The Pathway Clear to Canada

By: Hanna Eliasson

Canada has become an increasingly attractive study destination for international students. In the last 10 years, the number of foreign students has doubled, making Canada one of the most popular destinations among international students in the world. Education institutions and the different levels of government are now working closely to help international students with Canadian credentials apply for permanent residency in Canada, if they wish to do so. Typically, half of the international post-secondary students studying in Canadasubmit requests for permanent residency after graduation. Through the help of programmes like the ‘Canadian Experience Class’ and the "Provincial Nominee Programmes", about 86 percent of these applications are approved. The "Canadian Experience Class" is a federal programme directly targeting international students’ transition to permanent residency. Introduced in 2008, the Canadian Experience Class allows international students to make an easier transition to permanent residency. As a result, post-secondary institutions are now key factors in Canada’s immigration system.  The federal government projects granting permanent residency to up to 25,000 immigrants a year (for both international students and temporary foreign workers) by 2014. Attracting international students to Canada is a priority at all levels of the government and educational institutions. International students contribute approximately C$6.5 billion (US$6.4 billion) to the Canadian economy not to mention intangibles to which a price tag cannot be placed such as skills, innovation and diversification. According to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), students are currently an immigration priority and there has been a shift in thinking from "temporary residents, to a pool of highly-qualified permanent residents." In Canada, where immigration will soon account for all net population growth, and where a majority of new jobs will require a post-secondary education, new immigration strategies that attempt to leverage and harness the skills of international students are being implemented. Naomi Alboim, Maytree Senior Fellow and Adjunct Professor at the School of Policy Studies, Queen’s University, has noted that immigration policy shifts in Canada have been made with student migration in mind, based on the assumption that international students will be able to avoid those barriers regularly encountered highly-skilled immigrants, by virtue of their Canadian education, language skills and work experience. Preliminary research suggests that immigrants with former international student status can also lead to better economic outcomes. Immigrants with previous Canadian education and work experience earn approximately C$12,000 more per year than skilled workers without work or educational experience in Canada. For international students, there are a number of important factors behind the decision to remain in Canada. In a recent Canadian Bureau of International Education (CBIE) survey of international students in Canada, half of surveyed university students and three-quarters of college students chose Canada as a study destination because of post-graduate work opportunities, and 51 percent of university students and 57 percent of college students planned to pursue permanent residency. If you are interested in furthering your studies in Canada by becoming a foreign graduate from a Canadian post-secondary institution and gaining at least one year of full-time (or equivalent) skilled work experience in Canada under the proper work or study authorisation, you are on the right path toward becoming a Canadian.

Study: Canadian skilled migrants highest earners

A new study on Canadian immigration policy has found that immigrants who come to Canada as independent skilled migrants had "consistently and substantially" the highest earnings of four categories of immigrants. 

The researchers concluded that Canada should continue to focus on skilled migration. The researchers also hope that their study will influence future Canadian immigration policy.

The Queen's University study, Immigrant Earnings Differences Across Admission Categories and Landing Cohorts in Canada examined the first ten years after immigrants landed in three different time periods: 1982, 1988, and 1994.

The four categories include independent primary skilled migrant applicants, accompanying economic immigrants, family class immigrants, and refugees.

"The ten-year average of median earnings levels of skill-assessed economic immigrants exceeded the average median earnings levels for all immigrants by 30-37 percent across the [three periods studied] for men and by 39-56 percent for women," the study noted.

Family class immigrants and refugees had the lowest earnings out of the four categories.

"Refugees, both male and female, also experienced declines in their real earnings levels across the three successive [study periods]", the study said.

However, refugees had the highest earnings growth rates for both male and female immigrants during the first decade after coming to Canada.

Independent skilled migrants despite having the highest overall salary rates had the lowest growth rate over the first decade after coming to Canada.

The study also found that the economic downturns had a negative effect on immigrant earning levels and growth rates and that this effect was more pronounced for male immigrants than for female immigrants.

Immigrants who landed in Canada during the 1988 study period generally had the lowest median earnings growth rate for the three study periods due to the economic downturn in the early 1990s. The highest growth rate was in the 1994 study period, which experienced no economic downturn during the ten years.

The study noted that "since skill-assessed independent economic immigrants had substantially higher earnings levels throughout their first ten post-landing years, Canada should continue to place heavy weight on skill-assessed immigrants and not reduce the proportion of new immigrants admitted in the skilled worker category."

Service Improvements make it easier for Latin American travellers to come to Canada

Santiago, Chile, September 3, 2011 — The Honourable Diane Ablonczy, Minister of State of Foreign Affairs (Americas and Consular Affairs), today announced improvements to make Canada an even more attractive destination for Latin American travellers. 

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is expanding its visa application centre (VAC) network around the world to make the application process more efficient. In August, nineVACs were opened in various countries in Latin America, including one in Santiago, Chile, with eight more set to open in September. With these openings, there will now be VACs in 35 countries.

“Service improvements are key to making the system for processing visas more effective and responsive to the needs of travellers,” said Minister Ablonczy, speaking on behalf of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney. “The outcome is a better use of resources, which will benefit both travellers to Canada and Canadians alike.”

VACs provide valuable administrative support by phone, by email or in person to individuals submitting applications. In particular, client service agents at VACs are available to verify that visa applications are complete, thereby helping applicants avoid unnecessary delays or refusals due to incomplete applications.

“VACs are an example of our government’s commitment to improving service to applicants and processing efficiency,” added Minister Ablonczy. “By facilitating the process and making it easier to travel, we make Canada a preferred destination for visitors and business travellers alike.”

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

For further information (media only), please contact:

Candice Malcolm
Minister’s Office
Citizenship and Immigration Canada

Extension of measures for Haitians applying for work permits

If you are a Haitian national who arrived in Canada prior to January 13, 2011, and are applying for a work permit or extending a work permit, your exemption from the requirement to provide a labour market opinion (LMO) as part of your application is now being extended. The requirement for an LMO will remain in place for all those who arrived in Canada after that date.

Eligible individuals will now have until September 1, 2012, to apply. Work permits are normally valid for one year.

For further information on these measures please visit our news release.

For further information on work permits:
www.cic.gc.ca/english/work/index.asp

Cut immigration during recessions: study

Adrian Humphreys  Sep 1, 2011 – 6:00 AM ET | Last Updated: Aug 31, 2011 10:30 PM ET

Canada should reduce immigration during deep economic recession, say the authors of a detailed analysis of the earnings of immigrants over their first 10 years in the country that also touts the benefits of selecting newcomers based on earning potential.

Canada should emphasize skill-assessed immigrants because their earning power “consistently and substantially” out-performed other classes of newcomers, the study says.

Written by two Queen’s University professors and released by the Canadian Labour Market and Skills Researcher Network Wednesday, the study calls on policy makers to look closely at how rapidly immigrants are integrating into the Canadian labour market as the wage gap between immigrants and Canadian-born workers widens.

“In setting immigration policy and targets, it is important to know how well immigrants in these different admission categories have done, and which have produced better earnings outcomes,” say authors Charles Beach, professor of economics, and Michael Abbott, associate professor of economics.

They assessed the annual earnings over 10 years of immigrants who arrived in three different years: 1982, 1988 and 1994.

Immigrants enter Canada under different admission categories, each addressing a different objective, both altruistic and selfish — providing labour to help the economy, promoting family welfare through reunification and offering safe haven from war, persecution or natural disaster.

Across all of the landing cohorts, skill-assessed economic immigrants exceeded the average median earnings levels for all immigrants by 30 to 37% for men and by 39 to 56% for women, the authors found.

However, refugees showed the highest earnings growth rates, while those who arrived for reasons of family reunification had the lowest.

The study shows recessions have major negative effects on immigrants’ earnings levels, particularly men. The impact is seen by comparing immigrants arriving in 1988, who faced the early 1990s recession soon after settling, with those arriving in 1994, during the economic recovery. Regardless of which class the immigrant was admitted under, in troubled times, their earnings growth was lower.

“These results reflect on two aspects of Canadian immigration policy,” the authors say. “First, since skill-assessed, independent economic immigrants had substantially higher earnings levels throughout their first 10 post-landing years, Canada should continue to place heavy weight on skill-assessed immigrants.

“Recession appears to have had very marked and long-lasting scarring effects on the real earnings of immigrants,” the authors say. “Perhaps thought should be given to ways to reduce total immigrant admission levels when severe recessions hit.”

The report confirms what many have long suspected, said Sergio Karas, a Toronto immigration lawyer.

“Immigrants who come to Canada with prearranged employment become better integrated and more easily established than those in other immigration categories,” he said.

“The federal government and the provinces must give top priority to address the looming skilled-worker shortage and the entrepreneurial innovation deficit that threaten Canada’s economic future rather than wasting funds on programs that cater to politically driven goals.

“There is no point in bringing immigrants to Canada if they will be unable to find jobs,” Mr. Karas said.

The Canadian Council for Refugees, however, cautioned against assessing immigration to Canada only in dollars and cents. The different categories have differing goals.

“You can’t measure the success of the family reunification program by assessing their rates of earnings,” said Janet Dench, the council’s executive director. “We don’t protect refugees because we think it will be good for the economy — we do it to protect them from persecution.”

Ms. Dench said the government is already leaning too heavily toward skills-assessed, economic immigrants.

The study used data provided by Citizenship and Immigration Canada. The CLMSRN is a network of academic researchers studying the labour market funded through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and Human Resources and Social Development Canada.

National Post

ahumphreys@nationalpost.com