TORONTO: Canada has announced a new liberal business visa regime for Indian businessmen to catch up with other industrialised nations in boosting
trade with India.

The new visa regime was announced by the government here close on the heels of the visit of Prime Minister Stephen Harper to India.

Under the new system, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said applications from Indian citizens for business visas will be cleared within 24 hours. The express visa service offers multiple entry visas to applicants.

Along with the liberal visa regime, Toronto has also announced that a new nuclear cooperation pact and a mutual investment protection agreement was on the fast track. The nuclear agreement will pave the way for supply of enriched uranium for India's civil nuclear energy needs.

"We're actively negotiating a nuclear cooperation pact and have an investment protection agreement, and have established one of our most widespread overseas networks in India, with three new trade offices opened by our government since 2006," Kenney said.

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"We have also decided to double the number of Indian students coming to Canada," the minister said adding that the country is working with India on several initiatives aimed at boosting bilateral trade, currently at a "ridiculously low" level, to around USD 15 billion in next five years.

The minister was speaking at a function last night organised by the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce also attended by Indian Consul General to Canada, Preeti Saran.

Describing Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's visit to India as "extremely successful, Consul General Preeti Saran said that it would go a long way in strengthening strategic partnership between the two countries. She added that Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty's visit to India next month would further strengthen cooperation in the energy sector.

Meanwhile, Ontario Minister of Government Services
Harinder Takhar commended the contributions made by Indo-Canadians in the economic development of Canada and said that India's rapidly growing economy and its commitment to expand investment would provide significant opportunities for investors in a variety of sectors, including infrastructure, education, and energy.

ICCC President Asha Luthra said that Chamber of Commerce has taken a number of initiatives to boost bilateral trade and investment between the two countries, and also highlighted ICCC's achievements in the past one year.

Canada best for immigrants, says UNDP

Toronto, Oct 6 (IANS) Canada has been lauded as a role model for the rest of the world for accepting new immigrants.
A new report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) praises Canada for its liberal and fair immigration policies.

Canada accepts more immigrants per capita than any other nation on earth in proportion to its population. With a population of about 34 million, Canada accepts more than 250,000 immigrants each year. They come from more than 150 countries, with India and China topping as the two main sources for immigration.

More than 30,000 Indians enter Canada as new immigrant each year, though it may take them up to six years to get their applications processed in New Delhi.

The UNDP report, which rates Canada as the fourth best country to live in, says immigration has benefited Canada and other wealthy countries as their populations age.

“All Canadians can be proud of what the report says about Canada,” David Morrison, UNDP executive secretary, said here Monday.

He said: “There are one billion people on the move and that number is going to grow as we look to the future. So the report argues that migration is a process to be managed rather than problem to be solved.

“The report really singles out Canada as a model as a receiving country.”

The UNDP official said: “Canada is historically a very open country. It is a country based on immigration to a very great extent. Today, Canada is one of the most open countries to migration in the world and accepts a large number of migrants each year, both on a permanent basis and as temporary workers.

It also accepts a large number, per capita given Canada’s population size, of asylum seekers.”

Citing how many other countries make it difficult for new immigrants to enter, the 217-page report says the cost of moving from Vietnam to Japan is six times the annual income per capita in that country.

“In one in 10 countries, the costs of a passport are about 10 per cent of the money you could expect to make on an annual basis,” the UNDP executive secretary said.

“So just preparing to become a legal migrant can be burdensome, which is why we have so many people migrating through illegal channels,” he added.

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