Canada and Nova Scotia to Work Together on Temporary Foreign Workers

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OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - March 20, 2011) - Temporary foreign workers in Nova Scotia will be better protected as a result of an agreement between Canada and Nova Scotia that gives the province a role in managing the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.
"Temporary foreign workers make a key contribution to the Canadian economy and we are taking the necessary steps to protect them from exploitation," said Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism. "We are ensuring that temporary foreign workers are treated with respect, with agreements such as this, and with the new regulations that take effect nationwide on April 1."
The agreement, an annex to the Agreement for Canada-Nova Scotia Cooperation on Immigration, provides a framework for closer co-operation between the two governments to better educate employers and potential workers about their rights and responsibilities.
"The Government of Nova Scotia has a central role in protecting workers, including temporary foreign workers, from mistreatment, and this agreement formally recognizes that role," added Minister Kenney.
Nova Scotia will also have a greater role in helping employers access the labour and skills they need, and will be able to recommend the entry of some temporary foreign workers without requiring an assessment of whether there are Canadians or permanent residents available to fill the vacant positions.
"This agreement is an important step in making the program more responsive to Nova Scotia's particular labour needs," added Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development.
"Attracting temporary international workers to Nova Scotia will help ensure there is enough skilled labour available for our businesses and industries," said Marilyn More, Nova Scotia Minister of Labour and Advanced Education and Minister of Immigration. "Temporary international workers have technical skills and international contacts our companies and communities need in order to remain innovative, productive and competitive, the key priorities outlined in the Government of Nova Scotia's jobsHere plan to grow the economy."
The Temporary Foreign Worker Program is driven by employer demand and aimed at filling identified labour shortages when sufficient, suitable Canadian workers or permanent residents are not available. For more on the regulations that take effect on April 1, 2011, please see the news release of August 18, 2010.
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For more information, please contact
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Minister's Office
Alykhan Velshi
or
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Communications Branch
Media Relations
613-952-1650              613-952-1650     
CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca
or
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
Minister's Office
Michelle Bakos
819-994-2482           819-994-2482     
or
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
Media Relations
819-994-5559              819-994-5559     
or
Office of Immigration
Media Relations
Tom Peck
902-424-3742              902-424-3742     
peckto@gov.ns.ca

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Ottawa sets up new agency to regulate immigration consultants, deal with fraud

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TORONTO - A new regulatory body for immigration consultants is in the works as part of the federal government's crackdown on scam artists who prey on would-be newcomers to Canada, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced Friday.

The aim of the proposed agency is to protect immigrants from shoddy or dishonest operators, Kenney said.

"There are people who sometimes seek to unethically make a profit by exploiting the hopes and dreams of newcomers," Kenney said. "These unlicensed, unregistered, unscrupulous consultants give the profession a black eye by taking thousands of dollars from individuals — often in cash — and all too often providing nothing in return."

Ottawa has faced a barrage of complaints over the years about so-called "ghost" consultants, who provide bad or fraudulent advice and counterfeit documents, or take cash up front.

Until now, the industry has been self-policing without formal recognition from Ottawa.

The proposed Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council, which will be responsible to Ottawa and regulate immigration consultants, is slated to be up and running by the summer.

It will be charged with ensuring consultants are properly licensed and policed.

The agency is part of a broader federal crackdown on immigration consultants initiated in the form of Bill C-35 last June.

The bill, expected to become law next week, would require — under threat of criminal sanction — that those who act as consultants for pay be licensed, and includes stiff penalties for bogus operators.

Consultants operating abroad would also have to be licensed by the new regulatory council.

While the new law would help deal with scam artists in Canada, Kenney conceded a big part of the problem exists with fraudsters in source countries who are beyond the reach of Canadian justice.

Kenney said he's been talking to his counterparts in immigrant-source countries — he recently was in India and Pakistan — urging them to strengthen their relevant laws.

Imran Qayyum, chairman of the Canadian Migration Institute, said little appears to have come from Kenney's efforts abroad.

"The federal government's been missing in action when it comes down to trying to address this issue," Qayyum said. "How many 'ghosts' have they put out of business? As far as I know zero."

Currently, bona fide immigration consultants belong to the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants, with almost 2,000 members across Canada and overseas.

However, Ottawa has not formally recognized the group, which is not accountable to the federal government and has faced criticism for not dealing with bad apples.

The Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants said it was "considering its options" in light of Kenney's announcement.

"We are saddened and surprised that the government has put more than 1,900 accredited consultants and 38 staff members of CSIC in limbo," the society said in a statement.

"The government has opted to designate a third party with no regulatory experience — it could be years before this group can build up the regulator sophistication that CSIC has today."

The government has also launched an advertising blitz at home and abroad in hopes of educating would-be immigrants, in part pointing out that they don't need consultants to apply to Canada.

The campaign also notes that no one can guarantee a successful immigration application.

Opposition critics have said Ottawa is going to have to ensure the new law is properly enforced to have any effect.

— With files from Terri Theodore in Vancouver

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