By:Kathleen Legris
In a move that may be designed to take advantage of Australia's and Britain's recent problems in the Indian-student market, Quebec is offering Canadian citizenship to international students who graduate from any university in the province.
The province's premier, Jean Charest, who is leading a delegation of university heads on a visit to India, told students and experts at the University of Mumbai on Monday that, beginning on February 14th, international students who graduate from universities in Quebec would get "a certificate of selection" that would put them on a fast track to Canadian citizenship.
According to The Times of India, Charest told the packed house that, "Any student who secures a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree from any university in Quebec will obtain a certificate of selection to become a citizen of Canada.” Mr. Charest said that once foreign students had the certificate, the federal government would then carry out security and health checks before awarding citizenship.
The premier's announcement may encourage Indian students to think about Canada, especially in the wake of recent issues in two popular countries of study. In Australia, racial violence against Indian students has increased, and the sudden closure of four colleges left thousands of Indian students without credentials, while in the U.K., a report over the weekend revealed that British authorities had temporarily suspended all student-visa applications from northern India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. According to the British Broadcasting Corporation, British officials feel the system has been overwhelmed and there are concerns that many cases are not genuine.
The move by Quebec reflects a broader national interest in focusing on India. Canadian universities appear to be showing an increased interest in strategic engagement with India, and Quebec universities, like their counterparts in other provinces, already have a number of partnerships with Indian institutions.
A pilot project run by Canadian immigration authorities and community colleges to speed up applications from India has doubled the acceptance rate, according to a report released by the government in late January. It showed that processing visas took an average of about two and a half weeks. The program is designed to uncover any fraud with a variety of checks, including a requirement that applicants provide verifiable documentation and a feedback mechanism in which colleges report back on whether students show up.
Additionally, the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) recently published a guidebook designed to assist universities and colleges in identifying good practices for recruiting international students in India.
Tougher laws sought to punish "ghost" immigration consultants
By Mike Barber, Canwest News ServiceFebruary 3, 2010
OTTAWA — The federal government needs to introduce tough penalties for uncertified immigration consultants, the industry's professional society urged Wednesday.
The Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants said vulnerable new Canadians need protection from "ghost" consultants who "don't have to prove their competence and (are) not accountable to anyone."
John Ryan, the society's chief executive officer, said ghost agents routinely prey upon landed immigrants, providing false advice and posing as guarantors of their clients' citizenship ambitions.
There are about 1,600 certified consultants across Canada. But with more than 200,000 immigrants coming here each year, some are bound to end up working with those outside of the professional body's jurisdiction.
As it stands, there is a provision under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act that punishes fraud by up to five years in prison and a fine of $100,000. But Ryan said the breadth of the law is too narrow, allowing agents to charge for services without ever committing their signature to paper.
Ghost agents "'front end' their advice by providing representation and consultation functions and simply withhold their name from submitted applications, said Ryan. "When things go wrong, it is the consumer who is ultimately responsible and ends a victim."
With prospective Canadians paying anywhere from $1,000 to $30,000 for a consultant's services, a failed application can all but scuttle the chances of some for becoming a citizen.
Calling it a "serious offence," Karen Shadd, a spokeswoman for Citizenship and Immigration Canada, confirmed that the minister, Jason Kenney, "intends to tighten the rules to make it more difficult for unauthorized third parties to operate."
© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service
OTTAWA — The federal government needs to introduce tough penalties for uncertified immigration consultants, the industry's professional society urged Wednesday.
The Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants said vulnerable new Canadians need protection from "ghost" consultants who "don't have to prove their competence and (are) not accountable to anyone."
John Ryan, the society's chief executive officer, said ghost agents routinely prey upon landed immigrants, providing false advice and posing as guarantors of their clients' citizenship ambitions.
There are about 1,600 certified consultants across Canada. But with more than 200,000 immigrants coming here each year, some are bound to end up working with those outside of the professional body's jurisdiction.
As it stands, there is a provision under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act that punishes fraud by up to five years in prison and a fine of $100,000. But Ryan said the breadth of the law is too narrow, allowing agents to charge for services without ever committing their signature to paper.
Ghost agents "'front end' their advice by providing representation and consultation functions and simply withhold their name from submitted applications, said Ryan. "When things go wrong, it is the consumer who is ultimately responsible and ends a victim."
With prospective Canadians paying anywhere from $1,000 to $30,000 for a consultant's services, a failed application can all but scuttle the chances of some for becoming a citizen.
Calling it a "serious offence," Karen Shadd, a spokeswoman for Citizenship and Immigration Canada, confirmed that the minister, Jason Kenney, "intends to tighten the rules to make it more difficult for unauthorized third parties to operate."
© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service
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