Immigration Canada

Career Resources for Newcomer Nurses in Canada

Source: Canadian Newcomer Newsletter.

You got your education and became a Registered Nurse. You worked in this challenging field, giving your skills and talents to help your patients. Now you've immigrated to Canada. How can you get back to work in your chosen profession?

The following is a directory of resources for newcomer nurses who want to get back into the practice of nursing. Each province and territory has different resources, and different governing bodies that control licensing of nurses. The country as a whole also has a national association, and a national exam, the Canadian Registered Nurse Examination, which all registered nurses must pass in order to be licensed to practice in Canada.

There are some resources here for practical nurses and psychiatric nurses, too; more will follow. All involve help to get your qualifications in line with Canadian requirements, so you can get back to working in the nursing field.

All of Canada:

The Canadian Nurses Association provides information for Internationally Educated Nurses wishing to practice in Canada, and sells an Examination Prep Guide to help you get ready to write the Canadian Registered Nurse Examination (CRNE).

The Canadian Information Centre for International Credentials has information on requirements for Internationally Educated Nurses who want to work In the field in Canada.

Ontario:

The College of Nurses of Ontariohas pages of information devoted to Internationally Educated Nurses, with information on how they can qualify to register for practice in Ontario.

HealthForceOntario has a special section of their website for nurses outside the province who want to practice, including requirements, immigration information, and other useful resources.

The CARE Centre for Internationally Educated Nursesis an organization dedicated to helping IENs bridge their qualifications and successfully enter nursing in Ontario. They offer workplace-specific language courses, networking, job shadowing, workshops and exam preparation classes.

The Government of Ontariowebsite provides information, career maps and links for Internationally Educated Nurses wishing to practice in Ontario.

Mohawk College offers the Bridging for Internationally Educated Nurses (BIEN) Certificate Program, to integrate your skills and safe practices with Ontario standards as required by the College of Nurses of Ontario.

Centennial College has a Practical Nurse Bridging Program for Internationally Educated Nurses who do not wish to pursue baccalaureate nursing education in Canada.

The Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario is a professional association for the profession in the Province, with information and multiple links to help for IENs wishing to practice there.

Fanshawe College offers the Bridging for Internationally Educated Nurses (BIEN) Certificate Program, to integrate your skills and safe practices with Ontario standards as required by the College of Nurses of Ontario.

George Brown College offers an Academic Pathway for Nurses Graduate Certificate Program, which provides Internationally Educated Nurses whom the College of Nurses of Ontario have assessed as needing to meet designated theory and clinical elements.

British Columbia:

The College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia is the governing body of the profession in the province. In addition to information, they provide aregistration application package especially for IENs.

The Internationally Educated Nurses Assessment Service of British Columbia provides IENs an opportunity to demonstrate their professional knowledge, skills and abilities, supporting the completion of registration requirements.

Kwantlen Polytechnic Universityoffers a Graduate Nurse, Internationally Educated Re-Entry Certificate Program to enable IENs to bring their qualifications into line with those of British Columbia, and preparing them to write the CNRE.

The College of Licensed Practical Nurses of British Columbia is the governing body for Practical Nursing in the province, and has information for IENs wishing to be registered in practical nursing.

Thompson Rivers Universityoffers transitioning courses, which Internationally Educated Nurses may use to support their Canadian licensure.

The HealthMatch BC website has a Frequently Asked Questions section for IENs wishing to practice nursing in BC.

Alberta:

The Alberta Learning Information Service offers occupational profiles for different kinds of nursing in Alberta.

The Government of Albertaprovides a flowchart for the nursing registration process, as well as information about accreditation and requirements.

The College & Association of Registered Nurses in Alberta has information and links for Internationally Educated Nurses wishing to practice in the Province, as well as this set of Instructions for Internationally Educated Applicants.

The College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Alberta also provides information and links for IENs wishing to work as practical nurses in Alberta.

Mount Royal University has an Internationally Educated Nurses Assessment Centre, whose purpose is to provide Substantially Equivalent Competency (SEC) assessment services which support the completion of nursing registration requirements.

The Live and Work in Albertawebsite has an extensive page with information about how IENs can qualify to work in the Province.

Directions for Immigrantsprovides information and links for IENs who want to work as practical nurses in Alberta.

Bow Valley College offers a Practical Nurse Diploma for Internationally Educated Nurses Program, for IENs wishing to work as practical nurses in Alberta.

Saskatchewan:

The Saskatchewan Registered Nurses’ Association has information and links for Internationally Educated Nurses wishing to practice nursing in Saskatchewan.

The Government of Saskatchewan has resources to help IENs become licensed and practice nursing in the Province.

The Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST) offers an Orientation to Nursing in Canada for Internationally Educated Nurses Certificate Program, designed to bring your qualifications into line with the province’s specifications and prepare you to write the CRNE.

Manitoba:

The College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba has a page of Frequently Asked Questions for IENs wishing to qualify to practice nursing in the Province.

Red River College has a Bridging Program for Internationally Educated Nurses which will prepare you for working as a Registered Nurse in Manitoba.

The Manitoba Nurses Union offers programs which help IENs improve their English skills and cultural knowledge related to Canadian nursing, as well as a Diversity Coordinator who can help you learn what you’ll need in order to practice nursing in Manitoba.

The Government of Manitobaprovides a Resource Guide for IENs immigrating to Manitoba who want to practice their profession in the Province, as well as a guide to the Licensing Process http://www2.immigratemanitoba.com/browse/work_in_manitoba/profession/list/rn.html.

The College of Registered Psychiatric Nurses of Manitobahas information and links for Internationally Educated Psychiatric Nurses who wish to practice in Manitoba.

The College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Manitoba provides credentials assessment and resources for IENs who want to work as practical nurses in Manitoba.

Québec:

CEGEP John Abbott Collegeoffers a tuition-free Professional Integration Nursing in Québec for Internationally Educated Nurses attestation program, to prepare IENs to integrate into nursing in Québec.

Ordre de infirmières et infirmiers du Québec is the governing body of the nursing profession in Québec, and provides information for IENs wishing to qualify to work in the Province.

The Government of Québec (Immigration-Québec) provides much information for IENs who wish to practice nursing in the Province.

New Brunswick:

The Nurses Association of New Brunswick offers information and links for IENs wishing to practice nursing in the Province.

The Nursing in Atlantic Canadawebsite is specially dedicated to helping Internationally Educated Nurses pursue nursing careers in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island.

Atlantic Connection for Internationally Educated Health Professionals is a website devoted to helping IENs and others internationally educated in the health care field qualify to continue their careers in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island.

Prince Edward Island:

The Association of Registered Nurses of Prince Edward Islandprovides this downloadableapplication form for Internationally Educated Nurses who wish to practice in their field in PEI. The Association requires that prospective nurses who are IENs have their credentials assessed byWorld Education Services (WES).

Capital Health Registered Nurses Professional Development Centre has an Internationally Educated Nurse Assessment Centre, which helps IENs obtain qualifications to work in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

Nova Scotia:

The College of Registered Nurses of Nova Scotia is the governing body for the profession in the Province, and provides information for Internationally Educated Nurses planning to practice in Nova Scotia.

The College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Nova Scotia has information for IENs who wish to work as practical nurses in Nova Scotia.

Health Team Nova Scotia offers steps for IENs to follow for registration and licensure in the Province.

Newfoundland and Labrador:

The Association for Registered Nurses of Newfoundland and Labrador is a professional association for nurses, which provides information for IENs wishing to register and practice in the Province.

Practice Newfoundland Labradorhas a Resource Guide for Internationally Educated Nurses wishing to practice in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Newfoundland and Labrador provides information on licensure to practice the profession in the Province.

Nunavut:

The Registered Nurses Association of Northwest Territories and Nunavut is the licensing body for the nursing profession in those Territories, and has licensing information for Internationally Educated Nurses wishing to pursue the profession there.

Northwest Territories:

Yukon:

The Yukon Registered Nurses Association is the licensing body for the nursing profession in the Territory, and has licensing information for Internationally Educated Nurses wishing to pursue the profession there.

We hope these resources have been of help. If you find more that you believe we ought to include here, feel free to let us know!

Photo by Soldiersmediacenter

Ghost Immigration consultants hit with dozens of charges as CBSA fraud crackdown continues

Stewart Bell Jun 19, 2012 – 2:04 PM ET | Last Updated: Jun 19, 2012 6:22 PM ET

The Canada Border Services Agency continued its crackdown on the immigration industry on Tuesday, charging a former consultant and two others in Winnipeg and Montreal with dozens of fraud-related counts.

Among those charged was Brad Jacobson, the president of an immigration consulting firm started in 2009 with financing from a loan program run by the University of Winnipeg’s Faculty of Business and Economics.

YouTube

Bradley Jacobson.

Mr. Jacobson faces 23 counts of immigration fraud for allegedly setting up fake businesses to bring foreign workers to Canada. The CBSA said it suspected more than 300 foreign nationals had fallen victim to the scheme.

After founding Canadian Immigration Solutions Manitoba Inc. with the help of a university start-up loan for young entrepreneurs, Mr. Jacobson changed the name to CISI Canadian Immigration Strategies Inc. in January 2010.

In a promotional video, he said the company had representatives in 15 countries, including Pakistan, Egypt and China. “Brad offers new immigrants opportunities to work in Canada and to sponsor family members back in their native countries,” reads a company profile.

But a month after the video was launched on-line, Mr. Jacobson was charged in November 2010 with 14 counts of immigration fraud. The Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council said it revoked his membership last year.

Those earlier charges were still before the courts when CBSA officers launched a new investigation in February after receiving a complaint. Mr. Jacobson’s home was searched June 14 and he was to make a court appearance Tuesday.

An alleged associate, Kendall Schmidt, has been charged with eight counts. The two had “developed false businesses and fraudulently submitted documents to lure foreign workers to Canada,” the CBSA said.

Meanwhile, Carol Massoud appeared in court in Montreal accused of 61 charges. She had allegedly helped up to 30 families commit residency fraud so they could qualify for Canadian passports without actually living in Canada. She was also charged with acting as an immigration representative without authority.

“There are a group of criminals who prey on immigrants,” said Phil Mooney, CEO of the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council, the agency to which all immigration consultants must now belong.

Since last July, it has been illegal to provide immigration services without being a council member. Mr. Mooney said the body had been working closely with the government to clean up the industry.

“Immigration fraud creates a stain on our entire immigration service,” Vic Toews, the Minister of Public Safety, said in a joint statement with Jason Kenney, the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration.

The charges are just the latest to stem from a nation-wide campaign against immigration fraud. In Halifax last month, the CEO of Canada 2000 Immigration and Business Services Inc., Ziad El Shurafa, and two associates were charged.

The RCMP arrested an immigration lawyer and her assistant in Windsor in March, alleging they had coached refugee claimants to give fake accounts of their pasts. And in Quebec, police arrested an immigration consultant accused of providing citizenship and immigration papers to hundreds of Middle East residents who then collected tax benefits from Ottawa.

“And I think you’re probably going to see a lot more. It’s all of these people that were operating in the shadows,” said Mr. Mooney, himself an immigration consultant. “We know that it’s a high-priority item for CBSA and the RCMP.”

National Post
sbell@nationalpost.com

Sweeping immigration changes to give new power to minister

CBC News (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Laura Payton, CBC News

Sweeping changes proposed in a new immigration bill would give new powers to the minister of immigration, including the ability to deny entry to visitors for public policy reasons and to override the rules to let otherwise inadmissible people come to Canada.

Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney tabled legislation in the House Wednesday that would make it easier for the government to deport refugees, permanent residents and visitors for "serious criminality," crimes where the punishment is six months or more in jail.

Kenney is selling the bill based on the changes proposed to allow automatic deportation for any non-Canadian sentenced to more than six months in jail.

"I think you can call them dangerous, you can call them serious, we don't want them in Canada anymore, and that's the bottom line," Kenney told Chris Hall on CBC News Network's Power & Politics.

"If you are a foreign national and you want the privilege of staying in Canada, don't commit a serious crime.… I don't think that's too much to ask people."

But there's far more to the bill, including a measure that would allow the immigration minister to decide who can enter the country. One measure would give him the power to deny someone entry or temporary resident status for up to three years on the basis of public policy considerations.

Another measure would let him override the rules to allow entry to someone the minister wants to be allowed in. The example provided in a background document is for a head of state who satisfies the minister that the visit isn't contrary to the national interest but who would otherwise not be allowed in.

"Sometimes we have foreigners who do not have a criminal conviction and are therefore not strictly inadmissible to Canada under our current law, but who, for example, may have a long track record of promoting violence or hatred against vulnerable groups," Kenney said, giving the example of an imam who calls for the execution of gays and lesbians, justifies domestic abuse and makes anti-Semitic remarks.

Tool to be used 'sparingly'
"We have no legal tool to keep him out right now because he hasn't committed a crime in, say, Saudi Arabia. He might be committing hate crimes in Canada," Kenney said.

"We would use it sparingly, probably only a handful of cases a year, really for those folks for which there is no other legal grounds to keep them out of the country."

Jinny Sims, the NDP's immigration critic, says she has serious concerns about the bill because of the power it gives to the minister and because the House immigration committee is studying the issue now, but won't finish the study until the fall.

"We have concerns about the growing centralization of power and control into the hands of the minister," Sims said.

"We raised concerns about that in C-31 [the refugee reform bill], and those concerns are now accentuated as we see more power being given to the minister."

The proposed law would also take away humanitarian and compassionate grounds as factors in appealing a decision that someone is inadmissible to Canada and would mean the public safety minister would be able to consider only national security and public safety in deciding whether someone can become Canadian.

A spokesman for Kenney said there are 2,747 people with convictions appealing to the Immigration Appeal Division to be able to stay in Canada.

Other proposed changes under the act include:

A rule that would deny an appeal to those with foreign convictions for crimes that would carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in Canada.
A rule that would deny entry to Canada to those with a family member inadmissible for security and human rights reasons or organized crime connections, even if that family member isn't travelling with them.
A five-year inadmissibility period for lying on immigration applications.
Mandatory CSIS interviews if requested.
Reporting conditions for those under deportation orders.
Automatic inadmissibility for non-Canadians and permanent residents for acts of espionage or acts against Canada's interests.
Kenney suggested one of the reasons for the changes is that judges sometimes sentence people to two years less a day to allow them to keep their immigration appeals. The current law allows an appeal for those sentenced to less than two years.

"If you commit a serious crime in Canada, we are going to send you packing as quickly as we can," Kenney said.

In their election campaign platform last year, the Conservatives promised to streamline deportations of "foreign criminals" from Canada.

"It often takes years to deport even dangerous foreign criminals from Canada. In some cases, foreign criminals and terrorists here have evaded removal from Canada for over a decade as they exploit endless appeals and loopholes. Canadians expect that foreign criminals will get due process before being removed, but not an endless abuse of our generosity," campaign literature said.

No review of circumstances
Immigration lawyer Lorne Waldman criticized the decision to remove the right of appeal for people sentenced to more than six months in prison.

"[The change] means that there will be no review of all of the circumstances and how the deportation order might affect children or spouses, family, etc.," Waldman said in an email to CBC News. "It means deportation regardless of how long the person is in Canada."

"The whole point of the appeal and review [process] was to ensure that people who have committed minor offences and who have lived all their life here or who have children who will be affected, that these matters get considered so that there is a balancing done before the person is deported."

Interim Liberal Leader Bob Rae said Wednesday the government is trying to "change the channel" by introducing legislation a day before the House is expected to adjourn for the summer.

"The [Prime Minister's Office] is troubled," Rae told reporters on Parliament Hill.

"Every time they get into trouble with their agenda, they say let's go back to law and order.… We'll be studying it carefully but I think we have to understand the political game that's being played here. You don't bring in legislation at the very end of June with a view that this is something that you're going to get done. It's a view that you want to get some publicity and you want to get a headline."

The legislation is the latest in a series of changes to Canada's immigration and refugee system, including:

Bill C-31, which targets human smuggling and gives the immigration minister sole authority to decide which groups of refugee claimants are "mass arrivals." The bill has passed the House of Commons and is being considered by the Senate.
Amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act contained in the omnibus budget bill, which passed the House this week, that will wipe out a backlog of 280,000 applications under the Federal Skilled Worker Program. Applications made before 2008 would be deleted and the application fee refunded.
A new policy that comes into effect June 30 will cut back on the services offered to refugees under the Interim Federal Health Program, which gives temporary health-care coverage to approximately 128,000 refugees.
A decision by Kenney last year to freeze applications from foreign parents and grandparents to join their children in Canada, while raising the annual number of applicants allowed in to the country, in a bid to clear a backlog of 180,000 applications. He also introduced a new "super-visa" that allows family members to visit Canada for up to 10 years provided they have a minimum annual income and arrange their own health insurance.

Immigration scam promised Nepalese high-paying jobs in Alberta’s oilpatch

BY CAROL SANDERS, CANADIAN PRESS

WINNIPEG — A Canadian man from Nepal says more than 100 people from the Asian country have been financially ruined in a scheme that promised them high-paying jobs in the Alberta oilpatch.

Bradley Jacobson and Kendall Schmidt have appeared in a Winnipeg court charged with various offences under the Criminal Code and Refugee Protection Act.

Jacobson was a member of the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council.

Yadu Pandey is a Nepalese-Canadian trying to help people back home look for temporary work in Canada.

He says the fraud has ruined 111 people in Nepal who paid $1,300 for jobs in the Alberta oilsands.

Pandey says the Nepalese borrowed money and sold land so they could afford to wire cash.

In Nepal, labourers make $8 a day and the oilsands jobs were a chance to work hard and earn good money, Pandey said.

“He took money from 111 people — $149,350,” Pandey alleged of Jacobson.

Jacobson’s name was in the media as he had won a business award and seemed legitimate, Pandey said. He added that the man’s company, CISI Canadian Immigration Strategies Inc., promised the Nepalese two-year labourer jobs in the oilsands paying $17.45 an hour.

Pandey alleges Jacobson also travelled to Delhi, India, with a man purporting to be with an oilsands company to arrange to get the workers, and charged the Nepalese for their expenses.

Pandey said he later contacted the oilsands company in Alberta to ask about the jobs and was told the company wasn’t hiring and had never heard of Jacobson.

Investigators allege Jacobson and Schmidt developed false businesses — North West Construction and Access Health Manitoba — and submitted fake documents to lure more than 300 foreign workers.

Jacobson faces 23 charges and Schmidt faces eight. None of the charges has been proven in court.

Pandey said his friends in Nepal are worried about their debts and have no way to pay the loans back.

The immigration consultants watchdog agency said Jacobson is no longer a member. When the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council took over its predecessor last July, it automatically absorbed all of its members, including Jacobson, said CEO Phil Mooney. The non-profit council was set up to regulate the immigration consulting profession and safeguard consumer interests.

When it received several complaints about Jacobson, an investigation was launched and Jacobson refused to pay his dues, Mooney said. He was stripped of his membership in December and his name was removed from their website, Mooney said.

The council’s website is updated promptly and is still the best way to make sure an immigration consultant is legitimate, he said.

(Winnipeg Free Press)

© Copyright (c)

Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/news/Immigration+scam+promised+Nepalese+high+paying+jobs+Alberta+oilpatch/6812865/story.html#ixzz1yOhcdnP6

Immigration minister suggests refugees shouldn't receive more care than low-income Canadians

Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament protest on Parliament Hill. Ottawa, Canada. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The vast majority of refugees in Canada will continue to receive "comprehensive, first rate" health care, despite cuts to the interim federal health program, according to Immigration Minister Jason Kenney.

Immigration Minister Jason Kenney is defending cuts to refugees' health benefits, suggesting it's only fair to match their health care to what modest-income Canadian citizens are able to access. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)
In an interview with host Robyn Bresnahan that aired Wednesday on CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning, Kenney responded to criticism from doctors and refugee advocates who organized a day of action on Monday to protest cuts to the supplementary health benefits refugees receive when they first arrive in Canada.

Kenney disagreed with claims the cuts are unfair to a vulnerable group, pointing out what's being eliminated is not basic care but services that other modest-income Canadians also have to pay for.

"I wonder why these doctors aren't raising the same questions about [the medical benefits] taxpaying Canadians receive," Kenney said, suggesting the government acted out of a sense of fairness, "limiting it to what's generally available to Canadians."

"In the real world there are limited resources," Kenney explained.

Benefits expire June 30
The benefits that will expire June 30 include prescription drugs, vision and dental care – which many Canadians must pay for out of their own pockets unless they have coverage through a private or public supplementary insurance plan.

The protest on Parliament Hill earlier this week was part of a national campaign to raise awareness of the impact of the cuts.

"The government has used this issue to divide Canadians, pitting those who are dissatisfied with their own health coverage against refugees," Dr. Mark Tyndall, the head of infectious diseases at The Ottawa Hospital, said Monday.

"Canadians are smarter than this. This is an attack on our entire health-care system," Tyndall said.

In Wednesday's interview, Kenney said most of the cost savings will come from eliminating health benefits for failed refugee claimants who are found ineligible to remain in Canada.

The minister added his office has received strong support for the changes, by a ratio of 20 in favour to one opposed.

Government of Canada Introduces the Faster Removal of Foreign Criminals Act

Barack Obama, President of the United States of America, with Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

OTTAWA, ONTARIO, Jun 20, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- The Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, introduced legislation today to expedite the removal of foreign criminals from Canada and to enhance the safety and security of Canadians.

"The Harper Government is putting a stop to foreign criminals relying on endless appeals in order to delay their removal from Canada during which time they continue to terrorize innocent Canadians," said Kenney "Canadians are generous and welcoming people, but they have no tolerance for criminals and fraudsters abusing our generosity."

The Faster Removal of Foreign Criminals Act focuses on three areas which would:

1. Make it easier for the Government to remove dangerous foreign criminals
from our country;
2. Make it harder for those who may pose a risk to Canada to enter the
country in the first place; and
3. Remove barriers for genuine visitors who want to come to Canada.

Through the Faster Removal of Foreign Criminals Act, the Government is delivering on its commitment to streamline the process to deport convicted criminals by limiting their access to the Immigration and Refugee Board's Immigration Appeal Division. This will reduce the amount of time certain criminals may remain in Canada by up to 14 months, reducing their chances of committing more crime on Canadian soil.

Another change in the proposed legislation would ensure that foreign nationals who are inadmissible on the most serious grounds - security, human or international rights violations, or organized criminality - will no longer be able to delay their removal by applying for a program that is meant for cases deserving of humanitarian and compassionate consideration. This change is consistent with the government's no safe haven policy.

Other amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to protect the safety and security of Canadians include a new Ministerial authority to refuse temporary entry in exceptional cases, and increased penalties for those who try to cheat the system.

In contrast, the legislation will facilitate the temporary entry of low-risk individuals who would have previously been refused entry because one of their family members was deemed inadmissible for non-security reasons, such as health.

"These measures are tough but fair," said Minister Kenney. "We want an immigration system that is open to genuine visitors, while at the same time prevents the entry of foreign criminals and denies them the ability to endlessly abuse our generosity."

These amendments, which would update the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and our immigration program, complement the recent measures in the Protecting Canada's Immigration System Act as well as the Action Plan on Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness.

Backgrounders:

- Introducing the Faster Removal of Foreign Criminals Act

- Faster Removal of Foreign Criminals Act: What will it do?

- Top 5 Reasons for Faster Removal of Foreign Criminals Act

Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CitImmCanada .

Photo of Minister Kenney will be available later today at: www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/photos/high-res/index.asp .

Building a stronger Canada: Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) strengthens Canada's economic, social and cultural prosperity, helping ensure Canadian safety and security while managing one of the largest and most generous immigration programs in the world.

Canada to raise language bar

The English-speaking world. Countries in dark blue have a majority of native speakers. Countries in light blue have English as an official language, de jure or de facto. English is also one of the official languages of the European Union. "Official EU languages". European Commission. 8 May 2009 . . Retrieved 2009-10-16 . (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Requiring new immigrants to speak English or French to a higher level will improve their economic prospects say ministers but others fear the policy will target favoured nationalities.

The Canadian government's plan to raise language fluency requirements for prospective skilled immigrants has some experts concerned that it may tilt migration patterns toward the English-speaking world.

Canada's immigration minister Jason Kenney said earlier this year that some immigration applicants will soon have to demonstrate high levels of English or French fluency to gain entry to Canada. The proposed new requirements would apply to the largest class of immigrants, the federal skilled worker category, which accounts for nearly 100,000 of the roughly 250,000 immigrants who come to Canada every year.

The decision is aimed at improving economic outcomes for immigrants in the country, which have been steadily declining over the last 30 years. Today a new immigrant earns only about 60% of the wages of a similarly educated Canadian-born citizen, compared with nearly 90% three decades ago. Meanwhile a flood of research has shown that language ability is one of the best predictors of rapid integration and economic success.

But Naomi Alboim, a public policy professor at Ontario's Queen's University and a former provincial deputy minister of citizenship, expects the policy will also have other consequences. The most striking will be a significant shift in source countries, she said. Alboim anticipates a decline in the number of migrants from China, for example, and a rise in the number from English-speaking countries.

Such a shift would make Canada's immigrant intake more similar to Australia's. The Australian government raised immigrant language requirements over the last decade and its immigrants have fared better economically than those in Canada. But Australia also receives proportionally larger numbers from English-speaking countries such as the UK, Ireland and New Zealand, who tend to integrate more quickly.

"A focus on language does make eminent sense. But I think we have to be careful about how high we are setting the bar and whether that is going to exclude a whole group of people who can contribute to a very significant degree with a little bit of assistance," Alboim said.

"We don't need to restrict our entire federal skilled worker intake to only those who have a high level of language, because that can develop over time."

Canada adopted a points-based immigration admission system in the 1960s to guard against any discrimination on the basis of race, religion or national origin, which had been shameful features of immigration policy in the past. Although it has awarded a certain number of points for language ability, it will now require that immigrants wishing to work in the professions demonstrate "fluency" on standardised tests. A slightly lower level would be required for those in skilled trades.

While anyone can, in theory, learn a language, English or French fluency is more common in some parts of the world and Canada may be taking a step, intentional or not, towards targeting source countries.

Debbie Douglas, executive director of the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants, fears that the new policy will screen out people from the global south. "We can't discriminate against folks who don't sound like us. That might mean more propping up of language teaching [for new immigrants] but that's a very small price to pay for helping people contribute to building our country," Douglas said.

"We have committed to a multicultural ethos. We've agreed that Canada is a diverse country, that it's one of our strengths, that it makes us stronger socially and economically."

Kenney has said it is hard to predict what impact the new language requirements might have on source countries, as they tend to ebb and flow for a variety of reasons, including global economic conditions as well as selection criteria. His goal is to create a more flexible language grid that will contribute to improving the economic fortunes of those who are selected.

At the moment the federal government does not do much recruiting of immigrants, since it already receives many more applications than it can accept in a year. But provinces, employers and post-secondary institutions can and do target newcomers independently. For regions that struggle to attract immigrants, targeting has become an important way of encouraging population growth.

The premier of Saskatchewan recently flew to Ireland to encourage unemployed Irish young people to embark for the booming prairies. And neighbouring Manitoba takes aim at groups it believes will settle comfortably in the notoriously cold province. Recently Manitoba has turned to Ukraine, a major source country a hundred years ago, to find people to settle rural areas.

While an emphasis on language might produce better economic outcomes for immigrants in the short term, it could also have other effects. Canada may struggle to find enough people with sufficient levels of fluency to maintain its very high immigration levels, for example. A sudden shift in the attainability of immigration may have an impact on Canada's ties to a country such as China and studies have shown that trade ties increase through immigration.

Howard Ramos, a sociologist at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, says statistics show the overwhelming majority of immigrants are able to speak one of Canada's official languages.

"The history of immigration has shown a high degree of language integration over time. So I'm not entirely sure the concern being raised is necessarily warranted," Ramos said.

"The points system was introduced to correct the injustices of focusing on culture and language too heavily. It was a society and a time that was much more ethnocentric. I don't think it's a time we should try and return to."

Ottawa loses legal battle over immigration backlog

fields a question from a community member at the All Candidates Forum at McKenzie Lake Community Centre in Calgary's Southeast on January 14th, 2006. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Nicholas Keung
Immigration Reporter

Ottawa has suffered a major setback in eliminating its immigration backlog after the federal court ruled the government is obliged to process all applications it accepted into the system.

About 900 applicants under the federal skilled workers’ program sued Immigration Minister Jason Kenney for violating the pledge to assess and finalize decisions in a timely fashion.

They asked the court to order the immigration department to process their applications within a reasonable time frame.

In a decision released Thursday, Justice Donald Rennie rejected the minister’s argument that the delay is justified because he has the authority to make policies.

“The minister can set instructions that permit him to return some applications without processing them at all, and thus obviously there is no further duty in respect of those applications,” the judge wrote in a 24-page decision.

“However, for those that are determined eligible for processing, the duty to do so in a reasonably timely manner remains.”

In February 2008, the law was changed to give Kenney authority to issue ministerial instructions regarding which applications would be eligible for processing and to remove the obligation to process each application received.

As a result, the litigants argued, their applications were “warehoused” in a lengthy backlog from five to nine years.

Despite the new measure, the court said Ottawa still failed to finalize a file within the six and 12 months Kenney promised — the first ministerial applications have been outstanding between 24 and 52 months.

Immigration has until Oct. 14 to finalize the application of the case’s lead litigant, an IT project manager in China.

Although the court falls short on making an order for all 900 applicants, Thursday’s decision sets the stage for the prompt processing of the other litigants.

“So long as the applicants are not to blame for the delay, a fair application of Justice Rennie’s ruling would require Ottawa to finalize their applications by October 14,” said their lawyer, Tim Leahy.

The decision is final because the court refused the minister’s request for appeal, added Leahy. The next step is for opposing counsels to determine how to proceed with the remaining cases.

Immigrants who don’t speak English or French end up working in ethnic ‘enclaves:’ report

Citizenship@MaRS (Photo credit: mars_discovery_district)

Peter O'Neil, Postmedia News

OTTAWA — Immigrants who work in ethnic “enclaves” in major cities earn less than other Canadians and have a tougher time adapting to this country’s economy, according to an internal federal government document.

“Studies found that enclaves have a negative impact on the earnings growth for male and female immigrants,” says a report obtained under the Access to Information Act by immigration lawyer Richard Kurland.

The point was included in a federal report prepared in early 2011 to assess minimum language standards for immigrants brought to Canada under the “provincial nominee” (PN) program.

The report focused on concerns within Citizenship and Immigration Canada about the ability of program nominees in some provinces to speak one of Canada’s two official languages.

Immigration Minister Jason Kenney recently acted on those concerns, announcing in April that program applicants in semi- and low-skilled jobs will be required to meet minimum language standards in English or French starting July 1.

More than 38,000 workers and their families came to Canada in 2011 under the program, which has become hugely popular with provincial governments seeking to meet severe labour shortages.

The report obtained by Kurland cited research showing that immigrants who can speak English or French adequately have earnings comparable to their Canadian-born counterparts.

But those who don’t speak an official language struggle in the labour force and often end up working in “enclave” immigrant communities in major cities.

The report said the number of immigrants working in a non-official language jumped 14 per cent between 2001 and 2006, involving 611,000 people.

Roughly one in six immigrants “only” used a non-official language and of this group, close to 60 per cent indicated they couldn’t conduct a conversation in English or French.

“While some researchers point to the possibility of such immigrants becoming employed in an ethnically sheltered (enclave) economy, several recent studies have shown that there are many disadvantages to doing this,” according to the report.

Several studies, for instance, showed that jobs in these enclaves are mostly in the lower-paying service industries, and taking those jobs can put the employee in a rut.

“Exposure to one’s group reduces the accumulation of skills specific to the host country’s labour market, decreases the knowledge of the local native language and impedes immigrants’ economic progress,” the report said.

The report also found that workers who speak little or no English or French face greater risks in terms of occupational health and safety, since they tend to be in physically demanding occupations and may be unaware of their rights.

Language proficiency also plays a critical role in the social integration of immigrants and their young children, it said. “It has a direct relationship with newcomers’ ability to settle, adapt and integrate into Canadian society.”

A federal government-funded 2009 research paper by University of British Columbia geography professor Daniel Hiebert, which looked at immigrant enclaves in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal, said those areas have higher unemployment levels and that residents are “slightly” more dependent on government transfers.

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