Recent Changes to Quebec Immigration: A Summary

On 21 March 2012, the Quebec Ministry of Immigration and Cultural Communities (MICC) issued a statement outlining new policies for Permanent Residency (PR) immigration to Quebec through the Quebec Skilled Worker Program (QSW). These new policies took effect retroactively on 20 March 2012, and will dictate what applications Quebec will accept for the upcoming fiscal year, which stretches until 31 March 2013.

Potential applicants to the QSW program are now divided into three groups based on their “areas of training”, or fields of study, as well as additional selection criteria. The groups are determined as follows:

Group 1

Applicants fall into Group 1 if they fulfill one or more of seven criteria. An unlimited number of applications from Group 1 will be accepted for processing by Quebec Immigration. The following individuals are eligible to apply:

1. Temporary workers currently residing in Quebec

2. Students who have obtained, or are about to obtain, a diploma awarded by a Quebec institution

3. Young people in Quebec on a youth exchange program subject to an international agreement, such as the Working Holiday Program, who are working full time in Quebec

4. Applicants residing in and submitting an application to Quebec who were formerly Canadian citizens

5. Applicants who have already been informed by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) that they are admissible for PR processing.

6. Applicants, or their spouses, who hold a diploma awarded by a teaching institution in an area of training (field of study)which allows them to receive 12 or 16 points on the province’sselection grid

• The diploma must be obtained less than five years before the date of application, or the applicant must have practiced in this field on a full-time basis for at least one of five years preceding the date of application.

• Areas of training may receive different points depending on whether the degree was obtained inside or outside of Quebec.

7. Applicants with a validated offer of employment from a Quebec employer

Group 2

A maximum number of 14,300 applications will be accepted between 21 March 2012 and 31 March 2013 in this category. Applicants will be classified into Group 2 if they fall under one of the following two situations:

1. Applicants, or their spouses, who hold a diploma awarded by a teaching institution in an area of training which allows them to receive 6 points under the province’s selection grid may apply under Group 2.

• Areas of training may receive different points depending on whether the degree was obtained inside or outside of Quebec.

2. Applicants, or their spouses, who hold or are currently pursuing a Quebec diploma or the equivalent outside of Quebec. This could apply to holders of other Canadian diplomas, or individuals who hold foreign diplomas in a regulated trade or profession who have already received authorization to practice this trade in Quebec.

• As above, the diploma must be obtained less than five years before the date of application, or the applicant must have practiced in this field on a full-time basis for at least one of five years preceding the date of application.

Group 3

Potential applicants who do not fall under Groups 1 and 2 fall under Group 3. This year, no applications from Group 3 will be accepted for processing.

Processing fees for the primary applicant under the QSW will be raised on 1 April 2012 from $406 to $750.

Additional Changes

Additional changes have also been made to Quebec Business Class applications. For the Quebec Immigrant Investor program, a maximum of 2,700 applications will be received up until 31 March. For Quebec Entrepreneurs and Quebec Self-Employed candidates, a maximum of 215 will be accepted.

Quebec Government Rationale

The primary reason for enacting the above measures is so that Quebec immigration can reduce its current backlog of applications, and better serve those applicants who do get processed. In recent years, the number of applications has risen dramatically, from around 30,000 in 2008 to over 65,000 in 2011. Because of this huge increase, processing times have risen, and can now take more than 2 years for some categories of permanent residency. The Quebec government believes that taking such time to produce a decision on a subject that will so greatly affect the lives of applicants and their families must be addressed.

“I understand that Quebec is taking steps to better serve the needs of both the province and its future residents,” says Attorney David Cohen. “Given the new system, especially with regard to Group 2 applicants, I encourage those who are eligible and committed to immigrating to Quebec to submit quickly to ensure their place in the processing queue”.

The government hopes that by narrowing the selection criteria of the QSW program, the province will be able to more readily choose immigrants that will satisfy it’s economic and labour market needs. It anticipates that it will be able to stabilize the amount of applications processed in the next three years to 50,000 a year, with the hope that a greater percentage of those reviewed will be admitted to the province in a timely manner, and that that refusals will be diminished.

It is important to note that these changes have been announced specifically for the upcoming year, and may or may not persist after March 2013. Regardless, it is crucial that potential immigrants to Quebec are aware of their possible changes in eligibility, and take steps accordingly to address any changes that arise on both the regional and federal levels.

To find out if you are eligible for Quebec immigration or one of the over 60 Canadian immigration programs, please fill out our online assessment.

Source: http://www.cicnews.com/2012/03/quebec-immigration-summary-031444.html

Passengers flying to Canada or the Caribbean could be denied boarding by US Immigration

THIS POST WAS WRITTEN BY CHARLES KELLY ON MARCH 27, 2012
POSTED UNDER: NEWS

The Independent reports on new security checks already in place – even for flights hundreds of miles from American airspace…

One million British travellers planning to fly to Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico this year face the risk of being turned away at the airport – at the insistence of the US Department of Homeland Security.

New rules require British Airways and other airlines flying to certain airports outside America to submit passengers’ personal data to US authorities. The information is checked against a “No Fly” list containing tens of thousands of names. Even if the flight plan steers well clear of US territory, travellers whom the Americans regard as suspicious will be denied boarding.

Simon Hughes, the deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, told The Independent: “The concern by the US for its own security is entirely understandable, but it seems to me it’s a whole different issue that American wishes should determine the rights and choices of people travelling between two countries neither of which is the US.”

For several years, every US-bound passenger has had to provide Advance Passenger Information (API) before departure. Washington has extended the obligation to air routes that over-fly US airspace, such as Heathrow to Mexico City or Gatwick to Havana.

Now the US is demanding passengers’ full names, dates of birth and gender from airlines, at least 72 hour before departure from the UK to Canada. The initial requirement is for flights to Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and the Nova Scotia capital, Halifax – 150 miles from the nearest US territory. A similar stipulation is expected soon for the main airports in western Canada, Vancouver and Calgary.

Any passenger who refuses to comply will be denied boarding. Those who do supply details may find their trip could be abruptly cancelled by the Department of Homeland Security, which says it will “ake boarding pass determinations up until the time a flight leaves the gate … If a passenger successfully obtains a boarding pass, his/her name is not on the No Fly list.” In other words, travellers cannot find out whether they will be accepted on board until they reach the airport.

Canadian Affair, the leading charter operator between Britain and Canada, began supplying the data a week ago and 13,500 of its clients have complied with the demands. None has so far refused to provide the information and no one has been refused boarding.

Air Canada and British said they would comply with any new rules and The Independent understands that they will join the scheme in April. Flights to Mexico and Cuba – the Caribbean island closest to the US – are also included.

The US will have full details of all British visitors to Cuba, including business travellers, which could potentially be used to identify people suspected of breaking America’s draconian sanctions against the Castro regime.

Neil Taylor, a tour operator who pioneered tourism to Cuba, said: “Imagine if the Chinese were to ask for such data on all passengers to Taiwan, and similarly if the Saudis were to ask about flights to Israel – would the US government understand?

“One also has to wonder how an American traveller in Europe would react if he were denied boarding on a flight from London to Rome because the German government had not received sufficient data from him.”

Tony Wheeler, founder of Lonely Planet travel guides, said “This extension of the rule to include flights that never enter US airspace is scarcely credible. What on earth right does the US have to ask for passenger information if you’re flying London-Havana?”

NOW BOARDING: WHO IS AFFECTED?

725,000: Number of British visitors to Canada each year. Airports affected: Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal and Halifax

300,000: Number of British visitors to Mexico each year. Airports affected: Mexico City and Cancun

160,000: Number of British visitors to Cuba each year. Airports affected: Havana, Varadero and Holguin.

How can I secure a job in Canada while living abroad?

JULIE LABRIE

Globe and Mail Update

The question

I have recently been granted the permanent resident status further to securing immigration under the skilled worker category in Canada.

I am a corporate finance professional of Southeast Asian descent and have been working at a large sovereign wealth fund in the Middle East for the last five years analyzing, executing and managing multi-billion-dollar joint venture investments and also managing a portfolio of 5 Star U.K.-based hotels. I studied in London, where I completed my ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants), through which I was also able to get membership of CGA Canada (under the mutual recognition agreement). Lately, I have been studying for the CFA (chartered financial analyst) program and completed CFA level 1.

This year while visiting Toronto for 20 days, I was able to meet three recruiters (very respected names in the financial services recruitment sector) and received a good response. They appreciated the overall profile, particularly my communication and interpersonal skills which they said remains a lacking skill amongst other immigrants. But all emphasized the importance of being in Canada to be able to attend interviews with prospective employers that sometimes ranges from three to four sittings over a period of two to three months.

I want to confirm if my understanding from these meetings and other discussions that I had with professionals working in the financial sectors are right or not.

Firstly, I believe that being able to secure three meetings with large recruiters in Toronto was a big achievement considering that I only e-mailed my résumés to them while in the Middle East and not having any Canadian work experience. I understand from this that my profile will be able to land me some good interviews. Secondly, most of the people mentioned that a minimum salary of $85K is easy to achieve with seven years of total experience on my résumé and good North-American qualifications. Thirdly, confirmation of the notion that being physically present in Canada helps in securing the job. This decision is very critical since it means resigning from my current position and moving to Canada without a job in hand.

Lastly, a lot of people mentioned to me that February is by far the best month to start a job hunt since people resign after bonus payments and banks or firms implement their hiring plans for the new year thereon. They also said that six months is a reasonable time to measure one’s ability to secure the right job.

I would appreciate your advice on the above and a brief view of how you see the job market in the financial services sector to perform in the year 2012.

The answer

It’s great to see that you’ve done your homework, and that you are doing all the right things to set yourself up for a new life and career in Canada. It sounds like the recruiters with whom you’ve met have given you sound advice.

It will be easier for you to secure a job when you are physically in Canada. A local address gives prospective employers the impression that you are accessible and available to them when they need you.

There are a few different schools of thought in terms of the best time to look for a job. Keep in mind that in “peak” hiring seasons, more candidates may be looking for work, in which case you may have increased competition. Year after year I see many candidates who are hired over the summer and Christmas holiday seasons – a time when people typically think the job market slows down.

Given your goal of settling in Canada, there are a few things you can do to help your job search, both while you are in the Middle East, and when you arrive here:

Continue working on your chartered financial analyst program and gain a thorough understanding of the Canadian financial and business landscape. In your interviews, you must demonstrate that you understand, are knowledgeable and are comfortable with the local laws and business dynamics, to show you can “hit the ground running.” Follow Canadian media, read, watch and listen to news segments (in the online world, all of these sources can be accessible to you from outside Canada). Monitor trade publications, so you can build your knowledge of the local landscape

On your résumé and in your communications with prospective employers, highlight your education from the United Kingdom and the North American and European companies you’ve worked for. Globally recognizable company names often give prospective employers a frame of reference that they are familiar with. Add a short summary on your résumé for other companies that Canadian employers may not be familiar with to give them context. Consider comparing them to local Canadian organizations in terms of scope, and size of business, local reputation and market position, etc.

Last but not least, consider seeking out virtual mentors by researching and reaching out to Canadian market leaders, and immigrants who have succeeded in the path you are about to follow. They may be able to offer unique insights through their personal experiences.

Julie Labrie is the vice-president of BlueSky Personnel Solutions.

Canada and Singapore rank highest in innovation opportunities

Rick Spence Mar 24, 2012 – 4:51 PM ET

Since we so often hear that Canadian businesses are laggards in innovation, it was heartening this week to see Canada ranked alongside Singapore as the world’s most innovation-friendly countries, according to the latest Global Innovation Policy Index (GPII).

Devised by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the GPII benchmarks the effectiveness of the innovation policies of 55 countries, and provides a framework for sounder policy-making. It is considered one of the most comprehensive assessments ever undertaken of countries’ innovation policies, and highlights best practices in policy development that other nations can learn from.

The index assesses the effectiveness of countries’ innovation policies against 84 indicators grouped across seven core policy areas that are deemed to represent innovative values: trade and foreign direct investment; science and R&D; domestic market competition; intellectual property rights ; information technology; government procurement; and high-skill immigration.

In each policy area the index ranks countries as upper tier, upper-mid tier, lower-mid tier or lower tier. Only Canada and Singapore placed in the upper tier on all seven innovation policy indicators.

The U.S. placed in the top tier in every category except openness to high-skill immigration. The report ranks 18 countries as upper-tier, 15 as upper-mid-tier, 13 as lower-mid-tier, and nine as lower-tier.

The 18 countries in the top tier are Australia, Austria, Canada, Chinese Taipei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and the U.S.

“Countries are engaged in a fierce race for global innovation advantage,” says ITIF president Robert Atkinson.”But they can compete in ways that either maximize their innovation capacity while producing positive spillovers for the world, such as by investing in research or education, or compete by less effective policies that often distort global markets through ‘innovation mercantilism.’ The Policy Index highlights countries’ ‘good’ innovation policies and provides a scorecard of how effectively leading countries are adopting them.”

The report notes that countries will not be able to achieve sustainably high innovation rates if their governments have not implemented a broad range of enabling policies that create the conditions in which organizations throughout their economies can successfully innovate.

“We hope the Innovation Policy Index helps countries better understand the strengths and weaknesses of their national innovation ecosystem compared with their global peers, while highlighting scores of best practices in innovation policy through which countries can learn from one another,” says Robert Litan, the Kauffman Foundation’s vice-president of research and policy.

“The report clearly shows how openness to domestic market competition is a critical element of fostering an entrepreneurship-friendly environment in countries around the world.”

You can read the full report at www.kauffman.org/innovationpolicy.

Newcomers build their own success

BY DAVE HALL, THE WINDSOR STAR MARCH 24, 2012

Immigrants to Canada are often pushed into becoming entrepreneurs because they can't find employment in traditional ways or because their credentials aren't recognized quickly enough before they have to start making a living to support a family.

But for others, such as Indrajit Sinha and Kurosh Taromi, they were pulled into establishing their own businesses because they have a passion for what they do and were able to identify a niche that was also lucrative.

Both took part in a recent Wise5 study, which was designed to identify challenges faced by immigrant entrepreneurs, identify areas of support in five communities across Ontario and offer recommendations to enrich their entrepreneurial experience.

"In my experience, you have to decide what you like, what you want to do and also what works in a financial sense," said Taromi, a native of Iran who runs Golden Maple Publications, a publisher of e-books for children and adults.

"It's important to find a combination of both so you can enjoy life as well," said Taromi, who lived for seven years in Germany before moving to Windsor a year ago. "I never felt assimilated in Germany because of my complexion, but here in Windsor, I felt that way after seven days."

Taromi, who has a PhD, also operates a book publishing company in Tehran, which he runs with some partners, and recently published three e-books for children including the very first in Farsi.

Sinha, who has a PhD in infectious diseases, is another success story after he moved here seven years ago from India and started work at the Karmanos Cancer Institute before opening BioMed Core in Windsor.

"It's been a dream of mine to have my own business, but you need the right circumstances and everything has to come together at the right time," said Sinha. "Making something is easy, but making it successful is a different ball game altogether,"

Sinha said he's lived and worked in many countries but finds Canada uniquely different, in that it rewards hard work and, at the same time, is very welcoming to newcomers and their ideas.

His company analyzes tumour tissues to predict their drug sensitivity prior to chemotherapy treatment.

"It's been thrilling, challenging and fulfilling all at the same time," said Sinha.

Both Sinha and Taromi chose Windsor because of its location.

For Sinha, his business is in proximity to London Health Sciences Centre as well as the Karmanos Institute and other treatment centres in Michigan. But for Taromi, the reasons for moving here centre on economics and climate.

"I wanted to find somewhere with good weather and where I could spend $90,000 for a house instead of $1 million," he said. "You can be richer here in Windsor with the same amount of income."

Program allows money transfers by phone

BY DON CAYO, VANCOUVER SUN MARCH 24, 2012

Liza Cruz (left) assists Vince Vela as he uses a new Vancity service that allows him to transfer cash from his branch to the cellphone of a relative in the Philippines.

Photograph by: Gerry Kahrmann, PNG, Vancouver Sun

When Lucila Sayo, who immigrated to Vancouver 21 years ago to teach preschoolers, wants to send money to her mom back in the Philippines, a simple phone message does the trick.

Sayo can buy a credit for a few hundred dollars from Vancity and send it by text message to her brother, who is one of the 47 million subscribers to the ubiquitous smart phone net-work there. Within minutes he can exchange the credit for cash for her mom, who lives most of the year with Sayo in Vancouver but still takes extended vacations in her homeland.

Cash transfers are just as easy for Vince Vela of Burnaby, who is supporting his Philippine-born wife while she waits - five years, so far - for the paper-work that will get her into Canada. Ditto for many more British Columbians with family ties to the Philippines - Vancity won't say precisely how many - who are taking advantage of a new pilot project to transfer money quickly and cheaply by telephone.

In a world where international money transfers to less-developed countries have long been anything but fast or cheap, and where remittances sent from richer to poorer countries are estimated to be in the ballpark of $250 billion a year, the Van-city pilot program has potential significance far beyond mere convenience and modest savings for individual customers like Sayo and Vela.

"Using cellphones for all kinds of useful purposes like this is the way of the future," says John Richards, a public policy professor at Simon Fraser University who studies development-related issues.

"Many countries have quite sophisticated networks to transfer money internally by cellphone," Richards said. "But this is the first international transfer system I know of."

The cost of Vancity's telephone transfers started out last December at $3 per transaction, and shortly after-ward dropped to zero to facilitate the sending of disaster aid after a broad swath of the country was hit by a typhoon and massive flooding. Now it is to rise at the end of the month, as originally planned, to $5.

Previously, Vela was paying only $8 - a bargain by the standards of international money transfers - because both he and his wife were able, although it wasn't convenient, to get to branches of a Philip-pines-based bank. Sayo, more typically, was paying $12 to $15 to a commercial firm to transfer amounts as small as $100.

Current figures are hard to come by, but it cost $2 billion a year in transfer fees for immigrants or temporary workers to send $15 billion home, according to a study done five years ago for the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute. And a World Bank study done around the same time noted the impact of remittances on poverty reduction is, dollar for dollar, greater than foreign aid because the money gets spent directly on people's priorities with no overhead.

The amounts involved can also be a lot more significant than foreign aid. Remittances to the Philippines add up to about 10 per cent of that country's GDP.

And in some countries - Haiti, or Honduras, for example - it can be 20 or 30 per cent or more.

While Vancity won't say how many people are using the Philippines service after its first few months in operation, Randy Johal, the credit union's director of international sales and services, did say it has been "well received."

The Philippines was picked for this trial program, he said, in part because the large Filipino population in Vancouver ensures strong demand. The number of immigrants from the Philippines settling in B.C. in 2010 topped 6,600, beating out India for the first time and ranking second only to China.

Sayo started with a small transfer, just $100, to make sure it worked, and Johal said this is how people typically approach the service. But both the number and size of transactions, which Philippines regulations limit to $950 or less, have grown steadily.

Many other developing countries have established sophisticated internal systems to transfer money by cellphone, but most also have regulations preventing international transfers. Johal said Vancity is considering whether it can expand the service to other countries, but it's complicated to figure out where.

One factor is local demand. But the degree to which a recipient country's telephone network has been developed to handle money transfers and the willingness of the country's regulators to cooperate are also important.

Canadian regulators, on the other hand, aren't imposing roadblocks. Vancity monitors the telephone transfers in exactly the same way it keeps an eye on other international movements of money, Johal said. Things like an unusual number of transfers to a single source are scrutinized more carefully to guard against money laundering.

dcayo@vancouversun.com

Blog: vancouversun.com/economy

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