Study finds CSIC-accredited immigration consultants provide benefits to Canadian multiculturalism

TORONTO, June 27, 2011 /CNW/ - CSIC-accredited immigration consultants benefit Canadian society by helping Canada attract greater numbers of highly qualified immigrants, according to a study commissioned by the Canadian Migration Institute (CMI).

"Multiculturalism Day is an important time to reflect on the valuable role of immigration in Canada and the study clearly demonstrates that members of the Canadian society of Immigration Consultants (CSIC) extend high quality immigration services to those who may not be able to afford a lawyer," said Dr. Don DeVoretz from Can-Excell Consultants, which conducted the study. "The study endorsed the quality of those services because the immigrants that I spoke to indicated that they were very satisfied with the help they received with their immigration to Canada."
In its report Can-Excell also concluded CSIC membership provided significant value by offering consultants name brand recognition from a trusted accreditation and training that enabled them to provide higher quality service.
"CSIC members must meet high standards to obtain and maintain their membership, and it's because of those standards that consumers trust the Certified Canadian Immigration Consultant designation," said DeVoretz. "On Multiculturalism Day it's important to remember that as Canadians we all benefit when smart, ambitious people make Canada their home, and immigration consultants play an important role in facilitating their immigration."
"Only CSIC members are accredited immigration consultants and they know they're leaving a positive impact on the Canadian fabric because every day they help brave, hopeful, motivated people live their dreams of becoming Canadian. CMI has always maintained that CSIC members are vital to the Canadian immigration system and, on Multiculturalism Day, I'm pleased that Can-Excell Consultants have reached the same conclusion," said Canadian Migration Chair Imran Qayyum.
CMI commissioned Dr. DeVoretz to conduct an independent study to determine whether or not CSIC members provide viable services to consumers of immigration consulting services and whether or not there is value in being an accredited immigration consultant. Dr. DeVoretz is an internationally respected immigration expert. He is a professor of economics at Simon Fraser University and directs the Canadian Abroad Project at the Asia Pacific Foundation. He previously directed Vancouver's Centre of Excellence on Immigration Studies and sat on the Canadian Border Advisory Board.
As part of the study, Dr. DeVoretz gathered feedback from clients and immigration consultants in focus groups and surveys in Toronto, Calgary, Montreal and Vancouver. Clients faced a list of questions concerning their entry class, initial attempts to apply and their source of information prior to choosing to hire a CSIC member. Immigration consultants were queried on their level of experience and education, the types of clients they handle and the perceived quality of CSIC's education, testing and fees.
The study is available for download at:https://www.cmi-icm.ca/images/files/DeVoretz%20Study.pdf
The role of the Canadian Migration Institute (www.cmi-icm.ca) is to educate, accredit and advocate on immigration law and policy. CMI represents more than 1,740 authorized immigration representatives and is the largest organization of its kind in North America. CMI has several chapters throughout Canada that provide regional support through accredited educational programs, advocacy on provincial issues and a local network for interaction and connection amongst authorized representatives.

Tiffany Nyklickova, (416) 815-4277 x2245, tnyklickova@cmi-icm.ca.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/347596#ixzz1QWDGj2e7

NEWCOMERS FACE UNDER-EMPLOYMENT CHALLENGES: RBC POLL

TORONTO, June 27, 2011 /CNW/ - Almost half (49 per cent) of newcomers who have been in Canada for one year or less feel under-employed, according to a recent RBC poll. Even after six-to-ten years in Canada, a third (32 per cent) of newcomers continue to feel that their current job is at a lower skill level than they had, or would have had, in their country of origin.

According to the poll, a majority of newcomers (52 per cent), measure success based on their career, which includes having a good paying job in their field of expertise. Additionally, men (43 per cent) are much more likely than women (28 per cent) to believe that their current job is a step down from what they had, or would have had, in their home country.

"Once newcomers get past some of the career challenges they face when they move to Canada, they make a tremendous contribution to the country's productivity and diversity," said Camon Mak, director, Multicultural Markets, RBC. "Canada is built on immigration - new skills and resources continue to be key drivers of our country's global success. It's important that we help newcomers get settled quickly both into their new home and their new careers. RBC is here to provide them with relevant financial advice to help them succeed."

Despite the importance of landing a dream job, only 42 per cent of immigrants indicated that they sought out information about career options in Canada before deciding to move. Twenty-nine per cent searched for information to determine whether there was a demand for their career experience; 24 per cent researched whether or not they would need to be recertified to meet Canadian standards. However, while they may not have their "dream job", only 12 per cent feel locked in a job that may not lead to their desired occupation.

When polled, newcomers provided the following career advice:

• Be prepared to wait for your dream job
• Determine if you need to be retrained or meet certification requirements
• Find out if there is a demand for your skill set.

Mak offers the following three tips to help newcomers succeed in Canada:

Do your research - Determine what you need ahead of time. RBC offers newcomers advice and provides them with tools to assist with the moving process including resume writing and job hunting tips. This may mean the difference between securing a good job in your field of expertise or working in an unrelated field in order to make ends meet. Seek out learning opportunities - There are many seminars for newcomers, such as the 7 Success Secrets for Canadian Immigrants (www.prepareforcanada.com). These offer great opportunities to gain invaluable advice, to network and to meet other newcomers. Set a budget and track your spending - Take advantage of online banking tools to help set your budget and manage your monthly spending when you arrive in Canada. For example, my FinanceTracker (www.rbcroyalbank.com/myfinancetracker) automatically categorizes transactions, tracks expenses and provides advanced budgeting capabilities for all your personal banking and credit card accounts.

Newcomers to Canada - Fast Facts:

• Definitions of success - While the majority (52 per cent) of newcomers define success as being based on their career, as they become more established (six-to-ten years) family (47 per cent) and health (30 per cent) become more important as definitions of success.
  
• Employment - Less than a third (31 per cent) of respondents have a job in their chosen field and over one-third (36 per cent) have a current job that is at a lower level than what they previously had, or would have had, in their country of origin.
  
• Career - More than a third (39 per cent) say that lack of Canadian experience has impacted their career options in Canada, followed by lack of available jobs in their area of expertise (30 per cent) and language skill barriers (28 per cent). If they found they were unable to find a job in their career field, the vast majority would consider returning to school (82 per cent), followed by adjusting their goals (75 per cent) or starting a business (73 per cent).

About the Environics Poll
The findings were conducted by Environics Research Group on behalf of RBC in April 2011. Environics conducted a total of 608 interviews among Chinese and South Asian immigrant residents in British Columbia and Ontario who are first generation and have lived in Canada for 10 years or less. Interviews were conducted online and respondents were recruited from an online consumer research panel. Quotas were applied to represent the different regions and tenure in Canada. Data was weighted according to population data from 2006 Census to represent the population as closely as possible.

About RBC Welcome to Canada Package
For more than seven generations, RBC has been supporting newcomers by providing them with resources and tools that make the transition to a new country seamless. The RBC Welcome to Canada package helps newcomers who have been in Canada for less than three years with key financial decisions and includes advice and discounts on products and services. Details on The RBC Welcome to Canada banking package, the "Understanding Banking in Canada" guidebook, as well as branch locators that identify representatives who speak up to 180 languages, can be found at www.rbc.com/settlequick. Consumers around the world can access information on moving to Canada, including financial advice checklists and more, at www.rbc.com/canada.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/347361#ixzz1QWConQ4I

Toronto immigrants find it difficult to land jobs

They come looking for a better life. Recent immigrants to Canada often have years of professional experience but that resume means little when they land in Canada.

In Dubai, Sameer Shiwanna was a respected architect and his wife was a pediatrician. Two years ago they came to Toronto. Now Shiwanna works in security, language is too large a barrier to find employment in his profession.

Shiwanna feels more for his wife than himself, saying she is a doctor who is needed in this nation, yet she is unable to work.

Their story isn't the minority, either. For newcomers to Canada the dream of a good life is often dashed once immigrants land. The lack of employment in professional fields has caused some to tell others in their native lands not to aim for Canada according to a report from the Vancouver Observer. Others understand that it can take years before they will be able to work in their chosen fields.

Shiwanna said he would like to do work in his field even if he's not in a lead position.

"In Dubai I built huge towers but in Toronto I am not able to find those jobs," he said. "My wife has passed her medical exams but language skills are stopping her from working as a doctor."

He expressed his love for the city he now calls home but does hope that someday he will be able to give his knowledge to the city.

"This job (in security) is a first step. I hope to be able to meet the people that will help me to work in my field."

Another security guard arrived in Toronto last year from Nepal. She is happy to have a job that provides for her children.

"I love how people in Toronto help each other. It's how it should be."

A corner store on the waterfront is owned by two immigrants from Korea. In their homeland they were top business people but wanted religious freedom for their children. The owner's wife was an accountant. She said that in Canada you can not work in your own field.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/308392#ixzz1QS41WQyX

Changes to Economic Immigration Programs Will Help Further Reduce Backlogs and Improve Wait Times

 Canada is adjusting its intake of applications from economic immigrants to further reduce the backlog and improve wait times while meeting the country's labour market needs, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced today.

"The backlog of federal skilled worker applications is now half of what it was when we announced the Action Plan for Faster Immigration in 2008," said Minister Kenney. "These measures will help us to continue that progress."

Canada receives many more immigration applications than can be accepted every year. As part of ongoing efforts to better align application intake with priorities for immigration, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is limiting the number of new applications it will consider in certain categories of the federal economic immigration stream.

Effective July 1, 2011, the changes will affect new applicants to the federal Skilled Worker, federal Immigrant Investor and federal Entrepreneur programs. The changes will not affect the number of permanent resident admissions in 2011 in these three categories.

"Canada continues to welcome historically high numbers of new immigrants each year, but the Government continues to receive applications that far exceed this number," said Minister Kenney. "If we don't keep putting reasonable limits on new applications, backlogs and wait times will grow."

In November 2008, the government first took steps to identify for processing those federal skilled worker applications that responded to Canada's labour needs, such as applicants with arranged employment offers from Canadian employers or with experience in an occupation in high demand. In June 2010, the government released an updated list of 29 priority occupations and introduced a global cap of 20,000 for federal skilled workers, as well as a sub-cap of 1,000 under each occupation. Over the past year, CIC has received approximately 13,800 federal skilled worker applications under the priority occupations list (figure accurate as of June 24, 2011).

Now, for applicants who do not have an offer of employment in Canada, the government will further limit the number of new federal skilled worker applications that are considered for processing to 10,000 a year, beginning July 1. This limit will help better align the number of applications with labour market demand. Within the 10,000 limit, a maximum of 500 new applications in each of the current 29 priority occupations will be considered.

In addition, the Minister is introducing a cap of 700 on new federal investor applications. Although last year, CIC made changes that raised the minimum net worth and investment requirements, it continues to receive applications in excess of what is required. An annual cap on new applications will allow for progress on backlog reduction while ensuring that the Department has a sufficient volume of new files to meet its commitments.

The Minister is also introducing a temporary moratorium on new federal entrepreneur applications. Wait times for this program currently stretch to eight years in some visa offices. By ceasing to accept new applications as of July 1, the government will prevent further processing delays. The federal Entrepreneur Program will undergo a review in the coming months to ensure that Canada is better able to attract and retain innovative entrepreneurs.

The authority for these changes, which are being introduced through ministerial instructions, comes from amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act approved by Parliament in 2008 as part of the Action Plan for Faster Immigration. The instructions are meant to be a flexible tool that allows the government to align the intake of immigration applications with priorities for immigration.

Since these changes were implemented in November 2008, the backlog of pre-2008 federal skilled worker applicants has decreased by 50 percent. As well, priority applications are being processed in a period of months rather than years, as was the case prior to the 2008 changes.

The CIC website will be updated on July 1, 2011, with details on application requirements and procedures for affected programs.

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

Changes Announced for Three Canadian Immigration Programs in 2011.

These Instructions come into force on July 1, 2011.

These Instructions apply to applications received by the designated Citizenship and Immigration Canada offices on or after July 1, 2011.

All Federal Skilled Worker applications received by the Centralized Intake Office in Sydney, Nova Scotia prior to July 1, 2011 shall continue to be considered for processing having regard to the Ministerial Instructions in place at the time of their receipt.

The Instructions are consistent with IRPA objectives as laid out in section 3, specifically to support the development of a strong and prosperous Canadian economy; to see that families are reunited in Canada; to fulfill Canada’s international legal obligations with respect to refugees and provide assistance to those in need of resettlement; and to respect the federal, bilingual and multicultural character of Canada, including to support and assist the development of minority official languages communities.

The Instructions are compliant with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The Instructions do not apply to refugees or protected persons or persons making a request on Humanitarian or Compassionate grounds from within Canada.

The Instructions respect all previously established accords and agreements including the Quebec-Canada Accord and all agreements with provinces and territories.

Any categories for which Instructions are not specifically issued shall be processed in the usual manner.

Economic Class applications

All Economic Class applications, with the exception of Federal Skilled Worker, federal Immigrant Investor Program, and federal Entrepreneur Program applications, shall be placed into processing according to existing priorities, including:

• Quebec economic applicants;
• Provincial Nominees;
• Canadian Experience Class;
• Other federal Business Immigrant applicants (self-employed); and
• Live-in Caregivers.

Federal Skilled Worker applications

Cap on the number of applications to be processed per year

A maximum of 10,000 new Federal Skilled Worker applications, without an offer of arranged employment, will be considered for processing each year.

Within the 10,000 cap, a maximum of 500 new Federal Skilled Worker applications per National Occupation Classification (NOC) code will be considered for processing each year.

In calculating the caps, applications will be considered in order of the date they are received. Applications received on the same date will be considered for processing having regard to routine office procedures.

For the unique purpose of calculating the caps, the cap year will begin on July 1, 2011 and end on June 30, 2012, unless otherwise indicated in a future Ministerial Instruction. Subsequent years will be calculated from July 1st to June 30th, unless otherwise indicated in a future Ministerial Instruction.

Instructions for processing Federal Skilled Worker applications

Federal Skilled Worker applications received by the Centralized Intake Office in Sydney, Nova Scotia on or after July 1, 2011, and that meet either of the following criteria shall be placed into processing:

1. Applications submitted with an Arranged Employment Offer (AEO) consistent with requirements of subsection 82(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations.

or

2. Applications from skilled workers with evidence of experience in the last ten years under one or more  of the following National Occupation Classification (NOC) codes, not exceeding the identified caps:

• 0631 Restaurant and Food Service Managers
• 0811 Primary Production Managers (Except Agriculture)
• 1122 Professional Occupations in Business Services to Management
• 1233 Insurance Adjusters and Claims Examiners
• 2121 Biologists and Related Scientists
• 2151 Architects
• 3111 Specialist Physicians
• 3112 General Practitioners and Family Physicians
• 3113 Dentists
• 3131 Pharmacists
• 3142 Physiotherapists
• 3152 Registered Nurses
• 3215 Medical Radiation Technologists
• 3222 Dental Hygienists & Dental Therapists
• 3233 Licensed Practical Nurses
• 4151 Psychologists
• 4152 Social Workers
• 6241 Chefs
• 6242 Cooks
• 7215 Contractors and Supervisors, Carpentry Trades
• 7216 Contractors and Supervisors, Mechanic Trades
• 7241 Electricians (Except Industrial & Power System)
• 7242 Industrial Electricians
• 7251 Plumbers
• 7265 Welders & Related Machine Operators
• 7312 Heavy-Duty Equipment Mechanics
• 7371 Crane Operators
• 7372 Drillers & Blasters — Surface Mining, Quarrying & Construction
• 8222 Supervisors, Oil and Gas Drilling and Service

No Humanitarian and Compassionate requests to overcome requirements of Ministerial Instructions

Requests made on the basis of Humanitarian and Compassionate grounds that accompany a Federal Skilled Worker application not identified for processing under Ministerial Instructions will not be processed.

Investor Class applications

Cap on the number of applications to be processed per year

A maximum of 700 new federal Immigrant Investor applications will be considered for processing each year.

In calculating the cap, applications will be considered in order of the date they are received. Applications received on the same date will be considered for processing having regard to routine office procedures.

For the unique purpose of calculating the caps, the cap year will begin on July 1, 2011 and end on June 30, 2012, unless otherwise indicated in a future Ministerial Instruction. Subsequent years will be calculated from July 1st to June 30th, unless otherwise indicated in a future Ministerial Instruction.

Instructions for processing federal investor class applications

Federal Immigrant Investor applications  received by the Centralized Intake Office in Sydney, Nova Scotia on or after July 1, 2011, not exceeding the identified cap shall be placed into processing.

Federal Entrepreneur Class applications

Temporary moratorium

No new federal Entrepreneur application will be accepted unless it is received by the designated Citizenship and Immigration Canada office prior to July 1, 2011. This temporary moratorium will remain in place until otherwise indicated in a future Ministerial Instruction.

Family Class applications

Family Class applications will be processed in the same manner and with the same priorities as usual.

Humanitarian and Compassionate requests

Requests for Humanitarian and Compassionate consideration made from outside Canada will be processed in the usual manner, except in the case where the request accompanies a Federal Skilled Worker application not identified for processing under Ministerial Instructions as stated above.

Temporary Resident applications

All applications for temporary residence, including Temporary Foreign Workers, Foreign Students and Visitors shall continue to be placed into processing immediately upon receipt.

Retention/Disposition

Applicants to the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the federal Immigrant Investor program or the federal Entrepreneur program whose applications are received by the designated Citizenship and Immigration Canada offices on or after July 1, 2011, and which do not meet the criteria described above shall be informed that their application will not continue for processing and their processing fees shall be returned.