Immigration Canada

Canada Re-Opens Immigrant Investor Program

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Nov. 10, 2010) - Effective December 1, 2010, Citizenship and Immigration Canada will once again accept applications under the federal Immigrant Investor Program.
Under the new program criteria, investor applicants will need to have a personal net worth of $1.6 million, up from $800,000 under the old criteria, and make an investment of $800,000, up from the previous requirement of $400,000.
"These changes were necessary," said Minister Kenney. "The requirements had not been increased in more than a decade and we need to keep pace with the changing economy."
Canada's old immigrant investor criteria were the lowest when compared to other countries with similar programs. The new criteria now align it more closely with other immigrant-receiving countries.
The investor program was suspended in June, in part because the high volume of applications was leading to wait times that were too long. Raising the requirements will help reduce the flow of applications while ensuring we attract experienced businesspeople who can make a more substantial contribution to the economy. Higher personal net worth criteria mean the program is now better positioned to attract investors with valuable business links and the resources to make secondary investments in the Canadian economy.
"Higher investment amounts mean provinces and territories will receive more investment capital to put toward job creation and economic development projects," added the Minister.
Canada's Immigrant Investor Program offers several benefits to international investors, including permanent resident status up front and guaranteed repayment of the investment.
Under Canada's old criteria, the volume of applications submitted under the Program had grown exponentially and processing times had increased. By stopping applications between June 26, 2010, and December of this year, the government prevented further delays. Applications received on or after December 1 will be subject to the new criteria and will be processed alongside the old ones. In this way, Canada can begin to realize the benefits of the changes as soon as possible.
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Backgrounder
New federal Immigrant Investor Program will bring to Canada more resources to fund economic development and job creation initiatives
Canada's Immigrant Investor Program (IIP) attracts experienced businesspeople who bring significant economic benefits to Canada. In order to keep pace with the changing global economy and keep Canada's program competitive, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has changed the program so that it makes an even greater contribution to the Canadian economy. The changes were prepublished in the Canada Gazette on June 26, 2010, for a thirty-day public comment period and will take effect December 1, 2010.
Benefits of the IIP
Investments made through the program take the form of a five-year, zero interest loan to the Government of Canada on behalf of participating provinces and territories. These funds are distributed to participating provinces and territories to fund economic development and job creation initiatives in their regions. While investment strategies vary, some examples to date include venture capital investments in clean technology, public sector infrastructure investments (e.g., expansion of broadband Internet access, and construction of post-secondary institutions), and loans to small and medium-sized Canadian businesses. The provinces and territories must guarantee repayment of the investments received.
The provinces and territories are currently managing almost $2 billion of five-year, revolving IIP capital. In 2009 alone, almost $500 million was allocated through the program. British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories participate in the program. Other provinces and territories have expressed interest in joining as well.
Research has shown that the IIP has a positive impact on Canada's economy. While the program is an important source of investment capital that can be used by provinces and territories, immigrant investors also make significant economic contributions by bringing to Canada business acumen, important links to global economies and an understanding of international markets.
Changes to the Program
The Government of Canada has established new eligibility criteria for the IIP. These regulatory changes now require new investors to have a personal net worth of $1.6 million, up from $800,000, and make an investment of $800,000, up from $400,000.
Higher investment amounts mean that provinces and territories will receive a greater amount of capital to put toward economic development within their regions. Higher personal net worth criteria mean that the program is now better positioned to attract investors with valuable global business links and the resources to make secondary investments into the Canadian economy.
How Canada's Program Compares to Other Countries
Canada's old IIP criteria had not changed since 1999 and were the lowest when compared to other countries with similar programs (see the chart below: International Immigrant Investor Programs). The new criteria now align Canada's program more closely with other immigrant-receiving countries, while still offering investors the competitive advantages of up-front permanent resident status and guaranteed repayment of their investment.
International Immigrant Investor Programs

	Minimum Net Worth	Minimum Investment
*Canada/Quebec (old)**	CAD$800,000	CAD$400,000
Canada/Quebec (new)	CAD$1,600,000	CAD$800,000
Australia	CAD$2,157,525	CAD$1,438,350 (CAD$719,175 regional program)
UK	CAD$3,331,400	CAD$1,665,700
New Zealand	CAD$765,500	CAD$1,148,250
USA	Not specified	CAD$1,031,700 (CAD$515,850 regional program)

NOTE: Currency equivalents based on Bank of Canada nominal exchange rates, January 11, 2010.
* Under the Canada-Quebec Accord, Quebec is responsible for the selection of immigrants destined to the province, as well as the design and delivery of its own settlement services. The regulatory changes to the eligibility criteria also apply to Quebec-selected investors.
Managing Application Intake
Under the old IIP, the volume of applications grew exponentially in recent years. This surge in applications resulted in a rising inventory and longer processing times. As a result, the Department temporarily stopped accepting new applications when the changes were first proposed for public comment on June 26, 2010. These measures were put in place to prevent a flood of applications before the new criteria took effect, which would have stretched processing times even further. Once the new criteria take effect December 1, new applications will be processed alongside the old ones. In this way, Canada can begin to benefit from the changes as soon as possible.
Quebec announced its own moratorium on investor applications on October 15, and like the federal moratorium, this suspension will be lifted on December 1 when the regulatory changes to personal net worth and investment criteria take effect.

Landing a job in Calgary

Downtown Calgary seen from Edworthy Park

Image via WikipediaSource: http://www.ffwdweekly.com

Calgarians are changing.

Not so long ago, Calgary was known as a city of Caucasians wearing cowboy hats and shit-kickers. Slowly, gradually, it is developing into a multicultural metropolis.

But for the thousands of immigrants who increasingly call Calgary home, moving to Canada and planting roots is hard work. The hard work starts with the application process to get permission to move to Canada, which can take years; the trials and tribulations continue when immigrants arrive on Canadian soil. Doctors, engineers and other professionals often have an incredibly difficult time obtaining certificates, training and experience recognized by Canadian companies and government. Along with the stresses of adapting to a foreign environment, many immigrants are forced to take minimum-wage jobs, often part-time, to make ends meet. And too often immigrants get frustrated with jumping through bureaucratic hoops and obstacles; of the many immigrants who apply to come to Canada, few truly comprehend the arduous journey ahead.

For Pramod Kumar, it has taken seven years, two cities, hundreds of job applications and plenty of personal struggles to find success in his adoptive city of Calgary.

Born in central India, Kumar studied agriculture and received a master’s degree in plant breeding and genetics. For two years, he worked at the Indian Agriculture Research Institute. Given the opportunity to continue his education in his chosen field, Kumar came to Canada to attend the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon.

When he left school, he quickly realized that landing an agricultural job wasn’t going to be easy.

“After graduating I was trying to get a good job. I started working for a small consulting firm and then because of a shortage of work I was laid off,” he says. “Then I kept applying for several jobs, but because I didn’t have farm experience here in Canada I couldn’t get a job in my field.”

Two years ago Kumar moved to Calgary, hoping that a bigger city and a more developed business community would help his employment situation.

“I have applied for 300 jobs and got maybe two interview calls,” he says.

Refusing to give up on agriculture, Kumar started his own business, AgriClaim Canada Inc. He enrolled in a self-employment program through Meyers Norris Penny, which provides a wide range of business advisory services, and received startup funding from the Canadian Youth Business Foundation.

“My main business is farm consulting but I also specialize in plant breeding, so I thought of offering some unique services. One of them is intellectual property protection, which is plant breeders’ rights,” says Kumar.

With a handful of clients and a lot of potential, Kumar’s company is slowly growing; he has hired a full-time employee and recently received a grant from the federal government to further develop a portal that allows farmers, plant breeders and consultants to easily communicate and exchange information.

Kumar’s wife, Sonika, moved from India to Canada in 2005, and now, with a daughter, Anya, in kindergarten and a newborn baby girl, Prisha, the future looks brighter for the couple.

“Calgary is a very business-friendly city. I found it much better than Saskatoon because it is a larger business community. There are all kinds of company headquarters here which may help in the future,” he says. “Some of the people have started recognizing my services or my name at least.”

PLENTY HELP FOR IMMIGRANTS

According to Statistics Canada, in 1997 about 4,000 immigrants moved to Calgary. In 2007 that number had jumped to more than 14,000, and last year more than 18,000 immigrants came to Calgary. Fariborz Birjandian, executive director of the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society, points out that Calgary receives almost twice as many immigrants as Edmonton, and there are more temporary workers per capita in Calgary than any other city in Canada. “Calgary has become a city of choice,” he says.

A 2009 report by Calgary Economic Development called The Changing Profile of Calgary’s Workforce says that immigrants represent 25.3 per cent of Calgary’s labour force. “This large segment grew by 41.9 per cent from 2001 to 2006,” the report states. “The group [was] comprised of 178,700 workers in 2006, an increase of over 52,800 workers from 2001.”

There are two main reasons for immigrants to move to Calgary, says Mae Chun, an employment bridging officer with Immigrant Services Calgary (ISC). “One is if they have friends and family here — if they have that, it is usually the deciding factor,” she says. “In absence of that, it will be for economic reasons because a lot of immigrants, in my opinion… whether they come from South America, China or Indonesia, they come here with a lot of oil and gas experience, which makes Calgary the logical place for them to begin.”

Born and raised in India, Vijay Panchmatia moved to Calgary in August 2009, mainly to land a job. With a background in transportation and freight, he had worked in Dubai in the freight industry, shipping goods and equipment for many oil conglomerates.

Realizing similarities between Calgary and Dubai, Panchmatia decided to move here after visiting a few Canadian cities.

After applying for 46 jobs, which produced only two phone interviews, Panchmatia realized he needed help. He was applying for positions he felt he was far more than qualified for, yet he was alarmed that he wasn’t getting work. So, he tapped into services and programs offered by the various governments.

“It’s been very interesting, but the biggest thing I like to say is that the government support for immigrants is massive, it is so huge. There are so many different agencies for support,” he says. “I know of more than 32 agencies in this city alone.”

One simple initiative is liveinecalgary.com, a Calgary Economic Development website that provides basic information for immigrants starting out in Calgary. Another program, Momentum, teaches new Calgarians to use computers, and helps them with financing (borrowing and repaying business loans) and to secure meaningful employment. Other groups help with coping skills, interview skills and pair new immigrants with mentors in their chosen business fields.

Tapping into an ISC program, Panchmatia was partnered with a mentor who regularly coached him and advised him which companies he should send job applications to.

He ended up applying for a position as a shift manager with FedEx — a job he thought he was overqualifed for, but his mentor told him to apply anyway. The advice paid off, as Panchmatia ended up getting a higher, better-paid position — services manager — that was not publicly advertised, but FedEx officials recognized his skills and experience. Now that Panchmatia has settled into a job, he plans to bring his wife from India to Calgary.

NOT ALL MILK AND HONEY

The hardships and challenges faced by so many immigrants coming to Calgary start long before they leave their birth countries.

It often takes years for a foreigner to go through the tedious bureaucratic process to get the proper papers to migrate to Canada. The recent recession and rise in unemployment hasn’t helped much.

“The downturn came very quickly,” says Chun. “It was a sharp drop. It took a lot of people by surprise.”

For many recent immigrants, it has been a shock to arrive in Calgary and discover the economy isn’t as robust as they were originally led to believe.

“The first group that is impacted are the most recent arrivals,” says Birjandian, adding many come with education and job experience, but they end up working for minimum wage in the retail, food and hospitality industries.

One problem that causes major confusion and frustration is misinformation about employment opportunities. Prior to leaving their birth counties, many immigrants are told their job experience and certification will be recognized in Canada.

“When you come here, all your past education and experience is discounted,” says Panchmatia, who learned the hard way. “And for that you’re not prepared. This is where the support system in Canada is trying to bridge that gap. If this information is freely available to the people [immigrants], they can prepare for it.”

This has been a sticking point for years — something Alberta government officials say they are trying to fix.

“We want immigration composed of immigrants who are linked to the workforce,” says Alberta Employment and Immigration Minister Thomas Lukaszuk.

The government recognizes that immigration is necessary for the province, but Alberta wants to attract skilled, experienced workers, says Lukaszuk. Government officials, he says, are working on making it easier for immigrants to have their certifications recognized, particularly in the medical, dental and engineering professions.

“Usually they talk in very general terms,” Chun says of governments, “but in practise they are only fast-tracking certain professions and for the majority, it’s still the same long process. As far as I am concerned, it is not changing fast enough.”

Lukaszuk agrees with Chun. “A great deal of headway has been made, but we have a long way to go,” he says.

So, for now, some of the best and brightest immigrants will continue to hit stumbling blocks in getting their foreign experience and education recognized.

“You need to be above-average in your field of industry,” says Panchmatia. “Every immigrant is above-average in their field in their country or else they do not qualify. The people that come here are the crème de la crème.”

It often takes years for newly landed immigrants to develop the Canadian skills and experience they need to secure jobs in their chosen fields. Until that point, many have to take jobs — any jobs — to survive and pay the bills.

The key to success, says Kumar, is to have an open mind.

“My advice is to make use of all the resources because there are resources available everywhere,” he says. “If you need specific training, there is training available. Focus on what you want to do and get appropriate training and maybe some work experience.”

Saskatchewan sees job growth.

Image via Wikipedia

More people in Saskatchewan are working now compared to this time last year, according to Statistics Canada.
Statistics indicate there were 525,800 people working in Saskatchewan in October 2010 — a record for the month of October and an overall increase of 5,200 compared to the same month in 2009.
"Saskatchewan's growth agenda is yielding real benefits for our province's citizens," Advanced Education, Employment and Immigration Minister Rob Norris said.
"We've never seen so many people working in October, and our workers are earning more than they ever have."
Norris also pointed out more than 11,300 full-time positions were created in Saskatchewan's private sector over the past year.
"That speaks to the quality of employment opportunities that we see in the province," he said.
"Obviously, a second number that caught our attention [is] more than 11,000 jobs that have been created by the private sector year-over-year. These are sustainable, quality jobs that are reflective of the robust nature of what's going on in Saskatchewan."
Norris also pointed out that for the sixth consecutive month, First Nations and Métis numbers saw a year-over-year increase with employment up 6.7 per cent.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/story/2010/11/05/sask-job-growth.html#ixzz14VsnXDmu

Canada holds immigration levels steady

Image via WikipediaThe federal government wants to keep Canada's immigration levels steady next year but change the mix of newcomers, limiting economic immigrants and boosting the number of spouses and children.
In its annual report to Parliament on immigration, the Conservative government says it aims to take in between 240,000 and 265,000 new permanent residents next year. That's the same target as this year and last.

But Immigration Minister Jason Kenney is looking to cut the economic class of immigrants by about 5,000 people – despite highlighting the growing dependence of the Canadian workforce on immigrant labour.
“Canada's post-recession economy demands a high level of legal immigration to keep our workforce strong,” Mr. Kenney said in a news release.
Provinces are taking a growing role in selecting economic immigrants, the report notes. As the number of federally selected newcomers in the economic class drops back, the number of provincially selected workers is climbing.
Mr. Kenney is increasing the target range for spouses and children, to a high of 48,000 – up from 45,000 in 2010, and back to the historical norm.
He is also expecting the number of refugees to rise, partly because the government has committed to doubling the number it resettles from overseas refugee camps.
“These refugees are selected and screened by Canada, and come here legally,” Mr. Kenney said. “We look forward to giving them a safe, new beginning.”
By keeping immigration levels steady, Mr. Kenney is walking a fine line between those who want levels to rise steadily to deal with an expected worker shortage, and those who want to cut back dramatically on newcomers until well after the recession.
Glen Hodgson, chief economist at the Conference Board of Canada, argues that the recession prompted a temporary glut in workers. As the economy recovers, and as retirements soar, he figures Canada will require about 350,000 immigrants a year by 2030 in order to keep its workforce growing.
Plus, Ottawa needs to make sure those immigrants meet the labour market's needs, Mr. Hodgson says.
“A reinvigorated immigration policy, growing toward 350,000 by about 2030, will need to recognize the importance of skills-based immigration to address Canada's labour market needs and to unlock immigrants' potential for making a long-term economic contribution,” he writes in a recent article.
But a new, conservative group of immigration experts wants Mr. Kenney to go the other way.
“It makes no sense to maintain high levels of immigration when large numbers of Canadians are unemployed,” the Centre for Immigration Policy Reform says.
Canadians can confront the coming skills shortage by themselves, by improving their own training and working later in life, the centre's website states.
“There will be no such shortages if more Canadians acquire the needed skills, which can be accomplished if wages, government policies and other conditions encourage them to do so and the jobs are not filled by immigrants.”
For Mr. Kenney, the answer for now is to keep the immigration levels the same, but to focus on integrating newcomers more effectively so that the Canadian workforce can benefit fully from their training and expertise.
“Immigrants arrive in Canada with degrees and experience in skilled occupations such as medicine or engineering. Yet, many are unable to fill the critical positions our labour force desperately needs,” Mr. Kenney said in a speech on Monday.
“It isn't because they are unqualified or that they don't have the skills these positions demand, it's just that they are unable to transfer their international education and experience into Canadian workplaces in a timely manner.”

Source: The Globe and Mail

Total complete Federal Skilled Worker (SW1) applications received since June 26, 2010

The Centre Block on Parliament Hill, containin...

Image via WikipediaOn June 26, 2010, the eligibility criteria for Federal Skilled Worker applicants changed.
Between June 26, 2010, and June 30, 2011, a maximum of 20,000 complete Federal Skilled Worker applications will be considered for processing. Within the 20,000 cap, a maximum of 1,000 Federal Skilled Worker applications per eligible occupation will be considered for processing within this same time frame.
These limits do not apply to applications with an offer of arranged employment (job offer).
Applications received toward the overall cap: 2,988 of 20,000 as of October 29, 2010

Applications received per eligible occupation:

Eligible Occupation (by National Occupational Classification [NOC] code)	Number of Complete Applications Received*
0631 Restaurant and Food Service Managers	116
0811 Primary Production Managers (except Agriculture)	29
1122 Professional Occupations in Business Services to Management	900
1233 Insurance Adjusters and Claims Examiners	40
2121 Biologists and Related Scientists	141
2151 Architects	165
3111 Specialist Physicians	126
3112 General Practitioners and Family Physicians	157
3113 Dentists	197
3131 Pharmacists	260
3142 Physiotherapists	55
3152 Registered Nurses	405
3215 Medical Radiation Technologists	8
3222 Dental Hygienists and Dental Therapists	4
3233 Licensed Practical Nurses	18
4151 Psychologists	37
4152 Social Workers	81
6241 Chefs	17
6242 Cooks	44
7215 Contractors and Supervisors, Carpentry Trades	19
7216 Contractors and Supervisors, Mechanic Trades	53
7241 Electricians (except Industrial and Power System)	32
7242 Industrial Electricians	36
7251 Plumbers	8
7265 Welders and Related Machine Operators	7
7312 Heavy-Duty Equipment Mechanics	14
7371 Crane Operators	0
7372 Drillers and Blasters - Surface Mining, Quarrying and Construction	2
8222 Supervisors, Oil and Gas Drilling and Service	17

*The number of complete Federal Skilled Worker applications received as of October 29, 2010, is approximate.
NOTE: Because application intake fluctuates, these figures are meant as a guide only. There is no guarantee that an application sent in now will fall within the cap.

Immigration Canada