John McCallum wants to 'substantially increase' immigration to fill Canada's labour needs

English: The recreation of the immigration hall at Pier 21, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Canada's immigration minister points to an aging population and looming labour shortages

By Susana Mas, CBC News Posted: Aug 12, 2016 6:03 PM ET Last Updated: Aug 12, 2016 7:03 PM ET

If Immigration Minister John McCallum gets his way, Canada will significantly increase immigration beyond its current record level as a way to fill the country's labour needs.

Pointing to an aging population and looming labour shortages, McCallum made the pitch in Manila during a speech to the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines on Friday.

"So why not substantially increase the number of immigrants coming to Canada? And that is, I think, I hope, what we are about to do," McCallum said, according to a transcript of his remarks obtained by CBC News.

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• Earlier in the week, McCallum was in Beijing, where he sought to open more offices where Chinese can apply for visas, in the hope of attracting more high-skilled workers.

The Trudeau government is already seeking to admit between 280,000 and 305,000 new permanent residents in 2016 — a record increase from the 260,000 to 285,000 newcomers the previous Conservative government had planned to welcome by the end of 2015.

Key to the Liberal government's larger plan to promote innovation and grow the economy is McCallum's three-year immigration plan, which he plans to unveil this fall.

McCallum said no final decision on immigration has been made and that he has to get his cabinet colleagues on board with his new plan and convince Canadians it's the right thing to do.

"But the direction in which I would like to go is to increase substantially the number of immigrants," McCallum said Friday.

Reducing 'barriers' to immigration

The express entry system launched under the previous Conservative government promised transformative changes to Canada's economic immigration policy.

McCallum will ease some of the rules to make it easier for international students to come to Canada and become permanent residents.

He is also going to eliminate what is known as a labour market impact assessment (LMIA) —  a document all employers need to hire foreign nationals over Canadian workers.

Businesses have said it is the biggest flaw with express entry, a requirement the previous government borrowed from the temporary foreign worker program.

The Liberal government also tasked a parliamentary committee with a review of the controversial foreign worker program, but Parliament adjourned before the report was tabled. It will now be made public in the fall.

"So we're going to make it easier for international students, we're going to reduce some of the barriers in our immigration system … we don't think that every immigrant needs to go through what we call a labour market impact assessment process. We think it can be simplified. We think there are some rules which are no longer necessary," McCallum said.

"Now, we have to convince Canadians of this. But I think it's a good idea."

McCallum, who worked as a chief economist at one of Canada's Big Five banks and a professor of economics before he entered politics, also acknowledged he has his work cut out for him.

"Not every Canadian will agree. But I think with our mindset of welcoming newcomers in the beginning, with the facts of the labour shortages, aging population, we have a good case to make, and I think we will be able to convince a higher proportion of Canadians that this is the right way for Canada to go."

Philippines is currently the top source country for permanent residents in Canada, according to data published by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada as of May 31.

The immigration minister also said that processing times for reuniting families from the Philippines has dropped "dramatically" to 12 months, "cut in half in just a year."

The Liberal government promised during last fall's federal election campaign to reduce processing wait times in all categories.

Follow @SusanaMas on Twitter.

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• John McCallum wants to 'substantially increase' immigration to fill Canada's labour needs

Pilot immigration programme to boost economic development in Atlantic Canada

Prince Edward Island (Canada), July 30 : Canada's federal government recently allied with four premiers of Atlantic Canada to introduce a 'New Atlantic Growth Strategy' to boost the region's economy by allowing immigration of new skilled workers, according to media reports in Canada.

The three-year-old pilot project will aim to bring to Canada over 2,000 immigrants and their families by 2017 in addition to the normal intake currently being allowed under the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).

The announcement was made at a press conference in St Peters Bay at Prince Edward Island earlier this month. The meeting was attended by the four Atlantic premiers -- Brian Gallant, Premier New Brunswick; Dwight Ball, Premier Newfoundland Labrador; Stephen McNeil, PremierNova Scotia; and Wade MacLauchlan, Premier Prince Edward Island. Federal Immigration Minister John McCallum and Innovation Minister Navdeep Singh Bains were also present in the meeting.

The immigration component will be largely driven by the provincial governments and their specific needs, said Immigration Minister, John McCallum.

We. . .will work with each government to develop a plan specific to their own province with a focus on particular occupations, particular regions and with a focus on engaging companies to not only recruit the immigrants but to undertake measures to keep them here, he said.

According to McCallum, the two levels of government will find ways to confirm that once immigrants arrive, theyll stay in a particular region as it will accelerate credentials for different jobs.

He mentioned that apparently, the program is a pilot project in Atlantic Canada. However, it could be the model for the rest of the country in the near future.

Investment matters:

When it comes to bringing home new immigrants, it is also important to secure jobs of existing residents. New Brunswick Premier Brian Gallant emphasized that attracting new people and repatriating residents are both part of the same consolidated effort.

Premier MacLauchlan also said that through immigration, We will make Prince Edward Island a more attractive place in terms of repatriation. He mentioned that in order to create sustained prosperity, the workforce in his province must grow.

Dwight Ball, Newfoundland and Labrador Premier, however, pointed out that while increased immigration is necessary for the growth of the region, existing residents who are unemployed shall not be overlooked.

He said, Newfoundland and Labrador will continue to invest in our residents who are ready and looking for employment. We will continue to train those that are under-skilled and looking for work.

Ageing population concerns:

The new growth strategy also aims to address the ageing demography of Atlantic Canada.

According to figures released by Statistics Canada for the second quarter of 2014, overall population in the region has fallen 0.4 per cent since the third quarter of 2012, to 2,364,770. This shows that there is a marked difference between the mortality rate and the birth rate in the three provinces of Atlantic Canada; Prince Edward Island is the only exception.

Therefore, emphasis is given highly on retaining immigrants by working with the provincial governments and employers together so that future immigration can be tied up with labour market requirements in the region.

Innovation is essential:

To build up a strong economy, the premiers said they will also focus on priority areas like innovation, trade and investment and infrastructure. They will also aim to initiate growth and development while switching to a low-carbon economy.

Premier Wade MacLauchlan said in a written release, To build on our successes and create sustained prosperity for Prince Edward Island, we must grow our workforce and continue to foster an environment of innovation and entrepreneurship.

There is also a working agreement with the federal government to improve access to high speed internet and premium cell phone services in the region. This in the long run will aid to market the region internationally for its food and tourism, as well as create jobs to head towards its low carbon economy goal.

The leadership committee formed by the four premiers and federal ministers including John McCallum, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Scott Brison, President of the Treasury Board, Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, Navdeep Singh Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, and Judy Foote, Minister of Public Services and Procurement will oversee the plan.

The leaders say the first phase of the plan will probably be implemented by the end of the year.

(Writing and reporting by Debarati Mukherjee and Chandan Som)

Source: http://www.newkerala.com/news/2016/fullnews-98123.html

THE INS AND OUTS OF IMPLIED STATUS IN CANADA

By Victor Ing,
Special to The Post

I am often approached by people who wish to extend their stay in Canada as visitors, workers or students and have questions about their immigration status that are about to expire.
These temporary residents are generally aware that it is their responsibility to maintain their immigration status in Canada and they know that they must file an application to remain in Canada before the expiry of their current work or study permit or visitor status in order to do that.
Many people, however, are unclear about what happens next or what they are allowed to do after they have filed an application to extend their stay because they no longer have a valid immigration document that tells them what their status is in Canada and what their rights are.
Temporary residents who apply to extend their stay in Canada before the expiry of their respective visitor status or work and study permits have “implied status” in Canada.
Implied status simply means that the visitor, worker or student continues to maintain their legal immigration status in Canada until a decision is made on their application to extend their stay. This allows the applicant to legally reside in Canada even though his or her permit has expired, regardless of how long it takes Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to process their application.
Implied status is granted by operation of Canada’s immigration laws. This means that IRCC will not send you a document that confirms you have implied status, nor tell you what you can or cannot do while under implied status.
Generally, the only way to show you benefit from implied status in Canada is to keep a filed copy of your application, along with proof that it has been delivered to the appropriate immigration office.
This lack of documentation can be concerning for applicants as well as their Canadian employers or the academic institutions where they study. It is therefore important to understand exactly what you can or cannot do while under implied status.
Immigration savvy applicants will know that persons under implied status can continue to visit, work or study, as applicable, under the same conditions as their expired visitor record or permits until a decision is made on their application to extend their stay in Canada. However, it may not be common knowledge what happens if the same person leaves Canada while under implied status.
Implied status continues to exist even if the person benefiting from it departs Canada. Therefore, they continue to have legal immigration status when they re-enter Canada without having to make a new application to enter the country.
However, if a person departs Canada and later returns under implied status, they can no longer work or study under the same conditions of their expired work or study permits.
For this reason, unless absolutely necessary it is generally advisable to avoid travelling outside Canada while under implied status.
In cases where international travel is unavoidable, make sure that you have a multiple-entry visa to come back to Canada or confirm that you do not need a visa to re-enter Canada. You should also prepare in advance and take the necessary steps, if possible, to make a new application for a work or study permit at the Canadian port of entry. This is often the case, for example, for foreign workers in Canada whose job duties require them to attend business trips outside Canada from time to time but need the ability to resume work immediately for their Canadian employer at the end of the trip.
There is another developing concern for those who are relying on having implied status in Canada. Immigration applications, including those to extend temporary resident status in Canada, are routinely rejected for processing by IRCC because it was found to be incomplete – a form may not have been signed or the appropriate immigration application fees were not paid, just to name a few examples.
In this case, IRCC takes the position that an extension application was never made, which means that the applicant never benefited from implied status.
The result is that the applicant’s temporary resident status will have expired on the same day as their original visitor status or work or study permit validity date.
There have been conflicting decisions from Canada’s Federal Court as to whether IRCC’s position is correct, and this continues to be a live issue for debate.
With current processing times of three or more months for extension applications in Canada, many people are relying on having implied status in Canada as proof of their legal immigration status.
It is important that applicants make timely and complete applications to extend their stay in Canada before the expiry of their current visitor status and work or study permits, but it is equally important for these applicants to know what they are allowed to do while under implied status in Canada.

Victor Ing is a lawyer of Sas & Ing Immigration Law Centre. He provides a full range of immigration services.

For more information go to www.canadian-visa-lawyer.com or email victor@canadian-visa-lawyer.com.

Source: http://www.asianpacificpost.com/article/7602-ins-and-outs-implied-status-canada.html