tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24112490652220940312024-02-08T10:46:37.182-08:00Canada ImmigrationMaking the decision to immigrate to Canada is a very important step in the lives of those who pursue this dream. When applying, you have to be very careful to ensure that the process is carried out efficiently and successfully.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12390974608518950964noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2411249065222094031.post-16093728496647581172014-01-16T22:01:00.001-08:002014-01-16T22:01:40.328-08:00Canada-U.S. to share 'real-time' border-crossing details | Canada | Travel | Toronto Sun<h1 class="title zero entry-title" style="border: 0px; display: inline; float: none; font-family: FranklinGothicFSMediumCondens, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.5em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.917; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px !important; margin-right: 0px !important; margin-top: 0px !important; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline;">Canada-U.S. to share 'real-time' border-crossing details </h1><a class="bulle" data-disqus-identifier="st-1297515096891" href="http://www.torontosun.com/2014/01/16/canada-us-to-share-real-time-border-crossing-details#disqus_thread" style="background-image: url(http://www.torontosun.com/assets/img/interface/ico-bulle.png); background-position: 0px -11px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; color: #0044aa; cursor: pointer; display: inline; float: none; font-family: FranklinGothicFSMediumCondens !important; font-size: 10px !important; margin: 0px 0px 0px 2px; outline: none; padding: 1px 0px 0px 2px; position: relative; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-image: url(http://www.torontosun.com/assets/img/interface/ico-bulle.png); background-position: 100% -42px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; color: black; height: 20px; line-height: 15px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 3px 5px 6px 3px; vertical-align: baseline;">0</span></a><br />
<header class="headerStory col650" style="background-color: #aaaaaa; border: 0px; color: #333333; float: left; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.600000381469727px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 650px;"><br />
<address class="meta vcard author reviewer" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; clear: both; color: #666666; display: inline; font-size: 0.9em; font-style: normal; line-height: 2em; margin: 0px 0px 3px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: uppercase; vertical-align: baseline;">BY <a class="url fn" href="http://www.torontosun.com/author/daniel-proussalidis" rel="author" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0044aa; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">DANIEL PROUSSALIDIS</a> <span class="org" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">,PARLIAMENTARY BUREAU</span></address><div class="meta" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom-color: rgb(213, 213, 213); border-bottom-style: solid; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; clear: both; color: #666666; font-size: 0.9em; line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 3px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: uppercase; vertical-align: baseline;">FIRST POSTED: <time class="published dtreviewed value-title" datetime="2014-01-16T22:19:21Z" pubdate="" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Thu Jan 16 2014 14:19:21 GMT-0800 (Pacific Standard Time)">THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2014 05:19 PM EST </time>| UPDATED: <time class="updated dtreviewed value-title" datetime="2014-01-16T23:05:09Z" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Thu Jan 16 2014 15:05:09 GMT-0800 (Pacific Standard Time)">THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2014 06:05 PM EST</time></div></header><div class="clearfix" style="background-color: #aaaaaa; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.600000381469727px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; zoom: 1;"><div class="content wrapStyle col430" style="background-color: transparent; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 0px; float: left; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 220px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 430px;"><figure class="clearfix legend" style="background-color: black; border: 0px; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 1em -220px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; width: 420px; zoom: 1;"><img alt="CBSA" class="photo" src="http://storage.canoe.ca/v1/dynamic_resize/sws_path/suns-prod-images/1297515096563_ORIGINAL.jpg?quality=80&size=420x" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; display: inline !important; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="" /><figcaption style="border: 0px; color: #eeeeee; font-family: FranklinGothicFSDemiCondensed, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.167em; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 10px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">(CBSA/Calgary Sun/QMI Agency)</figcaption></figure><div class="mainContent" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="placeline" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">OTTAWA - </span>Canadian and American authorities will automatically be notified of every border crossing by a citizen, immigrant or visitor almost instantaneously a under vastly expanded border control system, QMI Agency has learned.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Canada and the U.S. have been sharing the names, ages, nationalities and other biographical information of all permanent residents and visitors crossing the common land border since last summer.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) documents obtained through an Access to Information request indicate that system is going to expand to track the movements of Canadian and American citizens with "near real-time" exchange of information between government agencies.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"The biographic entry data will be exchanged through an existing secure electronic channel between Canada and the U.S.," officials said in the documents.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The system will eventually expand to cover air travel as well.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"Canada will develop a system to establish exit, similar to that in the U.S., under which airlines will submit their passenger manifest information on outbound international flights," officials said.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Immigration lawyer Richard Kurland provided QMI Agency with the documents.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">He said the expanded system raises privacy concerns.</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"This is a privacy coffin," Kurland said. "The information about where you go and when you go is now government property, which you can't access, because the system design excludes oversight and appeal."</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The CBSA acknowledged in its documents that the expansion of the system will require "additional privacy analysis."</div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The agency also said the full system will give it "the ability to identify individuals who potentially overstay their lawful period of stay" and to keep track of deportees<br />
.</div></div></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12390974608518950964noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2411249065222094031.post-57057386252780374082013-12-27T16:47:00.001-08:002013-12-27T16:47:39.145-08:00Canada to toughen eligibility requirements for citizenship<a href="http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/national/Canada+toughen+eligibility+requirements+citizenship/9328035/story.html">Canada to toughen eligibility requirements for citizenship</a><br />
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; width: auto;">OTTAWA — The federal government is poised to deliver on what’s been dubbed the “first comprehensive reforms to the Citizenship Act in more than a generation.”</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; width: auto;">Aimed at strengthening the value of Canadian citizenship, there’s much speculation as to what will be in the highly anticipated and potentially controversial bill to be tabled in 2014.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; width: auto;">Considered the final frontier in the government’s massive overhaul of the Citizenship and Immigration (CIC) file, the changes will be spearheaded by newly minted Immigration Minister Chris Alexander who, with other stakeholders, spoke to Postmedia News about what’s in store.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; width: auto;"><strong>How long is long enough before you can apply for citizenship?</strong></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; width: auto;">Permanent residents must reside in Canada for at least three of the previous four years to qualify.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; width: auto;">Alexander said it’s time to consider increasing the threshold.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; width: auto;">“I think the balance of considerations is in favour of a longer requirement,” he said. “There’s only one way of truly understanding what it means to be Canadian, what it means to participate in Canadian life, and that is by living here.”</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; width: auto;">Alexander wouldn’t give numbers, but Vancouver lawyer and immigration policy analyst Richard Kurland thinks extending the timeframe to four-in-six years would be suitable. He thinks it would also be wise to require applicants to submit at least two income tax returns.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; width: auto;"><strong>Just because you’re born here doesn’t make you Canadian</strong></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; width: auto;">Former immigration minister Jason Kenney was adamant: Granting citizenship based on place of birth is “outdated” and the rules need to change to prevent the proliferation of passport babies.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; width: auto;">While it hasn’t exactly softened its tone, the government has, perhaps, not figured out how to deal with the issue just yet.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; width: auto;">“It’s something we need to look at. There is clearly abuse,” Alexander said. “People who come here as birth tourists solely for the purpose of acquiring citizenship for newborns and without any intention of immigrating and living here permanently — we need to find a way of addressing that.”</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; width: auto;">Kurland warns the government will have a legal fight on its hands if it heads down this road. While a number of European countries have created databases containing family trees that can be shared with other countries, Kurland calls a serious breach of privacy that’s got some ethnic groups particularly worried.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; width: auto;">“If they dare tinker with that, I’m coming out with all pistols loaded,” he said, noting Muslims, for example, worry about the behaviour of relatives who could land them on a no-fly list.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12390974608518950964noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2411249065222094031.post-27862655167626814802013-12-19T10:31:00.001-08:002013-12-19T10:31:00.096-08:00Parent and Grandparent Program gearing up for re-launch<div style="background-color: #f8f8f8; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 11.5px;">
By cutting immigration backlogs and wait times, the Government is bringing families together more quickly, Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander announced today.</div>
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Over the first six months of 2013, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) admitted 45,000 permanent residents to Canada in the Family Class (FC). This represents an increase of 40 percent over the first six months of 2012. This increase can be attributed almost entirely to a doubling of admissions in the Parent and Grandparent (PGP) category over that time period.</div>
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Canada has one of the most generous family reunification programs in the world, but growing backlogs in the PGP program meant families could expect to wait eight years or more to bring their loved ones from overseas. A pause on new applications, combined with high admission levels, has helped reduce the backlog. The PGP program re-opens to new applications on January 2, 2014. It will re-open with tighter admission criteria and a cap on applications, which will continue to reduce the backlog and improve wait times for families.</div>
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Application forms, guides and information on how to apply to the new PGP program will be made available online on December 31, 2013, just ahead of the PGP program re-opening.</div>
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Quick facts</h3>
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<li style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 2;">In 2011, under Phase I of the Action Plan for Faster Family Reunification, the Government cut backlogs and wait times for sponsored parents and grandparents. Had no action been taken, it was predicted that the backlog could increase to 250,000 persons, with wait times of 15 years by 2015.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 2;">Of the 45,000 FC permanent residents admitted to Canada in the first six months of 2013, approximately 22,530 spouses and partners were admitted as permanent residents under the FC as well as 1,410 children, 20,700 parents, grandparents and their dependants as well as 360 other relatives and adopted children.</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 2;">The Parent and Grandparent <a href="http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/supervisa.asp" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #284162;">Super Visa</a> remains a fast and convenient option for parents and grandparents who want to spend longer periods of time with their families in Canada. To date, approximately 28,000 Super Visas have been issued with an approval rate of almost 85 percent. With more than 1,000 Super Visas being issued monthly, this has become one of CIC’s most popular initiatives.</li>
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Quote</h3>
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“<q style="box-sizing: border-box; quotes: “, ”, ‘, ’;">Our government understands the importance of spending time with family and loved ones, especially during the holiday season. Our government is making improvements to the immigration system so that families can be reunited more quickly. Because of our changes, Canada is on track to welcome more than 50,000 parents and grandparents in 2012-2013—the highest number in nearly a decade.”</q><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><span class="font-small" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Chris Alexander, Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister</em></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12390974608518950964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2411249065222094031.post-71595925212973083512013-10-28T13:40:00.001-07:002013-10-28T13:40:24.347-07:00News Release — Planning for Success, Putting Canada First<a href="http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/releases/2013/2013-10-28.asp?utm_source=media-centre-email&utm_medium=email-eng&utm_campaign=generic">News Release — Planning for Success, Putting Canada First</a><br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; margin: 10px;">Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander today announced an immigration plan that will drive economic growth in 2014 and position Canada for success in the years ahead.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; margin: 10px;">“<q>Securing economic growth is and will remain our Government’s top priority,</q>” said Alexander. “<q>Canada is in a global competition for the best and brightest immigrants, and this plan is crafted with attracting the people we need for Canada to succeed.</q>”</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; margin: 10px;">After tabling the <em>Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration</em>, Alexander said Canada plans to welcome 240,000 to 265,000 new permanent residents in 2014, with record admissions forecast in both the <a class="ui-link" href="http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/backgrounders/2013/2013-10-28.asp" style="color: #5a306b;">Canadian Experience Class</a> (CEC) and the <a class="ui-link" href="http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/backgrounders/2013/2013-10-28a.asp" style="color: #5a306b;">Provincial Nominee Program</a>.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; margin: 10px;">“<q>While Canadians will continue to get the first crack at available jobs, getting the right people in the right places is key to addressing regional labour needs and fueling Canada’s long-term prosperity,</q>” said Alexander. “<q>We need newcomers willing to put their skills, ideas and energies to work.</q>”</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; margin: 10px;">Economic immigration is slated to increase to 63 per cent in 2014. The remaining 37 per cent will consist of family class immigrants, refugees and others admitted under humanitarian programs.</div><img alt="Economic immigration image described below" src="http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/releases/2013/images/2013-10-28.jpg" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px;"> </span><br />
<details style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px;"><summary style="background-color: transparent; color: #295376; cursor: pointer; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; padding-bottom: 5px;">Text version: Economic immigration image</summary></details><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; margin: 10px;">“<q>We will continue to drive down backlogs, reduce wait times and improve service. We will continue to reunite families. We will continue to give refuge to the world’s most vulnerable,</q>” said Alexander.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; margin: 10px;">Canada is moving from passive economic immigration to active recruiting under a new intake system tentatively titled the <a class="ui-link" href="http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/backgrounders/2013/2013-10-28b.asp" style="color: #5a306b;">Expression of Interest System</a> (EOI). Our plan for 2014 takes that change into account and works toward a successful launch on January 1, 2015</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12390974608518950964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2411249065222094031.post-16091170854516242752013-10-19T17:15:00.001-07:002013-10-19T17:15:09.125-07:00Canada to lift travel visas for Czechs<div class="wrapper_0_20_0_0" style="background-color: white; float: left; font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px; padding-right: 20px;"><div id="storyheader" style="padding: 10px 0px; width: 620px;"><div class="headline" style="padding: 0px 0px 5px;"><h1 style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 26px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Canada to lift travel visas for Czechs</h1></div><div class="clear" style="clear: both; font-size: 1px; height: 1px; margin-top: -1px; overflow: hidden;"> </div><div class="subheadline" style="padding: 0px 0px 10px;"><h2 style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 20px; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Plan comes amid reports European trade deal is near</h2></div><div class="clear" style="clear: both; font-size: 1px; height: 1px; margin-top: -1px; overflow: hidden;"> </div><div class="byline"><span class="name" style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px 15px 5px 0px; text-transform: uppercase;">BY TOBI COHEN, POSTMEDIA NEWS</span> <span class="timestamp" style="color: #999999; font-family: arial; padding: 0px 15px 5px 0px; text-transform: uppercase;">OCTOBER 17, 2013</span><span class="comments" id="lblComment"></span></div><div class="clear" style="clear: both; font-size: 1px; height: 1px; margin-top: -1px; overflow: hidden;"> </div></div><div class="clear" style="clear: both; font-size: 1px; height: 1px; margin-top: -1px; overflow: hidden;"> </div><div class="storytab" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(219, 217, 217); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; float: left; margin: 10px 0px; width: 619px;"><ul class="tab" style="bottom: -1px; float: left; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><li class="story_tab" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; float: left; height: 32px; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px 4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://www.canada.com/images/bg_nav_active_left.gif); background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: none; color: #999999; cursor: pointer; float: left; font-family: arial; font-weight: bold; height: 32px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: uppercase;"><span style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://www.canada.com/images/bg_nav_active_right.gif); background-position: 100% 0%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; float: left; height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 9px 8px 3px;">STORY</span></a></li>
<li class="story_photo_tab" style="float: left; height: 32px; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px 4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://www.canada.com/images/bg_tab_left.gif); background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: none; color: #888888; cursor: pointer; float: left; font-family: arial; font-weight: bold; height: 32px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: uppercase;"><span style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://www.canada.com/images/bg_tab_right.gif); background-position: 100% 0%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; float: left; height: 20px; margin: 0px; padding: 12px 8px 0px;">PHOTOS ( 1 )</span></a></li>
</ul><div id="fb-root"></div><div class="fb-like fb_edge_widget_with_comment fb_iframe_widget" data-send="false" data-show-faces="false" data-width="260" fb-xfbml-state="rendered" style="display: inline-block; float: right; position: relative;"><span style="display: inline-block; height: 35px; position: relative; text-align: justify; width: 260px;"><iframe class="fb_ltr" id="fa373c4c8" name="fade9476c" scrolling="no" src="http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?api_key=380186209696&channel_url=http%3A%2F%2Fstatic.ak.facebook.com%2Fconnect%2Fxd_arbiter.php%3Fversion%3D27%23cb%3Df2166f2858%26domain%3Dwww.canada.com%26origin%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.canada.com%252Ff3efd09624%26relation%3Dparent.parent&colorscheme=light&extended_social_context=false&href=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.canada.com%2Flife%2FCanada%2Blift%2Btravel%2Bvisas%2BCzechs%2F9047271%2Fstory.html&layout=standard&locale=en_US&node_type=link&sdk=joey&send=false&show_faces=false&width=260" style="border-style: none; height: 35px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; width: 260px;" title="Like this content on Facebook."></iframe></span></div></div></div><div class="clear" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 1px; height: 1px; margin-top: -1px; overflow: hidden;"> </div><div class="para14" id="story_content" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin-top: 5px;"><div class="col_480" style="float: left; width: 480px;"><div class="col_460" style="float: left; overflow: hidden; width: 460px;"><div class="para18" id="storycontent" style="color: #464646; font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px; width: auto;"><div class="imagesize460" id="imageBox" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(229, 229, 229); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; float: left; font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 20px; position: relative; width: 460px;"><div class="wrapper_0_10_0_0" style="float: left; padding: 0px;"><div class="storyimage" id="" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(229, 229, 229); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; padding-bottom: 5px;"><img alt="Canada to lift travel visas for Czechs" border="0" class="thumbnail tabClick" id="storyphoto" src="http://www.canada.com/life/cms/binary/8974945.jpg" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 460px;" title="Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander says the government is committed to 'supporting legitimate trade and travel.'" /></div><div class="clear" style="clear: both; height: 1px; margin-top: -1px; overflow: hidden;"> </div><div class="imagetext" style="color: #7b7b7b; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 3px; width: 460px;"><h3 id="photocaption" style="font-size: 11px; font-weight: normal; margin: 5px 0px; padding: 0px; width: 460px;">Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander says the government is committed to 'supporting legitimate trade and travel.'</h3><h3 id="photocredit" style="font-size: 11px; font-weight: normal; margin: 5px 0px; padding: 0px;"><b>Photograph by: </b>Chris Mikula , The Ottawa Citizen</h3></div></div></div><div id="1" style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><div style="width: auto;">Within a matter of weeks, the federal government is expected to lift travel visas for those coming to Canada from the Czech Republic, Postmedia News has learned.</div><div style="width: auto;">Asked about the plan, Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander said in a statement that the government has been working "for some time to get to this place" and that the country has made "important changes" since the visa was first imposed four years ago.</div><div style="width: auto;">"This should be seen as a good-faith measure, and an important expression of our commitment to supporting legitimate trade and travel," he said. "Canada values our strong relations with our European friends. We view this as an important step forward in relations with the Czech Republic."</div><div style="width: auto;">Canada slapped visas on the Czech Republic in 2009 due to skyrocketing asylum claims, many of them involving ethnic Roma. The move angered the central European nation, which vowed not to ratify the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) if Canada didn't lift the visa requirement.</div><div style="width: auto;">Last month, the European Parliament also voted in favour of a reciprocity clause that would slap visas on countries that saddle citizens of member nations with the same. Canada currently requires visas for European Union citizens from Romania, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic.</div><div style="width: auto;">Senior government officials said CETA negotiations are "at a very important juncture" and that the visa was considered an "irritant" to finalizing the deal.</div><div style="width: auto;">That said, officials maintain lifting the visa requirement will not compromise "safety and security issues, immigration issues and socioeconomic push factors" that were taken into consideration when Canada decided to impose the visa in the first place.</div><div style="width: auto;">"The standard has been met to allow us to lift the visa requirement on Czech nationals," said a source.</div><div style="width: auto;">While Mexico has also raised concerns about visas, the government has made no decision yet to lift that visa requirement.</div><div style="width: auto;">Last month, Mexican Ambassador Francisco Suarez told The Canadian Press that his country was "really mad" at the Canadian government for failing to remove the visa requirement, which was also imposed in 2009 following a spike in asylum claims from the country. If the issue isn't resolved by next year, he said, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto might postpone his planned visit to Canada. He suggested it could also adversely affect economic cooperation in areas such as energy and natural resources.</div><div style="width: auto;">It's not clear whether Canada is considering lifting visa requirements for Bulgarians and Romanians.</div><div style="width: auto;">Canada is moving toward visa-free travel for all citizens of the EU. In recent years, Canada lifted visas on Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Croatia.</div><div style="width: auto;">The move, however, led to a spike in asylum claims, particularly among Hungarian Roma. Citizenship and Immigration tried to rectify that by revamping the refugee system and making it more difficult for people from so-called "safe" countries to seek asylum.</div><div style="width: auto;">Some 37 countries are currently listed as safe, including Mexico and all EU countries, except for Romania and Bulgaria.</div><div style="width: auto;">Listed countries are considered atypical producers of bona fide refugees because they respect human rights and offer state protection.</div><div style="width: auto;">About six months after the safe country list was adopted last December, asylum claims were down by more than half. The list is thought to be a first step toward visa removal.</div></div></div></div></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12390974608518950964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2411249065222094031.post-71027391952357731342013-10-09T08:50:00.001-07:002013-10-09T08:52:36.742-07:00‘What an opportunity’ <a href="http://thechronicleherald.ca/community/halifax/1159278-what-an-opportunity">‘What an opportunity’ | The Chronicle Herald</a><br />
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Artists thrilled with Pier 21 drawing workshops</div>
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Pier 21 is offering Drawing at the Pier free of charge, and provides the drawing materials for every session. (Chris Muise)</div>
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The Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 is offering a more creative way to enjoy and engage with their current temporary exhibit, Migrating Landscapes.</div>
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You may remember our coverage of the new exhibit in the pages of the Halifax Herald a few weeks ago, which features architecturally-themed sculptures peppered amidst a miniature city of lumber, inspired by their designers' personal experiences of immigration.</div>
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Now, the museum is offering a whole new way to explore these sculptures, through a series of drawing workshops called Drawing at the Pier.</div>
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“The drawing workshops were inspired by the architectural theme of the exhibit,” says Philippa Gunn, adult public programs co-ordinator at Pier 21. “Creativity's always linked to identity, so we thought the actual exhibit space itself lent itself well to developing basic drawing skills.”</div>
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There are four workshops in all, and each workshop focuses on a different aspect of art techniques – light and shadow, surrealism, and line work, all using and taking place in the exhibit space for inspiration. The final session will focus on creating a collaborative mural.</div>
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The workshops are presided over by Chris Woods, a fine arts instructor at NSCAD University. “I sent out an email to various people, saying 'I'm looking for someone who can adapt the themes of this exhibit,'” says Gunn. “Chris was the first person — he responded, and he was kind of perfect for it. He's really done a fantastic job of looking at architecture and applying it to basic drawing skills.”</div>
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Woods is volunteering his time and expertise toward the workshops, in order to bring the arts to a wider range of people.</div>
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“I love the idea of just anyone being able to work on drawing, and bringing drawing to the larger public,” says Woods. “Art is often put on a pedestal, and I feel that what's great is when people who really haven't much experience can come, and people really got into it in a wholehearted way.”</div>
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To that end, the museum is offering Drawing at the Pier free of charge, and provides the drawing materials for every session. Participants are welcome regardless of artistic experience – in the first session alone, art teachers sketched alongside those who have never drawn before, and everyone in between.</div>
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“I used to love drawing,” says MaryJoy McLaughlin. “I haven't done it for so long — what an opportunity.”</div>
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“I went to the University of Toronto and Sheridan — it's a joint program — for art and art history, and for a few years after that, a practicing artist,” says Nicole Schlosser. “During introductions, a few people mentioned that they had somehow been connected to the arts, but no longer are, and they wanted to use this as a way to get back into the arts. I think that's really great.”</div>
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The positive response from the public has exceeded the expectations of the organizers — as of press time, every session is full, except for the last one on Oct. 17.</div>
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“We were pretty overwhelmed by the response to these drawing workshops,” says Gunn. “We didn't realize there was such a desire amongst the public to be able to partake in creative learning and creative expression, but in an informal way.”</div>
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“I'm just grateful that these things are available,” says McLaughlin. “I'm a senior-type person on a low income, and it's really nice to come in and do creative things with others, for free.”</div>
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The Migrating Landscapes comes to an end on Nov. 11, but chances are good that budding artists will have more opportunities to come and draw at the Pier in the future.</div>
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“We could have offered twice as many classes, so we're going to look into that in the future,” says Gunn. “Fine arts is something that can be adapted to any theme — I think we'll continue to offer those kinds of opportunities, no matter what exhibit we're showing.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12390974608518950964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2411249065222094031.post-50420511071682470352013-10-06T23:02:00.001-07:002013-10-06T23:02:11.792-07:00Middle East property investors embrace St Kitts citizenship perk <div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px;">Property developers in the Caribbean Island of St Kitts are benefiting from rising demand from Middle East investors seeking visa-free travel perks.</div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px;">Demand has been rising since the start of the Arab Spring as more investors seek to park their money in overseas property with the added benefit of citizenship in a country that is allowed visa-free travel to 125 countries.</div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px;">The profile of buyers on the two-island country of St Kitts and Nevis includes wealthy individuals, business owners and executives.</div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px;">“The freedom to travel the world visa-free is a key element,” said Armand Arton, the president and chief executive of Arton Capital, a financial advisory company that specialises in immigrant investor programmes for Canada, Bulgaria, the United Kingdom and St Kitts. The programme is also “an insurance for security for the family and extended reach of their business”.</div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px;">St Kitts citizenship comes with visa-free travel to 125 countries, including Europe’s Schengen zone, Canada, Hong Kong and Singapore, and a passport can be issued in four months. It does not give visa-free access to the US.</div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px;">A passport from the United Kingdom, another country that offers citizenship for investment, allows visa-free travel to 195 countries. Hungary and Bulgaria, which also offers such programmes, give visa-free travel to 160 countries.</div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px;">“The number of investors from the region has doubled in the last years for such ‘global citizen’ programmes,” Mr Arton said. He said he expects his company, based in Montreal and Dubai, to handle more than 10,000 families per year by 2015 participating in such citizenship-by-investment programmes.</div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px;">The interest in citizenship programmes is also shifting away from traditional countries such as Canada and the United States to Europe with a focus on Bulgaria, Cyprus, Hungary and Portugal, who are trying to attract wealthy investors from the region, Mr Arton said.</div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px;">In St Kitts, the programme is helping to attract investment to a country with a national debt at 100 per cent of its GDP. The country has, however, banned Iranians and Afghans from investing in the programme.</div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px;">“It has induced a large amount of investment into the country,” said Val Kempadoo, a Trinidad-based businessman who is developing property in St Kitts. “Less than 5 per cent of all people who have applied for the passport live in the country, so we do not have an influx of people.”</div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px;">For those from the Middle East, the programme allows a convenient travel document and offers safety and security to the family allowing for quick exits, he said.</div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px;">At his Kittitian Hill resort project almost a quarter of the sales for 200 units have come from the Middle East through his Dubai agents, said Mr Kempadoo. The 160-hectare project is his first luxury property development in St Kitts.</div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px;">Kittitian Hill units start at US$400,000 for cottages and can go up to $4 million for villas, and these can be put back into a rental scheme.</div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px;">Confidence in such schemes seems to ride on the upbeat tourism market.</div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px;">“Tourism took a dip in 2008, but has now recovered,” Mr Kempadoo said.</div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px;">About 39 per cent of investors in the Dubai-based Range Developments’ Park Hyatt St Kitts project are from the Middle East, said Munaf Ali, the chief executive.</div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px;">The country’s citizenship-by-investment programme “is particularly beneficial for individuals who are affected by political or economic uncertainties in their home countries, which has become more common in light of the Arab Spring”, he said. “We have seen a 30 per cent increase in interest from clients in the Middle East region.”</div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px;">The company is offering 375 shares for US$400,000 each in the Park Hyatt project, expected to be completed in the last quarter of 2015.</div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px;">Investors can earn a percentage of the hotel’s operating income once it is complete and earn 2 per cent interest on their investment until then.</div><div style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px;">Both Kittitian Hill and Park Hyatt St Kitts are among 34 projects approved by the St Kitts government for its citizenship-by-investment programme.</div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12px;"><br />
</span><a href="http://www.thenational.ae/business/industry-insights/property/middle-east-property-investors-embrace-st-kitts-citizenship-perk">Middle East property investors embrace St Kitts citizenship perk | The National</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12390974608518950964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2411249065222094031.post-45883753123259799262013-10-04T22:24:00.001-07:002013-10-04T22:24:06.409-07:00Canada, U.S. to share personal information of immigrant applicants | Toronto Star<div class="article-authors" style="border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 9px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="text combinedtext parbase section" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; clear: none; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin-top: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">By:</strong><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><span class="credit" style="border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.thestar.com/authors.keung_nicholas.html" rel="author" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #0072bc; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Nicholas Keung</a></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><span class="staff" style="border: 0px; color: #777777; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Immigration reporter,</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"> </span><span class="published-date" style="border: 0px; color: #aaaaaa; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Published on Fri Oct 04 2013</span></div><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin-top: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Ottawa and Washington are further aligning their border security by sharing personal information of immigration and refugee applicants to both countries.</div></div><div class="text combinedtext parbase section" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; clear: none; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin-top: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The plan, to be fully implemented next fall, is raising privacy concerns over the disclosure and retention of information, such as an applicant’s date of birth, travel document number and fingerprints. The information-sharing wouldn’t apply to Canadian and American citizens or permanent residents.</div></div><div class="text combinedtext parbase section" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; clear: none; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin-top: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“Information-sharing between Canada and the U.S. . . . supports mutual efforts to facilitate legitimate travel and protect our common borders through improved screening of visitors before they enter our countries,” said Alexis Pavlich, press secretary of Immigration Minister Chris Alexander.</div><div class="text combinedtext parbase section" style="border: 0px; clear: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin-top: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“Privacy protection is a primary consideration for us, and the limited information exchange will comply with all relevant Canadian laws, including the Privacy Act and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, to ensure that Canadians’ privacy rights are protected.”</div></div><div class="text combinedtext parbase section" style="border: 0px; clear: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin-top: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">While it is too early to speculate on the impact of the changes, Janet Dench of the Canadian Council for Refugees said, “We will be watching very closely over the privacy concerns and risks it poses to people who face persecution and torture back home.”</div></div><div class="text combinedtext parbase section" style="border: 0px; clear: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin-top: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The proposed regulations are expected to result in an increase in the number of refugee claimants identified as ineligible, a decrease in the volume of crime and a decrease in detention and removal costs of nationals of a third country by denying them entry to Canada, said Citizenship and Immigration Canada director Chris Gregory, who drafted the <a href="http://www.gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p1/2013/2013-10-05/html/reg2-eng.html" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; color: #0072bc; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">proposal.</a></div></div><div class="text combinedtext parbase section" style="border: 0px; clear: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin-top: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Gregory, who is responsible for the department’s identity management and information sharing, says an estimated 2.2 million foreigners applying to come to Canada will be checked against American records.</div></div><div class="text combinedtext parbase section" style="border: 0px; clear: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin-top: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The info-sharing scheme could reap a net benefit of $42 million over 10 years from savings in detaining and removing individuals inadmissible to Canada, he added.</div></div><div class="text combinedtext parbase section" style="border: 0px; clear: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin-top: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Bilateral border information sharing between Canada and the United States is not new, but in the past, has been limited to select cases — about 3,000 a year.</div></div><div class="text combinedtext parbase section" style="border: 0px; clear: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin-top: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“Case-by-case immigration information-sharing has been effective in that it has uncovered instances of foreign nationals using false identities, inadmissible criminals attempting to enter Canada, fraudulent refugee claims and individuals providing information on the immigration application that was not credible,” Gregory said.</div></div><div class="text combinedtext parbase section" style="border: 0px; clear: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin-top: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Authorities in both countries will create a computer database and infrastructure capable of exchanging electronic queries on applications made by nationals of a third country and refugee status claimants to Canada.</div></div><div class="text combinedtext parbase section" style="border: 0px; clear: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin-top: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The system, officials say, will allow for the sharing of “limited” information for the processing of applications for a permanent or temporary resident visa, a work or study permit, or to obtain asylum.</div></div><div class="text combinedtext parbase section" style="border: 0px; clear: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin-top: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Whether a match is found or not, the country performing the search of its records must delete the biographic or biometric information sent in by the other country.</div></div><div class="text combinedtext parbase section" style="border: 0px; clear: none; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; margin-top: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Canadian officials would not have direct access to the American database, and vice versa. A “specific domestic authority” will be created to oversee the immigration information sharing between both countries</div></div></div></div><div class="article-story float-clear" style="border: 0px; font-size: 14px; margin: 14px 0px 10px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12390974608518950964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2411249065222094031.post-17140845384204160862013-10-04T09:13:00.001-07:002013-10-04T09:13:06.331-07:00North Shore newcomers <span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.69em; line-height: 1.48em;">By </span><a href="http://www.northshoreoutlook.com/staff_profiles/162115015.html" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.48em; text-decoration: none;">Michaela Garstin - North Shore Outlook</a><br />
<div class="byline" style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Verdana, Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.69em; line-height: 1.48em;">Published: <strong style="line-height: 1.48em;">October 03, 2013 10:00 AM</strong> <br style="line-height: 1.48em;" />Updated: <strong style="line-height: 1.48em;">October 03, 2013 10:54 AM</strong></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">Culture shock can happen at the most unexpected times.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">Standing at a corner near Lonsdale Avenue, Mahsa Ramezani and her husband were deciding whether to cross the street.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">“Let’s go, the car is waiting for us,” her husband said, glancing at a driver who had politely stopped a few feet away, even though there wasn’t a crosswalk.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">“I couldn’t believe he was waiting for us. He was waiting for us to decide whether we wanted to cross the street,” recalls Ramezani with a laugh.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">The contrast was so sharp with the “chaotic” bustling streets in Ramezani’s home city, Tehran, Iran, that the experience remains etched in her memory. Drivers in Tehran, she says, definitely wouldn’t wait for dawdling pedestrians.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">This stereotypical Canadian politeness is one of countless examples that have caught Ramezani off guard during her six months in Canada.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">Before joining her husband in North Van, he sent photos of North Shore scenery to encourage her to make the transcontinental move.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">“The mountains look similar to my home town,” says Ramezani, speaking of the city where she grew up, Gorgan in northern Iran.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">She was a doctor in Iran and is now studying for Canadian medical exams to match her degree, which will take another year.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">Before Ramezani left, her mother packed Persian spices in her luggage that she thought wouldn’t be available in the Lower Mainland.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">It turns out, however, there is an abundant supply of traditional ingredients within a few blocks of her new home in Upper Lonsdale.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">“Here I was, 30,000 kilometres away, and it was like I was in a little Tehran,” says Ramezani.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">“I didn’t have a chance to speak English anywhere.”</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">On her mother’s insistence, Ramezani began taking private English classes when she was a child and she was eager to start conversing with Canadians. But wherever she goes — grocery shopping, the bank, a restaurant — someone is always available to speak in Farsi.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"><img alt="" height="303" src="http://raven.b-it.ca/portals/uploads/northshore/.DIR288/immigration-one.jpg" style="border: 1px solid black; float: left; line-height: 1.48em; margin: 5px;" width="433" /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">Not needing English in North Van isn’t unexpected since nearly 11,000, or six per cent, of people living on the North Shore speak Farsi.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">Making the transition easier, many kinds of traditional food are made within walking distance.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">“I didn’t use to like a kind of ice cream [traditionally found in Iran], but when I saw it here, it made me happy and now I serve it to all my guests,” says Ramezani.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">Even though there are many aspects of North Van that ward off homesickness, she still has to get accustomed to a much different way of life and is making a deliberate attempt to make friends with long-term Canadian residents.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">“I’d never been to a Chinese market, so I went in one on Lonsdale. Now I’ll go there more.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">“And it’s very safe here. I don’t think people from here are aware of how safe it is.”</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"><strong style="line-height: 1.48em;">Chemical engineer to live-in caregiver</strong></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">Like Ramezani and her husband, who is also a doctor, many new immigrants are highly educated and most come to Canada in skilled worker or business class categories.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">From 2006 to 2011, the North Shore saw a 23 per cent jump in immigration compared to the years 2001 to 2005. For the decade from 2001 to 2011, nearly 19,000 immigrants arrived on the North Shore, according to the <a href="http://www.nsms.ca/" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.48em; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">North Shore Multicultural Society</a>.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">Iranian immigrants account for 22 per cent, making them the largest newcomer population. Other common countries of origin include China, Hong Kong and Taiwan (grouped together under Chinese), South Korea and the Philippines.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">In total, more than a quarter (27 per cent) of people on the North Shore don’t speak English as their first language.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">To help ease the transition, these groups can receive settlement services in their first languages at the North Shore Multicultural Society on East 15th Street near Lonsdale Avenue.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">Even though Filipino immigrants are the fourth largest group, they don’t access services as much as other clients because of built-in family and friend support systems and knowledge of English before they arrive, says Kim Shetler, manager of settlement and community connections at the North Shore Multicultural Society.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"><img alt="" height="344" src="http://raven.b-it.ca/portals/uploads/northshore/.DIR288/imm.jpg" style="border: 1px solid black; float: left; line-height: 1.48em; margin: 5px;" width="434" /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">For example, the number of Filipino immigrants nearly double that of Koreans, but Koreans are much more likely to access services.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">Connections led Purita Cortez to move to Canada from the Philippines nine years ago to be a live-in caregiver. Trained as a chemical engineer, like many new immigrants she is working below her skill level but opted to come to Canada for her children’s future.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">“It’s the easiest way to come to Canada if you don’t have a lot of money,” she says of being hired as a live-in caregiver. “If you apply as a skilled worker, you need a lot of money.”</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">She talked about her experience at North Van Library’s North Shore Stories, an event last weekend that highlighted nine immigrants’ stories.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">While studying to be a live-in caregiver for six months, she also worked as a chemical engineer to support her children.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">She applied to an international agency to find a job as soon as she finished the program.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">After working in Canada for five years, she was granted permanent residency and her three children soon followed. They had a tough time getting used to Canada at first, but began to enjoy the North Shore when they made friends and enrolled in school.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">“I was lucky I was hired,” Cortez tells the audience.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"><strong style="line-height: 1.48em;">For hire: Plenty of skilled labour</strong></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">Three per cent of clients at the North Shore Multicultural Society are live-in caregivers. They can apply for permanent residency after living in Canada for at least two years.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">Most immigrants, however, arrive under federal skilled worker or business class.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">Sara (Xi) Xu is from China, for example, and was educated as a lawyer in Florida before arriving in North Van six months ago with her husband, a project manager for the oil and gas industry and part of the skilled worker group.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">While Xu is certified to practise in Florida and China, she is currently studying to take the bar exam to become a lawyer in B.C.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">“My daughter was going to start school and I felt so much pressure for her. There was no focus on creativity,” says Xu. “I hadn’t been to Canada but I assumed it would have similar characteristics as the U.S.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">“There isn’t as much distinction between rich and poor, as long as people are happy.”</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"><img alt="" height="325" src="http://raven.b-it.ca/portals/uploads/northshore/.DIR288/immigration-two.jpg" style="border: 1px solid black; float: left; line-height: 1.48em; margin: 5px;" width="229" /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">Here in B.C., students start school around 9 a.m. and are off by 3 p.m., but Xu says her daughter, who is enrolled in a Grade 3 class at a North Van elementary school, would have been studying much longer hours if she was still living in China.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">Working at the North Shore Multicultural Society, Shetler says she’s heard other clients mention the effects of constant academic pressure in the Chinese education system.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">“I moved here with no friends, no family — knowing no one pretty much,” she says.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">Like most other immigrants, she had to relearn everyday activities, such as how to take a bus, what to recycle and where riding a bike is allowed.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">“It’s all different here, even the little things.”</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"><strong style="line-height: 1.48em;">Immigration shift</strong></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">Bozena Felsz arrived in B.C. from Poland in 1982, a time when European immigration made up a larger per cent of newcomers.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">Her first home was in Terrace where she took English classes, along with a cup of coffee and cookies, from a woman who taught out of her trailer.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">In exchange for gardening or painting a fence, she would read Reader’s Digest magazines with Mrs. Greg every weekday at 9 a.m. sharp.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">It’s the first stories she read in English, such as when rescuers dropped beans over a small, isolated community so they could survive a harsh winter, that have stuck in her mind after 30 years.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">Felsz and her husband then moved to North Van, where she found another English teacher who routinely made her “Canadian” soup, coleslaw and buns in her apartment. It was there that she learned Canadians like to be less formal and “help yourself” was a common phrase.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">She has been teaching ESL classes at the North Shore Multicultural Society since 2009 and is a member of Toastmasters, where she practises speaking English in public.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">Immigration from Europe peaked prior to the First World War between 1911 and 1912 and during the late 1950s, but newcomers from this region are becoming more rare. Since the 1970s, South Asia and China have been the main source countries to Canada.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">Certain policies have been discriminatory against immigrants, such as in 1923 when the government passed the Chinese Immigration Act, which excluded Chinese people from entering Canada between 1923 and 1947. An official apology was announced in 2006.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">And, as another example, immigrants from Poland, where Felsz is from, and other “non-preferred” countries such as Hungary and Romania weren’t allowed into Canada during the 1920s unless they worked as farmers or servants.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"><strong style="line-height: 1.48em;">“Like a newborn baby”</strong></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">Unfamiliar with the territory, Ramezani was uneasy the first time she rode a bus in North Van.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">“I stood at the front. I stared at the bus driver and he stared back at me. I didn’t know how to get off,” she looks back at the experience with laugh.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">In Iran, she says, buses aren’t as popular because taxis are cheap.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">These seemingly little changes add up and take a while to get used to.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">“I knew everything [back in Iran] about politics, literature. Now here I’m like a newborn baby.”</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">Although people living on the North Shore have been “very nice” to her, she still feels like she doesn’t belong.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">“It’s natural for people to see [immigrants] in a different way… It’s unfair but it’s reality.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">“They could be thinking, ‘why does she get that job?’”</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">Once she finds permanent work and a close group of colleagues, Ramezani predicts she may start feeling more at home.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">To help ease the transition, the North Shore Multicultural Society’s Welcoming Action Committee is hosting four community dialogue sessions that help both long-term residents and newcomers develop welcoming and inclusive communities.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">“When immigrants feel welcomed and included in the community, not only do they thrive as individuals, but their families thrive too,” says Elizabeth Jones, executive director at the society. “It’s a win-win situation that we can’t afford to ignore.”</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;">Speaking at the North Van Library’s storytelling event, Felsz briefly mentions her experience trying to fit in.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; line-height: 1.48em;"></div><br />
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 0.88em; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.48em; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">“Canadians are very polite but too private,” she says as the audience nods and laughs in agreement.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12390974608518950964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2411249065222094031.post-63232903946689807022013-09-08T22:32:00.001-07:002013-09-08T22:32:03.076-07:00Some would-be Canadians tying up immigration process<a href="http://www.vancouversun.com/opinion/editorials/Editorial+Some+would+Canadians+tying+immigration/8880994/story.html">Editorial: Some would-be Canadians tying up immigration process</a><br />
<div id="1" style="background-color: white; color: #464646; font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><div style="width: auto;">It’s high time the federal government took action to jettison dormant citizenship applications that are clogging the system.</div><div style="width: auto;">Citizenship and Immigration Canada will start closing the files of those who repeatedly fail to attend scheduled citizenship tests or interviews. Applications submitted on or after April 17, 2009, will also be classified as dormant and closed if applicants fail to provide proof of residency after receiving two notices from the government, Postmedia News reports.</div><div style="width: auto;">A department spokeswoman estimates that about 12,000 files will be closed in coming weeks and said that 54,000 citizenship applicants have failed to show up for their test in the past three years alone.</div><div style="width: auto;">Frankly, if applicants take such a casual attitude to becoming citizens after living in the country for as little as three out of the past four years, their files should be closed and the would-be Canadians required to take their place at the back of the queue if they choose to pursue the process at some point in the future. Imagine if a job seeker showed such little regard for their application — submitting an incomplete resume and not bothering to appear for a scheduled interview? No employer would bother to pursue or hire that person. In both cases, people who can’t be bothered to follow procedures shouldn’t be permitted to tie up the process.</div><div style="width: auto;">To ensure a good degree of fairness, those who miss a citizenship test or interview because of illness or caring for a dying parent — among other acceptable reasons — won’t lose their place in line. That’s as it should be and guarantees that those with a legitimate reason for not making an appearance aren’t unduly dismissed.</div><div style="width: auto;">“Those who take their citizenship seriously will not have to wait in line behind those that don’t bother showing up to their citizenship test, interview, or who don’t respond to a residence questionnaire,” said Andrea Khanjin, a spokeswoman for Immigration Minister Chris Alexander.</div><div style="width: auto;">“The citizenship application process has been bogged down for too long by those that do not take Canadian citizenship seriously.”</div><div style="width: auto;">That’s an understatement. The federal government says the citizenship application backlog stood at 349,249 at the close of 2012. The average processing time is 25 months for a routine application and 35 months for more complicated files.</div><div style="width: auto;">The recent budget included $44 million over two years to accelerate the processing times, which is money well spent.</div><div style="width: auto;">Citizenship and Immigration Canada, particularly under the stewardship of former minister Jason Kenney, has made a number of reforms designed to improve the efficiency of the system. Earlier this summer, for example, the government announced that those who failed the citizenship test will get a speedy one-time-only do-over, removing the necessity to wait to appear before a judge to seek to rewrite the test again.</div><div style="width: auto;">Clearing the computers of dormant applications is just one more measure that should assist sincere, qualified applicants to negotiate their way through the process as seamlessly as possible, which is in everybody’s best interest.</div><div><br />
</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2411249065222094031.post-33428138024292034442013-09-05T21:15:00.001-07:002013-09-05T21:15:15.176-07:00Speeding up citizenship decisions by clearing dormant cases<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; margin: 10px;">Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is taking action to reduce citizenship grant wait times by decreasing its inventory of dormant applications.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; margin: 10px;">Measures are being taken for applicants who do not show up for their scheduled citizenship test or interview.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; margin: 10px;">After a missed test or interview, applicants will be reminded in a final notice to contact CIC to provide a reasonable cause for not showing up. If the applicant provides a reasonable cause for missing their appointment, CIC will reschedule their test or interview. They will be given two opportunities over three months to provide a reasonable cause. Otherwise, their application will be closed.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; margin: 10px;">Some examples of reasonable cause for missing a scheduled test or interview include:</div><ul style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; margin: 1em 10px 1em 40px; padding: 0px;"><li>being away to care for a dying parent;</li>
<li>inability to appear as a result of health constraints following an illness or accident; or</li>
<li>waiting for the arrival of documents requested from a third-party (requests for additional information only).</li>
</ul><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; margin: 10px;">CIC sends notices to the applicant's most-recent known address. Applicants are responsible for keeping their contact information with CIC up-to-date. </div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; margin: 10px;">Applicants whose files have been closed will have to re-submit a new application if they are still interested in obtaining Canadian citizenship.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2411249065222094031.post-69362964269565486412013-04-25T22:38:00.001-07:002013-04-25T22:38:13.993-07:00Kenney aiming for shortened wait times for citizenship applications<br />
<div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">OTTAWA - Canada's immigration minister says he wants to see citizenship applications processed in 12 months or less.</div><div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">Jason Kenney told a Commons committee today that he is concerned about the backlog of citizenship applications in the system.</div><div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">At the end of 2012, there were nearly 350,000 cases in the system, almost double the number since 2007.</div><div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">Some applicants claim they've been waiting as long as four years to receive their citizenship when they were initially told it would take a year.</div><div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">The source of the backlog is pinned to an increase in the number of applications coupled with officials putting them under more scrutiny.</div><div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">The government is going to increase the fee people pay to become citizens in order to bring it more in line with how much it costs to process an application.</div><div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">And the recent federal budget allocated $44 million for the citizenship program over the next two years.</div><div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">Kenney says the citizenship program is being retooled, but he can't say how long it would take to get wait times down.</div><span style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"><br />
</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2411249065222094031.post-73198777975088662442012-12-14T08:28:00.001-08:002012-12-14T08:28:29.691-08:00News Release — Making Canada’s Asylum System Faster and Fairer<br />
<h2 style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 30px; margin: 1em 10px; vertical-align: bottom;">List of Designated Countries of Origin Announced</h2><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin: 10px;"><strong>Ottawa, December 14, 2012 –</strong> The Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism announced today the initial list of countries whose citizens will have their asylum claims expedited for processing because they do not normally produce refugees.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin: 10px;"><q>“Designating countries is an important step towards a faster and fairer asylum system,” said Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney. “It is remarkable that the European Union – with its democratic tradition of freedom, respect for human rights, and an independent judiciary – has been the top source region for asylum claims made in Canada. What’s more, virtually all <abbr style="border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: help;" title="European Union">EU</abbr> claimants either withdraw or abandon their own claims or are rejected by the independent Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada.”</q></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin: 10px;">In 2011, of the total number of asylum claims filed by European Union (<abbr style="border-bottom-width: 0px; cursor: help;">EU</abbr>) nationals around the world, over 80% of were filed in Canada, even though <abbr style="border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: help;" title="European Union">EU</abbr> nationals have mobility rights within the 27 <abbr style="border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: help;" title="European Union">EU</abbr> member states. The majority of <abbr style="border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: help;" title="European Union">EU</abbr> claimants do not appear for their Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (<abbr style="border-bottom-width: 0px; cursor: help;">IRB</abbr>) hearing as they withdraw or abandon their own claims. Of all <abbr style="border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: help;" title="European Union">EU</abbr> claims referred to the <abbr style="border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: help;" title="Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada">IRB</abbr>, an independent tribunal, 91% were rejected last year.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin: 10px;">As part of the improvements to Canada’s asylum system, the <em>Protecting Canada’s Immigration System Act </em>included the authority to designate countries of origin (<abbr style="border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: help;" title="Designated Countries of Origin">DCOs</abbr>) – countries that respect human rights, offer state protection, and based on the historical data from the <abbr style="border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: help;" title="Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada">IRB</abbr>, do not normally produce refugees.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin: 10px;">The initial list of designations covers 27 countries, 25 of which are in the European Union:</div><ul style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin: 1em 10px 1em 40px; padding: 0px;"><li>Austria</li>
<li>Belgium</li>
<li>Croatia</li>
<li>Cyprus</li>
<li>Czech Republic</li>
<li>Denmark</li>
<li>Estonia</li>
<li>Finland</li>
<li>France</li>
<li>Germany</li>
<li>Greece</li>
<li>Hungary</li>
<li>Ireland</li>
<li>Italy</li>
<li>Latvia</li>
<li>Lithuania</li>
<li>Luxembourg</li>
<li>Malta</li>
<li>Netherlands</li>
<li>Poland</li>
<li>Portugal</li>
<li>Slovak Republic</li>
<li>Slovenia</li>
<li>Spain</li>
<li>Sweden</li>
<li>United Kingdom</li>
<li>United States of America</li>
</ul><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin: 10px;">Additional countries will be designated in the months following the implementation of the new system, which comes into force tomorrow, December 15, 2012.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin: 10px;">All eligible asylum claimants from a <abbr style="border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: help;" title="Designated Country of Origin">DCO</abbr> will continue to receive a full and fair oral hearing on the individual merits of their claim in front of the independent, quasi-judicial <abbr style="border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: help;" title="Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada">IRB</abbr>. The new system does not change in any respect the nature of these first instance hearings, which are conducted in a manner consistent with principles of due process and natural justice, and meet the requirements of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, as stipulated by the Supreme Court of Canada in its 1985 decision R v. Singh.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin: 10px;">Claimants from <abbr style="border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: help;" title="Designated Countries of Origin">DCOs</abbr> will have their asylum claim heard by the <abbr style="border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: help;" title="Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada">IRB</abbr> within 30-45 days, depending on whether they make their claim at a port of entry or inland. In comparison, all other claimants will have a hearing within 60 days, compared to the current waiting period of 600 days. This means that all claimants will have their cases heard much faster.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin: 10px;">Just as they do now, failed <abbr style="border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: help;" title="Designated Countries of Origin">DCOs</abbr> claimants will continue to have the option to seek appeal to the Federal Court to review a negative decision. However, they will not have access to the new Refugee Appeal Division at the <abbr style="border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: help;" title="Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada">IRB</abbr>.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin: 10px;">There will be no automatic stay of removal for <abbr style="border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: help;" title="Designated Country of Origin">DCO</abbr> claimants should they ask the Federal Court to review a negative decision, which means that they could be removed from Canada while their application for review before the Federal Court is pending. In these circumstances, individuals can ask the Federal Court to stay their removal.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin: 10px;"><q>“In order for Canadians to continue to strongly support Canada’s tradition of providing protection to victims of persecution, they must have faith in the integrity of our asylum system,” said Minister Kenney. “With these improvements, we are ensuring that genuine refugees fleeing persecution will receive protection more quickly, while, at the same time, failed asylum claimants from generally safe countries will be removed much faster.”</q></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin: 10px;">To be considered for designation, a country must meet objective criteria related to the number of finalized asylum claims Canada receives from that country. For countries with 30 or more claims in any consecutive 12-month period during the three years preceding designation, quantitative criteria are used. At least 60% of claimants from the country must have withdrawn and abandoned their own claims, or least 75% of claims from a country have been withdrawn, abandoned, and rejected by the <abbr style="border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: help;" title="Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada">IRB</abbr>.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin: 10px;">In the case of countries with low numbers of asylum claims (i.e., no consecutive 12-month period with 30 or more finalized claims during the three years prior to designation), objective qualitative criteria are used, including the existence of an independent judicial system, recognition of basic democratic rights and freedoms and the existence of civil society organizations.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin: 10px;">If a country meets these triggers, a thorough review is undertaken.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin: 10px;">The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Antonio Guterres, recognised that “there are indeed Safe Countries of Origin and there are indeed countries in which there is a presumption that refugee claims will probably be not as strong as in other countries.” And he has recognised the legitimacy of providing expedited processing for asylum claimants from those generally safe countries.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin: 10px;">Many developed democracies use a similar authority to accelerate asylum procedures for the nationals of countries not normally known to produce refugees. These states include the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Belgium and Finland, among others. Some European Union (<abbr style="border-bottom-width: 0px; cursor: help;">EU</abbr>) states also have accelerated procedures for the nationals of other <abbr style="border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: help;" title="European Union">EU</abbr> member states.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin: 10px;">In fact, within the 27 member states of the <abbr style="border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: help;" title="European Union">EU</abbr>, asylum claims from other <abbr style="border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: help;" title="European Union">EU</abbr> nationals are considered to be manifestly unfounded. In many of these countries, claims by other <abbr style="border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: help;" title="European Union">EU</abbr> nationals are considered inadmissible or are subjected to expedited processing. Among other things, this reflects that fact that <abbr style="border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: help;" title="European Union">EU</abbr> citizens have mobility rights in all neighbouring <abbr style="border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: help;" title="European Union">EU</abbr> countries.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin: 10px;">The <em>Protecting Canada’s Immigration System Act</em> is expected to save provinces and territories $1.6 billion over five years in social assistance and education costs.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin: 10px;"><q>“Canada will continue to have the most fair and generous asylum system in the world,” said Minister Kenney. “We welcome 1 in 10 of the world’s resettled refugees, more than almost any other country in the world, and we are increasing that number by 20 percent.”</q></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin: 10px;">Canada’s new asylum system is the result of two laws passed by Parliament — the <em>Balanced Refugee Reform Act</em> (June 2010) and the <em>Protecting Canada’s Immigration System Act</em> (June 2012) – which amend the <em>Immigration and Refugee Protection Act</em> (<abbr style="border-bottom-width: 0px; cursor: help;">IRPA</abbr>).</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2411249065222094031.post-25989543229266477122012-12-13T13:04:00.001-08:002012-12-13T13:04:08.561-08:00Strengthening Border Security<br />
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<strong>Ottawa, December 13, 2012</strong> — In another step toward improving border security, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney and United States Ambassador to Canada David Jacobson signed today the Immigration Information Sharing Treaty, a key part of the Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness Action Plan. <strong> </strong></div>
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<q>“Today’s important agreement builds on our countries’ mutual efforts to protect our common borders and the surrounding perimeter, through improved screening of immigrants and visitors, before they enter Canada and the United States,”</q> said Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney. <q>“Enhanced information sharing of foreign nationals will protect the safety and security of Canadians by helping us prevent terrorists, violent criminals, and others, who pose a risk, from entering Canada or the United States in the first place.”</q></div>
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<q>“This important agreement is the culmination of ten years of effort to advance the security of the United States and Canada, and to ensure the integrity of our immigration and visa systems. It reflects the commitment of President Obama and Prime Minister Harper to the Beyond the Border process, which will enhance North American security while facilitating the efficient movement of safe goods and well-intentioned travellers,”</q> said David Jacobson, United States Ambassador to Canada.</div>
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Under the Immigration Information Sharing Treaty, no information will be shared on Canadian or American citizens or permanent residents.</div>
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The historic Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness Action Plan was signed in 2011 by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and President Barack Obama. The Action Plan will accelerate the vital flow of people and goods between both countries, promoting job creation and economic competitiveness, while strengthening the security of both countries.</div>
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As part of the Action Plan, Canada and the United States committed to share immigration information to improve border efficiency and security, by establishing and verifying the identities of foreign nationals, and identifying those who are inadmissible at the earliest opportunity.</div>
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The adoption of the Treaty enables our two countries to share systematically information from third-country nationals who apply for a visa or a permit to travel to either country. The Treaty also provides an additional tool for regular, systematic information sharing on inland asylum claimants, which already occurs on a case-by-case basis under an existing agreement between Canada and the United States.</div>
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Biographic immigration information sharing is set to begin in 2013 and biometric sharing in 2014.</div>
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<q>“Increased information sharing on immigration and refugee applicants will support better decision making by both countries in order to confirm identities, and identify risks and inadmissible persons before they reach our borders,”</q> said Minister Kenney. <q>“The requirement to provide biometrics in our temporary resident immigration program will bring Canada in line with many of our international partners. Coupled with enhanced information sharing with the United States, our ability to screen out people who try to abuse our respective immigration programs will be significantly strengthened.”</q></div>
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Any information shared on travellers and asylum seekers will be handled responsibly and, as with other information sharing agreements, exchanged in accordance with relevant Canadian laws including the <em>Privacy Act</em> to ensure individuals’ privacy rights are considered and protected.</div>
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Even with increased information sharing, Canada retains its sovereignty in making admissibility decisions. Canadian visa officers and border services officers will continue to consider all information presented before making admissibility decisions in accordance with Canadian immigration law. </div>
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Enhanced screening initiatives, including systematic immigration information sharing and the Electronic Travel Authorization system, were agreed to in the Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness Action Plan to achieve the security and economic competitiveness goals outlined in the Beyond the Border Declaration. The Declaration articulates a shared vision in which both countries work together to address threats at the earliest point possible while facilitating the legitimate movement of people, goods and services across our shared border.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2411249065222094031.post-15026225530477254242012-12-11T09:51:00.001-08:002012-12-11T09:51:05.535-08:00 Attracting the best and brightest skilled workers<br />
<h2 style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 30px; margin: 1em 10px; vertical-align: bottom;">Transition to permanent residence now faster, more flexible</h2><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin: 10px;"><strong>Ottawa, December 11, 2012</strong> — Skilled temporary foreign workers will soon be able to transition to permanent residence faster than ever before, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced today.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin: 10px;">Beginning January 2, 2013, skilled worker applicants may apply to the Canadian Experience Class (<abbr style="border-bottom-width: 0px; cursor: help;">CEC</abbr>) program with 12 months of Canadian work experience, a year sooner than the previously required 24 months. In addition, graduates now have more time to earn their one year of work experience – up to 36 months, compared to only 24 months previously.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin: 10px;"><q>“The <abbr style="border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: help;" title="Canadian Experience Class">CEC</abbr> helps Canada attract the immigrants our economy requires: individuals who have valuable Canadian work experience and the necessary skills to benefit our country’s current labour market needs,” said Minister Kenney. “These skilled workers are set for success and expediting their transition to permanent residence will help Canada to respond to ongoing labour market challenges.”</q></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin: 10px;">This improvement makes the program more flexible for applicants, particularly for skilled worker applicants who will be eligible to qualify for permanent residency more quickly. International students will benefit by gaining more time to acquire the necessary experience to apply for permanent residency.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin: 10px;">Through the <abbr style="border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: help;" title="Canadian Experience Class">CEC</abbr>, which was created in 2008, Canada has admitted more than 20,000 international students and skilled workers. In 2013, CIC intends to accept a record high of up to 10,000 permanent residents through this program. This is a significant increase from the 2545 who were admitted in 2009.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin: 10px;"><q>“The government is committed to creating a fast and flexible immigration system that works for Canada’s economy,” added Minister Kenney. “The <abbr style="border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: help;" title="Canadian Experience Class">CEC</abbr> has become Canada’s fastest growing economic immigration program and is part of our plan to attract the best and brightest from around the world.”</q></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin: 10px;">Further details about the <a href="http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/cec/index.asp" style="color: #5a306b;">Canadian Experience Class</a><a href="http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/cec/index.asp" style="color: #5a306b;"></a>.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2411249065222094031.post-54888398267346533412012-12-10T09:38:00.001-08:002012-12-10T09:38:28.733-08:00Building an Immigration System that Works for Canada<br />
<h2 style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 20px; line-height: 30px; margin: 1em 10px; vertical-align: bottom;">New Federal Skilled Trades Stream to Begin Accepting Applications on January 2, 2013</h2><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin: 10px;"><strong>Mississauga, December 10, 2012</strong> — To address Canada’s growing demand for skilled tradespersons, a new Federal Skilled Trades Program is being launched on January 2, 2013, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced today.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin: 10px;">“The new Skilled Trades Stream will help address serious labour shortages in some regions of the country, and support economic growth,” Minister Kenney said. “For too long, Canada’s immigration system has not been open to these in-demand skilled workers. These changes are long overdue and will help us move to a fast and flexible immigration system that works for Canada’s economy.”</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin: 10px;">The program criteria are built around four requirements that ensure applicants will have the right skills and experience needed to succeed here in Canada. In order to qualify, applicants will need to:</div><ol style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin: 1em 10px 1em 40px; padding: 0px;"><li>have an offer of employment in Canada or a certificate of qualification from a province or territory to ensure that applicants are “job ready” upon arrival;</li>
<li>meet a basic language requirement;</li>
<li>have a minimum of two years of work experience as a skilled tradesperson, to ensure that the applicant has recent and relevant practice as a qualified journeyman; and</li>
<li>have the skills and experience that match those set out in the National Occupational Classification (NOC B) system, showing that they have performed the essential duties of the occupation.</li>
</ol><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin: 10px;">In order to manage intake, avoid backlogs and ensure fast processing times, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (<abbr style="border-bottom-width: 0px; cursor: help;">CIC</abbr>) will accept up to a maximum of 3,000 applications in the first year of the Federal Skilled Trades Program.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin: 10px;">Minister Kenney was joined at today’s announcement by Michael Atkinson, President of the Canadian Construction Association. “The introduction of a dedicated and streamlined program for skilled trades addresses many of the shortcomings from the current Federal Skilled Worker Program,” said Michael Atkinson. “The new program ensures greater consideration is given to the needs of industry when processing eligible immigration applications.”</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin: 10px;">“Ensuring Canada’s immigration system works for small employers in need of skilled trades’ people has been a concern for some time,” said Dan Kelly, President and CEO of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. “With the shortage of qualified labour in many parts of Canada growing once again, the launch of the Skilled Trades immigration stream is very welcome news.”</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin: 10px;">Eligible occupations will include electricians, welders, heavy-duty equipment mechanics, and pipefitters, among others. CIC is currently working with the provinces, territories and federal government partners on the list of skilled trades’ occupations that are experiencing acute labour shortages and which will qualify under the program. This list will be announced prior to the program opening on January 2, 2013.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin: 10px;">The Federal Skilled Trades Program will complement other avenues already in place for skilled tradespersons to immigrate to Canada, such as the Canadian Experience Class and Provincial Nominee Programs.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; margin: 10px;">“As promised in Economic Action Plan 2012, we are creating a new immigration stream to facilitate entry of skilled tradespersons,” added Minister Kenney. “The Federal Skilled Trades Program will help transform Canada’s immigration system into a fast and flexible system focused on jobs, growth and long-term prosperity.”</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2411249065222094031.post-53365757903117193942012-12-07T13:46:00.001-08:002012-12-07T13:48:08.631-08:00Facilitating Travel to Canada – Canada to Begin Collecting Biometrics from Certain Foreign Nationals<br />
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<strong>Ottawa, December 7, 2012</strong> — In order to facilitate legitimate travel, nationals of twenty‑nine countries and one territory will soon need to provide their biometrics to come to Canada to visit, study or work, under regulations proposed today by Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney.</div>
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“Biometrics has proven to be one of the most effective ways to identify individuals entering the country,” said Minister Kenney. “By providing immigration officials with greater certainty, biometrics will facilitate legitimate travel to Canada.”</div>
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Starting in 2013, persons from the following countries and territory who apply for a visitor visa, study permit or work permit will be required to provide their fingerprints and photograph at the time of application: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Bangladesh, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Laos, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestinian Authority, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Vietnam, and Yemen.</div>
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Canadian citizens and permanent residents will not have to submit biometrics to enter the country. Minors under the age of 14, the elderly over the age of 79, and diplomats travelling on official business and their family members will also be exempt.</div>
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Once an individual arrives in Canada, their biometric data will be checked to ensure that the individual who was approved to travel is in fact the same person who is entering Canada.</div>
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The use of biometrics as an identity management tool will bring Canada in line with many other countries that are now using, or preparing to use, biometrics in immigration and border management. These include the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, countries in the European Union Schengen Zone, Japan, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Saudi Arabia.</div>
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Accordingly, many nationals from the selected twenty-nine countries and one territory will already be familiar with the requirement. In addition, the governments of 20 of the 29 countries already collect biometrics from their citizens for the issuance of documents, such as identity cards and passports, or they plan to do so.</div>
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“Biometrics will strengthen and modernize Canada’s immigration system,” said Minister Kenney. “Our doors are open to legitimate travellers and, through the use of biometrics, we will also be able to protect the safety and security of Canadians.”</div>
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Citizenship and Immigration Canada, along with its partners, the Canada Border Services Agency and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, continue to work closely with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner to ensure adequate privacy protection measures for an applicant’s personal information. Applicants’ privacy will be protected in accordance with Canada’s <em>Privacy Act.</em></div>
<br />
<a href="http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/releases/2012/2012-12-07.asp?utm_source=media-centre-email&utm_medium=email-eng&utm_campaign=generic">News Release — Facilitating Travel to Canada – Canada to Begin Collecting Biometrics from Certain Foreign Nationals</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2411249065222094031.post-8449298426891908442012-10-26T10:18:00.001-07:002012-10-26T10:18:13.402-07:00New immigration restrictions for newlyweds<br />
<div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">OTTAWA - Some newlyweds who bring a spouse to Canada from abroad now face a new rule that the government says is designed to combat marriage fraud.</div><div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">They'll have to live together in what the government calls a legitimate relationship for two years or the sponsored spouse could lose permanent resident status.</div><div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">The rule will only apply to those who have been married less than two years and have no children together at the time of their application.</div><div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">"We will not tolerate people who seek to abuse Canadians who've sponsored them in or violate Canada's laws and to treat marriage like some cynical, commercial transaction just to bring people into Canada into what constitutes a form of human smuggling," Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said in a conference call on Friday.</div><div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">The rules were developed over two years of consultations during which the government heard concerns from dozens of groups that victims of domestic violence could be unfairly penalized.</div><div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">The conditional status will be waived in cases where there is evidence of abuse or neglect or where the spouse already in Canada dies.</div><div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">But the Canadian Council for Refugees said the exemptions won't solve the problem.</div><div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">“Making permanent residence conditional for sponsored spouses gives power to the sponsor who may use the threat of deportation to manipulate their spouse," Loly Rico, the president of the organization, said in a statement. "In situations of domestic abuse or violence, this measure will be a gift to an abuser."</div><div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">Kenney said he is sensitive to that criticism but also sees potential for sponsored spouses to end up as victims of human trafficking.</div><div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">"Sometimes, fraudulent immigration marriage facilitates violence against women," Kenney said, citing cases of women being brought over by gangs for bogus marriages and possibly then pressed into sexual slavery.</div><div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">The new rules will be complaint-based, meaning it will be up to those caught up in fraudulent marriages to report possible violations to the Canada Border Services Agency.</div><div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">"The CBSA is not going to be going into people's bedrooms," Kenney said.</div><div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">Officials will receive extra training on how to assess the validity of marriages, he said.</div><div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">The new regulation will apply to all applications received after Friday.</div><div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">It follows measures introduced earlier this year also aimed at sponsored spouses.</div><div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">Those rules require a sponsored spouse to be a permanent resident for five years before they can bring a partner or spouse to Canada.</div><div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px;">Kenney said it was too early to tell whether those new rules have had any affect.</div><span style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"><br />
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Read more: <a href="http://www.vancouversun.com/news/national/Immigration+Minister+Kenney+announces+immigration+restrictions/7452799/story.html#ixzz2AQVMKZvp" style="border: none; color: #003399; font-family: arial; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">http://www.vancouversun.com/news/national/Immigration+Minister+Kenney+announces+immigration+restrictions/7452799/story.html#ixzz2AQVMKZvp</a></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2411249065222094031.post-70911308594582151702012-09-10T09:30:00.001-07:002012-09-10T09:30:42.621-07:00News Release — Canadian citizenship not for sale: Minister Kenney provides update on residence fraud investigations<br />
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The Government of Canada’s investigation into residence fraud continues to grow, with nearly 11,000 individuals potentially implicated in lying to apply for citizenship or maintain permanent resident status.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">“We are applying the full strength of Canadian law to those who have obtained citizenship fraudulently,” said Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney. “Canadian citizenship is not for sale. We are taking action to strip citizenship and permanent residence status from people who don’t play by the rules and who lie or cheat to become a Canadian citizen.”</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Citizenship and Immigration Canada (<abbr style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 0px; cursor: help;">CIC</abbr>) has begun the process to revoke the citizenship of up to 3,100 citizens who obtained it fraudulently. Minister Kenney first announced the investigations last year. <abbr style="border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: help;" title="Citizenship and Immigration Canada">CIC</abbr> is working closely with the Canada Border Services Agency (<abbr style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 0px; cursor: help;">CBSA</abbr>), the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (<abbr style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 0px; cursor: help;">RCMP</abbr>), and Canadian offices abroad to tackle this fraud.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">“Today’s announcement is the end-result of the hard work done by the <abbr style="border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: help;" title="Royal Canadian Mounted Police">RCMP</abbr> and <abbr style="border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: help;" title="Canada Border Services Agency">CBSA</abbr>, and they should be congratulated for their dedicated effort in bringing these charges forward,” said Canada’s Public Safety Minister Vic Toews. “These efforts reinforce our government’s commitment to protecting the integrity of our immigration system.”</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The Department has also been working on cases of those who are not yet citizens. Nearly 5,000 people with permanent resident status who are known to be implicated in residence fraud have been flagged for additional scrutiny should they attempt to enter Canada or obtain citizenship. The majority of these individuals are believed to be outside the country.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Permanent residents must reside in Canada for three years out of four years prior to applying for Canadian citizenship. To retain their status as permanent residents, they must be physically present in Canada for two out of five years with few exceptions.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">In typical cases, permanent residents will use the services of an unscrupulous immigration representative to fraudulently establish evidence of residence in Canada while living abroad most, if not all, of the time. This is perpetrated so that individuals can fraudulently maintain their permanent residence status and later apply for citizenship.<abbr style="border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: help;" title="Royal Canadian Mounted Police">RCMP</abbr> and <abbr style="border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: help;" title="Canada Border Services Agency">CBSA</abbr> criminal investigations have found that a family of five may pay upwards of $25,000 over four or more years to create the illusion of Canadian residence.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Finally, <abbr style="border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: help;" title="Citizenship and Immigration Canada">CIC</abbr> has flagged the files of another 2,500 individuals where, for various reasons, there are concerns. These individuals will be watched closely should they make future applications. This makes a total of nearly 11,000 individuals tied to citizenship and residence fraud investigations.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">To date, <abbr style="border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: help;" title="Citizenship and Immigration Canada">CIC</abbr> and its partners have removed or denied admittance to over 600 former permanent residents linked to the investigations, and have denied about 500 citizenship applications where the applicants do not meet the residence requirements. Almost 1,800 applicants linked to the investigations have abandoned their citizenship applications as word about these investigations spreads.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">“We will not stand by and allow people to lie and cheat their way into becoming citizens,” added Minister Kenney. “I encourage anyone who has information regarding citizenship fraud to call our tip line to report it. There is no time limit for investigating this type of fraud.”</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Over the past six years, Canada has had the highest sustained level of immigration in Canadian history. The Government of Canada is committed to creating an immigration system that brings the world's best and brightest to Canada while protecting our immigration system against those who would abuse our generosity.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Cases involving false representation, fraud or knowingly concealing material circumstances in the citizenship process—for example, pretending to be present in Canada to meet the residence requirements for obtaining citizenship—should be referred to the citizenship fraud tip line at <abbr style="border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: help;" title="Citizenship and Immigration Canada">CIC</abbr>’s Call Centre at <span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">1-888-242-2100</span> (in Canada only, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. local time, Monday through Friday). Tips may also be reported by email at <a href="mailto:Citizenship-fraud-tips@cic.gc.ca" style="color: #666633;">Citizenship-fraud-tips@cic.gc.ca</a>. Those overseas can also contact the <a href="http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/offices/missions.asp" style="color: #666633;">nearest Canadian visa office</a>.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">All other types of immigration fraud can be reported to the <abbr style="border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; cursor: help;" title="Canada Border Services Agency">CBSA</abbr>’s <a href="http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/security-securite/bwl-lsf-eng.html" style="color: #666633;">Border Watch Tip Line</a>at <span class="nowrap" style="white-space: nowrap;">1-888-502-9060</span>. Tips accepted by the Border Watch Tip Line include, but are not limited to, suspicious cross-border activity, marriages of convenience, misrepresentation in any temporary or permanent immigration application, or the whereabouts of any person wanted on an immigration warrant.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2411249065222094031.post-8709634172924981172012-09-05T10:09:00.001-07:002012-09-05T10:09:10.810-07:00Dips welcome international education report | Embassy - Canada's Foreign Policy Newspaper<a href="http://www.embassymag.ca/page/view/education-09-05-2012">Dips welcome international education report | Embassy - Canada's Foreign Policy Newspaper</a><br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"><span class="dropcap_2">S</span>everal of the countries named in a new report as key target international student markets for Canada are welcoming the report's recommendations, which encourage Canada to boost the number of Canadians studying abroad and brand Canada via scholarships for international undergraduate students.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">Diplomats from Brazil, India, and China say they were encouraged to read the 14 recommendations an advisory panel gave to the government in the panel's report on Canada's international education strategy released Aug. 14. Their comments echoed the generally positive feedback the report received from groups representing students and schools.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">Piquing the diplomats' interest were proposals such as: doubling the number of international students studying in Canada by 2022; boosting the number of Canadian students abroad to 50,000 per year by 2022; federal co-funding for 8,000 new scholarships for international undergraduates to study in Canada; improved visa processing; and expanding training for Canadian embassy staff to understand what Canada's education system has to offer.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">The panel, which included post-secondary school presidents and the head of Quebec aluminum producer Rio Tinto Alcan, also stated that besides maintaining recruitment efforts in "mature markets" such as the United States, Canada should specifically target markets with the biggest potential for growth: China, India, Brazil, the Middle East and North Africa, Vietnam, and Mexico.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">International students represent a big business opportunity for Canada. A 2012 study presented to the government indicated that foreign students spent more than $7.7 billion, created more than 81,000 jobs, and funnelled more than $445 million into government coffers in 2010.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">The panel report also noted that international students could be a great fit as immigrants for a country facing labour shortages; and if they don't stay, they act as ambassadors promoting Canada to the world.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">Recognizing these potential benefits, Canada has been busy. The government assembled the panel after deciding in the 2011 budget to devote $10 million over two years to set up and implement an international education strategy.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">The government named the group's members in October 2011. The panel heard from interested people at meetings across the country, and visited India and China.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">Prime Minister Stephen Harper inked a bilateral education co-operation agreement with India in June 2010. During Mr. Harper's February trip to China, the two sides agreed to work toward seeing 100,000 Chinese and Canadian students study in the other's country within five years. And Governor General David Johnston led a large group of Canadian university presidents to Brazil last spring, where Canada secured its piece of a new Brazilian scholarship program. Mr. Johnston announced that 12,000 Brazilian students would study in Canada as part of the program.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">The panel recommended the government develop bilateral agreements with priority countries focused on graduate education and research, and backed up with funding to make those deals a reality.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"><b>50,000 in 10</b></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">But diplomats from some of the target market countries say they were pleased to see the panel recognize that international education goes both ways. One of the few numbers-based recommendations it set was that 50,000 Canadians per year should be studying abroad within 10 years.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">That led Renato Leonardi, a Brazilian Embassy second secretary who works on education, to tell <i>Embassy </i>by email that Brazil is encouraged not only that the panel is looking for Canadian institutions to receive more foreign students, but also for more Canadian researchers to study and work abroad.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">"In our understanding, international education must be seen as a two-way street," he wrote.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">Zhang Lanchun, a minister-counsellor for education affairs at the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa, also noted the recommendation, in the report he called "constructive" and "positive."</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">Yet while Canada and China have set a goal of 100,000 students studying in each other's country in the next five years, the flow is currently "very unbalanced," said Mr. Zhang.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">He said more than 70,000 Chinese study in Canada, but only more than 2,000 Canadians study in China (Canadian figures suggest more than 60,000 Chinese students attend Canadian colleges and universities).</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">China has more than 2,000 post-secondary schools that could accommodate Canadian students, he said. "So I think we have big capacity or great potential to welcome Canadian students to study in China," he said through an interpreter on Aug. 21.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">Although 50,000 is a jump from the number of Canadians studying abroad now, Canada could go even further, said Jennifer Humphries, vice-president of membership, public policy, and communications with the Canadian Bureau for International Education, an association of educational institutions.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">She also spoke for the Canadian Consortium for International Education Marketing, which represents the CBIE and school groups from elementary to post-secondary.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">Although numbers are not always clear, Amit Chakma, the advisory panel chair and president of Western University, estimated that less than three per cent of Canadian university students now study abroad.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">Based on her own calculations covering universities alone, Ms. Humphries said that if Canadian universities grow by 10 per cent over the next few years, 50,000 studying abroad would represent only about 3.8 per cent of the total student population. She said Canada could aim for 15 per cent.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"><b>Visa processing and scholarships</b></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">On the other side, Mr. Zhang suggested more international students, including those from China, would come to Canada if it improved student visa processing.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">The panel said that while the integrity and quality of Canada's immigration system should be maintained, "[Citizenship and Immigration Canada] must be supported in efforts to ensure competitive processing times and client service in the face of growing volumes. Meeting this processing demand will put pressure on visa officers, requiring an increase in staffing levels and a need for accurate training."</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">Canada is the fourth top destination for Chinese students, after the US, UK, and Australia, said Mr. Zhang.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">"With the assistance of scholarships to be provided by your side, as well as the visa processing improvement, I think there would be a big increase of international students, including those from China," he said, seated before a cup of tea in his office, a stone's throw away from the University of Ottawa.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">Canada has in recent years seen a backlash from some countries against perceived long study-permit processing times. Saudi Arabia last year deliberately slowed the processing of Canadian visas to protest what it said were too-slow processing times of Saudi visas to Canada. Saudi students part of a Saudi government scholarship program were being affected.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">Ms. Humphries said Oman used to send many students to Canada but numbers dropped off as students have the perception it takes a long time to get a Canadian study visa. In fact, wait times have improved recently, "but the perception takes forever to erode," she said.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">Narinder Chauhan, India's acting high commissioner to Canada, said visa processing times for Indian students have gotten faster in recent years, and that has helped boost the numbers studying in Canada.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">She spoke positively of the report overall, and echoed Mr. Zhang's comments that more scholarship opportunities would help bring more foreign students to Canada.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">"We...very much welcome the fact that Canada would be increasing its international undergrad student scholarships, because that is perhaps one of the reasons why the Indian student intake in Canada has not kept pace with your southern neighbour and with some of the other countries," she said.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">While school and student groups like the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada and Canadian Federation of Students spoke largely positively about the report's proposals, the CFS's Brent Farrington took issue with the panel's suggestion that Canada should boost scholarship opportunities for international students rather than just lower their tuition fees.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">International students pay on average between $10,000 and $15,000 more than domestic students per year, depending on the province, he said.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"><b>Will it be implemented?</b></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">Trade Minister Ed Fast accepted the panel's report at an Aug. 14 news conference, noting that his government looks forward to reviewing its recommendations.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">Another government document said the Harper government would "carefully review" the panel's proposals "over the coming months," and a "formal response and implementation plan for Canada's International Education Strategy is forthcoming."</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">Indeed, observers are optimistic that the federal government won't just leave the recommendations on a shelf to collect dust. They sense the political will to act.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">Ms. Humphries said it's positive that the trade minister launched the report with some fanfare. Plus, she said it's good that the government linked international education to Canada's prosperity; it announced the report's release at the same time it declared the start of consultations on the government's renewed Global Commerce Strategy.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">"We are very optimistic that the government will take this on board," said Ms. Humphries. "And we do have two very keen ministers that struck the panel: Minister Flaherty and Minister Fast."</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">The Canadian Bureau for International Education called the recommendations "bold yet achievable." The panel's chair, Mr. Chakma, said stakeholders at the provincial, institutional, and association levels are aligned in their support for international education, which helps to make the report's proposals "very much attainable."</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">Mr. Zhang said he thought the recommendations were "practical" but will require "painstaking efforts."</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">The panel didn't attach a dollar figure to implementing its proposals—partly because it just didn't have the time, said Mr. Chakma.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">He said the federal government has up until recently been spending about $1 million a year on promoting education abroad. Australia, by contrast, is estimated to be spending more than $20 million a year.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"><i>kshane@embassymag.ca</i></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"><b>The panel's recommendations</b></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">• Double the number of international students choosing Canada by 2022</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">• Introduce an international mobility program for Canadian Students to serve 50,000 students per year by 2022</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">• Make internationalizing education in Canada a strategic component of government of Canada official policies and plans</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">• Create a council on international education and research to provide policy advice to the ministers of international trade, finance, citizenship and immigration, and industry</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">• Maintain and enhance the quality of the education systems and ensure their sustainability</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">• Focus Canada's promotional efforts on a limited number of priority markets for targeted resource allocation</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">• Increase marketing of Canada's brand</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">• Develop a sophisticated and comprehensive e-communication system that will serve as a national portal for international students interested in education in Canada</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">• Brand Canada through scholarships for international undergraduate students</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">• Regroup grants and scholarships available to international graduate students and post-doctoral fellows under one label/brand, with a focus on priority areas aligned with Canada's innovation and prosperity agenda</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">• Develop comprehensive and multifaceted bilateral agreements with priority countries that focus on all aspects of graduate education and research, supported by appropriate levels of funding</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">• Improve education visa processing to provide consistent and timely processing of high-quality candidates</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">• Expand and facilitate comprehensive training for embassy staff on Canada's diverse education offerings and study pathways. Training opportunities should also be available for stakeholders to gain a deeper understanding of both the programs and cultural support required by international students</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">• Support the expansion and promotion of the existing Canadian Experience Class program to contribute to Canada's skilled immigrant and labour market needs</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;"></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.4em; padding: 0px 4px; vertical-align: top;">—Source: Advisory Panel on Canada's International Education Strategy Final Report</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2411249065222094031.post-33528924217657494432012-08-14T10:05:00.001-07:002012-08-14T10:05:08.408-07:00Canada must attract foreign students to fuel innovation, drive economy:<a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/canada-must-attract-foreign-students-to-fuel-innovation-drive-economy-report/article4480232/">Canada must attract foreign students to fuel innovation, drive economy: report - The Globe and Mail</a><br />
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<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Garuda, Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Canada should double the number of international students choosing to study here by 2020, a new report commissioned by the federal government says.</div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Garuda, Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The task force responsible for the report, headed up by Western University president Amit Chakma, wants Ottawa to boost the number of international students from approximately 239,130 to 450,000 in 10 years without taking away coveted seats from its own Canadian students.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2411249065222094031.post-30738734849593928022012-06-21T10:40:00.001-07:002012-06-21T10:41:07.624-07:00Immigration fueling Saskatchewan population jump - Saskatchewan - CBC News<a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/story/2012/06/21/sk-immigrans-population-2012.html">Immigration fueling Saskatchewan population jump - Saskatchewan - CBC News</a><br />
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<img alt="A group of new Canadians attended a meeting in Regina earlier this year. Almost all of the people moving to Saskatchewan in recent months are immigrants, Statistics Canada says. " height="179" src="http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/news/topstories/2012/06/21/hi-immigration-meeting-2012.jpg" width="320" /> </div>
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Saskatchewan is still growing fast, with immigrants making up virtually all of the people who moved to the province in the first three months of the year, Statistics Canada says.</div>
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According to the federal statistics agency, Saskatchewan grew by 4,470 people in the first quarter of 2012 — and among provinces its growth rate was second only to Alberta.</div>
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As of April 1, there were 1,072,082 people living in Saskatchewan.</div>
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With a boost of 19,642 people in the past year, the figure now stands at 1,072,082.</div>
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The strong growth is driven by immigration, with a net increase of 3,436 people coming from other countries.</div>
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The natural increase -- babies being born minus deaths -- accounted for another 1,043.</div>
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In terms of interprovincial migration, there's actually a small negative number -- an estimated nine people left to go to other provinces.</div>
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The provincial government says from April 1, 2011 to April 1, 2012, the population grew by 19,642 -- the most growth in any one-year period since 1930.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2411249065222094031.post-85219986831488026272012-06-07T17:14:00.001-07:002012-06-07T17:14:38.698-07:00How much bigger should this country really get? | Full Comment | National Post<a href="http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2012/06/07/herbert-grubel-how-much-bigger-should-this-country-really-get/">How much bigger should this country really get? | Full Comment | National Post</a><br />
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<div style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.25em; margin-bottom: 0.83em; padding: 0px;">A recent series of articles in the <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Globe and Mail</em> suggested Canada should double its annual intake of immigrants to 500,000, with the goal of raising the country’s population to 75 million in 50 years and 100 million by the end of the century. The justification for this policy is almost entirely ideological. The larger population is needed to give more weight to the authors’ efforts to convince the world to follow Canada’s model of a truly social-democratic, multicultural and eco-friendly society; yet there is no discussion of the high economic costs the policy would bring.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.25em; margin-bottom: 0.83em; padding: 0px;">Doug Saunders, the <em style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Globe</em>’s correspondent in England, listed the benefits of raising Canada’s population to 100 million, saying it would end the “greatest price of under-population, (which) is loneliness: We are often unable to talk intelligently to each other, not to mention the world, because we just don’t have enough people to support the institutions of dialogue and culture — whether they’re universities, magazines, movie industries, think tanks or publishing houses.… It would put an end to the low population density that plagues large sections of Toronto and Calgary.”</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2411249065222094031.post-75616290876150982362012-05-29T08:01:00.001-07:002012-05-29T08:01:28.858-07:00B.C. sets sights on 47,000 international students<div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left;">VICTORIA — Premier Christy Clark’s BC Liberal government will today commit $5 million toward scholarships and research internships as it unveils details of how it plans to attract 47,000 additional international students into the province over the next four years.</div><div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left;">“[International education] is one of the eight sectors in the BC Jobs Plan,” Minister of Advanced Education Naomi Yamamoto said in an interview Friday, adding the sector brings significant investment into local economies.</div><div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left;">“We want to increase, in the next four years, the number of international students that come to British Columbia by 50 per cent,” she added.</div><div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left;">That target means B.C. has to increase the number of students it attracts by 47,000 over four years. It says almost half of that increase will come from enrolments in private-language schools, 30 per cent from public post-secondary institutions, 12 per cent from private post-secondary and 13 per cent in K-12.</div><div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left;">In an effort to achieve those targets, the province will give a one-time $700,000 grant to a program that helps attract and support international students to do research internships at B.C. universities.</div><div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left;">It will also grant $2.3 million to a program that helps graduate students from both B.C. and abroad undertake research internships in the province.</div><div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left;">Both of these programs will be delivered by Mitacs, a B.C. based not-for-profit research organization that works with both academia and industry.</div><div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left;">“The main thing we’re thinking about at Mitacs is how to create the knowledge workforce of the future, so we think about how to train graduate students in partnership with industry, we think about the types of people that Canada needs to attract as knowledge workers,” Arvind Gupta, CEO and scientific director of Mitacs, said in an interview Friday.</div><div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left;">“My goal is to have so many people wanting to come to Canada that we cherry pick who we want,” he added, saying the B.C. government has been very supportive of his organization’s efforts.</div><div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left;">In a related move, the government will also give $2 million for a grant program to help B.C. post-secondary students pursue an education abroad.</div><div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left;">“Our strategy is not just attracting students from other countries to B.C., although that is our focus,” said Yamamoto. “We’ve also invested money to provide opportunities for our own domestic students”</div><div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left;">Asked if today’s funding will be enough to meet the province’s ambitious targets, Yamamoto said she believes it will be a good complement to what is already happening.</div><div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left;">“There’s a lot of resources already spent. We just need to, as government, look at maximizing that effectively,” said Yamamoto. “It would be great to be able to say we want to throw a tonne of money at this, but we actually already see that there’s a lot of money already being spent.”</div><div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left;">Yamamoto added the strategy to be released today includes numerous other measures, such as helping schools and communities across B.C. provide the best possible programs for international students.</div><div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left;">“A lot of our communities do it really, really well and some don’t do it well at all,” she said.</div><div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left;">“We know there’s capacity for growth,” she added, saying government plans to develop a variety of partnerships and mentorships across the education sector to help smaller schools develop programs.</div><div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left;">The strategy also promises that government will look at new legislation or new regulations on quality assurance to help ensure high standards are met across the province.</div><div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left;">The strategy also says government will embark on a marketing strategy to increase international awareness of B.C. as an education destination.</div><div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left;">There are about 3.3 million international students in the world now, and by 2025 the number is expected to reach 7.2 million.</div><div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left;">B.C. now attracts about 94,000 international students to the province.</div><div style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left;">jfowlie@vancouversun.com</div><span style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left;"><br />
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Read more: <a href="http://www.vancouversun.com/sets+sights+international+students/6687992/story.html#ixzz1wGsAadzH" style="border: none; color: #003399; font-family: arial; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">http://www.vancouversun.com/sets+sights+international+students/6687992/story.html#ixzz1wGsAadzH</a></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2411249065222094031.post-77162926707985740352012-05-27T12:33:00.001-07:002012-05-27T12:33:26.589-07:00New Canadian rules crack down on crooked immigration lawyers and consultants - thestar.com<a href="http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1193283--new-canadian-rules-crack-down-on-crooked-immigration-lawyers-and-consultants">Canada News: New Canadian rules crack down on crooked immigration lawyers and consultants - thestar.com</a><br />
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<div style="background-color: white; color: #343434; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 21px; padding: 0px;">Ottawa has launched new rules that allow immigration authorities to share information involving crooked lawyers and consultants with their regulators.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #343434; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 21px; padding: 0px;">The move came almost five years after a Star investigation found authorities and regulators worked in silos, allowing unscrupulous immigration practitioners go unpunished.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #343434; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 21px; padding: 0px;">Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said sharing information on misconduct of immigration representatives is crucial to the integrity of the system.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #343434; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 21px; padding: 0px;">To the bad apples in the industry, Kenney said: “We are on to you. Your days are numbered.”</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #343434; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 21px; padding: 0px;">The minister said the new rules, announced Friday, are the final piece of the government’s overhaul of the immigration consulting regulatory regime, after the old industry watchdog was dismantled and new regulations were introduced to criminalize unregistered or so-called ‘ghost’ consultants.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #343434; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 21px; padding: 0px;">Under the new rules the immigration department, refugee board and border service agency will tip off provincial law societies and the new <a href="http://www.iccrc.ca/home.cfm" style="color: #006699; cursor: pointer; outline: none; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council</a> (ICCRC) if their members are suspected of coaching clients to lie to authorities or fabricating documents.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #343434; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 21px; padding: 0px;">In the past, authorities were prohibited from sharing such information with regulators and the crooked practitioners were left unscathed if the allegations were not criminal in nature. Now they can be pursued professionally and risk losing their licence.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #343434; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 21px; padding: 0px;">According to Phil Mooney, CEO of the ICCRC, the 2,300-member regulator, has received 350 complaints since its inception in 2011. The regulatory body has referred 130 complaints involving non-members to authorities. While 115 cases have been resolved, 90 are still under investigation.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #343434; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 21px; padding: 0px;">“The type of information we now are being able to receive from immigration helps us prevent one of the most serious cases of fraud that otherwise would have been invisible to us,” said Mooney.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #343434; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 21px; padding: 0px;">“That’s where an authorized representative colludes with an immigration applicant to defraud the government and comes here with false credentials. Now we can take action and remove the individual’s rights to practise.”</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0