominee program, which would allow the province to bring in workers with specific skills and give applicants priority processing by CIC.

Last year more than 80,000 temporary foreign workers arrived in Canada.

A recent report commissioned by the Laborers' International Union of North America found that undocumented workers in the GTA "pay taxes, create jobs and wealth," but are often forced to work for less than the minimum wage and "live in fear of being deported."

Many of the workers are from Portugal and Latin American countries such as Argentina and El Salvador.

In March, the deportation of about two dozen Portuguese nationals caused an uproar as the Portuguese community struggled to understand why gainfully employed stonemasons and carpenters could not stay.

In June, the House of Commons committee on citizenship and immigration called on the government to halt deportations of all undocumented workers until a new immigration policy could be introduced.

MARINA JIMÉNEZ

globeandmail.com

Is Canada A Safe Country For Refugees?

2007-01-08T19:14:00.000-08:00

On December 29, 2004 the U.S.-Canada Safe Third Country Agreement came into effect. The agreement (implemented through regulations in both countries) provides, with some exceptions ^[1], that persons arriving at a land border in either country and seeking asylum may have their asylum claim examined in the country of first presence only. For example, a Bangladeshi asylum seeker who flies from Dacca to Montreal, Canada and who then manages to leave the airport and board a bus for Vermont will be turned back at the U.S. border and forced to claim asylum in Montreal. Likewise, a Chinese asylum seeker who flies to Seattle, manages to board a bus to Vancouver, Canada, will be turned back at the Canadian border and forced to claim in Seattle.

This new arrangement may cause refugee advocates on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border to ask the question: "what kind of refugee protection is offered by our neighbours?".

The answer depends on the aspect from which one approaches the question.

Aspect 1: the legal system

Canada's refugee status determination system is considered internationally as a good working model.

In Canada, refugee claimants enjoy the constitutional protections of due process, as well as the right to seek habeas corpus or similar relief if detained. (Note: some or all of these rights may be curtailed if the refugee claimant is also a suspected threat to national security). Nevertheless, it is worth noting that respect for individual rights is traditionally stronger in the United States and the Canadian constitution even allows for the derogation of its protections in certain circumstances.

Assuming they are not criminals or terrorists, refugee claimants have the right to one oral hearing before a single member of the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) to determine whether they meet the definition of "refugee" contained in the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and also whether they would be otherwise a "person in need of protection" as defined in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, section 97. This latter form of protection is somewhat similar to the American concept of "withholding of deportation", except that it is broader in scope: it does not require the individual to show a threat to his life or freedom on account of a ground enumerated in the Convention. It also would encompass relief under the Convention Against Torture (CAT).

Very strong cases are pre-screened and put into expedited processing; if they satisfy a Refugee Protection Officer of the merits of their claim during an interview, they are accepted without the necessity of a full hearing. The overall acceptance rate of the IRB (including the expedited cases) is currently around 40%. Processing time is around one year.

If they are not successful before the IRB, refugee claimants in Canada then have a significant problem which simply does not exist in the United States: they do not have an automatic right to judicial review of the IRB's decision. They must first make a written application for "leave". Statistics show that some 80-90% of leave applications are denied by the Federal Court. No reasons are given. Anecdotal evidence suggests that a significant number of those denied leave had meritorious cases.

Denials of leave are unappealable. Claims cannot be re-opened by the IRB for new evidence or circumstances, only breaches of natural justice. There is simply no effective error-correction mechanism for rejected refugee claimants in Canada at the present time. Provisions creating a special refugee appeal tribunal have yet to be declared in force.

On the other hand, if rejected claimants have some entirely new evidence of risk upon return to their country of origin, they may present it to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) who cannot not remove them until such evidence is analyzed. But the acceptance rate on this Pre-Removal Risk Assessment is only around 5%.

As well, anyone in Canada may make an application for residence based upon humanitarian and compassionate grounds to CIC at any time, although the filing of such an application does not automatically result in a stay of removal. The acceptance rate for this is, again, around 5%, the processing time is approaching 30 months and there is a processing fee of at least $500.00 CDN.

As ineffective as these latter two options are, they do not appear to have direct equivalents in the United States. The humanitarian and compassionate application is particularly interesting in that its outcome can sometimes be affected in individual cases by the political process, NGO intervention, the media and public opinion.

In Canada, refugee claimants are eligible for work permits and health care almost immediately upon filing their claims. As well, most of the populous provinces have a legal aid system which covers some parts of the process (although this system has started to erode significantly). Such benefits significantly facilitate the access of refugee claimants to the legal procedures in place in a given country. Their absence, obviously, has the opposite effect. Relevant also is the use of detention by immigration officials. In Canada the detention rate is said to be much lower than in the United States. The best system in the world is useless if one is underground, ill, in jail or cannot afford a lawyer.

Aspect 2: judicial interpretation of the refugee definition

In this area there are definitely differences between Canada and the United States, but no clear "winner" in terms of wider overall protection.

In Canada, rejected refugee claimants routinely attempt to have their refusals judicially reviewed. This has resulted in a plethora of refugee case law. In fact, over the past 50 years or so there have been approximately three times as many significant Canadian judicial opinions on refugee law as in the United States. The jurisprudence of the Federal Court applies nationwide and thus avoids the sharp disparities created in the United States by the Circuit Court system. On the other hand, in Canada almost no principles of interpretation of refugee law are codified, as they frequently are in the United States, allowing for some uncertainty. Canadian refugee jurisprudence is frequently cited internationally.

Canadian judicial opinions are at least as favourable to refugees as those in the United States in following areas: credibility assessment, subjective fear, well-foundedness, definition of persecution (including laws of general application, evasion of military service, cumulative effect), definition of "particular social group", definition of "political opinion", change of circumstances, "compelling reasons" and expulsion of refugees on the basis of particularly serious crimes.

There are several areas, however, where Canadian jurisprudence could be said to be less "refugee-friendly".

In terms of family claims, Canadian courts have refused to recognized the concept of derivative persecution.

Canadian courts generally afford less deference to past persecution as means of establishing a well-founded fear of future persecution.

Canadian jurisprudence is quite weak on the concept of group persecution, the notion of "pattern and practice" of group persecution having not yet been developed.

Canadian refugee law has quietly developed a somewhat sinister "double nexus" requirement. No longer can a woman or child, for example, claim "social group" (i.e. family) persecution just because he or she suffers the heinous consequences of a family member's pursuit by agents of persecution. He or she must establish additionally that the family member is being pursued on account of a Convention ground.

As well, the so-called "internal flight alternative" is a veritable obsession of the IRB, thousands of claimants having been rejected on the basis that they could not disprove the proposition that they would be safe from persecution in some areas of their countries. The courts, rather than noting its dubious provenance, have upheld this notion's validity without question, although tempering it somewhat by recognizing an additional requirement that internal refuge be a "reasonable" option. This is in sharp contrast to some U.S. opinions, which stated affirmatively that there was no obligation on a refugee claimant to show country-wide persecution and on the general position that the burden is on the government-not on the refugee claimant-to establish an internal flight alternative.

Finally, scores of claimants each year are rejected by the IRB on the basis of the exclusion clause in Article 1F(a) of the Convention-i.e. complicity in crimes against humanity or war crimes. Accordingly, there are numerous Canadian judicial opinions in this area and norms have become well-developed. This is in contrast to the relative dearth of American judicial opinions on "persecution of others".

Aspect 3: vulnerable groups-- women

It is often said that most refugees worldwide are women and children. Gender does indeed matter in assessing the safety of any particular host country. Canada was one of the first signatories to the Convention to recognize how a fear of domestic abuse in the country of origin could fit into the refugee definition. The IRB has even issued guidelines on the subject. The situation in the United States appears much murkier at present due to the continuing unresolved status of Matter of R.A.

Nevertheless, on other issues of concern to woman such as rape, female genital mutilation, forced marriage, reproductive freedom, dress codes, and the like, Canadian and American law seem to be equally favourable. But again, the question of the social safety net available to women refugees in Canada might well play into the equation.

Aspect 4: vulnerable groups--suspected terrorists

Canada is not a safe country for refugees who are suspected of being terrorists or supporting terrorism. A security certificate is issued against them based on secret evidence, and they are placed in detention. If they can't be removed right away, they are kept in detention indefinitely. A Federal Court judge does review the certificate for reasonableness, but does not reveal the details of the secret evidence to anyone, although the person concerned can receive a summary of the evidence. Although this type of process is obviously repugnant to Anglo-American notions of fairness, the Canadian judiciary has not yet had the fortitude to condemn it. (This is in contrast to the House of Lords in 2004,^[2] the 9th Circuit in 1995 ^[3] and the New Jersey District Court in 1999 ^[4] .)

All this to say that the Canadian refugee protection system serves some well and fails others miserably. The same can probably be said of the American system. The difference in the quality of protection offered by each country is largely dependent upon the circumstances of each claimant.

¹Document holders, family members of residents or refugee claimants in country to which entry is sought, unaccompanied minors. Canada adds: persons from countries on which there is a moratorium on deportations, US citizens, persons facing the death penalty in the United States.
²A & others (2004) UKHL 56
³American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee v. Reno 70 F.3d 1045
⁴Kiareldeen v. Ashcroft 71 F. Supp 2d 402

by Pat Zambelli
ilw.com

Moving to Canada, Eh?

2007-01-07T19:09:00.000-08:00

Five out of seven Fraysters surveyed agree: It's time to move to Canada. And it looks like those Fraysters may just be the thin edge of a disenfranchised wedge. The Web is buzzing as newspapers report hundreds of threats to move north, from unhappy Democrats in New York, California, Oregon, Ohio, Illinois, and, well, Massachusetts (which is really sort of Canada already). The possible Canadian monopoly on disaffected American emigrants prompted nervous Europeans to redouble their efforts to be the place disenchanted Americans go to die. The Canadian immigration Web site had 179,000 visitors Wednesday—six times its usual traffic—the vast majority of which came from the United States.
Suggestions to accommodate this mass defection northward include the Toronto Star's proposal to gerrymander the border and this newly redrawn map. A Web site belonging to this generous collective of sexy Canadians willing to marry Americans—no questions asked—has had 14,000 visitors since Monday. While some demoralized liberals attempt to muster earnest arguments for sticking around, this time it sounds like some folks really, really, really plan to go. "If the country votes for Bush, then 51 percent of the people in this country are psychos," one Colorado resident told the Denver Post before the election. He'd already opened a bank account in British Columbia. Last week's Ottawa Citizen reported that Scott Schaffer—an assistant professor of sociology at Millersville University in Pennsylvania—had already lined up an immigration lawyer and was applying for jobs in Quebec.

Not so fast, my fine Yankee friends. One of the reasons you tend to scare poor Canadians is that you know next to nothing about them. Which is why, hours after the election, Reuters was forced to disseminate this sobering story about how defection is not always just a matter of showing up at the border in a parka and being welcomed warmly by the simple northern folk amassed there to greet you. No, there are hurdles to be jumped and requirements to be met before becoming a Canadian, as Slate explained this week. Here's the immigration test you can use to decide if you're smart enough to get a job there. And that smartness requirement won't be waived—not even for Alec Baldwin, Robert Altman, and Eddie Vedder (who all allegedly threatened to leave if Bush was elected in 2000), at least according to this article.

(One of the best things about Canada is that major national newspapers sometimes run pieces like this—with glossy photos of the famous people, in this case Robert Redford, who aren't moving to Canada and never actually planned to).
One of the great frustrations of any Canadian is that well-intentioned Americans attempting to introduce other Americans to the real Canada seem to be in command of only about 12 words. Here they are in no particular order: loonies, toonies, snow, Tim Hortons, hockey, poutine, socialized medicine, DeGrassi Junior High, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Labatt, French, and the expression "eh."

But there is so much more to Canada. Just ask any one of the many Canadians who are lurking about in your midst. (We lurk because we love.) There are great reasons, beyond frostbite and pink currency, to seriously consider relocation to the Great White. But still, Canada is still not for everyone. So here's a quiz, for those of you still considering joining the Bush-dodgers relocating to Canada. It isn't about loonies or toonies or socialized medicine. It's about the important stuff—stuff that will determine whether you really want to be a Canadian or just dress like one:

1) Do you like to shoot people? Circle one: yes / no

(If you answered "yes" you should know that there is no Second Amendment or equivalent thereof in the Canadian constitution. Perhaps as a consequence only 22 percent of Canadians own guns as opposed to 49 percent of Americans, while handguns and assault rifles are verboten. Perhaps related to that statistic, the violent crime rate in Canada is 10 times lower than in the United States. This may have no connection to guns, though, and rather a strong correlation to general mellowness of the Canadian temperament. (See Question 3, below.)

2) Have you recently shot someone? Circle one: yes / no

(If you answered yes, you may find Canada appealing. The Canadian courts abolished capital punishment in the '70s, and Canada hasn't seen an execution since 1962. Texas hasn't seen one since about 11 seconds ago.)

3) Do you like to smoke pot? Circle one: yes / no / only for medicinal reasons / only with John Ashcroft

(Judges in at least three provinces have now decriminalized marijuana possession and the federal government is considering decriminalizing it in small quantities. We are advised that the feds also grow great masses of it in large underground caverns and may soon expand the use of these caverns as shelters to which the entire country would retreat in the event of a terrorist attack or to spur mass-munchies in case of a national Doritos glut. And only in Canada would you find marijuana advocates genuinely arguing that people actually drive better stoned.)

4) Are you covered in vast quantities of coarse, black fur? Circle one: yes / no

(Don't kid yourself. It is freakin' cold up there. While 90 percent of Canadians live within 100 miles of the U.S. border, the places they live north of are Green Bay and Buffalo.)

5) Do you like to wear white sneakers (Canadians call these "running shoes") with jeans? Circle one: yes / no

(Canadians are an extraordinarily stylish people, without the excess snobbery of Europeans; and most of them manifest this by being strikingly well-shod. Canadians generally find themselves perplexed by shiny tracksuits, leggings, baseball caps, and sweaters with reindeer on them.)

6) Do you generally find being alive to be just fine? Circle one: yes / no

(For some reason Canadians seem to live longer, be healthier, and pay less for these privileges. It has something to do with national health insurance, adequate primary care, particularly for children, and the availability of quality prescription drugs. (See, e.g., Question 3, above.)

7) Are you gay, or, alternatively, do you suspect that the institution of marriage should be open to all couples who are committed to living together and/or raising children in a loving environment? Circle one: yes / no

(Six and possibly soon seven Canadian provinces currently permit gay marriage. Before leaving office last year, Prime Minister Jean Chretien referred the question of the constitutionality of same-sex marriage to the Supreme Court for an opinion. The court hasn't yet decided the question.)

8) Are your political views either too complicated to be expressed in two-word bumper stickers, or, alternatively, do you find that you just don't much care about your neighbors' views on
guns/the unborn/or which deity is their copilot? Circle one: yes / no

(Canadians tend to subscribe to a live-and-let-live view of political ideology. It's not that Canadians don't care about their politics or moral issues. It's simply that they appear to operate under the assumption that, whatever their personal beliefs might be, you, their neighbor, may not care all that much to learn every detail of them on the way to the 7-Eleven. As a consequence, T-shirts in Canada are still funny, signage is still commercial, and bumpers are reserved for smashing into telephone poles after cottage parties. [Cottage: Def. Sprawling lakefront estate in rural Canada, quaintly Hamptonesque but with indoor plumbing optional.])

9) Are you bored to death of razor-thin margins between radical ideologues in every aspect of public life? Circle one: yes / no

(The 5-4 split on the Canadian Supreme Court is male/female as opposed to crazy/crazier.)

10) Does the idea of pluralism appeal to you? Not just in the sense that I-want-to-be-surrounded-by-lots-of-diverse-and-fascinating-people-who-all-worship-my-Lord, but rather, in the sense, that a country is a richer place for competing values, religions and cultures? Circle one: yes / no
(When Canadians talk about "multiculturalism," it doesn't only mean they're for blondes hanging out with redheads. Canadian TV shows actually teem with racially diverse characters, and the major national catalogs have been known to feature models in wheelchairs. Moreover, Canada has not one but two official languages, and no one seems to be suffering for it. Indeed, some believe it makes them sort of interesting. Certainly it will be interesting when the thousands of Bush-dodgers someday return to the United States to visit relatives and amuse them by explaining that the Teton Mountains actually mean "big boobies" in French.)

By Dahlia Lithwick and Alex Lithwick
Slate.com

Canada attracting more skilled immigrants

2007-01-06T14:04:00.000-08:00

Canadian immigration policy is doing a good job of attracting skilled immigrants to this country, says a Queen's University expert.

Economics professor Charles Beach told a U.S. Senate committee recently that the growing importance of education, business and work experience as admission standards to Canada has significantly raised the skill levels of the 230,000 immigrants who come to Canada annually.

The result is a group of new immigrants who are better educated and experienced, younger and more fluent in either English or French than the immigrant population as a whole.

The senators invited Dr. Beach's testimony as part of a debate on U.S. immigration policy driven by the large number of illegal immigrants there.

Only about 20 per cent of the U.S.'s legal immigrants -- one-third the level of Canada -- enter the country under independent or economic status based on rules that reward education, business and work experience and language fluency.

Some U.S. politicians are considering adopting a similar points system.

"Ironically, our findings have attracted more interest south of the border than from government officials in Ottawa," Dr. Beach said.

The study did not deal with the touchy issue of ensuring well-educated newcomers get jobs to match their skills once they are in the country.

Dr. Beach said in an interview yesterday that Canada has to do a better job of recognizing the credentials of foreign-born professionals and easing the transition to the Canadian job market.

"Some training, adjustment and wage subsidy programs were cut because of government deficits in mid-90s. I think that is a factor in the slower integration of some well-educated immigrants."

The study found that in 2000 those with university and post-graduate degrees jumped to 34 per cent of all immigrants from just eight per cent in 1980.

The portion of immigrants with a secondary school education dropped to 34 per cent from 59 per cent over the same period.

The proportion with some post-secondary or specialized training was flat at 16 per cent while the balance have little formal education.

The reason for the shift is that 59 per cent of all immigrants in 2000 entered under independent or economic status determined solely by a point system, up from 35 per cent in 1980.

The proportion who entered under family unification status dropped from 36 per cent to 27 per cent and those who entered under humanitarian or refugee status dropped even more, from 28 per cent to 13 per cent.

Dr. Beach, along with professor Alan Green of Queen's and professor Christopher Worswick of Carleton University, separating out the impact of business cycles and unemployment rates in Canada and the U.S.

"It appears that changing Canada's immigration policy to the point system had the desired effect of improving the quality of skill attributes of incoming immigrants," said Dr. Beach.

The point system has gone through many changes since it was introduced in 1967 and will likely change again to attract more skilled building and industrial tradespeople which are in short supply.

The study found that opening the door wider,had a small negative impact on the credentials of the whole immigrant group.

The average education of all immigrants dropped 2.6 per cent and the average age increased 1.7 per cent in years when the number of immigrants jumped by 100,000.

But increasing the portion of economic immigrants by 10 per cent, raised the education and language levels and reduced the average age of immigrants.

Jan 06, 2007
Escapemate.co.uk

Interviews with Canadian Refugees

2007-01-04T18:27:00.000-08:00

Accompanied by their guardians in the Ministry for Children and Families, four young illegal immigrants were interviewed by Professor Daina Lary, Eleanor Yuen, Head, Asian Library, and Professor Graham Johnson at the Asian Library, UBC, on April 4-5, 2000, for the sole purpose of providing information for the photo exhibition. The following is a summary of the interviews. To protect the privacy of the interviewees, only their adopted English names are used in the stories.

Jerry
Jerry was 16 and came from Chang Le, Fujian. Before sneaking into Canada in July 1999, his family paid the snakeheads to send him to Japan illegally last year to join his sister and brother on a tattered boat. That journey lasted 12 days, during which, he survived with one meal a day. When he was picked up by the Japanese custom officials, he could hardly walk. After being detained for 12 days in Japan, he was sent home to the Fu Tian police where he was beaten and roughened up for ten days before his release.

He was not fully informed of the dangerous plans to flee the country illegally in this manner and he would not consent if he were consulted beforehand. He has a telephone at home and was told that he would board a boat at night for Canada on the same day he actually had to leave. Neither did he have time to say goodbye to his friends nor prepare himself for the hardship he was about to face.

The boat began to leak two days after it set sail. Roughly, he estimated that there were about 200 people on board. The ration of water he got was a bottle a week.

Henry
Henry was 18. Since he quitted school a few years ago, he did not land on any job. He just hanged around because there was no work in his hometown. His mother passed away and his father, now living in New York, is also an illegal immigrant. Henry has no idea what United States is like, let alone the job market there. His dream is to get his sister out of the country and have a family reunion. Many people in his village made numerous unsuccessful attempts to leave Fujian and would try again, in the belief that life would be much better outside the country.

He arrived in Canada in the Korean boat and first landed in Queen Charlotte Island before being sent over to Victoria. The snakeheads on guard on the boats did not treat them too badly.

Jimmy
Jimmy also came from a village in Chang Le. His parents are farmers. Life was tough back home where most people were out of work most of the time.

All passengers on the boat were strangers and he had very vague idea of what would happen to him in the future. Nor did he know what he wanted out of this dangerous endeavour. Since he arrived in Vancouver, he had called home a number of times to tell his parents not to give the snakeheads any more money.

His father only told him that he would be boarding a boat for Canada, one day before he actually left. He was very sad and not willing to go. He feared that he might be put behind bars if sent back to China.

Lisa
She was the second child in the family. Because her elder sister is handicapped and her young brother and sisters are too young to leave home on their own, her parents sent her out of the country to start a new life. She came from a family of fishermen in Chang Le, Fuzhou, and had finished grade five in primary school. From relatives and friends who lived in North America, she formed the impression that Canada is a secure and peaceful place with law-abiding people.

It only took three days for her family to make the decision to send her away. She left Fu Zhou that night, at around 10 p.m., in early June in the second boat, bringing with her some clothes, medicine and some snacks. The snakeheads put her on a small boat which took them to the big boat in the middle of the dark sea, which would finally carry them to Canada. She was asked not to bring any document of identification with her and she did not realize that the plan was illegal. She virtually slept all the time, every day for two months on board the boat, without any chance to change her cloths or clean herself in any way. She was very seasick during the entire journey. The snakeheads delivered food to their sleeping planks from the deck above with ropes. She never imagined that she had to spend two months on the boat in that horrible condition.

Now that she is in Canada, she wants to learn English and do her school work which she enjoys very much. Her entire family just wishes that she could stay and start a new and better life here.

Immigration to Canada

2007-01-03T08:55:00.000-08:00

Coming to Canada as an immigrant is an exciting opportunity, but also offers great challenges.
If you are interested in immigrating to Canada, you have a number of options when applying for permanent residence status. Read about these programs and decide which class suits you and your family best.

Every year the Canadian government approves permanent resident visas to members of the Independant Class, Family Class and Business Class.

The Independant Class consists mainly of professionals and skilled workers under the skilled worker class, and the provincial nominee class as well as business immigrants.
Applicants under the Federal Skilled Worker Class are assessed according to various factors that will indicate whether there is a strong likelihood that the applicant and dependents will successfully establish themselves in Canada. Ideal applicants under the skilled worker class will possess employment skills and experience compatible with occupations "open" to prospective immigrants to Canada. The selection rules generally favour applicants with government approved job offers in Canada.

In the Independent/Skilled Worker Class, a skilled worker is someone who has:
at least one (1) year of full-time (37.5 hours per week or more) work experience within the past ten (10) years
Which work falls within one of the occupations listed in either Skill Type 0 or Skill Level A or B of the National Occupational Classification (NOC).
The NOC was developed by Human Resources Development Canada to be a systematic cataloging of occupations in the Canadian labour market.
The NOC is divided into five (5) bands:

Skill Type 0 - Management Occupations;
Skill Level A - which is primarily comprised of professional occupations;
Skill Level B - which consists of technical, skilled trades and paraprofessional occupations;
Skill Level C - which comprises occupations that mainly consist of intermediate level, clerical or supportive functions;
Skill Level D - which consists of elemental sales or service and primary labourer occupations.
Only experience in Skill Type 0 or Skill Levels A and B are considered relevant for applicants in the Independent/Skilled Worker Class.

Applicants in the Provincial Nominee class, may be approved for permanent residence on the basis of their proven ability to become economically established in Canada, in accordance with immigration programs and selection criteria administered by Quebec or the provinces.

Various provincial governments are currently in the process of concluding agreements with the Government of Canada (such as the Canada-Manitoba Agreement, 1996) thereby providing a framework for federal and provincial cooperation in the field of immigration. The Provincial Nominee Agreement, 1998 for example, provides Manitoba , with shared authority to identify and nominate prospective individuals destined to that Province. The Provincial Nominee Program of each participating province outlines current guidelines for the promotion, recruitment and nomination of skilled individuals who can provide significant industrial and economic benefits to the particular province.

The Canadian Federal Government continues to maintain exclusive jurisdiction over matters such as health, security and settlement funding.

Participating provincial governments are currently issuing Nomination Certificates to qualified professionals/skilled workers and assisted relatives who possess employment skills and experience which are compatible with occupations "open" to prospective immigrants to that province. An applicant is assessed under various factors which will indicate whether there is a strong likelihood that the applicant will successfully establish himself/herself in the respective province.

Within the Federal Family Class, current sponsorship programs typically promote the reunification in Canada of Canadian citizens and permanent residents with their close relatives including a spouse, common-law partner or conjugal partner 16 years of age or older, an unmarried dependent child under the age of 22, a parent or grandparent, and a brother, sister, nephew, niece, grandchild who is an orphan, unmarried and under 18 years of age or any other relative where the sponsor has none of the above relatives or family members, in Canada or abroad.

Eligibility:

To qualify as a member of a Family Class the principal applicant must be a sponsor's:
Spouse 16 years of age or older;
Fiance(e);
Dependent child(ren) including a child adopted before age of 22, who are:
under age 19 and unmarried; or
have been continuously enrolled and in attendance as a full time student in educational institution and financially supported by their parents since turning 22 (or from the date of marriage if married before the age of 22);
unable to support themselves due to a medical conditions and are financially supported by their parents.
Parent or grandparent
Brother, sister, nephew, niece, or grandchild who is an orphan, under age 22 and unmarried;
Child under age of 22 who will be adopted in Canada and who is an orphan, or an abandoned;
Child whose parents cannot be identified, or child who has been placed with a child welfare authority for adoption because:
a child was born out of wedlock;
the child's parents are separated;
one of the child's parents is deceased.
Relative, regardless of the age or relationship to the sponsor, where the sponsor does not have any relatives (a spouse, son, daughter, mother, father, brother, sister, grandparent, aunt, uncle, niece, or nephew) but the relative which sponsor intents to sponsor.

Canada also admits immigrants under the Business Immigration program which comprises three sub-categories including Investors, Entrepreneurs and the Self-Employed.

The Investor class is point based and offers permanent residence to applicants who demonstrate an ability to become economically established in Canada on the basis of their business or management experience and personal net worth of at least $800,000. Approval is dependant on the investor undertaking to commit an irrevocable, passive, non-interest bearing five-year investment of $400,000 in a government guaranteed investment fund. Under applicable programs, applicants can obtain financing and receive legal security on their investment.

The Entrepreneur class is also point based and confers permanent residence on applicants who demonstrate an ability to become economically established in Canada based on their business experience and high personal net worth. Approval is dependant on the entrepreneur undertaking to invest and become involved in the active management of a qualifying business operated in Canada that will contribute to the economy and create employment.

The Self Employed class is also point based and refers to applicants who have relevant experience as well as the intention and the ability to create their own employment and make a significant contribution to the cultural, artistic or athletic life of Canada, or to create their own employment by purchasing and managing a farm in Canada.

The Other Illegal Immigrants

2006-12-30T19:51:00.000-08:00

by Jon Swift

With so much attention focused on illegal immigrants from the south there has been scant notice of a far more insidious infiltration from our porous border in the north. No one knows how many illegal immigrants from Canada currently reside in the United States. And it is extremely difficult to find out since Canadians, unlike Mexicans, look and speak just like normal Americans. The fact that they are able to blend in so easily makes them, in my mind, even more threatening to our way of life than immigrants from other countries. Some of you might not even realize that Canada is an entirely separate country. Some of your neighbors and co-workers may be Canadian and you might have no idea. Aside from overuse of the word "eh?" and excessive drinking of Molson, many Canadians (at least the English-speaking ones) seem just like us on the outside. Many people don't realize that Canadians have already infiltrated places of power in our country. Ultra-liberal anchorman Peter Jennings was Canadian. Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels is Canadian. The director of the biggest-grossing movie of all time, Titanic, James Cameron, is Canadian. Jeopardy host Alex Trebek is Canadian. Most shocking of all, Pamela Anderson is also Canadian.

The effect of Canadians on our economy is devastating. Unlike Mexicans, Canadians take jobs from Americans that Americans actually want. Another way Canadians are destabilizing our economy is by replacing our money with theirs. How many times have you gotten change in a store only to realize when you get home that you were given a practically worthless Canadian penny or dime?

Canadians might seem harmless but many of them hold dangerously liberal ideas. Canada, after all, is a country that has gay marriage and socialized medicine. They have decriminalized marijuana and made hate speech illegal. Most Canadians oppose the Iraq War and Canada welcomed draft dodgers during the Vietnam War. It is no accident that many of the blue states border Canada, which is a clear illustration of how their dangerous ideas have seeped into our own country. There was even some traitorous talk after the 2004 election in Blue States of seceding and joining Canada, an idea that was no doubt encouraged by the Canadians in our midst. And it is not only Canadians who sneak into our country and weaken our will. Many terrorists come to the United States through Canada, which has notriously weak immigration laws. They might not care who comes into their country but we do.

I don't know what can be done about this problem. Our border with Canada is very long but I think that is all the more reason that we get started on building an electrified fence along the border as soon as possible. Identifying Canadians who are already here is trickier. You can't identify them the way Germans in World War II were identified by asking them about baseball since Canadians have baseball, too. Perhaps the Defense Department could work on a series of tests that would identify likely Canadians. Americans should be aware of some of the tell-tale signs of Canadians such as the strange way they spell certain words ("defence" instead of "defense," for example). Perhaps the faces and names of Canadians could be posted on Internet sites the way sex offenders are so that people will know if there are Canadians in their neighborhood and keep an eye on them. So far, no one has come up with a good solution to the problem--and it may already be too late.

Link:
http://jonswift.blogspot.com/2006/01/canadians-other-illegal-immigrants.html

Persisting Prejudices: A Few Points on Immigration

2006-12-20T19:44:00.000-08:00

By Julien Vernet

at The McGill Daily 2006

Though modern immigration policies seem fair and equitable, critics say that Immigration Canada's point-based system remains discriminatory

Immigration is once again changing the face of Canadian society. According to 2001 census data, Canada has the world’s second highest percentage of foreign-born residents living within its borders. A surge in immigration over the past decade has created a pool of newcomers now forming nearly one fifth of the Canadian population. This wave of new arrivals hearkens back to Canada’s massive influx of immigrants of the 1920s and 1930s, a wave of immigration that ultimately redefined Canada.

On the surface it seems like a lot has changed, immigration-wise, since the early 20th century. While a 1911 amendment to the Immigration Act banned “any immigrants belonging to the Negro race,” modern immigration now champions the ideal of a multicultural Canada. In 1903, Chinese immigrants were forced to pay a 500 dollar head tax at their port of entry; in the past decade, Chinese and South Asian immigrants have made up the majority of new Canadians.

But despite the apparent improvements, critics of Canadian immigration policy argue that immigration policies, while perhaps not overtly racist, still unfairly favour certain groups. Policies continue to support European and British candidates through surreptitious measures that undervalue non-European educational achievements. Canadian policy also penalizes immigrants who cannot immigrate directly into Canada, but must first stop in the US. All in all, the deck is stacked against immigrants of colour. How much has Canadian immigration policy really advanced?

Immigration Canada’s friendly new face?

With the social reforms of the sixties came a revamping of the Canadian immigration system. The 1967 amendment to Canada’s Immigration Act represented a shift in admittance criteria away from race toward a merit-based qualification system. This new immigration procedure included a point system that judges applicants according to selection standards including language proficiency, education, and job experience. Applicants earn points in each category by meeting various requirements, and if an applicant’s points add up to 75 out of a possible 100, he or she is eligible for immigration.

But critics of the system believe that the point system is biased, favouring European, particularly British, immigrants. James Yap, a volunteer with Student Worker Solidarity (SWS), says the point system only recognises credentials from certain countries. “A lot of weight is given to education in the point system, and there are a number of factors which have the effect of favouring immigration from more developed countries,” Yap notes. “For each of Canada’s professions, there is a list of educational institutions whose credentials are acceptable. This list is geared to institutions in developed countries.”

But Jack Jedwab, the executive director of the Association for Canadian Studies, sees the current point system as being more flexible than the previous system. “I don’t think that the policy is becoming Eurocentric. The system is moving away from specific education qualifications toward generic skills,” Jedwab says.

He also emphasises that immigration statistics discredit claims that the current policy is Eurocentric. “The fact is that over the past decade, most immigrants have been non-European,” says Jedwab. “Asia and South Asia represent the most significant sources of immigration right now.”

An Immigration Report Card

Morton Weinfeld, McGill sociology professor and Chair of the National Board of Canadian Ethnic Studies Association, emphasises the relative health of Canada’s immigration system. “Canada’s immigration policy compares well to other countries today as well as Canada’s own past record. Since the post-war period, the composition of immigrants has gone from mostly European to a much more diverse demographic,” Weinfeld says.

Although immigration policy has greatly improved since the beginning of the 20th century, Weinfeld admits that it is by no means perfect. “There are still racist biases within immigration policies,” he attests.

“In general, American and European applicants – especially those from the U.K. – score higher on the evaluations than people from Asia and Africa. Credentials tend to be more readily accepted for those coming from Europe and the United States. There are attempts to establish equivalencies, but inevitably, there is a bias.”

Even when accepted into Canada, the accreditation problem often becomes a status problem. “Many people come to Canada as middle class or well-to-do people, but find their situation very different when they arrive,” said Yap. “Often their status will change over the course of their journey here, and when they arrive they will have to take the jobs at the lowest rung of the social ladder.”

Canada has also recently come under fire for its refugee policies, including the Safe Third Country Act (STC). The act, which is a multilateral agreement with the United States, stipulates that people accepted as refugees in countries considered “safe,” such as the United States and Canada, would automatically be denied if they applied for refugee status in other safe countries. For example, someone accepted as a refugee in the US would be rejected if they attempted to claim refugee status in Canada.

This act affects many of those who come up to Canada through the United States from Latin America and those who cannot afford a direct flight. Yap, a critic of the act, says it resembles early 20th century legislation aimed at keeping out Indian immigrants. “This act is reminiscent of a time when Canada was more open to the British Commonwealth,” said Yap. “The Canadian authorities had problems with the influx of Indians so they passed a law that required immigrants to come directly to Canada from their point of departure. The problem was that there were very few direct ships at that point.”

At Street Level

Samuel, a French born cabbie of Moroccan descent, was trained as a mechanical engineer before coming to Canada. He admits that if he had wanted to pursue an engineering career in Canada he would have had to get another degree, a financial burden unthinkable in the early years after his arrival. “At the work level, there are people that are qualified, but once they come over with their diplomas they mean nothing,” he says. “If I had wanted to do mechanical engineering, I would have had to get another degree.”

The debate on the relative merits of Canada’s points-based immigration policy rages on. While it seems the terms of the argument have changed little since the early 20th century, it is impossible to deny that Canada has become a more multicultural society. Yet obvious flaws in the immigration system persist – flaws that reduce former specialists in their fields to menial labourers simply because Canada refuses to recognise their credentials, or invest the necessary resources to investigate their accreditation. Immigration law in Canada has much, much further to go.

Cost of living ~ Toronto

2006-12-18T19:55:00.000-08:00

2006 Housing PricesThe average price of a detached house in Toronto is $365, 537

Source: Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation

Average Rent for Two-Bedroom Apartments in 2004$1,052 per month

Source: Canadian Housing Observer. 2005

Public Transportation

Ticket Monthly Pass
Regular $2.75 $99.75
Senior/Student $1.85 $83.75
Source: Toronto Transit Commission. 2006

2005 Average Car Insurance in Ontario$2,383.64 per year

Source: Car Test .ca

2004 Average expenditure per household

Concept Annual Amount
Food $7,632
Shelter $16,589
Household Operation $3,503
Personal Income Taxes $17,272
Source: Statistics Canada. 2004.

2006 Minimum Wage$7.75 per hour

Consumption TaxesIn Toronto

Two different taxes are applied to products and services. The federal Goods and Services Tax (GST) is 6%, while the Provincial Sales Tax (PST) is set at 8% and applies to the selling price including the GST. Some items including groceries, restaurant meals, and books are PST exempt.

2006 Federal Income Tax

Net Income Tax
Basic Personal Amount 0%
Up to $36,378 15.25%
Up to $72,756 22%
Up to $118,285 26%
Over $118,285 29%
Source: Canada Revenue Agency. 2006

Cost of Living in the Greater Montreal Area

2006-12-17T12:03:00.000-08:00

2006 Housing Prices
The average price of a detached house in Montreal is $219,433
Source: Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation

Average Rent for Two-Bedroom Apartments in 2004
$594.00 per month
Source: Canadian Housing Observer. 2005

Public Transportation

	Ticket	Monthly Pass
Regular	$2.50	$63.00
Reduced	$1.50	$33.75
Source: Societe de transport de Montreal (STM). 2006

2004 Average expenditure per household

Concept	Annual Amount
Food	$7,021
Shelter	$10,520
Household Operation	$2,535
Personal Income Taxes	$12,893
Source: Statistics Canada. 2004.

2006 Minimum Wage
$7.75 per hour

Consumption Taxes
In Montreal, two different taxes are applied to products and services. The federal Goods and Services Tax (GST) is 6%, while the Quebec Sales Tax (QST) is set at 7.5% and applies to the selling price including the GST. Some items including groceries, restaurant meals, and books are PST exempt.

2006 Federal Personal Income Tax

Net Income	Tax
Basic Personal Amount	0%
Up to $36,378	15.25%
Up to $72,756	22%
Up to $118,285	26%
Over $118,285	29%
Source: Canada Revenue Agency. 2006

2006 Provincial Income Tax

Net Income	Tax
Basic Personal Amount	0%
Up to $28,710	16%
Up to $57,430	20%
Over $57,430	24%
Source: Quebec Government. 2006

Alcohol & Cigarettes
Cigerettes range between 8-10$ + taxes. Alcohol varies, can only be bought at SAQ, corner stores, and grocery stores before 11 pm.

Illegal Aliens in Canada

2006-12-16T14:23:00.000-08:00

-by Joe Blundo (orig. in Columbus Dispatch of Nov. 16th, 2004)

The flood of American liberals sneaking across the border into Canada has intensified in the past week, sparking calls for increased patrols to stop the illegal immigration. The re-election of President Bush is prompting the exodus among left leaning citizens who fear they'll soon be required to hunt, pray and agree with Bill O'Reilly....

Canadian border farmers say it's not uncommon to see dozens of sociology professors, animal rights activists and Unitarians crossing their fields at night. "I went out to milk the cows the other day, and there was a Hollywood producer huddled in the barn," said Manitoba farmer Red Greenfield, whose acreage borders North Dakota. The producer was cold, exhausted and hungry. "He asked me if I could spare a latte and some free-range chicken. When I said I didn't have any, he left. Didn't even get a chance to show him my screenplay, eh?"

In an effort to stop the illegal aliens, Greenfield erected higher fences, but the liberals scaled them. So he tried installing speakers that blare Rush Limbaugh across the fields. "Not real effective," he said. "The liberals still got through, and Rush annoyed the cows so much they wouldn't give milk."

Officials are particularly concerned about smugglers who meet liberals near the Canadian border, pack them into Volvo station wagons, drive them across the border and leave them to fend for themselves. "A lot of these people are not prepared for rugged conditions," an Ontario border patrolman said. "I found one carload without a drop of drinking water. They did have a nice little Napa Valley cabernet, though."

When liberals are caught, they're sent back across the border, often wailing loudly that they fear retribution from conservatives. Rumors have been circulating about the Bush administration establishing re-education camps in which liberals will be forced to drink domestic beer and watch NASCAR.

In the days since the election, liberals have turned to sometimes-ingenious ways of crossing the border. Some have taken to posing as senior citizens on bus trips to buy cheap Canadian prescription drugs. After catching a half-dozen young vegans disguised in powdered wigs, Canadian immigration authorities began stopping buses and quizzing the supposed senior-citizen passengers. "If they can't identify the accordion player on The Lawrence Welk Show, we get suspicious about their age," an official said.

Canadian citizens have complained that the illegal immigrants are creating an organic-broccoli shortage and renting all the good Susan Sarandon movies. "I feel sorry for American liberals, but the Canadian economy just can't support them," an Ottawa resident said. "How many art-history majors does one country need?"

In an effort to ease tensions between the United States and Canada, Vice President Dick Cheney met with the Canadian ambassador and pledged that the administration would take steps to reassure liberals, a source close to Cheney said. "We're going to have some Peter, Paul & Mary concerts. And we might put some endangered species on postage stamps. The president is determined to reach out." "

The Great Canadian Identity

2006-12-15T16:52:00.000-08:00

by Scott Carpenter

Liberty Free Press

Canadians have been asking themselves this very question for as long as we have existed as a country; and as long as we have existed the question has never been answered.

The irony of this dilemma lies in the fact that on a daily basis we are bombarded with propaganda from the media/government on what a Canadian is. If we are to believe what we are told by this propaganda machine one might think that Canadians are simple beer swilling rednecks in flannel or perhaps people of a « cultural mosaic » working collectively (as though we all shared the same mind) towards another great physical or social invention. Unfortunately, none of these images provides us with a succinct ideological context in which we can define ourselves.

What is a Canadian?

The question has never been directly answered because quite simply there is NO moral framework with which to provide us an answer. We exist in an ideological void where the false gods of socialism are given equal footing with the ethical righteousness of capitalism. We live in a nation that claims that the rights of the individual reign supreme but at the same time fails to define what a « right » is. We preach tolerance for foreign cultures on the one hand but intolerance for the individual on the other. We are a nation of contradictions floating helplessly in a sea of confusion with no framework for living, with no proper definition of justice and without a single philosophical clue as to how a nation of civilized men interacts and sustains itself. Indeed, there has been much ado about nothing as of late to discover an identity for Canadians that will distinguish us from the rest of the world... particularly from Americans. The governments response to this confusion has been a series of television commercials designed to tell us about how great a nation Canada is because of the technological and/or social contributions it has made to the world. Never mind that it is not the government's role to decide for its people who they are. Never mind that such commercials still do not provide us with any moral framework from which to work; our government wants us to believe that we all share some collective pride for the scientific achievements of other individuals or that those social programs which we promote so vehemently are the answer to what ails the world. That many of these social programs have dubious moral roots is irrelevant; all of the above propaganda still does not answer the question:

What is a Canadian?

Most frightening is the recent trend to define ourselves in negative terms. University professors, politicians, the media, and students proclaim « Canadians are not (pick your poison) ». Mostly though we are told that Canadians are not « American ». Let's ignore the fact that Americans are no longer « American » either and concentrate on the implications of such a statement.

What do we mean by this?

In order to fully understand what this statement means we must first understand what it means to be « American ». What does America stand for... or at least, what did it stand for?

This is actually a very easy question to answer. One only need to look as far as the American Bill of Rights. Being American means that the individual is sovereign, that he has the right to « Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. »

In the U.S., a man owns his life. The direct corollary of this right is the right to use and dispose of ones private property, the right to arms, the right to freedom of speech, the right to freedom of association, the right to due process and so on.

If being American means that the rights of the individual are unassailable by government or any other entity then what does it mean to be Canadian if we are « not American » in the philosophical sense?

Think about it carefully. It means that in this country the individual has no right to the ownership of his own life. It means that individuals have NO rights in the eyes of their government or, for that matter, in the eyes of the majority of the Canadian population.

Of men and... cattle

So what does this make Canadians? The word « cattle » comes quickly to mind. Like Canadians, cattle have no rights. They are chattel property, controlled and lead to slaughter by whatever person, party or group of armed thugs happens to occupy the head of state at any given moment.

Whenever we condemn « Americanism » we condemn the rights of the individual. In short we condemn the good for simply being the good. Why? Perhaps this is a matter of history. We are, traditionally, a Common Wealth nation. From the early days of the American Revolution we have been taught that anything American is bad while systematically refusing to define what is « good ». Unfortunately we have forgotten that the American Constitution and its legal heritage is based on British Common Law. We have also forgotten that the Americans were once British too but that they revolted as a matter of profound moral principle... that individual rights shall not be infringed upon by any government.

We now continue to exist in this philosophical and ethical void as a matter of consequence. Indeed, our nanny state dictators prefer that the sheeps remain confused; it is easier to rule this way. Consider the implications to the current power structure if Canadians were to discover that they had rights imbued on them by their maker which no government may rightfully violate or abolish. By keeping us in a constant identity crisis, and by allowing various mechanisms to promote the doctrine of moral relativism, Canadians are kept docile and ineffective. We are denied our rightful place as sovereign and free men because, quite simply, we refuse to objectively define what it means to be « man ».

Perhaps the answer to our nagging question is much simpler than what our self-appointed rulers lead us to believe. Perhaps all it means to be Canadian is to be free? If we reject this concept then we reject what it means to be man. If we reject this concept then we deserve whatever evil befalls us today and for all time to come.

Canada Imigration Alert

2006-12-14T17:37:00.000-08:00

04 October 2006
Article by Naseem Malik

For companies who have foreign national employees travelling to their offices in Canada for short term business trips or longer term secondments, it is critical to take steps to ensure a smooth entry into the country. But w hat happens when an employee is nevertheless refused entry to Canada? The way in which the employee and his or her employer decide to address the situation may have a significant effect on the employee’s ability to enter Canada, both at the present time and in the future.

Why Entry Can Be Refused

The reasons for refusal to enter Canada vary widely. These can range from criminal or medical inadmissibility issues (a previous criminal conviction, for instance), to the lack of an entry visa, work permit, proper travel documents/proof of citizenship, or previous problems that the employee might have had with Canada Immigration. If the employee has been refused entry for merely technical reasons that can be easily rectified, the situation can sometimes be resolved in a matter of hours. An example of this type of situation would be if an employee easily qualifies for a work permit but did not have the proper supporting documents from the employer to substantiate the purpose for traveling to Canada. In other circumstances, there may be serious issues that will prevent future trips into Canada until they are resolved.

What to Do When Refused Entry

In many cases when an employee is denied entry, he or she will call the human resources professional or in-house legal representative of his or her company for assistance. It is important that the first person called at the employer’s office in Canada takes down as much information as possible on what events led to the refusal, what the immigration officer indicated was the problem that led to the decision to refuse entry, and whether an official report has been created. Gathering this information is important, since in most cases the next step is to contact a lawyer specializing in immigration law.

The more information and documentation that the immigration lawyer has at his or her disposal, the better he or she will be able to assess the situation and advise you. Having the ability to review copies of any documents issued by Canada Immigration will also be helpful in determining what has led to the refusal and what can be done to ensure that the employee will not encounter any problems in the future.

John Deutsch Institute ~ Lecture on Immigration in the 21st Century

2006-12-13T16:50:00.000-08:00

Several major issues face immigration policy in Canada at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Clearly, they are informed by the environments inside and outside the country, and they are very much interrelated.

First, Canada needs to review the goals and objectives of current immigration policy. As indicated, the environment of immigration to Canada has changed over the last 20 years. Large numbers of immigrants are settling predominantly in the three largest cities in Canada, with about half of the total arrivals living in and around Toronto. The speed and success of labour market integration of more recent immigrants have slipped compared to that of earlier arrival cohorts and compared to immigrants in the United States. Poverty rates among immigrant households within five years of arrival have increased dramatically since 1980 and are related to immigrant origins. Critiques of Canadian immigration policy (e.g., Daniel Stoffman's Who Gets In: What's Wrong with Canada's Immigration Program - and How to Fix It, 2002) have received high-profile coverage in the media. A lot is expected of immigration to meet several alternative goals - demographic, economic, social, humanitarian, and security. Indeed, as Alan Green's paper argues, perhaps too much is expected and immigration cannot be viewed as a silver bullet to satisfy all these objectives. It is thus worth having a public debate on the relative priorities we wish to set among these objectives of immigration policy, for these priorities will inform how we target and structure Canadian immigration policy. For example, a shift in emphasis from economic to social objectives for immigration will imply the need for closer cooperation between different levels of government with responsibility for community, education, housing, and social support systems.

Second, immigration policy has to address the issues of setting overall numerical targets and the selection criteria for admitting immigrants. One of the earliest classic studies of immigration in Canada was Mabel Timlin's book entitled Does Canada Need More People? (1951) and the debate is still ongoing on what is the appropriate total level of annual immigration and what should it depend upon. A more recent study by the Economic Council of Canada, Economic and Social Impacts of Immigration (1991), proposed a long-run target rate of 1% of population (or about 300,000 per year in current figures). How should such long-run targets be formulated and what consultation process should be involved? Also, for a given long-run target, should allowance be made for deviations from targets based on, say, short-run economic conditions and absorptive capacity - at either national or regional levels?

Immigrants arrive under different classes representing different program objectives. The three broad classes are: Family Class immigrants who enter on the basis of family relationships; Independent Class immigrants selected on the basis of a point system that reflects occupational skills, experience and likely adaptability to Canadian society; and Convention Refugee Class immigrants who are admitted on the basis of Canadian laws governing refugee admissions and likely adaptability to the Canadian environment. These are generally called family (reunification) class, economic class, and refugee class immigrants. Major concerns of immigration policy, then, are the relative numbers of immigrants to be admitted under these different classes, and the rules and procedures governing each of these admission classes. These do not exist in a vacuum, but are informed by overall goals and priorities, by actual economic success and rate of integration to Canadian society of the different immigrant groups, and by political and regional concerns. Within the point system, there has been considerable interest in the questions of appropriate selection criteria and the relative weights to attach to the specific criteria for economic immigrants such as education, age, occupational skills, knowledge of languages such as English or French, and likelihood of business success. What roles should be given to provinces in reaching such decisions? What rules and procedures should be applied to the selection of temporary immigrants, and who should have input into these decisions? Procedures should also ensure the integrity and security of Canadian borders in a post-9/11 environment. The success of the immigration program owes much to effective management, particularly of selection criteria. A number of the conference papers and discussions refer to these policy issues.

A third set of issues for immigration policy involves analyzing the adjustment process of recent immigrants to Canada and promoting the effective integration of permanent immigrants into the Canadian labour market and society. Good policy needs to be informed by up-to-date evidence and research. The period since the late 1980s has, in fact, seen a remarkable explosion and maturation of research on immigration issues in both Canada and the United States - see, for example, the major sets of studies in Smith and Edmonston (1997) and Borjas (2000) for the United States and the recent set of overviews for Canada in Canadian Issues (April 2003). The research is fostered by valuable new datasets and by the setting up of four dedicated research centres and programs focused on immigration related matters (i.e., the Metropolis project). It has also expanded to look at impacts of immigration and recent immigrant experience well beyond the labour market. Journal articles on all aspects of the immigration process, rare before 1980, are now part of the academic landscape. Many of the papers at this conference attest to this broadening range of inquiry. Such research helps to identify problems in the immigrant adjustment process, and to provide better understanding of the likely consequences of policy alternatives and of current rules and procedures.

The main involvement of federal policymakers in promoting the effective integration of permanent immigrants in Canada has largely been with settlement programs. These are directed mainly at smoothing the initial settlement process, and include counselling and language instruction. The objective has been to reduce the costs of settlement and help overcome early hurdles in the settlement process, and hence foster integration into the economy and society. A number of papers at the conference addressed various aspects of the immigrant adjustment process under the general headings of labour market adjustment and social integration, but clearly the two are linked. A number of significant issues and trends regarding the successful integration of immigrants go well beyond the initial settlement process. Much attention was devoted at the conference to the declining labour market performance of immigrants; the social welfare costs of immigration; difficulties in recognition of foreign educational and professional credentials; social exclusion or discrimination against immigrants or visible minorities in various sectors such as employment, education, housing and public services; and regional impacts and inter-governmental aspects of the uneven dispersion of immigrants across the country. Probably the most important of these issues in the short to intermediate term is the declining labour market performance of immigrants. Dealing with the above sets of issues will involve federal departments well beyond Citizenship and Immigration Canada as well as joint arrangements with provincial and even municipal levels of government.

Obtaining A Student Visa

2006-12-13T16:46:00.000-08:00

There are more than 85 universities in Canada which provide high level of education to students coming from around the world. Canada has some of the finest private English schools from grade 1-12 for local as well as international students. The Canadian government spends 9.5 % of their GDP in the education system. Many Canadian education institutions are funded by the government and therefore they have some of the best facilities.

Basic process for obtaining student authorization is as follows:

Foreign students must apply to a Canadian education institute and obtain admission in such an institute. This institute must be certified by the immigration authority for the issuance of the student authorization / visa. This is generally mentioned in the prospectus of the school. If is not mentioned students must ask the institute directly whether admission in that particular institute will qualify him / her for student authorization.
Once the admission is secured, the student is required to make application to the Canadian immigration office for student authorization and visa.
The student can make this application while in Canada or outside of Canada.

There are also many student exchange programs, student working visa programs and such other programs for students of certain countries.

Our kit will also include, apart from our regular forms and instructions, a list of Canadian educational institutions and a list of special student exchange and student working visa programs.

Immigration to Canada : A general Overview

2006-12-09T15:52:00.000-08:00

Immigration to Canada is the process by which people migrate to Canada and become nationals of the country. As Canada is a relatively new country, a formal immigration process has not been around for very long. Nevertheless, people have been migrating to the geographic region of Canada for thousands of years, patterns varying. After 1947 domestic immigration law went through many major changes, most notably with the Immigration Act, 1976 and the current Immigration and Refugee Protection Act from 2002.

Currently Canada is known as a country with a broad immigration policy which is reflected in Canada's ethnic diversity. According to the 2001 census by Statcan Canada has 34 ethnic groups with at least one hundred thousand members each, and numerous others represented in smaller amounts. 13.4% of the population belonged to visible minorities: most numerous among these are Chinese (3.5% of the population), South Asian (3.1%), Black (2.2%), and Filipino (1.0%).

Canadian citizenship was originally created under the Immigration Act, 1910, to designate those British subjects who were domiciled in Canada. All other British subjects required permission to land. A separate status of "Canadian national" was created under the Canadian Nationals Act, 1921, which was defined as being a Canadian citizen as defined above, their wives, and any children (fathered by such citizens) that had not yet landed in Canada. After the passage of the Statute of Westminster in 1931, the monarchy thus ceased to be an exclusively British institution. Because of this Canadians, and others living in countries that became known as Commonwealth Realms, were known as subjects of the Crown. However in legal documents the term "British subject" continued to be used.

Canada was the second nation in the then British Commonwealth to establish its own nationality law in 1946, with the enactment of the Canadian Citizenship Act 1946. This took effect on 1 January 1947. In order to acquire Canadian citizenship on 1 January 1947 one generally had to be a British subject on that date, an Indian or Eskimo, or had been admitted to Canada as landed immigrants before that date. The phrase British subject refers in general to anyone from the UK, its colonies at the time, or a Commonwealth country. Acquisition and loss of British subject status before 1947 was determined by United Kingdom law (see History of British nationality law).

On 15 February 1977, Canada removed restrictions on dual citizenship. Many of the provisions to acquire or lose Canadian citizenship that existed under the 1946 legislation were repealed. Canadian citizens are in general no longer subject to involuntary loss of citizenship, barring revocation on the grounds of immigration fraud.

Statistics Canada has tabulated the effect of immigration on population growth in Canada from 1851 to 2001.^[1]

The highest per capita immigration rate in the world

In 2001, 250,640 people immigrated to Canada. Based on the Canada 2001 Census total population of 30,007,094 people, immigration represented 0.834% population growth that year. On a compounded basis, that immigration rate represents 8.7% population growth over 10 years, or 23.1% over 25 years (or 6.9 million people). This excludes the future children of those immigrants born in Canada, who, while also contributing to population growth, would not be immigrants. Since the 2001, immigration has ranged between 221,352 and 262,236 immigrants per annum.^[2] According to Canada's Immigration Program (October 2004) Canada has the highest per capita immigration rate in the world.^[3] The three main official reasons given for this are:

A. The social component – Canada facilitates family reunification.

B. The humanitarian component – Relating to refugees.

C. The economic component – Attracting immigrants who will contribute economically and fill labour market needs.

The level of immigration peaked in 1993 in the last year of the Progressive Conservative government and was maintained by Liberal Party of Canada. Ambitious targets of an annual 1% per capita immigration rate were hampered by financial constraints. The Liberals committed to raising actual immigration levels further in 2005. Other political parties have been cautious about criticising of the high level of immigration, because, as noted by the Globe and Mail, "in the early 1990s, the old Reform Party was branded 'racist' for suggesting that immigration levels be lowered from 250,000 to 150,000."^[4]

Immigrant population growth is disproportionally concentrated in or near large cities (particularly Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal). These cities are experiencing the strains that accompany strong population growth causing some residents to express concern about the declining livability of those cities. For example, a Toronto Star article published on 14 July 2006 authored by Daniel Stoffman noted that 43% of immigrants move to the Greater Toronto Area and said "unless Canada cuts immigrant numbers, our major cities will not be able to maintain their social and physical infrastructures".^[5] Most of the provinces that do not have one of those destination cities have implemented strategies to try to boost their share of immigration.

According to Citizenship and Immigration Canada, under the Canada-Quebec Accord, Quebec has sole responsibility for selecting most immigrants destined to the province. Quebec has been admitting about the same number of immigrants as the number choosing to immigrate to British Columbia even though its population is almost twice as large.^[6]

Immigration categories

There are three main immigration categories:

Economic immigrants - Citizenship and Immigration Canada uses several sub-categories of economic immigrants. The high-profile Skilled worker principal applicants group comprised 19.8% of all immigration in 2005.^[2] In 2001 (the date of the last immigrant employment study) Skilled worker principal applicant landed immigrants had a 34% unemployment rate.^[7] Spouses and children of Skilled workers comprised an even larger percentage of the Economic immigrant category at 29.3% of all immigration.^[2]
Family class - Under a government program, both citizens and permanent residents can sponsor family members to immigrate to Canada. While this program has proven to be popular with recent immigrants, it has also been criticized by some for being too open-ended (i.e., a never-ending cycle of people related to yet more people which ultimately extends well beyond the original sponsor), a non-citizen can be a sponsor, and it allows retirees to immigrate who have not contributed significantly to the funding of the Canadian infrastructure, medical or social services system (the free rider problem). This category of immigrants also has a much lower labour force participation rate than economic immigrants.^[7]
Refugees - Immigration of refugees and those in need of protection. This immigrant population has a high unemployment record (51% in 2001) of an already small labour participation rate (44%), resulting in extended financial dependence on government assistance for the vast majority of refugees.^[7]

Under Canadian nationality law an immigrant can apply for citizenship after living in Canada for three years.^[8]

Economic impact

See main article, Economic impact of immigration to Canada

Population growth through immigration tends to boost GDP, but not necessarily per capita income depending on whether immigrants have an income above or below the national average, and whether the skills they bring have impacts that multiply benefits throughout the economy. Analysis of census data as of 2000 shows that immigrant incomes were at 80% of the national average after 10 years of residing in Canada.^[9]

Some observers note that almost all Canadians are either immigrants or descendants of immigrants and that the Canadian standard of living is one of the highest in the world. Therefore, based on this simple logic, these observers argue that immigration must have been beneficial to the Canadian economy, at least at some point in the past. In 1991, the Economic Council of Canada concluded that "A historical perspective gives little or no support to the view that immigration is needed for economic prosperity. In the 19th and and early 20th centuries, the fastest growth in per capita real incomes occurred at times with net immigration was nil or negative. Later in the 20th century, the opposite linkage is seen but, clearly, there is no long-term correlation." ^[10] A University of Montreal study published in 2002 by professor Marc Termote used different methods and studied different countries and concluded that immigration has no statistical impact to the per capita income of a country.^[11]

The economic impact of immigration differs by immigration category. For example, according to Statistics Canada, there are significant differences in the labour force participation rates. 2001 labour force participation rates by category:^[7]

Economic immigrants: 91%
Economic immigrant spouses: 63%
Family class immigrants: 59%
Refugees: 44%
Average of all immigrants: 70%

In 2001, the overall unemployment rate of immigrants was 37%. Combined with the overall participation rate of 70%, this means that only 44% of all immigrants (15 years of age and older) were working in 2001. Federal and provincial government social programs can experience greater expense without corresponding tax revenue due to the low employment rate of immigrants. The Fraser Institute claims that the immigrants who arrived between 1990 and 2002 cost governments $18.3 billion (net of taxes raised from those immigrants) relating to universal social services.^[12]

Illegal immigration in Canada

Some estimates suggest that there may be up to 500,000 illegal immigrants in Canada.^[13] A further unsubstantiated claim is that most are refugee claimants whose refugee applications were rejected by the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada.^[14] If already in the country, Canada does not ask any type of immigration applicant to re-enter the country for any extension or approval of their status. This differs from the U.S. which insists on re-entry for most types of applications, and denies entry if an application is declined.

It stands to reason that there may be very few illegal immigrants who enter the country without first being admitted by the Canada Border Services Agency. The reason for believing this is that Canada is physically very difficult to get to, with the exception of crossing the Canada-United States border. And in this case, since the U.S. is itself a prime destination for illegal immigrants, not many illegal immigrants then attempt an unauthorized border crossing into Canada.

The reality is that there is no credible information available on illegal immigration in Canada.

Immigration and crime

In 2005, Gwyn Morgan raised the issue of linking refugees with crime in Canada, saying among other things that "It's fair to say that most immigrants who abuse our society have come in as refugee claimants rather than 'economic immigrants'." His opinions on this topic were rejected by, most notably, some New Democratic Party and Liberal Members of Parliament.^[15]

The federal Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada department ran a successful program from 1999 to 2003 called Project Early Intervention that targeted children in a community "made up of recent Arabic and Somalian immigrants" with the goal of reducing crime.^[16] In 2004, Canada established a national action plan, aimed in part at reducing violence, called A Canada Fit for Children which said "children of recent immigrants and refugee children are more likely to experience economic disadvantage with its associated risks."^[17]

Terrorist attacks in Canada have been committed by both foreign-born (mostly naturalized citizens) and Canadian-born people. The key suspects (Reyat, Malik, Bagri) in Canada's most deadly terrorist attack, Air India Flight 182, are all foreign-born. Half of the 12 identified alleged terrorists in the 2006 Toronto terrorism case are foreign-born and the other half are Canadian-born. Ahmed Ressam, an illegal immigrant (whose refugee application was previously rejected) living in Canada was an al-Qaeda operative who tried in 1999 to enter the United States to attack it with explosives found in his vehicle, has been referred to by some pundits in the United States as an example of how Canada's immigration policies and allegedly weak controls pose a potential terrorism threat to the United States. Canadian immigrants from Sri Lanka were arrested in the U.S. in August 2006 as part of a terrorist arms-trading plot and have contributed to the impression that Canada's policies facilitate terrorist activity.^[18] Nowithstanding incorrect statements from some elected U.S. politicians, none of the terrorists who participated in the September 11, 2001 attacks entered the United States from Canada^[19]

The reality is that no credible organization, such as Statistics Canada, has published a study on immigration and crime in Canada, so there are few conclusions on the topic.

thank you wikipedia

Buying Your First Home in Canada

2006-12-09T15:47:00.000-08:00

Having managed to find Alan a job and get pre-approval for a mortgage we went hunting. On a relatively low income and limited cash for the 25% deposit we decided to try looking outside of the city to start with. We (wrongly) assumed that properties might be cheaper.

The thing is, outside of the city anyone can throw up a house, with little or no regard for building regulations, minimum standards etc. We saw some amazing sights. One house looked just perfect til we went down to the basement, the whole of the north basement wall had fallen in and that end of the house was being held up by a couple of two by fours and a fridge...I am not kidding. Another home had a huge garage, large enough for four cars, yet it was built out of acoustic fibreboard with no weather proofing. Acoustic fibreboard is very expensive...it makes no sense to use this. Then we went to see a "fixer -upper", folks the only thing that would fix this baby up would be several sticks of dynamite.

So, we sat back and reconsidered out options. We were getting very discouraged but were desperate to get out of the palace we are living in. So we started looking at cheaper homes inside the city. This too was frustrating and at times downright scary. But I have to thank our Realtor, Doug Towes (dtowes@surf.pangea.ca), whom I found through the Internet way before we left Iowa. He was honest and caring. He told us when he thought a house was reasonably priced and when not. He pointed out flaws and problems and gave a realistic assessment of resale values. And in the end he found us a really nice little house in a very good area, just blocks from a school for Elliot, not far from a small river and park and within walking distance of shops and a public swimming pool. When Alan and I first met we lived in London and hated it, wanted to move to the country and never intended to live in a city again. Yet there we were, buying a home just two miles or so from the very centre of Winnipeg.

So fellow applicants and immigrants... we must all be flexible...but then by our very nature we must be that, right? Inflexible people do not emigrate :-)

We did learn that real estate descriptions the world over all deserve to win prizes for fiction! To give you a guide we have complied a list of translations from realty speak to English:-

Rustic =
A wooden shack in a field.
Quaint =
A small, old, wooden shack in a field.
Picturesque =
A small, old, wooden shack in a field with a tree in the front yard.
For the fisherman! =
It is an island every spring when the river rises.
For the outdoors type. =
The roof leaks.
A waterlover´s paradise. =
The basement is flooded.
Needs a little TLC. =
Needs a lot of CPR.
Third bedroom suitable for a child or office. =
A closet.
Patio garden. =
The back yard is 100 square feet of cracked concrete.
Off street parking. =
The back yard is 100 square feet of cracked concrete but you can
park on it if you like.
Ideal for the handyman. =
It´s a pile of two by fours and a bag of nails in a field.
Cosmetic touches needed. =
Major surgery needed.
Ready for your finishing touches. =
The previous owner thought he was a builder....he wasn´t.
Drop out of the rat race.... =
Up a dirt track, no water, power or drains.
Minty! =
I have no clue what this means but the realtors in Winnipeg just love the term! I have been very tempted to lick the side of the house to see if it really is minty. But while most of you know that I am possibly less than sane I don´t think I should draw that much attention locally!

So there you have it folks. The dangerous thought was that Alan was going to drive a U-Haul again...I wonder if I should have alerted the traffic police...

by Carolyn

To Allow or Not to...

2006-12-09T15:42:00.000-08:00

What do Canadians think about the growing number of Immigrants...?

POINT
Chances are you immigrated to Canada. If not you, then your parents or grandparents did. Immigrants built this nation; partly because Canada has always welcomed those who want a better future, and partly because it has always required newcomers to maintain our population levels and stimulate our economy. Surprisingly, some believe the federal government should make it harder for newcomers to settle in Canada.

Critics argue that immigrants and refugees take jobs away from Canadians. They're wrong. According to a 1994 study published in International Migration Review, the economy typically grows during periods of high immigration. That's because many immigrants start companies and invest money into our economy. Others feel immigrants and refugees are responsible for higher levels of crime, however, less than 12% of our prison population is foreign born.

Others argue that immigrants and refugees dilute our sense of national pride without realizing that the majority of immigrants speak one of our national languages before arriving or learn one soon after, and more than 80 percent become Canadian citizens. Some feel that the government is not doing enough to open our arms to the world's downtrodden - less than 50% of refugee claims are accepted. The United States, United Kingdom and Germany all receive more refugee claimants than Canada.

Most Canadians believe that everyone has the right to seek out and enjoy a life free from oppression and hardship, or to find a better life for their families. Our immigration policy is, in part, a reflection of this belief and is at the very soul of Canada. It would be wrong to destroy a policy that helps build our nation.

COUNTER POINT
Imagine you're having a party. The door bell rings and to your surprise it's a bunch of people that you weren't expecting. How would you feel?

It's a situation many Canadians feel they are in following the illegal arrival of hundreds of Chinese onto the shores of BC. Many residents are angry and upset. Not at the new arrivals, but at the federal government that allows people to 'butt ahead' of those who seek entry into this country legitimately.

An article from the Vancouver Province points out that the process to determine a refugee's claim is so long and tedious that some claimants denied refugee status are still granted immigrant status because "they have been in Canada for a long time." The fact is, many of these refugees are not escaping political or social oppression. They want to improve their economic well being.

So they come to Canada, and let taxpayers subsidize their new lifestyle. The tab to house, feed and care for the illegal arrival of Chinese last year exceeded $2 million. In Ontario, taxpayers spend up to $140 million annually on welfare for immigrants and refugees.

It might not be politically correct to admit, but we should have the right to choose those people we want to accept into this country. Just like those people you want to have at your party. We cannot afford to support the current system. It's unfair. It's costly. It's inefficient. The government must do the right thing and reform our immigration policy.

by James Stevens

TIPS FOR MOVING TO THE BIG C!!

2006-12-09T15:38:00.000-08:00

Waiting for visas!

While your visa application is being processed, use this 'waiting time' wisely by working on your English or French language skills. If possible, take classes or work with a tutor to improve your speaking and listening skills.

Have a quick look!

Take an exploratory trip prior to moving (if possible)! This will familiarize you with the environment and may give you an opportunity to meet with some potential employers to drop off your resume ahead of your permanent move.

Choose your moving date wisely!

Moving to Canada in the winter can present a number of problems. Winters in many parts can be very severe with snow for months at a time and temperatures as low as -40 degrees. Arriving during these harsh conditions just adds further stress to you and your family. If you must move during the winter months because of your visas, at least make sure you have pre-arranged accommodation and some reliable transportation available for your arrival.

Pre-Move Planning

Pre-move planning is critical for making your move both successful and enjoyable. Consider the following one month prior to your departure for Canada:

Sell or get rid of unnecessary belongings.

Get estimates from shipping companies. Decide on the shipping method to suit your needs, timeframes and budget.

Get estimates for pet shipping services. An air-worthy animal crate will need to be ordered and is custom built to your pet's specific measurements. Each airline has a different policy on the transportation of live animals. Contact your airline of choice directly for costs/regulations/shipping requirements for your pet.

Gather up all of the required documentation you will need on landing in Canada and within the first few weeks after your arrival.

Don't bank on it!

Consider leaving your bank account and visa account in your country of origin open for the first few months after you arrive in Canada. Wait until you become established with banking and credit in your new location before closing out these old accounts. As soon as you arrive, visit your local bank manager, introduce yourself, explain your needs and build a relationship from day one.
open a bank account and apply for a credit card.

Arriving in Canada!

Everything will be different and you may be feeling homesick and stressed for the first few months. Most newcomers experience these feelings as they settle into their new life. Realize that these feelings are quite normal and allow yourself to relax and enjoy the differences around you.

Feeling at home in a new country takes time. Be patient! Ask questions! Learn about life in Canada from speaking to people in your neighbourhood, at church or at your children's new schools. This will help you to get involved in your community quicker and you'll settle faster if you have the support of people around you. Canadians are a friendly people and more than willing to help you adapt to your new life!

Culture Shock

It is highly likely you will experience culture shock within your first few weeks or months in Canada. Culture shock results from experiencing a new and different way of life with all its inherent ups and downs. Although culture shock can become overwhelming at times, knowing how to cope can make a big difference. Find out all you can about culture shock and you will be better prepared to cope if you experience those feelings.

Health Insurance

To receive free public health care services in Canada, you must first have a provincial health insurance plan card (Health Card). It is very important to apply for your Health Insurance Card as soon as possible after you arrive in Canada.

Each province administers its own health insurance program so there may be some variations for eligibility from province to province.

In most provinces you will have to pay a monthly fee for this insurance. Provincial health insurance does not cover the cost of prescription drugs, dental care, ambulance services and prescription eye glasses.

Do you speak the language?

One of the most important skills you need to adapt more easily to your new life in Canada is the ability to speak English or French. When you arrive in Canada, practice speaking in English or French. Don't be concerned about making mistakes, use every day as a new opportunity to learn and improve your language skills.

No Credit history?

You may wish to purchase goods or services on credit in Canada and as a newcomer you will have no credit history here. Your credit cards from home will provide you with a stop-gap until you receive a new credit card.

It is imperative to build a good credit rating in Canada. Your credit rating is a measure of your credit-worthiness or in other words, your record of borrowing and repayment. Without a credit rating, few institutions will lend you money!

Learn the national anthem!

It's corny but hey!

You can never be too prepared!

Start your research well in advance of your move. Good preparation will save you time and money and a lot of stress in the end! Begin by learning some quick facts about Canada; Weather, Voltage, Public holidays, Canadian money, Tipping, Measurements and the like.

Moving to a new country takes courage. It also offers new and exciting opportunities for you and your family. I hope these tips will give you a snapshot of what to expect and will help you to adapt to your new life.

by Thelma O' Connor

HEADING NORTH

2006-12-09T15:25:00.000-08:00

Historically, Canada has been a relatively welcoming destination for immigrants. Nearly 20 percent of the Canadian population is foreign born. (Just 11.5 percent of the U.S. population can say the same.) The country boasts one of the world's only permanent immigration programs, and the minister of citizenship and immigration recently announced that she hopes Canada will welcome 220,000 to 245,000 immigrants and refugees in 2005.

A relatively small number of those immigrants are expected to come from the United States. In 2003, immigrants from the United States constituted only 2.7 percent of the total number of immigrants to Canada, a figure that has held steady over recent years—even in 2001, after the hotly contested 2000 presidential election. (By contrast, more than half of the immigrant population comes from Asia and the Pacific region.)

Nevertheless, Canada has long been a refuge for Americans fleeing the states for political reasons. During the Vietnam War, tens of thousands of draft dodgers jumped the border—many of them illegally (according to the U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services, there were about 23,000 legal American residents in Canada in 1970). Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau accepted most with open arms, and one Canadian town even recently planned a memorial to the draft dodgers until strong opposition from veterans groups blocked the effort.

Today, permanent residence—and the universal health care and clean air that come with it—is a little harder to obtain. Immigrants must obtain a visa from the Canadian Visa Office and fill out an application for permanent residence from the Consulate General of Canada. Applications take an average of 25 months to process. Bush dodgers arriving in Canada must also provide a valid passport, two copies of a detailed list of all personal items brought into the country and two copies of a list of all items on the way, and proof of enough funds to cover expenses for the first six months. For more information, visit the Citizenship and Immigration Canada Web site.

BY LOUISA H. THOMAS
http://www.slate.com/id/2109135/

Business Visa

2006-12-07T00:46:00.000-08:00

Applying for a Business visa does not have to be a major undertaking - especially if you are thinking of relocating your business in Canada. One of the main processes to start the ball rolling is to be able to prove that your funds are not from the proceeds of crime. Also, any applications made will have to be from the applicants country of residence.
On September 1st 2006, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) announced changes to the application procedure and have introduced a new, Simplified Application for new applicants. This new system requires the application forms and processing fee's to be submitted and then, when they are ready to process your application, you will have to submit all the supporting documentation. This may sound like good news, however, given the length of waiting times, it may be several years of waiting before you find out that you do not qualify.
With such an important step we highly recommend using the services of an Immigration Professional. This way your application is assessed by an independant, experienced professional and an accurate opinion is given. This simple step could save you a lot of money, time wasted and heartache at a later date.
We are proud to recommend StayLazyCanada, a member of the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants (CSIC) and the Canadian Association of Professional Immigration Consultants (CAPIC). The experienced team at SLC will provide expert advice about a Business Visa that you can trust no matter which Country you are moving from. To contact SLC for your FREE, no obligation assessment of eligibility please complete the short contact form at the foot of this page.
*Please note that all details are treated in the strictest confidence and at no point are these passed to, or used by any other parties. We have just received a fantastic offer for anyone interested in the Business Visa. The spectacular TravelLodge (pictured above right) in the St.Sauveur region of Quebec has been placed for sale and is perfect for anyone who would like to operate their very own hospitality leisure inn - this business could fit your requirements for immigration. Just click on the picture for more information and a link to fabulous pictures of an amazing property.
People who are experienced in business could qualify for a Business Visa They are expected to contribute to the development of the Canadian economy either by investing in or starting a business in Canada. There are three different types of Business Visa Immigrant.
1. Investors - this Business Visa program is aimed at people with at least two years recent business experience and sufficient capital. Investors must have a minimum net worth of CDN $800,000 and make an investment of CDN $400,000 that is used by either the Provinces or Territories to boost the local economy.
The C$400,000 investment is administered by the Citizenship and Immigration Canada and is returned to the “investor” after around 5 years. No interest is paid as a zero interest promissory note will be issued to the applicant that is non transferable and has to be presented to the CIC for repayment of the C$400,000.
Though not mandatory, it is recommended that a “facilitator” (authorized by the CIC and are normally representatives from one of the national banks) is used to represent the investor with no costs incurred – CIC will pay the fees.
Once you have proof of funds you must earn at least 35 points from the CIC selection table. After this, you must pass a medical and then the standard security and immigration checks.
Provided you satisfy all these requirements, you will then be informed by the CIC how to make the investment payment and once received, the permanent resident visa will be issued. Once awarded there are no extra conditions applied to your residency terms. Full details can be found at the CIC website for the Investors program.
2. Entrepreneurs - this Business Visa program is aimed at experienced people who can create jobs and contribute to the Canadian economy by owning and managing profit orientated businesses. Entrepreneurs must have a minimum of two years business experience and a minimum net worth of CDN$300,000.
As with the investor program you must score at least 35 points from the CIC selection table. One major difference is that you will have to give a written brief of your intentions and how you will meet given conditions of the Canadian business environment.
Then, once you are resident, you will then have 3 years to physically fulfill these requirements. During the initial 18 months of your residency you will be expected to contact your local CIC office and give them firm evidence of the progress of your endeavours so far.
More, detailed information can be found at the CIC website for the Entrepreneurs program.
3. Self-employed persons - this Business Visa program is aimed at people who can create their Own Employment , this may be by buying and running a farm in Canada for example.
You must be able to show that you have a minimum of two years of relevant experience in the 5 years preceding the application. This relevant experience is limited to three distinct areas. They must contribute to the cultural or athletic life of Canada (check the NOC classifications), be a world class athlete or have farm management experience.
There are several different aspects to this, the third class of visa, from the other two. There are no further conditions once you have landed as a resident and you do not have to demonstrate any net worth requirements other than the standard settling funds required for your family.
The Application Fee is non-refundable and is payable at the time of application. This applies to the principle applicant, any accompanying spouse or common-law partner and dependent children.
The second fee payable is the Right of Permanent Residence Fee, this fee is refundable if you cancel your application, Citizenship and Immigration Canada do not issue you the business visa or if you do not use your visa. It can be paid at any time during the application process but must be paid before your Permanent Residence visa can be issued and applies to the principle applicant, any accompanying spouse or common-law partner. All fees are payable in Canadian Dollars.
If you wish to check application processing times please click the link to the CIC website. Once there, navigate through the options depending on where your application is being processed and the type of visa you are applying for. Click Here For CIC Processing Times!!