Pilot Project to Attract More Working Families to B.C.

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ICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Aug. 12, 2011) - Family members of most temporary foreign workers in British Columbia will be able to work for any employer in the province, thanks to a pilot project launched today.

The announcement was made by Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney and British Columbia Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation Pat Bell.

"Since I became Minister, I have heard from workers, employers, labour advocates and others who have asked me to make Canada more welcoming for working families coming to Canada as temporary residents," said Minister Kenney. "With this pilot project, we will examine the benefits of allowing family members of temporary foreign workers to work while they are here with a principal applicant who has been hired because of his or her skills."

In general, temporary foreign workers come to Canada to meet the needs of a specific employer who has been unable to find citizens or permanent residents for the available jobs. An open work permit, however, allows the holder to accept any job with any employer.

Previously, only spouses and common-law partners of temporary foreign workers employed in a managerial, professional or skilled trades job have been eligible to obtain an open work permit in British Columbia. Starting August 15, spouses, common-law partners and working-age dependants of most temporary foreign workers will be eligible, including many workers in occupations that require lower levels of formal training.

"More than a million jobs will open up in B.C. by 2020, and we will need foreign workers to help meet the skills shortages our businesses are already beginning to face," said Minister Bell. "Giving more spouses and working-aged children of temporary foreign workers the chance to take jobs will support local businesses, while contributing to local, regional and provincial economic growth."

Up to 1,800 open work permits will be available under the pilot project, which will end on February 15, 2013.

"Nearly 32,000 temporary foreign workers made the transition to permanent status in 2010, and of those, almost 2,300 chose to immigrate permanently to BC," Minister Kenney noted. "We understand the important role that foreign workers have in every region of the country and we will continue to look at ways to attract workers who have the skills we need now and into the future."

British Columbia's shared role in immigration was cemented in April 2010 with the signing of the Canada-British Columbia Immigration Agreement.

Follow Citizenship and Immigration Canada on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CitImmCanada.

Connect with the Province of B.C. at www.gov.bc.ca/connect.

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Long- term Multiple-Entry visas to Canada.

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Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has recently confirmed that the issuance of long-term (up to 10 years) multiple-entry visas is now the norm for temporary resident visas (TRVs).

The new policy aims to ease travel for “low-risk” frequent visitors to Canada (such as business travellers) who are citizens of visa-required countries and to make better use of government resources by reducing the use of visa offices.

Until recently, multiple-entry TRVs were issued for a maximum of five years at a time.  The new policy reflects the reality that countries are increasingly issuing passports which are valid for 10 years.

While the ultimate duration of a TRV depends on the circumstances of each case and remains at the discretion of the visa officer, according to operational instructions recently released by CIC, as long-term multiple-entry visas are now to be considered the “norm”, officers who issue a single-entry visa, or a multiple-entry visa for less than the full validity period of the passport (up to 10 years), must provide written reasons for doing so in their case notes.

The new policy will be welcomed by employers in visa-required countries who frequently send employees to Canada for meetings or other business-related activities.

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Canadian Visa Application Centres Improved

By Government of Canada Aug 11, 2011 - 1:11:21 PM

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On August 11, 2011, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced improvements to visa services and the opening of a Visa Application Centre in San José, Costa Rica. The improved services – which support Canada’s efforts to strengthen its engagement in the Americas – aim to make applying for Canadian visas more convenient, address the number one irritant for the business community, and help position Canada as a preferred destination for business, study and leisure.

Visa Application Centre agents are available to help applicants fill out their forms and answer questions about the application process. They ensure applications are complete, which reduces the rate of returned applications and ultimately leads to faster processing. This low-cost service also lessens the potential for people to fall victim to fraud. 

Visa Application Centres send applications to Visa offices and transmit decisions to applicants in a confidential manner, which eliminates the need for applicants to queue at Visa offices. 

The Visa Application Centre in Costa Rica will also provide the option to applicants to have their visa issued at the Canadian Embassy in Costa Rica, eliminating the need to send their passport outside of the country to be issued a visa. The advantage is that travelers will be able to hold onto their passport and continue to travel while their visa application is being processed.

Canada currently has Visa Application Centres in 20 countries: Algeria, Armenia, Bangladesh, China, Guinea, Kazakhstan, Kenya, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Mongolia, Moldova, Nepal, Philippines, Romania, Russian Federation, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Uganda and Vietnam.

In addition to the new Visa Application Centre in Costa Rica, nine more centres are scheduled to open in August 2011: Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Peru and Venezuela, as well as in Brasília, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Seven further centres are scheduled to open in September 2011: Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay and Uruguay.

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Saskatchewan preparing for doctor shortage

Image via WikipediaThe province of Saskatchewan, like most of Canada, is already experiencing a shortage of doctors and with the aging population, more shortages are expected. In response to the shortage, Saskatchewan employment recruiters are looking outside of Canada for the cure.

Recruiters are travelling to the United States and the United Kingdom. Ed Mantler, CEO of the Physician Recruitment Agency of Saskatchewan, recently made the following statement to Leader Post, “We've focused our efforts much more strongly on the United Kingdom - England in particular and also Ireland to some extent," Mantler said. "That's based on what we've been hearing from our colleagues in other provinces who have also been recruiting worldwide - that there's an increasing interest in coming to Canada from the United Kingdom."

Agency representatives were sent to London, Leeds and Manchester earlier this year to recruit physicians. "At those events, we did get considerable interest from physicians in learning more about practice in Saskatchewan and some are moving ahead with the process in pursuing what it will take to get licensure and to get a work permit," Mantler added. "One of the nice things for us about recruiting from the United Kingdom is that the licensure and immigration processes are fairly rapid for immigrants from those countries."

Specialist physicians, general practitioners, and family physicians are considered to be eligible for the Federal Skilled Worker Program if they have at least one year of paid work experience in their field. Many of Canada’s provinces also offer permanent residency for health care providers through their Provincial Nominee Programs.

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Harper in Colombia on free-trade deal ‘victory lap’

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STEVEN CHASE

Bogota— Globe and Mail Update

Stephen Harper pays a brief visit to Colombia Wednesday to celebrate the coming-into-force of a free trade agreement with Canada.

His visit – part of a four-country Latin American trip – comes amid reminders of the insecurity faced by Canadian companies in Colombia.

On Monday, a Canadian company’s oil operations were attacked by what Colombian military officials says were FARC militants.

The Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) have been fighting the Colombia government for decades.

Colombian military officials told local media that 30 FARC rebels set fire to an oil reservoir owned by Canada’s Alange Energy Corp. The TSE-listed firm has recently announced a change of name to PetroMagdalena Energy Corp.

Mr. Harper visits President Manuel Santos in the Colombia capital of Bogota, a city of 8.5 million nestled in a high plateau in the Andes mountains.

He will also hold a roundtable with Canadian businesspeople in Bogota to discuss business opportunities here.

The Canada-Colombia free trade deal comes into effect August 15.

The Prime Minister’s visit to Colombia on this trip has been described as a “victory lap” for Mr. Harper.

Canada has succeeded in beating the Americans to the punch in securing preferential market access to Colombia. A U.S.-Colombia deal has been stalled by lawmakers in Washington over what proponents call protectionist concerns.

Ottawa took flak from human-rights advocates over a trade deal with Colombia, but Canadian Foundation for the Americas executive director Carlo Dade said recently that Mr. Harper’s drive to clinch the agreement was a gamble that’s been vindicated.

He said evidence in Colombia suggests the country is evolving in the right direction. For instance, former president Alvaro Uribe in 2010 accepted a Colombian court’s decision to reject a referendum that could have allowed him to skirt term limits for his office. Mr. Uribe said he respected the court’s decision.

“When was the last time you heard a Latin American leader say that?” Mr. Dade said.

“It could have turned out completely differently had Uribe said, ‘No, the country needs me too much – it is too difficult not to have me.’ Harper would have had egg on his face.”

Mr. Harper heads to Costa Rica Wedneday night and then Honduras Friday.

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