BDC enhances partnership with Canadian Youth Business Foundation

MONTREAL, March 17 /CNW Telbec/ - Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) and the Canadian Youth Business Foundation (CYBF) are pleased to announce an enhanced partnership that will help young, newly arrived immigrants to Canada become successful entrepreneurs.

The CYBF Newcomer Entrepreneur Program recognizes that recent immigrants may require targeted support to start their own businesses. In addition to offering flexible financing, the program is designed to overcome the difficulty many young, newly arrived immigrants have in accessing credit because they do not have a Canadian credit history. The program also offers mentoring and business resources so newcomers can learn about operating a business in Canada and improve their chances of success. For details, please visit: http://www.cybf.ca/entrepreneurs/newcomer/.

"Recently arrived immigrants to Canada are among the country's most dynamic and entrepreneurial group of individuals," says Edmée Métivier, BDC Executive Vice President, Financing and Consulting, who also sits on the CYBF Board of Directors. "Newcomers have an acute desire to succeed and anything BDC and CYFB can do to help them start and, subsequently, operate a business is certainly worth encouraging. Entrepreneurs play a key role in ensuring Canada's long term prosperity."

"During the Year of the Entrepreneur, in a country deeply entrenched in the principles of multiculturalism, it's only fitting that we partner with BDC to offer this unique opportunity to young new Canadians," says Vivian Prokop, Chief Executive Officer, CYBF. "Our unique program directly addresses the challenges faced by newcomers and provides the critical financial, mentoring and educational support they need to succeed in the Canadian business landscape."

Under the BDC-CYBF partnership, permanent Canadian residents between the ages of 18 and 34 can apply for up to $15,000 in financing. The CYBF Newcomer Entrepreneur Program provides residents who have lived in Canada for less than 36 months and possess a solid working knowledge of English or French with the opportunity to build sound, sustainable and profitable businesses.

About BDC

Canada's business development bank, BDC puts entrepreneurs first. With almost 1,900 employees and more than 100 business centres across the country, BDC offers financing, venture capital and consulting services to 29,000 small and medium sized companies. Their success is vital to Canada's economic prosperity. www.bdc.ca

About Canadian Youth Business Foundation - Canada's Entrepreneur Gateway

The Canadian Youth Business Foundation (CYBF) is the 'go to' place for youth entrepreneurship. As a national charity, we are dedicated to growing our nation's economy one young entrepreneur at a time. We look at character not collateral, when providing youth, age 18-34, with pre-launch coaching, business resources, start-up financing and mentoring, to help them launch and sustain a successful entrepreneurial business. www.cybf.ca

For further information:

Geoffrey King
Director, Public Relations
Business Development Bank of Canada
(514) 496-4351
geoffrey.king@bdc.ca

Rachel Azagury
Senior Manager, Media, Social Media and Events
Canadian Youth Business Federation
416-408-2923, ext. 2111
razagury@cybf.ca

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Canada launches reverse brain drain programme for expats

by RAY CLANCY on MARCH 17, 2011

A new pilot programme has been launched in Canada to encourage expat Canadians to return home and contribute to the country’s economy.

The initiative by the Canadian immigration has been called ‘a reverse brain drain’ and officials want to maker it easier for Canadians with much needed experience and skills to return.

The pilot has been launched in Ontario and if deemed successful will operate nationwide. ‘We are making it easier for Canadians abroad to bring their skills home and contribute to the Canada of tomorrow,’ said Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturism Minister Jason Kenney.

For some Canadian workers living abroad, an obstacle to returning to Canada is that their non-Canadian spouse, partner or dependent children may be unable to work until they are processed as permanent residents, which usually takes between six months and one year.

Now family members of Canadian citizens and permanent residents returning to work in certain sectors, such as health care and academic research, are able to get temporary work permits immediately upon arriving in Canada.

Ontario’s health and academic sectors have faced significant skill and labour shortages in recent years and were identified as the most appropriate sectors for the pilot project.

‘By encouraging highly skilled workers to come back to Canada, we are laying the foundation for long term economic growth,’ added Kenney.

To be eligible to participate in the pilot, applicants must be a spouse, common-law partner, or dependent child of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident returning to work in Ontario, have an application underway to immigrate to Canada through sponsorship in the family class, be old enough to work in Ontario, and meet all admissibility criteria to come to Canada as a temporary resident.

The sponsoring spouse or partner must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, have left Canada and be returning to work permanently in Ontario, as a health professional or an academic for post-secondary public institutions, in one of a list of specified occupations, obtain a letter from the Province of Ontario confirming their employment, location and occupation and provide it as supporting documentation with the work permit application, and have submitted an application to CIC to sponsor their spouse or dependent child.

The list of occupations include specialist doctors, GPs, dentists, vets, pharmacists, registered nurses, opticians, physiotherapists, midwives, paramedics, university professors, teaching and research assistants, and college instructors.

The pilot programme is a partnership between Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario, and will operate until May 22, 2012. The Government will then evaluate the programme before making a decision about extending it.

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Immigration Consultant Regulator Continues Commitment to Transparency

TORONTO, March 17 /CNW/ - Today, the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants (CSIC) released its 2009-2010 Annual Report. The release of the annual report is an important aspect of the organization's commitment to accountability, transparency and communication with all of its stakeholders, including government and members.

"As the regulator of an ever-growing profession, CSIC has matured considerably since its infancy," said Chair Nigel Thomson. "I am proud of CSIC's accomplishments during an extraordinarily busy year."

In 2010 the Immigration Minister introduced Bill C-35 to crack down on the problem of unlicensed ghost agents, unscrupulous individuals who offer immigration consulting services without having the proper accreditation. With the introduction of Bill C-35 the minister also announced that the Federal government would open a bidding process for groups wishing to be designated the regulator of immigration consultants.

"The minister's action has made for a somewhat trying year, but CSIC remains firm in its conviction that it is the best choice for regulator and its accomplishments in 2009-2010 speak for themselves," continued Thomson.

• CSIC stepped up its efforts to hold members accountable and subsequently referred a greater number of matters to a hearing (results available at https://www.csic-scci.ca/content/currenthearings).
• CSIC further held members accountable through the introduction of a Compliance Department, which is dedicated to ensuring that members manage their practices according to CSIC's rules.
• CSIC accreditation was recognized by the Quebec government through regulation.
• CSIC connected with more consumers than ever through a multi-faceted strategy that included increased media outreach, a national ad campaign and a toll-free referral service.
• CSIC's membership numbers increased due to a growing interest in the profession.

CSIC's Annual Report and its financial statements will be presented to members at the upcoming Annual Meeting, which will take place online on Wednesday, April 6, 2011 at 3 p.m. EDT. The Annual Report is also available online on the CSIC website: https://www.csic-scci.ca/content/annual_reports

The Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants is the professional regulatory body for immigration consultants in Canada. Established in 2004 it currently has over 1,900 members. CSIC's mandate is to protect consumers of immigration consulting services. Consequently, it is responsible for ensuring the education, competency testing and the discipline of its members. CSIC also requires its members to carry errors and omissions insurance and to contribute to a compensation fund.

For further information:

Nancy Tibbo, Communications Manager, ntibbo@csic-scci.ca, 416-945-6271, Toll free: 866-308-2742, ext. 2252 or 416-294-0030.

Website in 11 languages for everyday living issues for expats launched in Canada

by JOSE MARC CASTRO 

A new website in 11 different languages is set to make it easier for expats in Canada to find the kind of information they need on community services when they arrive.

The In My Language site has been developed by the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI), which represents more than 200 settlement agencies in Ontario provides an electronic library of translated content which will assist newcomers in adapting to life in Canada.

‘The In my language website is an excellent resource for newcomers to Ontario. Newcomers now have a website where they can get the information they need in the language of their choice,’ said Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration, and Multiculturalism.

The Government has invested $1.4 million in the site which is regarded as one of the best in the world and much needed as expats often find it difficult to find out what services they are entitled to and language can be the first barrier.

‘This multilingual website will give newcomers to Ontario a head start on accessing information on housing, health care, legal advice, schooling, community services and language training across the province,’ said MP Paul Calandra.

The website has content in English, French, Chinese, Punjabi, Urdu, Spanish, Tagalog, Arabic, Gujarati, Tamil and Russian.

‘Helping newcomers get settled is vital. Settlement information needs to be accessible, and this initiative is a significant step in fulfilling that aim,’ said MP Bob Dechert.

Besides immigrants, other users of the website include community organizations, school boards, police services, and the healthcare industry.

Key sections include how to look for a job, different types of housing available, the different stages of schooling, immunisation for children, paying taxes, getting a driving licence and private health insurance.

Government funding of the new website was made possible through the Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement (COIA), which was signed in 2005. Through this agreement, the Government of Canada is investing $428 million in Ontario for settlement services for immigrants.

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Job crucial for helping expats settle in Canada, report suggests

by RAY CLANCY 

Having a job already arranged before moving to Canada helps expats to settle in better, a new report suggests.

A new evaluation has found that those arriving under the skilled worker programme are effectively contributing to Canada’s economy and are more likely to succeed.

It found that the biggest predictors of a newcomer’s economic success are having a job arranged, being able to speak English or French and having worked in Canada before. But having studied in Canada before for at least two years or having a relative in Canada were less important.

‘The evaluation showed that skilled immigrants are doing well in Canada and filling gaps in our work force. This puts some dents in the doctors-driving-taxis stereotype,’ said Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Jason Kenney.

The report also indicates that the selection criteria for a Canadian visa 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.

The report also shows that skilled workers who already had a job offer when they applied for permanent residence earned an average of $79,200 three years after arriving, up to 65% higher than before the IRPA became law. The findings also showed skilled workers were less likely to rely on employment insurance or social assistance since the new laws were introduced.

Among other recommendations, the evaluation suggests placing higher priority on younger workers and increasing the integrity of the arranged employment part of the programme, 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.

The next step for the Canadian immigration department will be to introduce a range of new proposals for public consultation in an effort to further improve the system, according to Kenney. ‘We’re committed to making it even better and will be consulting on improvements in the coming weeks,’ he said.

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