Canada
February 11 2010
By introducing its new "Québec Experience Class" Program ("Programme de l'expérience québécoise", or "PEQ") based on experience gained in Québec, the province will meet an objective it had set for itself in a document released in March 2008 entitled "To enrich Québec - Better Integration". Basically, the PEQ aims to promote the transition from a Temporary Resident status to that of Permanent Resident for Foreign Students and Temporary Workers. The program is expected to enter in force on February 14, 2010, the date on which the amendments to Québec's Regulation Respecting the Selection of Foreign Nationals become effective.
PEQ's intent is to facilitate the application process for a Québec Selection Certificate for Foreign Students having graduated in Québec and Temporary Workers having worked in Québec as a first step prior to obtaining Permanent Resident status from the federal government. By introducing the program, Québec follows the federal example and makes experience gained in Québec and knowledge of the French language key selection factors when applying for immigration in Québec. For such applicants under PEQ, the traditional selection grid will not apply and there will be fewer documents to include with an application. In addition, applications may be sent electronically and will be processed on a documents-only basis.
Specific requirements applicable to Foreign Students are the following: (1) the applicant must have stayed in Québec for at least half of the duration of the educational program's duration and have conformed to the student visa conditions; (2) the applicant must have obtained from an education institution in Québec subsequent to February 13, 2008, either of: i) a diploma of professional education or a certificate of professional education, which alone or combined with an attestation of professional specialization (obtained consecutively) attests to over 1,800 hours of continuous education; ii) a diploma of technical college education; iii) a University degree, whether a bachelor's, masters or doctoral. However, the following international students are excluded from the program: i) students having received a scholarship requiring return to the student's country of origin; and b) students having applied for a new acceptance certificate for studies.
The specific requirements applicable to Temporary Workers are the following: (1) the foreign worker (including the holder of a work permit under a youth exchange program pursuant to an international agreement signed between a foreign country and either of Québec or Canada) must have conformed with the conditions of his/her work permit and be legally in Québec at the time of the application; (2) the foreign worker must have employment in Québec at the time of submission of the application which is classified at level A or B pursuant to the National Occupational Classification and must have been so employed for at least 12 months during the 24 months preceding the application.
Application requirements common to both Foreign Students and Temporary Workers are that applicants must: (1) undertake to financially support themselves and their family members for a period of 3 months; and (2) demonstrate their verbal French language skills at an intermediary level.
By introducing PEQ, the province intends to promote and facilitate the immigration process for individuals who are likely to remain and contribute to the economy as a result of already living and working in Québec.
Source: Lexology
Author:Davis LLP
Canada’s top problem is filling labour shortage
OTTAWA — When Prime Minister Stephen Harper gathered the country’s premiers at 24 Sussex Drive last fall, he wanted them to focus on what he saw as the country’s No. 1 economic problem: within a decade or two, there simply will not be enough workers in the country.
Although recent headlines about thousands of layoffs in Canada’s struggling manufacturing sector may suggest otherwise, Harper and his cabinet are struggling to find ways to boost training programs and increase immigration to find more workers to avoid what some Conservative strategists say is an “economic time bomb.”
That Canada is heading for a problem seems unavoidable. In the last 50 years, Canada’s workforce grew by 200 per cent. That growth was responsible for raising standards of living and creating the public and private wealth the country now enjoys. But government forecasters say that, without some radical changes, the workforce will only grow by 11 per cent in the next 50 years — and that figure includes the effects of current levels of immigration.
“Our demographics are working against us,” Human Resources Minister Monte Solberg said in a speech Monday to the Canadian Building and Construction Trades’ Legislative Conference. “Baby boomers are set to retire and our low birth rate means demand for workers will soon outstrip supply.”
Already, more than 80 per cent of working-age Canadians have a job — an all-time high.
Solberg marshalled the following data to back up his claim:
• British Columbia will be short 350,000 workers over the next 12 years.
• Alberta will require 100,000 workers over the next 10 years.
• Ontario will need 560,000 more workers by 2030.
• Quebec will have 1.3 million job openings by 2016.
“We have a significant shortfall of workers in every region across Canada,” said Solberg. “Even in areas of high unemployment, we have too few skilled workers.”
Canada’s labour market has consistently defied market forecasters for the last three years. Despite a high dollar, which makes Canadian workers relatively more expensive than workers in other countries, there were 325,000 new jobs created in Canada in the last 12 months. That job gain comes despite the loss of more than 113,000 jobs in manufacturing. In other words, the economy not only replaced those 113,000 lost manufacturing jobs, it also created an additional 325,000 jobs. The construction sector alone has grown by more than 103,000 workers.
And, as the Bank of Canada noted in its monetary policy report last week, year-over-year wage growth has been strong as well, suggesting that good-paying manufacturing jobs are being replaced with equally well-paying jobs elsewhere.
Statistics Canada will release the latest monthly job data Friday.
Finding more skilled workers is one of the goals behind Ottawa’s controversial proposal to change immigration rules to fast-track certain groups of immigrants although political opponents say that rationale has not been appropriately clarified.
“What we think is that the immigration policies of this country should be designed to help workers come here with their families, use their training and skills and help build the country,” said NDP Leader Jack Layton.
Layton also said that tax rules ought to be changed to help workers who have to travel to other provinces or regions.
“Right now it’s very expensive to travel to use your skills. It really should be considered part of your expenses under the tax law and the NDP has proposed measures to change the taxes to make it easier for workers to travel, particularly construction workers,” Layton said.
In his speech, Solberg said his government is spending more money on training programs than any federal government in history.
But political opponents say the Conservatives could be doing more.
“The government is not doing enough at all about that” said Liberal Leader Stephane Dion. “We need to increase our productivity. We need to adapt to an aging population. We need to do more to help the people that are over 65, if they want to, to stay in the workforce.”
© (c) CanWest MediaWorks Publications Inc.
Although recent headlines about thousands of layoffs in Canada’s struggling manufacturing sector may suggest otherwise, Harper and his cabinet are struggling to find ways to boost training programs and increase immigration to find more workers to avoid what some Conservative strategists say is an “economic time bomb.”
That Canada is heading for a problem seems unavoidable. In the last 50 years, Canada’s workforce grew by 200 per cent. That growth was responsible for raising standards of living and creating the public and private wealth the country now enjoys. But government forecasters say that, without some radical changes, the workforce will only grow by 11 per cent in the next 50 years — and that figure includes the effects of current levels of immigration.
“Our demographics are working against us,” Human Resources Minister Monte Solberg said in a speech Monday to the Canadian Building and Construction Trades’ Legislative Conference. “Baby boomers are set to retire and our low birth rate means demand for workers will soon outstrip supply.”
Already, more than 80 per cent of working-age Canadians have a job — an all-time high.
Solberg marshalled the following data to back up his claim:
• British Columbia will be short 350,000 workers over the next 12 years.
• Alberta will require 100,000 workers over the next 10 years.
• Ontario will need 560,000 more workers by 2030.
• Quebec will have 1.3 million job openings by 2016.
“We have a significant shortfall of workers in every region across Canada,” said Solberg. “Even in areas of high unemployment, we have too few skilled workers.”
Canada’s labour market has consistently defied market forecasters for the last three years. Despite a high dollar, which makes Canadian workers relatively more expensive than workers in other countries, there were 325,000 new jobs created in Canada in the last 12 months. That job gain comes despite the loss of more than 113,000 jobs in manufacturing. In other words, the economy not only replaced those 113,000 lost manufacturing jobs, it also created an additional 325,000 jobs. The construction sector alone has grown by more than 103,000 workers.
And, as the Bank of Canada noted in its monetary policy report last week, year-over-year wage growth has been strong as well, suggesting that good-paying manufacturing jobs are being replaced with equally well-paying jobs elsewhere.
Statistics Canada will release the latest monthly job data Friday.
Finding more skilled workers is one of the goals behind Ottawa’s controversial proposal to change immigration rules to fast-track certain groups of immigrants although political opponents say that rationale has not been appropriately clarified.
“What we think is that the immigration policies of this country should be designed to help workers come here with their families, use their training and skills and help build the country,” said NDP Leader Jack Layton.
Layton also said that tax rules ought to be changed to help workers who have to travel to other provinces or regions.
“Right now it’s very expensive to travel to use your skills. It really should be considered part of your expenses under the tax law and the NDP has proposed measures to change the taxes to make it easier for workers to travel, particularly construction workers,” Layton said.
In his speech, Solberg said his government is spending more money on training programs than any federal government in history.
But political opponents say the Conservatives could be doing more.
“The government is not doing enough at all about that” said Liberal Leader Stephane Dion. “We need to increase our productivity. We need to adapt to an aging population. We need to do more to help the people that are over 65, if they want to, to stay in the workforce.”
© (c) CanWest MediaWorks Publications Inc.
Canada's Temporary Migration Program: A Model Despite Flaws
By Tanya Basok
University of Windsor
Interest in temporary migration programs has been rising across the globe. Economist Manolo Abella conservatively estimates that, since 2000, the temporary migration of foreign workers into high-income countries has grown at about 4 to 5 percent a year.
Compared with permanent forms of migration, policymakers consider temporary migration more attractive for a number of reasons. In particular, temporary migration permits greater flexibility in the labor market and can seem more acceptable to electorates that find permanent immigration "threatening."
Also, a legal channel for labor migration can reduce flows of unauthorized immigrants. A less considered reason among destination countries is the development impact of migrants remitting income.
The Canadian Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP), which began over 40 years ago, is Canada's flagship temporary migration program (the newer Low Skilled Workers Pilot Program operates on a much smaller scale).
Widely recognized as one of the better administered temporary migration programs, SAWP involves multilateral cooperation between governments of origin countries and the Canadian government, and has stable and predictable levels of workers.
SAWP Background
In the years preceding the program, farmers in the province of Ontario experienced serious labor shortages. Farm labor supplied by the National Employment Service was unreliable since many workers did not stay long enough to harvest the crop. For several years, Ontario growers petitioned the Canadian government to allow them to import foreign agricultural labor.
Countries and Provinces Participating in SAWP
Countries and Year They Joined SAWP
Jamaica (1966), Mexico (1974), Trinidad and Tobago (1967), Barbados (1967), and the Organization of the Eastern Caribbean States (Antigua and Barbuda, Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts-Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines) (1976), and Guatemala (2003).
Provinces in Canada
Alberta, British Columbia, Quebec, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, and Ontario.
Under constant pressure from Canadian growers, one of whom, Eugene Whelan, was a Liberal member of parliament and a future minister of agriculture, the Department of Labor consented to importing Caribbean farm workers. SAWP began in 1966 by bringing Jamaican workers to harvest field crops in Essex County, Ontario.
Despite the pool of Caribbean farm workers, Canadian growers continued to experience labor shortages and consequently contracted unauthorized migrants from Mexico and Portugal. To dry up the pool of unauthorized workers and insure respect for labor standards, the government extended the program in 1974 to include Mexican workers. A number of Caribbean nations joined later.
Today, migrants can work in nine Canadian provinces, further testimony to the program's success. However, Ontario receives 90 percent of the workers.
Under SAWP, approximately 16,000 migrant farm workers are recruited in the Caribbean and Mexico to work in Canadian agriculture. Approximately one-half of these workers are from Mexico. In 2006, 7,806 Mexican and 7,770 Caribbean workers came to work in Canada. Most workers are men, but about 3 percent are women, mostly single mothers.
Migrant workers provide labor for such activities as apple and other fruit harvesting; canning/food processing; bee and flower production; and ginseng, sod, tobacco, and greenhouse and field vegetable harvesting. The hourly wage is generally CAN$8.58 though workers harvesting tobacco earn CAN$9.63.
How SAWP Works
Within Canada, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) manages SAWP and sets general policies for the program. HRSDC works closely with private agencies, including Foreign Agricultural Resource Management Services (FARMS) in Ontario and Nova Scotia, and its French-language equivalent, the Fondation des entreprises pour le recrutement de la main-d'œuvre étrangère (The Foundation of Enteprises for the Recruitment of Foreign Labor, or FERME), in Quebec, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island.
Employers submit requests for foreign agricultural workers to FARMS or FERME. These requests, once HRSDC approves them, are forwarded to recruitment agencies in Mexico or the participating Caribbean countries. It is then the responsibility of migrant-origin countries to recruit workers to match the requests.
Growers bear most of the program's costs, including airfare and ground transportation, visa fees, and administrative costs paid to FARMS or FERME. Some of the airfare costs are consequently deducted from the workers' paychecks. Growers also provide housing to the workers and contribute to the provincial health insurance and workers' compensation insurance programs.
Migrant selection criteria and procedures are different in each participating country. In Mexico, for instance, ideal candidates have worked in agriculture, are responsible for the economic well-being of their households (such as male heads of the family or single mothers), and have experienced difficulties in finding other viable sources of subsistence in Mexico (due to low educational levels and/or occupational backgrounds).
Workers and employers sign a contract that outlines respective rights and obligations and length of employment, which is not to exceed eight months.
Workers are covered under provincial Employment Standard Acts. In Ontario, harvesters are entitled to vacation pay and public holiday pay if they have been employed for at least 13 weeks. Vacation pay is calculated at the rate of 4 percent of total gross earning.
Canadian law requires employers to carry workers' compensation, and workers make contributions to unemployment insurance and the Canada Pension Plan through regular deductions from their salaries.
Workers receive weekly wages calculated as the greatest of the following:
* the minimum wage of workers as stipulated in provincial legislation
* the rate HRSDC determines annually to be the prevailing wage rate for the type of agricultural work being carried out
* the rate the employer pays his Canadian workers performing the same type of agricultural work.
Workers who earn the approval of employers are "named" and requested to return to the same employer. New participants are sent to the same farm for the first few years and then, if not "named," are relocated to another farm.
At the end of the contract, growers arrange for their workers to be transported to a nearby airport. Upon arrival in their home country, workers report to the recruitment agencies with evaluation forms from their employers. A negative report can result in suspension from the program.
Since 2003, the province of Quebec and the government of Guatemala have engaged in a program with the same objective and principles of SAWP, but one that is managed in a slightly different manner. The federal employment ministry approves the offers of employment on an individual basis. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) provides technical assistance, selects qualified Guatemalan workers, and transports the workers to Canada. In conjunction with FERME, IOM returns the workers to Guatemala once their contracts have ended.
Economic Benefits of SAWP
Up-to-date statistics on the economic benefits of SAWP are not available. However, some conclusions can be drawn from a 1995 FARMS report, which argued that new jobs are created and old ones sustained in fields related to agriculture because of the employment of seasonal foreign workers.
The report presented the following calculations. In 1995, the Ontario horticulture industry required a labor force of 99,876 workers per year. Canadians filled only 90 percent of these jobs, generating a shortage of 9,876 jobs.
Ontario farmers invested CAN$626 million in seed stocks, chemicals, equipment, and other goods and services, and thus supported approximately 2,500 jobs in the supply side of the industry. At the same time, they also contributed to the creation of 49,938 jobs in the food processing industry, which employs predominantly Canadian workers.
Thus, each farmworker in horticulture supported 2.6 jobs in the supply and processing sectors in 1995. If the 9,876 jobs in the Ontario industry were not filled, 25,678 jobs in other sectors would have been lost.
SAWP as a Model
Many policymakers and scholars who study labor migration view SAWP as a best-practice model.
At a 2000 workshop (organized by IOM in cooperation with the UN Economic Commission on Latin America and the Caribbean), David Greenhill, a Canadian government official responsible for the program, argued that a program like SAWP, which recognizes and responds to legitimate labor shortages in the economy, is in the national interest.
Greenhill contended that SAWP's key strength is its formal structure. This structure ensures that all the key players are engaged and that the workers' rights are clearly understood, outlined, and enforced through agreements, memoranda of understanding, and operations guidelines.
A 2006 World Bank report identifies numerous benefits of the Canadian program. Growers receive reliable and experienced agricultural workers. Local communities benefit from expanded employment opportunities for native workers (linked to the growth of agricultural industries staffed by reliable and skilled foreign workers). Foreign workers stimulate demand for local services and goods.
For foreign workers, the program provides an opportunity to gain secure employment and to support family needs, especially improved housing, children's education, better nutrition, and medical services. Since they do not need to pay recruitment or smugglers' fees, even the poorest of Mexican and Caribbean workers can gain employment through this program.
For instance, among the 465 Mexican workers I surveyed between 1997 and 2000, about 80 percent (and higher in some villages) used their earning to improve their homes in Mexico. Some had to buy land to build a house. Those who already owned land bought material and paid wages to construction workers.
About 60 percent of the workers I surveyed used their Canadian-earned income to improve the education of their children. For most workers, Canadian jobs provided an opportunity to improve their households' diet and respond to medical emergencies. Anthropologist Leigh Binford and sociologist Gustavo Verduzco report similar findings.
Among Jamaican participants of the program, 35 percent of remittances was spent on children's education, according to Roy Russell, a researcher affiliated with the Agro-Socio Economic Research Center in Jamaica.
The overstay rate among SAWP workers is negligible. The previously mentioned World Bank report estimates it to be 1.5 percent.
University of Windsor
Interest in temporary migration programs has been rising across the globe. Economist Manolo Abella conservatively estimates that, since 2000, the temporary migration of foreign workers into high-income countries has grown at about 4 to 5 percent a year.
Compared with permanent forms of migration, policymakers consider temporary migration more attractive for a number of reasons. In particular, temporary migration permits greater flexibility in the labor market and can seem more acceptable to electorates that find permanent immigration "threatening."
Also, a legal channel for labor migration can reduce flows of unauthorized immigrants. A less considered reason among destination countries is the development impact of migrants remitting income.
The Canadian Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP), which began over 40 years ago, is Canada's flagship temporary migration program (the newer Low Skilled Workers Pilot Program operates on a much smaller scale).
Widely recognized as one of the better administered temporary migration programs, SAWP involves multilateral cooperation between governments of origin countries and the Canadian government, and has stable and predictable levels of workers.
SAWP Background
In the years preceding the program, farmers in the province of Ontario experienced serious labor shortages. Farm labor supplied by the National Employment Service was unreliable since many workers did not stay long enough to harvest the crop. For several years, Ontario growers petitioned the Canadian government to allow them to import foreign agricultural labor.
Countries and Provinces Participating in SAWP
Countries and Year They Joined SAWP
Jamaica (1966), Mexico (1974), Trinidad and Tobago (1967), Barbados (1967), and the Organization of the Eastern Caribbean States (Antigua and Barbuda, Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts-Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines) (1976), and Guatemala (2003).
Provinces in Canada
Alberta, British Columbia, Quebec, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, and Ontario.
Under constant pressure from Canadian growers, one of whom, Eugene Whelan, was a Liberal member of parliament and a future minister of agriculture, the Department of Labor consented to importing Caribbean farm workers. SAWP began in 1966 by bringing Jamaican workers to harvest field crops in Essex County, Ontario.
Despite the pool of Caribbean farm workers, Canadian growers continued to experience labor shortages and consequently contracted unauthorized migrants from Mexico and Portugal. To dry up the pool of unauthorized workers and insure respect for labor standards, the government extended the program in 1974 to include Mexican workers. A number of Caribbean nations joined later.
Today, migrants can work in nine Canadian provinces, further testimony to the program's success. However, Ontario receives 90 percent of the workers.
Under SAWP, approximately 16,000 migrant farm workers are recruited in the Caribbean and Mexico to work in Canadian agriculture. Approximately one-half of these workers are from Mexico. In 2006, 7,806 Mexican and 7,770 Caribbean workers came to work in Canada. Most workers are men, but about 3 percent are women, mostly single mothers.
Migrant workers provide labor for such activities as apple and other fruit harvesting; canning/food processing; bee and flower production; and ginseng, sod, tobacco, and greenhouse and field vegetable harvesting. The hourly wage is generally CAN$8.58 though workers harvesting tobacco earn CAN$9.63.
How SAWP Works
Within Canada, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) manages SAWP and sets general policies for the program. HRSDC works closely with private agencies, including Foreign Agricultural Resource Management Services (FARMS) in Ontario and Nova Scotia, and its French-language equivalent, the Fondation des entreprises pour le recrutement de la main-d'œuvre étrangère (The Foundation of Enteprises for the Recruitment of Foreign Labor, or FERME), in Quebec, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island.
Employers submit requests for foreign agricultural workers to FARMS or FERME. These requests, once HRSDC approves them, are forwarded to recruitment agencies in Mexico or the participating Caribbean countries. It is then the responsibility of migrant-origin countries to recruit workers to match the requests.
Growers bear most of the program's costs, including airfare and ground transportation, visa fees, and administrative costs paid to FARMS or FERME. Some of the airfare costs are consequently deducted from the workers' paychecks. Growers also provide housing to the workers and contribute to the provincial health insurance and workers' compensation insurance programs.
Migrant selection criteria and procedures are different in each participating country. In Mexico, for instance, ideal candidates have worked in agriculture, are responsible for the economic well-being of their households (such as male heads of the family or single mothers), and have experienced difficulties in finding other viable sources of subsistence in Mexico (due to low educational levels and/or occupational backgrounds).
Workers and employers sign a contract that outlines respective rights and obligations and length of employment, which is not to exceed eight months.
Workers are covered under provincial Employment Standard Acts. In Ontario, harvesters are entitled to vacation pay and public holiday pay if they have been employed for at least 13 weeks. Vacation pay is calculated at the rate of 4 percent of total gross earning.
Canadian law requires employers to carry workers' compensation, and workers make contributions to unemployment insurance and the Canada Pension Plan through regular deductions from their salaries.
Workers receive weekly wages calculated as the greatest of the following:
* the minimum wage of workers as stipulated in provincial legislation
* the rate HRSDC determines annually to be the prevailing wage rate for the type of agricultural work being carried out
* the rate the employer pays his Canadian workers performing the same type of agricultural work.
Workers who earn the approval of employers are "named" and requested to return to the same employer. New participants are sent to the same farm for the first few years and then, if not "named," are relocated to another farm.
At the end of the contract, growers arrange for their workers to be transported to a nearby airport. Upon arrival in their home country, workers report to the recruitment agencies with evaluation forms from their employers. A negative report can result in suspension from the program.
Since 2003, the province of Quebec and the government of Guatemala have engaged in a program with the same objective and principles of SAWP, but one that is managed in a slightly different manner. The federal employment ministry approves the offers of employment on an individual basis. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) provides technical assistance, selects qualified Guatemalan workers, and transports the workers to Canada. In conjunction with FERME, IOM returns the workers to Guatemala once their contracts have ended.
Economic Benefits of SAWP
Up-to-date statistics on the economic benefits of SAWP are not available. However, some conclusions can be drawn from a 1995 FARMS report, which argued that new jobs are created and old ones sustained in fields related to agriculture because of the employment of seasonal foreign workers.
The report presented the following calculations. In 1995, the Ontario horticulture industry required a labor force of 99,876 workers per year. Canadians filled only 90 percent of these jobs, generating a shortage of 9,876 jobs.
Ontario farmers invested CAN$626 million in seed stocks, chemicals, equipment, and other goods and services, and thus supported approximately 2,500 jobs in the supply side of the industry. At the same time, they also contributed to the creation of 49,938 jobs in the food processing industry, which employs predominantly Canadian workers.
Thus, each farmworker in horticulture supported 2.6 jobs in the supply and processing sectors in 1995. If the 9,876 jobs in the Ontario industry were not filled, 25,678 jobs in other sectors would have been lost.
SAWP as a Model
Many policymakers and scholars who study labor migration view SAWP as a best-practice model.
At a 2000 workshop (organized by IOM in cooperation with the UN Economic Commission on Latin America and the Caribbean), David Greenhill, a Canadian government official responsible for the program, argued that a program like SAWP, which recognizes and responds to legitimate labor shortages in the economy, is in the national interest.
Greenhill contended that SAWP's key strength is its formal structure. This structure ensures that all the key players are engaged and that the workers' rights are clearly understood, outlined, and enforced through agreements, memoranda of understanding, and operations guidelines.
A 2006 World Bank report identifies numerous benefits of the Canadian program. Growers receive reliable and experienced agricultural workers. Local communities benefit from expanded employment opportunities for native workers (linked to the growth of agricultural industries staffed by reliable and skilled foreign workers). Foreign workers stimulate demand for local services and goods.
For foreign workers, the program provides an opportunity to gain secure employment and to support family needs, especially improved housing, children's education, better nutrition, and medical services. Since they do not need to pay recruitment or smugglers' fees, even the poorest of Mexican and Caribbean workers can gain employment through this program.
For instance, among the 465 Mexican workers I surveyed between 1997 and 2000, about 80 percent (and higher in some villages) used their earning to improve their homes in Mexico. Some had to buy land to build a house. Those who already owned land bought material and paid wages to construction workers.
About 60 percent of the workers I surveyed used their Canadian-earned income to improve the education of their children. For most workers, Canadian jobs provided an opportunity to improve their households' diet and respond to medical emergencies. Anthropologist Leigh Binford and sociologist Gustavo Verduzco report similar findings.
Among Jamaican participants of the program, 35 percent of remittances was spent on children's education, according to Roy Russell, a researcher affiliated with the Agro-Socio Economic Research Center in Jamaica.
The overstay rate among SAWP workers is negligible. The previously mentioned World Bank report estimates it to be 1.5 percent.
Ghost Consultants
The world has seen several effects following the earthquake in Haiti, the saddest and perhaps most worrying are the emergence of fraudulent Canadian immigration lawyers. This is the story that in the province of Quebec numbers of these supposed lawyers has sky-rocketed since the disaster happened, aiming to capitalise on the thousands of desperate people that are now hoping to start a new life in Canada or bring relatives over to Canada to live.
The numbers on the surface are slightly shocking; Canada government officials estimate that there are now over 3000 illegal Canada immigration lawyers operating in Quebec, the number of registered lawyers is 150!
This has seen a hastily arranged ad campaign by the Canadian Government to warn people of the risks involved with using such agents.
New Canada immigration ad campaign depicts a seal being eaten by a shark
One source has told us that victims are being charged between $6,000 and $15,000 for the bogus Canada immigration service.
“They are being offered false hope and false promises, people think that because they are paying these astronomical prices they are somehow assured of getting a Canadian visa, when in fact the sad truth is that most of these people do not qualify for immigration into Canada at all.”
“If you are paying nearly $15,000 in some cases you would think that this would be a guarantee of a visa, the fake lawyers however have no intention of honouring whatever lies they have told and are not regulated so just disappear.”
Of course this is worrying to everyone involved in immigration circles, and it is hoped that the measures now being taken by the Canadian Government to counteract this will be effective.
As well as the ad campaign Canada immigration have announced that they are relaxing the rules for relatives of those Haitians affected by the earthquake. For full details of the new rules please contact us.
Source: Global Visas
The numbers on the surface are slightly shocking; Canada government officials estimate that there are now over 3000 illegal Canada immigration lawyers operating in Quebec, the number of registered lawyers is 150!
This has seen a hastily arranged ad campaign by the Canadian Government to warn people of the risks involved with using such agents.
New Canada immigration ad campaign depicts a seal being eaten by a shark
One source has told us that victims are being charged between $6,000 and $15,000 for the bogus Canada immigration service.
“They are being offered false hope and false promises, people think that because they are paying these astronomical prices they are somehow assured of getting a Canadian visa, when in fact the sad truth is that most of these people do not qualify for immigration into Canada at all.”
“If you are paying nearly $15,000 in some cases you would think that this would be a guarantee of a visa, the fake lawyers however have no intention of honouring whatever lies they have told and are not regulated so just disappear.”
Of course this is worrying to everyone involved in immigration circles, and it is hoped that the measures now being taken by the Canadian Government to counteract this will be effective.
As well as the ad campaign Canada immigration have announced that they are relaxing the rules for relatives of those Haitians affected by the earthquake. For full details of the new rules please contact us.
Source: Global Visas
Quebec announces special immigration sponsorship program for Haiti.
Canada, Haiti
February 5 2010
By:Davis LLP
Bistra G.Stoytcheva
On February 3, 2010 Québec's Minister of Immigration and Cultural Communities Ms. Yolande James announced exceptional sponsorship measures for persons from Haiti. These measures will enable family members that are significantly and personally affected by the January 12th earthquake to immigrate to Quebec and join their families.
The measures are twofold:
1) A new humanitarian sponsorship program has been created which gives the possibility to sponsor people who are not currently admissible pursuant to the regular sponsorship program. In accordance with the program, permanent residents and/or Canadian citizens of Haitian origin who reside in Québec may sponsor their brothers, sisters, stepbrothers, stepsisters and children who are over 22 years of age, together with their spouses and dependant children. New forms to be used for sponsoring pursuant to this new humanitarian program will be available starting February 17, 2010.
2) Another measure consists in the possibility of having another person (and his/her spouse, as the case may be) without any family ties to the sponsored person to co-sign the financial undertaking together with the principal sponsor. This measure will apply to both the regular sponsorship program and the humanitarian sponsorship program described above. The co-signatories will be solidarily responsible during the length of the undertaking and the duration of the financial undertaking for the humanitarian sponsorship program will be of 5 years.
The number of immigrants from Haitian origin that Québec will accept pursuant to this program is limited to a maximum of 3,000 persons. The selection criteria applied to applicants will be chosen the degree of distress of the person affected by the earthquake and his/her capacity to integrate into Québec society.
The exceptional measures will be in effect from February 17 to December 31, 2010.
February 5 2010
By:Davis LLP
Bistra G.Stoytcheva
On February 3, 2010 Québec's Minister of Immigration and Cultural Communities Ms. Yolande James announced exceptional sponsorship measures for persons from Haiti. These measures will enable family members that are significantly and personally affected by the January 12th earthquake to immigrate to Quebec and join their families.
The measures are twofold:
1) A new humanitarian sponsorship program has been created which gives the possibility to sponsor people who are not currently admissible pursuant to the regular sponsorship program. In accordance with the program, permanent residents and/or Canadian citizens of Haitian origin who reside in Québec may sponsor their brothers, sisters, stepbrothers, stepsisters and children who are over 22 years of age, together with their spouses and dependant children. New forms to be used for sponsoring pursuant to this new humanitarian program will be available starting February 17, 2010.
2) Another measure consists in the possibility of having another person (and his/her spouse, as the case may be) without any family ties to the sponsored person to co-sign the financial undertaking together with the principal sponsor. This measure will apply to both the regular sponsorship program and the humanitarian sponsorship program described above. The co-signatories will be solidarily responsible during the length of the undertaking and the duration of the financial undertaking for the humanitarian sponsorship program will be of 5 years.
The number of immigrants from Haitian origin that Québec will accept pursuant to this program is limited to a maximum of 3,000 persons. The selection criteria applied to applicants will be chosen the degree of distress of the person affected by the earthquake and his/her capacity to integrate into Québec society.
The exceptional measures will be in effect from February 17 to December 31, 2010.
New Brunswickers allowed to help relatives immigrate (10/02/05)
Feb. 5, 2010
FREDERICTON (CNB) - The provincial government is changing the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) to allow residents to help family members immigrate if they possess work skills required in New Brunswick.
"The immediate family members of permanent residents should be afforded an opportunity to be successful in New Brunswick," said Business New Brunswick Minister Victor Boudreau, who is also the minister responsible for the Population Growth Secretariat.
The PNP is designed to help the provinces attract entrepreneurs and skilled workers according to their specific needs. Under the program's existing categories of skilled worker and entrepreneur, nominees need to have a job offer or a business plan to be nominated.
These program changes will introduce a new category for skilled workers who have family support. Residents with family members who have specified work skills will be able to help these family members with their job search, settlement and integration.
"Anyone looking for a job can tell you that the process often takes time and requires face to face contact with potential employers," said Boudreau. "The process is even more difficult for those who live abroad."
Dependents who are eligible to apply for the federal program are not eligible for the PNP.
The entrepreneurial component is also being adjusted to improve overall immigrant retention.
Entrepreneurial immigrants who wish to set up a business in New Brunswick must now submit a conditionally refundable deposit. They will be eligible for a refund if they establish a business within two years of arriving in the province and have it in operation for at least one year.
"This program change encourages retention by attracting newcomers with a genuine desire to stay in New Brunswick," said Boudreau. "Ultimately, we want our staff processing applications from individuals who are sincere about establishing businesses in our province."
The deposit will apply only to entrepreneurial immigrants. Applicants must still prove they have the skills, training and finances to start and operate a successful business in New Brunswick.
"Typically, entrepreneurial immigrants are financially flexible and very independent," said Boudreau. "Unless there is some commitment to our province, they can easily move to other regions of Canada."
Manitoba, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island have Provincial Nominee Programs that include a requirement for a refundable deposit.
In 2008, almost 2,000 immigrants arrived in New Brunswick through the PNP, compared to 24 in 1999. The Population Growth Secretariat has a government mandate to attract 5,000 immigrants by 2015 and to significantly increase the retention rate.
FREDERICTON (CNB) - The provincial government is changing the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) to allow residents to help family members immigrate if they possess work skills required in New Brunswick.
"The immediate family members of permanent residents should be afforded an opportunity to be successful in New Brunswick," said Business New Brunswick Minister Victor Boudreau, who is also the minister responsible for the Population Growth Secretariat.
The PNP is designed to help the provinces attract entrepreneurs and skilled workers according to their specific needs. Under the program's existing categories of skilled worker and entrepreneur, nominees need to have a job offer or a business plan to be nominated.
These program changes will introduce a new category for skilled workers who have family support. Residents with family members who have specified work skills will be able to help these family members with their job search, settlement and integration.
"Anyone looking for a job can tell you that the process often takes time and requires face to face contact with potential employers," said Boudreau. "The process is even more difficult for those who live abroad."
Dependents who are eligible to apply for the federal program are not eligible for the PNP.
The entrepreneurial component is also being adjusted to improve overall immigrant retention.
Entrepreneurial immigrants who wish to set up a business in New Brunswick must now submit a conditionally refundable deposit. They will be eligible for a refund if they establish a business within two years of arriving in the province and have it in operation for at least one year.
"This program change encourages retention by attracting newcomers with a genuine desire to stay in New Brunswick," said Boudreau. "Ultimately, we want our staff processing applications from individuals who are sincere about establishing businesses in our province."
The deposit will apply only to entrepreneurial immigrants. Applicants must still prove they have the skills, training and finances to start and operate a successful business in New Brunswick.
"Typically, entrepreneurial immigrants are financially flexible and very independent," said Boudreau. "Unless there is some commitment to our province, they can easily move to other regions of Canada."
Manitoba, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island have Provincial Nominee Programs that include a requirement for a refundable deposit.
In 2008, almost 2,000 immigrants arrived in New Brunswick through the PNP, compared to 24 in 1999. The Population Growth Secretariat has a government mandate to attract 5,000 immigrants by 2015 and to significantly increase the retention rate.
New Brunswick makes changes to PNP to welcome more immigrants
This week, the province of New Brunswick made modifications to its Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) to allow it to attract a greater number of immigrants. Family members of current residents of New Brunswick are now eligible to apply under this PNP if they possess work skills that are in demand in New Brunswick.
Before the changes, there were two categories under the New Brunswick PNP: one category for individuals with job offers in the province and one for those who planned to establish a business in New Brunswick.
There are now three categories:
* Skilled Worker Applicants with Employer Support, for those who have guaranteed job offers from New Brunswick employers;
* Skilled Worker Applicants with Family Support, for those who have family members who have been living and working in New Brunswick for at least one year and who possess skills in demand in the province;
* Business Applicants for individuals who wish to start a business in New Brunswick.
A new requirement was added to the Business Applicants category to ensure that only those who intend to start a business in New Brunswick are nominated under this program. Applicants must now make a conditionally refundable deposit of CDN 75,000 prior to nomination. The deposit will be refunded if the applicant established a business within two years of landing in New Brunswick and operates it for at least one year.
Are you eligible to immigrate to Canada under this PNP or any other category? Fill out our free Canadian immigration assessment form and find out.
Source: Canadavisa.com
http://www.canadavisa.com/new-brunswick-changes-pnp-welcome-more-immigrants-100208.html
Before the changes, there were two categories under the New Brunswick PNP: one category for individuals with job offers in the province and one for those who planned to establish a business in New Brunswick.
There are now three categories:
* Skilled Worker Applicants with Employer Support, for those who have guaranteed job offers from New Brunswick employers;
* Skilled Worker Applicants with Family Support, for those who have family members who have been living and working in New Brunswick for at least one year and who possess skills in demand in the province;
* Business Applicants for individuals who wish to start a business in New Brunswick.
A new requirement was added to the Business Applicants category to ensure that only those who intend to start a business in New Brunswick are nominated under this program. Applicants must now make a conditionally refundable deposit of CDN 75,000 prior to nomination. The deposit will be refunded if the applicant established a business within two years of landing in New Brunswick and operates it for at least one year.
Are you eligible to immigrate to Canada under this PNP or any other category? Fill out our free Canadian immigration assessment form and find out.
Source: Canadavisa.com
http://www.canadavisa.com/new-brunswick-changes-pnp-welcome-more-immigrants-100208.html
New rules to benefit Canada immigrants
By SHIANEE MAMANGLU
February 15, 2010, 5:39pm
Architects, nurses, teachers, and pharmacists are some of the professionals who will benefit from a new Canada framework seeking to ensure a fair and competitive labor market environment for immigrants, the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) said Monday.
The DoLE said that the government of Canada recently implemented the “Pan-Canadian Framework for the Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Qualifications,” which is equivalent to credential recognition, allowing for an individuals/immigrants to have their qualifications recognized and be directed toward related occupations commensurate with their skills and experience.
“The new framework will address specific barriers to qualification recognition. This is another good news for Filipinos,'' Director Salome Mendoza, head of the Canada desk of DoLE told the Bulletin.
"The framework will be implemented in eight occupations starting December 31 for the first batch and in six occupations by 2012 for the second batch,'' she added.
She said the first batch of occupations qualified for assessment for credential recognition include architects, engineers, auditors, accountants, medical laboratory technicians, occupation therapists, pharmacists, physiotherapists, and nurses.
The second batch of occupations include the dentists, engineering technicians, licensed practical nurses, medical radiation technician, physicians, and teachers (from kindergarten to Grade 12), she said.
Mendoza said that many Filipino immigrants today continue to encounter barriers to the recognition of theirs skills, education and experience due to some countries' occupational regulatory systems.
She said the occupational regulatory systems in Canada were designed to respond only to Canadian-educated applicants, although its government developed some flexibility to accommodate applicants in occupations like education or teaching.
According to Mendoza, the new framework was adopted for the purpose of addressing the current gaps to successful immigrant labor market integration.
Under the Pan-Canadian framework, immigrants looking to enter regulated occupations in Canada will now receive clear information as early as possible on the immigration process, fair treatment during the assessment process and prompt communication of recognition decisions.
The framework's purpose is “to articulate a new, joint vision for governments to take concerted action to improve the integration of immigrants and other internationally-trained workers into the Canadian labour market.''
February 15, 2010, 5:39pm
Architects, nurses, teachers, and pharmacists are some of the professionals who will benefit from a new Canada framework seeking to ensure a fair and competitive labor market environment for immigrants, the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) said Monday.
The DoLE said that the government of Canada recently implemented the “Pan-Canadian Framework for the Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Qualifications,” which is equivalent to credential recognition, allowing for an individuals/immigrants to have their qualifications recognized and be directed toward related occupations commensurate with their skills and experience.
“The new framework will address specific barriers to qualification recognition. This is another good news for Filipinos,'' Director Salome Mendoza, head of the Canada desk of DoLE told the Bulletin.
"The framework will be implemented in eight occupations starting December 31 for the first batch and in six occupations by 2012 for the second batch,'' she added.
She said the first batch of occupations qualified for assessment for credential recognition include architects, engineers, auditors, accountants, medical laboratory technicians, occupation therapists, pharmacists, physiotherapists, and nurses.
The second batch of occupations include the dentists, engineering technicians, licensed practical nurses, medical radiation technician, physicians, and teachers (from kindergarten to Grade 12), she said.
Mendoza said that many Filipino immigrants today continue to encounter barriers to the recognition of theirs skills, education and experience due to some countries' occupational regulatory systems.
She said the occupational regulatory systems in Canada were designed to respond only to Canadian-educated applicants, although its government developed some flexibility to accommodate applicants in occupations like education or teaching.
According to Mendoza, the new framework was adopted for the purpose of addressing the current gaps to successful immigrant labor market integration.
Under the Pan-Canadian framework, immigrants looking to enter regulated occupations in Canada will now receive clear information as early as possible on the immigration process, fair treatment during the assessment process and prompt communication of recognition decisions.
The framework's purpose is “to articulate a new, joint vision for governments to take concerted action to improve the integration of immigrants and other internationally-trained workers into the Canadian labour market.''
Canada in Top Five countries of the world by Employed Foreign Workers
A recent study shows that Canada among most attractive countries for international skilled workers to seek their employment, it hold 4th position after USA, Britain and Spain. In polls respondents indicated that would try to come to Canada to work, half of those also indicated that will seek for the opportunity to make immigration to Canada through their employment engagements. It is also noted that mobility of work force come with attributes of age and education, it is associated with young professionals with university education in their earlier 30-s. Canadian Immigration requirement for skilled worker immigration program set this criteria as preferred for Canada.
The reasons behind selecting Canada as top choice for immigration are obvious, high level of wages, lower cost of living in comparison to US, greater opportunities for employment within professional experience and educational background, career growth potential, welcoming social environment. Most foreigners working engineers, production operators, technicians and specialists in the field of information technology.
To work temporarily in Canada it is required to obtain Canadian Temporary Work Permit prior or/and related work visa documents prior to be allowed to work in Canada and choose different jobs. Those individuals who choose to apply for permanent residence in Canada upon completion of their initial working contract, having a job a demonstrating ability of finding job will in most cases qualify them for landed immigrant status without living Canada or going the standard immigration to Canada process.
The reasons behind selecting Canada as top choice for immigration are obvious, high level of wages, lower cost of living in comparison to US, greater opportunities for employment within professional experience and educational background, career growth potential, welcoming social environment. Most foreigners working engineers, production operators, technicians and specialists in the field of information technology.
To work temporarily in Canada it is required to obtain Canadian Temporary Work Permit prior or/and related work visa documents prior to be allowed to work in Canada and choose different jobs. Those individuals who choose to apply for permanent residence in Canada upon completion of their initial working contract, having a job a demonstrating ability of finding job will in most cases qualify them for landed immigrant status without living Canada or going the standard immigration to Canada process.
Canada lures Indian students with citizenship offer.
Friday, 5 February 2010
Effective February 14th 2010 international students who attained a degree from a Quebec university will be offered a “certificate of selection” that will fast track them to obtaining Canadian citizenshi
Quebec Premier Jean Charest asserted that , "any student who obtains a bachelor, masters or PhD degree from a Quebec institute will automatically receive a certification of selection to become a citizen of Canada. This is the first time that such a step is being taken, and the idea is to recognise the efforts and skills of those who come to study with us. We have a shortage of skilled labourers, and we need to address that".
This move was intentional in luring students from India as Canada already has long standing partnerships with many Indian institutions.
Since its inception nine months, ago the Student Partners Program has seen approximately 4,000 applications submitted from Indian students intending to study in Canadian colleges and universities.
Immigration Minister Jason Kenny, commented that "international students bring with them new ideas and experiences and contribute both financially and culturally to the communities and institutions where they study."
A pilot project is currently under way to increase the processing time of students. As a result the acceptance rate has doubled and the applications of students are being processed in as little as two and a half weeks. Despite the quick processing time, the system is designed to identify fraudulent applications by administering a series of checks, including requiring the applicant to provide verifiable documentation as well as collecting feedback from colleges as to whether students are attending classes and upholding academic standards.
Currently there are more than 178,000 international students studying in Canada.
If you are interested in Visas to Canada, contact Nexus Canada for information and advice on which visa is best suited to you.
Effective February 14th 2010 international students who attained a degree from a Quebec university will be offered a “certificate of selection” that will fast track them to obtaining Canadian citizenshi
Quebec Premier Jean Charest asserted that , "any student who obtains a bachelor, masters or PhD degree from a Quebec institute will automatically receive a certification of selection to become a citizen of Canada. This is the first time that such a step is being taken, and the idea is to recognise the efforts and skills of those who come to study with us. We have a shortage of skilled labourers, and we need to address that".
This move was intentional in luring students from India as Canada already has long standing partnerships with many Indian institutions.
Since its inception nine months, ago the Student Partners Program has seen approximately 4,000 applications submitted from Indian students intending to study in Canadian colleges and universities.
Immigration Minister Jason Kenny, commented that "international students bring with them new ideas and experiences and contribute both financially and culturally to the communities and institutions where they study."
A pilot project is currently under way to increase the processing time of students. As a result the acceptance rate has doubled and the applications of students are being processed in as little as two and a half weeks. Despite the quick processing time, the system is designed to identify fraudulent applications by administering a series of checks, including requiring the applicant to provide verifiable documentation as well as collecting feedback from colleges as to whether students are attending classes and upholding academic standards.
Currently there are more than 178,000 international students studying in Canada.
If you are interested in Visas to Canada, contact Nexus Canada for information and advice on which visa is best suited to you.
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