Portuguese Immigration to Canada

Image via WikipediaBefore 1950 most immigration occurred from fishing and exploring.
The immigrants from Portugal that came to Canada were fishermen. 85 men in total came, 65 from the main land and 18 from the island of Azores named San Miguel, immigrated to Canada during that time. They fished off the coast of Newfoundland where there they would find rich fishing areas. The Portuguese balanced their diet by eating cod. In 1500 a big amount of Portuguese fisherman joined the French and fish there, but only some Portuguese settled there. They didn’t spend much time in Canada because of large vessels that they were using didn’t allow them to stay much time. Many people came but what made them come.
This is what happened to the Portuguese people, that made them have to immigrate. After World War II Portuguese began to immigrate to Canada, this began around 1947. Before this Canada’s cold climate and Newfoundland’s poor economy, didn’t grab Portuguese attention.

After 1950

After 1950 the Portuguese people that immigrated to Canada had a better chance of living, because of all the changes that were happening. The Portuguese started to immigrate to many places including Venezuela, South Africa, Argentina, West side of Germany, United States, and Canada. Many of the Portuguese left Portugal because they didn’t want to get involved with the war. They kept on immigrating to Canada because of all the immigrants from Angola that were starting to bunch up in Portugal, made it very hard to find a job. Most of the men left their families in Portugal, went to Canada to make money so they could save some money, buy a house, and try to go back to Portugal and stay there forever. Canada wasn’t just the only country that the Portuguese immigrated to, they also went to Brazil. Only 61 700 people went to Canada during 1950-1976, and over 300 000 wen to Brazil during that time period. 8115 went to Canada during 1951-1957. In 1958-1962 that number of people increased. There was now twice as much people as there was in 1951-1957. Once more the number's increased. Hundreds of Portuguese people immigrated to Canada from Portugal.
Where the Portuguese arrived was a place where they would do many things. The Portuguese settled in Halifax, Nova Scotia, this was during 1953. After they settled, the Portuguese started to explore and later on they settled in Toronto, Galt-Cambridge, and Montreal. They started to go to those places because other people had said that there were a bigger variety of jobs to go to. They also went there because they would get paid fairly well from the jobs in these large cities. There was also cheap housing, and cheap housing helped the Portuguese a l lot because they didn’t have that much money to spend. A man by the name Manuel Cabral even brought some American people to go work for him, because he owned a job up in Canada. They fished and settled in the province of Nova Scotia.
How did the Portuguese immigrants come so far? How did the Portuguese immigrate to Canada and other parts of the world? Well they crossed the Atlantic ocean on boats and ships, to come to Canada. But in other closer places they just simply ran away because there were a lot of things going on. It was all because of War and Portuguese people needed money and food to survive, so they immigrated to all parts of the world. They went to a lot, in boats to get to Canada.
Why did the Portuguese immigrate to Canada? Ill tell you. The government in Brazil was already restricting immigration, but in Canada there was still people immigrating, because the government opened up and let in anyone, even family members. People kept on immigrating to Canada because there was freedom, and in Portugal there wasn’t freedom in Portugal because of all the wars that were happening. People talked to the Portuguese years after they immigrated to Canada, and they said, “All we wanted was to live in a free country.” Three other big reasons were: friends and other people said that there was a better chance of getting a job, people bought houses, and had their own business, and live in these large cities. A community was already forming by the 1950’s in Toronto, Galt-Cambridge, and in Montreal. Canada had no choice but to take immigrants.
I am going to tell you when and where many first immigrants first settled. The first ever group of Portuguese immigrants that came to Canada was in 1953 and would later settled in the prairies of Ontario. Toronto, Galt-Cambridge, and Montreal had many of the first Portuguese immigrants that ever came to Canada. There were 16 700 Portuguese people that immigrated to Canada during 1958-1962, by 1963-67 that number had doubled. Over hundreds of thousands of Portuguese people immigrated to Canada during certain time periods
This concludes my report. In this report it should have told you that before the 1950’s there weren’t too many people immigrating to Canada from Portugal, but after 1950 there were many immigrants from Portugal. 

Related articles

• Portugal puts up fight against debt crisis (telegraph.co.uk)
• Portugal May Be Next To Need EU Rescue Package (npr.org)
• Canada urges EU to deal with Portugal quickly (reuters.com)
• Portugal prepares to be market focus after Ireland (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Portugal, Spain become market target after Ireland (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Irish Rescue Plan Shifts Focus to Portugal, Spain: Euro Credit (businessweek.com)
• "Debt Crisis Rattles Irish Government as EU Scrambles to Prevent Contagion From Spreading" and related posts (moneymorning.com)

Skilled Worker Immigrants Faring Well in Canada, New Evaluation Shows

Image via WikipediaOTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwire) -- 11/25/10 -- Immigrants selected by the federal government under the current skilled worker program are contributing to Canada's economy, a new evaluation has found.
The evaluation measured whether the current federal skilled worker program is selecting immigrants who are more likely to succeed economically in Canada. In 2009, federal skilled workers made up approximately 10 percent of Canada's annual immigration intake-25 percent when one includes spouses and dependent children.
According to the evaluation, the biggest predictors of an immigrant's economic success are having a job already arranged in Canada when applying; the ability to speak English or French; and having worked in Canada before applying to immigrate. Having studied in Canada for at least two years and having a relative in Canada are less of a determinant of success.
"The evaluation showed that skilled immigrants are doing well in Canada and filling gaps in our work force," said Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Jason Kenney. "This puts some dents in the doctors-driving-taxis stereotype."
The findings revealed that the selection criteria, put in place when the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) became law, have been successful in improving the outcomes of skilled immigrants by placing more emphasis on arranged employment, language and education. Income for skilled workers selected under the IRPA criteria was as much as 65 percent higher than for workers chosen under the pre-IRPA system. Skilled workers who already had a job offer when they applied for permanent residence fared best of all, earning on average $79,200 three years after arriving in Canada. The findings also revealed that skilled workers selected under the IRPA criteria were less likely to rely on employment insurance or social assistance.
Among other recommendations, the evaluation suggested placing higher priority on younger workers, and increasing the integrity of the arranged employment part of the program, which is susceptible to fraud. The evaluation also recommended that further emphasis be placed on fluency in English or French, and supported the Minister's June 2010 decision to require language testing for federal skilled worker applicants to combat fraud.
"We're pleased the evaluation showed that the program is working as intended," said Minister Kenney. "We're committed to making it even better and will be consulting on improvements in the coming weeks." The Department is planning to put forward for public consultation several proposals to improve the program, building on the achievements in the evaluation report.
Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CitImmCanada.

Related articles

• UK to cut student and skilled worker visas (americablog.com)
• Immigration cap will hurt some UK businesses more than others (telegraph.co.uk)
• Canada's 2011 immigration level unchanged (cbc.ca)
• Immigration cap: Government bows to industry pressure (telegraph.co.uk)
• Capping immigration: The fire next time (economist.com)
• Immigration cap to cut migrant workers by a fifth (guardian.co.uk)
• Immigration cap: Breakdown by numbers (telegraph.co.uk)
• Changes to UK immigration laws announced by Theresa May (mirror.co.uk)
• Immigration cap to cut migrant workers by up to 25pc (telegraph.co.uk)

Nova Scotia: Agri-Food Sector Stream

Image via WikipediaThe Agri-Food Sector stream is aimed at immigrants interested in agri-food primary production and/or value added production. The stream gives the opportunity to strengthen rural communities by creating jobs and growing the economy by bringing agricultural skills to Nova Scotia. The Agri-Food Sector pilot is a joint venture between the Office of Immigration and the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture.
To be eligible to apply under this stream, the applicant must:

• have legal status in the country of residence
• be between the ages of 21 and 55
• have completed the equivalent to a Canadian high school diploma with a minimum of 12 years of education and/or training from a recognized institution and/or authority
• provide proof of sufficient English or French language proficiency to be employable and functional in Nova Scotia upon arrival based on documentation of language proficiency
• have a minimum of 3 years experience in farm ownership, farm management OR practical farming experience with skills relevant to Nova Scotia farming conditions.
• have marketable skills to supplement farm income (or his/her spouse)
• demonstrate that you have sufficient settlement supports and financial resources, including transferable funds in your name, in order to pay your immigration costs and travel expenses (if applicable) and to successfully establish yourself and your family in the agri-food sector.
• have a minimum personal net worth of $150,000 (after relocation to Nova Scotia - before the farm is purchased).
• make a minimum equity investment of $100,000 in a new or existing farming operation in capital assets (land, machinery) or working capital.
• plan to establish a farm, purchase a farm or become partner in an existing farm business. If you invest in an existing farm business, you must control at least 33.33% and take an active part in the operation of the business.
• submit a detailed agri-business plan with your application form. A template can be found at   http://gov.ns.ca/agri/bde/news/pdfs/AgriBusinessPlan.pdf

A qualifying farming business must demonstrate a minimum annual revenue of $10,000 CAD. Hobby farms are not eligible.
You need to come for a minimum of one 5 working days exploratory visit for Nova Scotia to explore farming opportunities. During this visit, you will meet with representatives of the Department of Agriculture who will inform and guide you in the Nova Scotia agri-food sector. You will also have an interview with a nominee officer from the Office of Immigration who will provide you with information about the application process.

CHOOSE MANITOBA OPPORTUNITIES FOR U.S. RESIDENTS

Image via Wikipedia

Manitoba welcomes applications from U.S. residents under a special initiative of our government immigration program.

Under the initiative, applications from the U.S. will be given priority assessment.

Why choose Manitoba?

We're the friendly and prosperous Canadian province that neighbours North Dakota. Manitoba offers opportunities for you and your family to pursue rewarding careers while enjoying an affordable lifestyle and the benefits of high-quality, accessible public education and health care.

U.S. residents will find employment opportunities here. Our economy is stable and strong. Americans who have visited Manitoba for pleasure - and for business or work - find they feel right at home.

The Manitoba government selects candidates for immigration based on their job and English language skills and ability to settle as permanent residents of Manitoba.

U.S. residents can apply to the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program under a special initiative. Eligibility requirements include making an exploratory visit to Manitoba. For details, visit Strategic Initiatives.

To learn about living and working in Manitoba, visit Choose Manitoba.

Related articles

• Manitoba banks on business support for Youth Corps (cbc.ca)
• 'Friendly Manitoba' craves immigrants (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• 'Buy Manitoba' program announced (cbc.ca)

Defying Trend, Canada Lures More Migrants

Image via WikipediaArticle originally published in the New York Times.

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — As waves of immigrants from the developing world remade Canada a decade ago, the famously friendly people of Manitoba could not contain their pique.

Multimedia

Slide Show

Immigrants Welcomed in Manitoba

What irked them was not the Babel of tongues, the billions spent on health care and social services, or the explosion of ethnic identities. The rub was the newcomers’ preference for “M.T.V.” — Montreal, Toronto or Vancouver — over the humble prairie province north of North Dakota, which coveted workers and population growth.
Demanding “our fair share,” Manitobans did something hard to imagine in American politics, where concern over illegal immigrants dominates public debate and states seek more power to keep them out. In Canada, which has little illegal immigration, Manitoba won new power to bring foreigners in, handpicking ethnic and occupational groups judged most likely to stay.
This experiment in designer immigration has made Winnipeg a hub of parka-clad diversity — a blue-collar town that gripes about the cold in Punjabi and Tagalog — and has defied the anti-immigrant backlash seen in much of the world.
Rancorous debates over immigration have erupted from Australia to Sweden, but there is no such thing in Canada as an anti-immigrant politician. Few nations take more immigrants per capita, and perhaps none with less fuss.
Is it the selectivity Canada shows? The services it provides? Even the Mad Cowz, a violent youth gang of African refugees, did nothing to curb local appetites for foreign workers.
“When I took this portfolio, I expected some of the backlash that’s occurred in other parts of the world,” said Jennifer Howard, Manitoba’s minister of immigration. “But I have yet to have people come up to me and say, ‘I want fewer immigrants.’ I hear, ‘How can we bring in more?’ ”
This steak-and-potatoes town now offers stocks of palm oil and pounded yams, four Filipino newspapers, a large Hindu Diwali festival, and a mandatory course on Canadian life from the grand to the granular. About 600 newcomers a month learn that the Canadian charter ensures “the right to life, liberty and security” and that employers like cover letters in Times New Roman font. (A gentle note to Filipinos: résumés with photographs, popular in Manila, are frowned on in Manitoba.)
“From the moment we touched down at the airport, it was love all the way,” said Olusegun Daodu, 34, a procurement professional who recently arrived from Nigeria to join relatives and marveled at the medical card that offers free care. “If we have any reason to go to the hospital now, we just walk in.”
“The license plates say ‘Friendly Manitoba,’ ” said his wife, Hannah.
“It’s true — really, really true,” Mr. Daodu said. “I had to ask my aunt, ‘Do they ever get angry here?’ ”
Canada has long sought immigrants to populate the world’s second largest land mass, but two developments in the 1960s shaped the modern age. One created a point system that favors the highly skilled. The other abolished provisions that screened out nonwhites. Millions of minorities followed, with Chinese, Indians and Filipinos in the lead.
Relative to its population, Canada takes more than twice as many legal immigrants as the United States. Why no hullabaloo?
With one-ninth of the United States’ population, Canada is keener for growth, and the point system helps persuade the public it is getting the newcomers it needs. The children of immigrants typically do well. The economic downturn has been mild. Plus the absence of large-scale illegal immigration removes a dominant source of the conflict in the United States.
“The big difference between Canada and the U.S is that we don’t border Mexico,” said Naomi Alboim, a former immigration official who teaches at Queens University in Ontario.
French and English from the start, Canada also has a more accommodating political culture — one that accepts more pluribus and demands less unum. That American complaint — “Why do I have to press 1 for English?” — baffles a country with a minister of multiculturalism.

Another force is in play: immigrant voting strength. About 20 percent of Canadians are foreign born (compared with 12.5 percent in the United States), and they are quicker to acquire citizenship and voting rights. “It’s political suicide to be against immigration,” said Leslie Seidle of the Institute for Research on Public Policy, a Montreal group.


Some stirrings of discontent can be found. The rapid growth of the “M.T.V.” cities has fueled complaints about congestion and housing costs. A foiled 2006 terrorist plot brought modest concern about radical Islam. And critics of the refugee system say it rewards false claims of persecution, leaving the country with an unlocked back door.
“There’s considerably more concern among our people than is reflected in our policies,” said Martin Collacott, who helped create the Center for Immigration Policy Reform, a new group that advocates less immigration.
Mr. Collacott argues high levels of immigration have run up the cost of the safety net, slowed economic growth and strained civic cohesion, but he agrees the issue has little force in politics. “There’s literally no one in Parliament willing to take up the cudgel,” he said.
The Manitoba program, started in 1998 at employers’ behest, has grown rapidly under both liberal and conservative governments. While the federal system favors those with college degrees, Manitoba takes the semi-skilled, like truck drivers, and focuses on people with local relatives in the hopes that they will stay. The newcomers can bring spouses and children and get a path to citizenship.
Most are required to bring savings, typically about $10,000, to finance the transition without government aid. While the province nominates people, the federal government does background checks and has the final say. Unlike many migrant streams, the new Manitobans have backgrounds that are strikingly middle class.
“Back home was good — not bad,” said Nishkam Virdi, 32, who makes $17 an hour at the Palliser furniture plant after moving from India, where his family owned a machine shop.
He said he was drawn less by wages than by the lure of health care and solid utilities. “The living standard is higher — the lighting, the water, the energy,” he said.
The program has attracted about 50,000 people over the last decade, and surveys show a majority stayed. Ms. Howard, the immigration minister, credits job placement and language programs, but many migrants cite the informal welcomes.
“Because we are from the third world, I thought they might think they are superior,” said Anne Simpao, a Filipino nurse in tiny St. Claude, who was approached by a stranger and offered dishes and a television set. “They call it friendly Manitoba, and it’s really true.”
One complaint throughout Canada is the difficulty many immigrants have in transferring professional credentials. Heredina Maranan, 45, a certified public accountant in Manila, has been stuck in a Manitoba factory job for a decade. She did not disguise her disappointment when relatives sought to follow her. “I did not encourage them,” she said. “I think I deserved better.”
They came anyway — two families totaling 14 people, drawn not just by jobs but the promise of good schools.
“Of course I wanted to come here,” said her nephew, Lordie Osena. “In the Philippines there are 60 children in one room.”
Every province except Quebec now runs a provincial program, each with different criteria, diluting the force of the federal point system. The Manitoba program has grown so rapidly, federal officials have imposed a numerical cap.
Arthur Mauro, a Winnipeg business leader, hails the Manitoba program but sees limited lessons for a country as demographically different as the United States. “There are very few states in the U.S. that say, ‘We need people,’ ” he said.
But Arthur DeFehr, chief executive officer of Palliser furniture, does see a lesson: choose migrants who fill local needs and give them a legal path.
With 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States, he sees another opportunity for Manitoba. “I’m sure many of those people would make perfectly wonderful citizens of Canada,” he said. “I think we should go and get them.”

Related articles

• 'Friendly Manitoba' craves immigrants (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Immigration pilot program tested in Manitoba (cbc.ca)
• B.C. most likely to welcome immigrants: poll (globaltvbc.com)

Will these Irish migrants be different from the past?

Image via WikipediaSource: BBC News

The Celtic Tiger is in intensive care and young people are rushing for the exits. But how will a new exodus of Irish to Britain compare with previous waves of Irish immigration, asks Tom de Castella?

A couple of days before Ireland's politicians meekly agreed to the EU's financial bailout, a gleaming new terminal opened at Dublin airport.
T2 cost 600m euros but with the economy in deep recession and passenger numbers falling, it is being seen as a monument to Ireland's economic collapse.
Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary arrived at the opening in a hearse dressed in an undertaker's outfit and bearing a coffin, while a taxi driver told the Financial Times: "I suppose they're getting it ready for all the young people trying to emigrate."
Black humour is rife but beneath the joking lies a serious point. Ireland may be on the verge of sending another wave of migrants to foreign shores.

Many young Irish are now reaching for one of these

In the year up to April 2010, Irish emigration grew by 40% to 65,000 but almost half of those were Eastern Europeans returning home. The difference now is that the numbers are accelerating and it is the Irish who are leaving, according to the country's Economic and Social Research Institute. In July the research body predicted that 200,000 people would emigrate between 2010 and 2015.
"We've always had a culture of emigration," says Jamie Smyth, social affairs correspondent at the Irish Times, referring to the potato famine of the 1840s in which the Irish population shrank by more than 20% after a million people died and another million emigrated.
With a third of under-25s out of work it is the young who are most likely to leave, with Australia, New Zealand and Canada ahead of the UK as destinations according to last year's figures, says Smyth.

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

If you can get out you do”

End Quote Claire Weir, 25

Indeed in the first nine months of 2009, there was only a 7% rise in the number of Irish people registered to work in the UK, hardly a major increase. But he cautions that these figures are a year out of date, and since then the UK economy has begun to recover while Ireland's economic malaise has worsened.

Claire Weir, a 25-year-old graduate, is one of the new arrivals to Britain. At the weekend she packed up her stuff, got a lift to Dublin and took the ferry to Holyhead, en route to a new life in London.
The trained photographer is sleeping on a friend's sofa, looking for part-time work in a supermarket or pub to pay the bills while she finds regular photography work.
"I just want a job, I need a bit of money coming in and can't live on thin air. I don't think I can get that consistency in Ireland."

Part of her photography studies involved taking pictures of the many unfinished property developments that now litter Ireland. She and her friends feel betrayed by a political and business class that has indebted the country for her generation. Now they are voting with their feet.
"If you can get out you do. I come from a rural area in County Meath and there are very few graduates left. Four of my closest friends have gone, the others are either in a relationship or at college so can't leave."
Mary Corcoran, professor of sociology at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth, says that the boom years were an exception - for nearly every other decade since the Irish state was founded in 1919, emigration has been part of its economic survival.
Emigration reached its apogee in the 1950s when 50,000 people left a year. The outward trend stopped briefly during the 1970s but returned with a vengeance the following decade when unemployment soared. On average, 35,000 people were leaving the country a year during the 80s.
"That is the decade many are comparing today's situation with. People remember airports at Christmas time packed with emigrants coming home and the farewells in January when they all went back again."

Continue reading the main story

A 1950s Irish childhood in Britain

Poet and academic Eavan Boland moved to Britain in the early 50s when her father took up the post of Irish ambassador to London. Despite her family's exalted position in society, she recalls a British establishment that saw the Irish as "a sub race". It led her to write the poem An Irish Childhood in England: 1951, which reflected on an incident when she first went to school in England aged six. "The Irish frequently say 'I amn't' instead of 'I'm not'. But when I stood there in school and uttered the phrase the teacher turned to me scathingly and said: 'You're not in Ireland now'. It was a very small incident but has always stayed with me. We went onto the shores of England as a defeated people."

Britain, along with America, was the traditional choice for Irish people seeking a new life. In the 19th Century it was the Irish navvies who built Britain's railways, in the 20th Century they manned the nation's building sites or worked as domestic help, creating Irish ghettos in the big cities.

"When we think of emigration we think of the famine ships or the people who went to Kilburn in the early 70s and drank themselves into an early grave," she says. But the character of emigration has changed. The Irish population today is far better educated with nearly half of 25-34 year-olds having gone on to higher education, the second highest rate in the EU.
Today's immigrants are more likely to be in IT or business than construction. And whereas in the past the US was easy to settle in without papers, today the Patriot Act and tighter checks makes America off limits to most Irish.
So how will the new arrivals to Britain fare? Highly-skilled graduates in areas such as IT will find it relatively easy to get jobs, she believes. But the construction workers who once had easy pickings on British building sites will now be competing against well established East Europeans. On the plus side, whereas it was hard for previous generations to keep in touch with home, the advent of e-mail, Skype and Ryanair has made it much easier for the new wave of immigrants.

The loss of young hurlers has affected village teams

And neither will they face the same hostility as their forebears. Britain was once a byword for prejudice against Irish workers with the notorious "No Blacks, No Dogs, No Irish" signs posted on B&B doors. Later, IRA bombings intensified anti-Irish feelings.
But things have changed beyond recognition for the new wave of Irish arrivals in the UK. Not only has the peace process reset the political context and the boom years given the Irish self-confidence, but the activities of radical Islamist groups have created a new scapegoat, she says.
Poet Eavan Boland, who moved to the UK in the 1950s, believes that despite possible tensions over historical baggage, the new wave of immigrants will not face the prejudices expressed in the past.
"The UK is no longer anti-Irish. In those days Ireland was a country that had been disloyal in World War II by staying neutral. It was Catholic. It was only when it became a republic in 1948 - previously it was a Free State - that Irish people could travel in Britain without papers.
"Now we're all European, we have the same passport and are entitled to free movement. Britain was a great partner in the peace process, people went through a lot together.
"And David Cameron made a beautiful speech about Bloody Sunday that was an extremely healing moment. It's come too far, there's too much understanding. I don't think you can reverse that now."
But with some resentment evident on both sides of the Irish Sea about the UK role in the rescue package agreed this week - British taxpayers unhappy and Irish pride rather injured - it remains to be seen where the relationship goes from here


.

Related articles

• So Ireland's back to exporting its best known natural resource - emigrants | Peter Geoghegan (guardian.co.uk)
• The Hunt for Jobs Sends the Irish Abroad, Again (nytimes.com)
• A new Irish exodus to the UK (bbc.co.uk)
• Ireland on the brink: Time for the Second Republic? (leftfootforward.org)
• Laura Flanders: The F Word: Solving the Irish Crisis (huffingtonpost.com)
• You: Emigration soars as Irish look for way out (menafn.com)
• Ireland Crisis: 'Can't Wait to Get Away' (craigconsidine.wordpress.com)
• Emigration soars as Irish look for way out (marketwatch.com)
• You: Young Irish trying their luck abroad (washingtonpost.com)

Canada grants Taiwan visa-waiver privilege

Taipei, Nov. 22 (CNA) Taiwanese citizens will be granted non-immigrant visa-free entry to Canada with immediate effect, the Canada Trade Office in Taipei (CTOT) announced Monday. Holders of ordinary Taiwan passports that contain a personal identification number and are issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taiwan will no longer be required to obtain a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV) to visit Canada for vacation or study periods of up to six months, the CTOT said. However, the office said, visa-free access does not imply automatic entry to Canada. Visitors will still need to meet the admission requirements that apply to all travelers seeking entry to Canada, with or without a visa, it said. Permission to enter Canada will be granted only at the ports of entry and at the sole discretion of Canadian border officials, the office said. It is therefore strongly recommended that visitors answer border officials' questions truthfully at all times, the office said. Upon arrival at a Canadian port of entry, the period of stay will be determined by an immigration officer, the CTOT explained. Unless otherwise indicated, the period of stay will be for six months, it said. The visa-waiver privilege does not extend to Taiwanese seeking entry for work purposes, with limited exceptions, said the CTOT. In July this year, Canada and Taiwan signed a working holiday program for youth. (By Jenny W. Hsu) enditem /pc

 

 

 

Related articles

• Canadians Now Require a Visa to Visit the UAE! (penguininthedesert.wordpress.com)
• Immigration for Startups (christophergolda.com)

New Study Finds Immigrants Vital for Canada

Image via WikipediaTORONTO (IDN) - Immigration and innovation are closely linked, and because innovation is the sine qua non of competitiveness in the twenty-first century world, immigrants as innovators play a critical role in boosting Canada's global competitiveness.

This is the main thrust of a new research report by the Conference Board of Canada released in October 2010. The 60-page study by Michelle Downie is intended to help government and business recognize the potential value of immigration to innovation performance, which would make Canada a more innovative country. Underlying the report is a comprehensive approach to understanding and quantifying the relationship between immigration and innovation.

In an attempt to find a convincing reply to whether immigrants are making Canada more innovative, Downie argues, "immigrants are by definition seekers of a better way -- the very embodiment of innovation". The purpose of the research report, he adds, is to test this presumption.

Therefore,it examines different dimensions of innovation across areas such as research, the culture sector, business, and global commerce, as well as at the level of the individual immigrant, the firm, and the national and international economy. "At every level of analysis, immigrants are shown to have an impact on innovation performance that is benefiting Canada," concludes Downie.

The report titled 'Immigrants as Innovators: Boosting Canada’s Global Competitiveness' also highlights actions that Canada can take to develop the innovative capacities of immigrants and harness the benefits of immigrant-driven innovation.

The report comes at the right point in time. According to the latest Global Competitiveness Report 2010-2011, released by the World Economic Forum, Canada has slipped from ninth to tenth place. The United States is fourth behind Switzerland, Sweden and Singapore.

Until recently, Canada topped for having minimum procedures for starting a new business and held a respectable ninth position for the time required to start a business.

Canada has indeed the potential to be higher than its present position with the second largest territorial mass in the world, rich with natural resources, including the increasingly scarce resource of clean water and a low population density at 34 million people.

More immigrants per capita than any other country in the world move to Canada every year. In 2006, Canada welcomed 251,511 immigrants, most of them highly skilled, through its doors. Yet there is a pressing need for more immigration, the Conference Board estimates that 375,000 new immigrants are required every year in order to stabilize the workforce and ensure economic growth.

At present, however, Canada is a consistent below-average performer in its capacity to innovate: ranks 14th out of 17 industrialized countries in the Board's report card.

The Conference Board is an independent, not-for-profit applied research organization in Canada, affiliated with, The Conference Board, Inc. of New York, which serves nearly 2,000 companies in 60 nations and has offices in Brussels and Hong Kong.

The conclusions of the Conference Board's report are indirectly backed by Steven Johnson's latest book 'Where good ideas come from: The natural history of innovation'. The renowned author takes a look at how some of the world's greatest thinkers came to the conclusions that changed our world. He argues that the lone genius is the exception rather than the rule, and that innovation is usually a far slower, more collaborative process.

'LIQUID NETWORK'

Johnson defines innovation as occurring when "we take ideas from other people -- from people we've learned from, from people we run into in the coffee shop, and we stitch them together into new forms, and we create something new. This means that we have to change some of our models of what innovation and deep thinking really looks like."

He calls this the "liquid network" -- an environment that enables the coming together of ideas, in sometimes unpredictable but satisfying combinations.

"Job creation, the success of our entrepreneurial class and our economic vitality here in Canada depends on the creation of these liquid networks," said Gordon Nixon, president of the Royal Bank of Canada at a conference on innovation.

"Earlier this month (October 4, 2010) the Globe and Mail announced the findings of a C-Suite survey, which puts the blame for this country's poor track record on innovation squarely on C-Suite executives. According to my peers who were polled for this study, the two top factors important in explaining weak Canadian productivity is business leaders' risk aversion and a culture of complacency... This is a country that to a large degree has been built by newcomers willing to take risks," he added.

He said those attitudes should now help Canada shift to a culture of innovation at a time when many established executives are complacent and risk-averse.

Immigrants face too many "onerous and unnecessary" obstacles which limit their potential to inject life into the country's flailing innovation performance and full participating in the economy.

"Innovation, R&D, Venture Capital -- that is the equation we must solve for and they are all interrelated.

"I say this because Canada's labour productivity level in the business sector has been lower than that of the US for almost 50 years. And a recent report by the Institute for Competitiveness and Prosperity shows that if the GDP per capita gap between the US and Canada were closed, Canadian families would have $12,200 more in annual personal disposable income," Nixon pointed out.

"Canada cannot continue to ask immigrants to sacrifice their short-term success in the interests of future generations. The impact of this lost productivity on our collective prosperity cannot be overstated. As the country begins to climb out of the recession, the government needs to engage Canadians, both new and old, and begin a discussion on our future and our immigration program," writes Ratna Omidvar, president of the Toronto-based Maytree Foundation, an agency promoting workplace diversity and author of Canada's Immigration Score: Recommendations for a Win-Win, published in the July-August issue of Policy Options.

There is a lack of recognition of international experience and qualifications which leads to discrimination or underutilization of their skills.

According to research by Naomi Alboim, Ross Finnie and Ronald Meng published by the Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP), Canada should provide more points for young people and fewer for work experience. As it is, international experience is discounted by a factor of almost 70 per cent by employers in labour market. To continue to allot points for international work experience is disingenuous at best. Younger people, even those with little work experience, have long careers ahead of them to contribute to the Canadian economy.

Business leaders must take a stronger lead in addressing these challenges. Employers can start by conveying a strong message to new Canadians that they value them as creators, innovators and highly skilled workers whose performance improves results. They should also take advantage of the fact that immigrants can open doors to investment opportunities overseas and help attract foreign investment in Canada.

According to an OECD study, diversity has also been associated with an increase in patents. More than a quarter of patents in Canada have foreign co-inventors.

Two prime examples of how integrating immigrant workers can bolster innovation are:

Xerox Canada, with half of its staff who are immigrants from 35 different countries, credits immigrants with boosting its innovation rate, which has reached about 130 patentable ideas a year. It says its staff are also helping the company better compete in a global market.

Toronto-based Steam Whistle Brewing, the beer maker with more than half of the management team as immigrants, says the composition means a stronger work ethic, while foreign-born workers bring new techniques and fresh perspectives to the job. It also helps them understand a diverse marketplace.

"I absolutely believe that ongoing immigration is going to turbo-charge this economy going forward," said Loudon Owen, managing partner of venture capital firm McLean Watson Capital.

Immigrants have a fresh view of Canada, and bring ideas from their country of origin that may be new to Canada, he said. "They are often driven to succeed in ways that Canadians aren't," he added.

Copyright © 2010 IDN-InDepthNews | Analysis That Matters

Related articles

• Immigrants can make Canada more innovative: Report (canada.com)
• Immigration aids innovation: report (cbc.ca)
• How to cure Canada's innovation woes (theglobeandmail.com)
• Andy Borowitz: Canada Reports Huge Jump in Immigration (huffingtonpost.com)
• Feds hold line on immigration for 2011 (canada.com)

Manitoba's immigration record hailed

Image via Wikipedia

Nominee plan envy of nation

OTTAWA -- Manitoba's provincial nominee immigration program has been a rousing success thus far but still has room for improvement, a new report concludes.
The Institute for Research on Public Policy will today publicly release the findings of a study looking at the program that has brought more than 38,000 immigrants to Manitoba in the last decade. It comes a year after federal auditor general Sheila Fraser called for Ottawa to review the entire provincial nominee system, suggesting it has little accountability or evidence it is working.
In the 1990s, Ottawa introduced provincial nominee programs to help smaller provinces glean a larger share of immigrants by allowing the provincial governments to specifically target certain immigration classes to meet their own unique economic needs.
Manitoba has by far been the most successful user of the nominee system, with almost half of the total nominees coming to Canada between 1999 and 2008 landing in Manitoba. Nominees also account for more than half of all immigrants to Manitoba, and since the program's inception, the immigration rate in Manitoba soared from 3.3 immigrants per 1,000 people in 1999 to 9.3 in 2008.
The report is part of a three-part study underway by University of Winnipeg professors Tom Carter, Manish Pandey and James Townsend which is looking at provincial nominee programs.
It found immigrants who arrived in Manitoba under the provincial nominee program were more likely to stay in the province long term, earned more money upon first arriving and were more likely to settle somewhere outside Winnipeg. All three are noted goals of provincial immigration.
Pandey said the data, mostly gleaned from the federal Longitudinal Immigration Database, doesn't fully explain why nominee immigrants make more money at first than federal immigrants with similar education levels. But he said he and the other two authors expect it may be because nominee immigrants must have a job offer before they arrive in Manitoba which means they would start working almost right away.
"It gives them an advantage," he said.
The data showed over time, nominee's earnings did not grow as fast as those of economic class immigrants, likely because the latter started to find jobs.
That nominees are more likely to stay in Manitoba may be in part because lower-skilled workers are not as mobile but does suggest Manitoba is correctly targeting people who are likely to stay in the province. Pandey said the Atlantic provinces are not having similar retention rates for its nominee program, suggesting Manitoba is doing something other provinces should learn from.
Between 1999 and 2003,  37.3 per cent of Manitoba provincial nominee immigrants had a university degree compared to 74.3 per cent of federal economic class immigrants. Between 2004 and 2006, those numbers climbed to 48.6 per cent of nominees with a university degree compared to 85 per cent of federal economic class immigrants. 
mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition October 20, 2010 A6

 

Related articles

• Immigration pilot program tested in Manitoba (cbc.ca)
• Manitoba aims to retain skilled foreign students (cbc.ca)
• 20,000 workers needed yearly in Manitoba by 2016 -- labor chief (globalnation.inquirer.net)

Canada Re-Opens Immigrant Investor Program

Image via Wikipedia

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.
Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CitImmCanada.
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.

Related articles

• Canada's hallowed halls are open for business, India told (canada.com)
• Canada, China reach deal on insurance investment (reuters.com)
• New rules to double entry fees for investor immigrants (canada.com)
• China allows insurers to invest in Canada (nationalpost.com)
• China deal worth up to $106B (financialpost.com)
• Canadian citizenship: What it takes (cbc.ca)
• Canada's 2011 immigration level unchanged (cbc.ca)
• Ottawa keeps 2011 immigration levels steady (ctv.ca)
• Canada holds immigration levels steady (theglobeandmail.com)