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| Subject: Tories slash immigration |
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ONE OF THE LAWYERS IN TORONTO STATES:
New bill to cut humanitarian cases
On Friday, the federal Conservatives proved that, while they can talk a big game on immigration, they are certainly no friend of it.
In 2005, the Liberals admitted over 262,000 new immigrants to Canada. When the Conservatives took over in 2006, they reduced this number to 251,649. In 2007, the Conservatives slashed another 15,000 from this total when they admitted only 236,689 new immigrants. This number fell well short of the Tories´ 240,000-265,000 target that they had promised Parliament in October, 2006. As a result, Canada has closed its doors to over 36,000 new immigrants over the past two years.
Interestingly enough, these facts did not get in the way of the Tories announcing last week that, in 2007, they admitted "the highest number of newcomers in Canada´s history". In order to support this mind- boggling claim, the Conservatives included as "newcomers" foreigners who arrived here on work or study permits even though they are only here temporarily. (My advice to foreigners arriving in Canada seeking temporary admission: never describe yourself to a border officer as a "newcomer" to Canada as that could easily suggest a permanent, as opposed to a temporary, intent.)
On Friday, the Tories also introduced a bill to amend our immigration laws.
This bill proposes to amend the very cornerstone of our immigration legislation. Our current legislation states that a foreign national must apply for the appropriate visa or document to enter Canada. If they meet each and every requirement of the Act, the visa or document "shall" be issued to them. The Feds want to change this word to "may". It is proposed that Parliament give the Minister the power to direct the manner in which the department disposes of its caseload. In other words, even if you have paid a fee, waited for years, and met all of our criteria, the Minister has no obligation to issue the requested visa or document. The denial would not count as a "decision". Since the denial is not a "decision", there may be no appeal. Put differently; imagine purchasing a movie ticket and standing patiently in line only to be randomly told that you will not be admitted. No doubt, such a prospect would have quite a chilling effect on business.
The bill also proposes to cut into the immigration departments´ ability to admit foreigners to Canada on humanitarian grounds. The proposal would limit such consideration only to those who are physically here. This may close the only avenue available to children and spouses abroad of Canadian citizens and permanent residents that are not sponsorable because they were undeclared and/or not examined when their sponsor was landed in Canada.
Any such encroachment on our collective ability to be compassionate in any circumstance should only be approached with great care.
[17-03-2008,17:34]
[***.50.205.242]
Mike |
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(in reply to: Tories slash immigration)
Mike its alright to name my friends! http://www.metronews.ca/column.aspx?id=111050
Guiddy was not the only one concerned about some of the wording in the legislation did you not read my posting? In regards to Sharon´s comments were she thought it was clear. When you read the legislation closer after clicking on the link Sharon posted in fact CIC could do the following.
ACCEPT MILLIONS OF DOLLARS FOR H&C APPLICATIONS FROM SINGLE MOTHERS AND DISPOSE OF THE FILES BECAUSE IT IS CLEAR TO A CLERK THAT THERE IS NOT SUFFICENT SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS TO HAVE A IMMIGRATION OFFICER REVIEW THE H&C APPLICATION.
there is an excellent thread below that discusses some of the issues
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=521862
[16-03-2008,20:52]
[**.155.160.37]
Sharon
(in reply to: looks like we might be getting new rules)
OTHERWISE DISPOSED OF!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THAT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A DECISION!!!!!!
I?M NOT IN A TRUSTING MOOD THIS MORNING.
Officers and persons authorized to exercise the powers of the Minister under section 25 shall comply with any instructions before processing an application or request or when processing one. If an application or request is not processed, it may be retained, returned or otherwise disposed of in accordance with the instructions of the Minister.
Roy
www.cvimmigration.com
[17-03-2008,10:37]
[**.55.219.29]
Roy
[17-03-2008,17:48]
[**.158.53.207]
Roy |
(in reply to: Tories slash immigration)
Roy, what is this going on man? My stupid mind is unable to comprehend all of this? Is there a major shift in the policy or something? I AM WORRIED ABOUT MY DAD´S APPLICATION ON HUMANITARION & COMPASSIONATE GROUNDS.
[17-03-2008,18:00]
[***.50.205.242]
Mike |
(in reply to: Tories slash immigration)
have we all not been screaming that there are not the right jobs for new immigrants???? So, how do you suggest we get the right immigrants for the available jobs out there? or should we change our economy to suit the applicants and their skills.
first we scream that Canada is misleading immigrants and so they attempt to change the rules. Then the government is accused of hating prospective applicants.
How does the government allow itself the ability to change criteria depending on market conditions without being required to totally clear a 5 -7 year backlog first? that means admitting 1 million applicants before addressing the problem???
Roy... how would you suggest they solve this? You are emphatic that you will not do a skilled worker application because of the wait. What is the best way to get the right bodies into the right jobs????? All work permits?
[17-03-2008,19:13]
[***.20.79.93]
sharon |
(in reply to: Tories slash immigration)
I agree, it looks inconsistent to want unrestricted skilled worker immigration, yet at the same time complain that corresponding professional jobs cannot be found.
But there´s an element missing in this argument. I believe Canadians and Canadian companies, for whatever reason, tend to prefer hiring already established native Canadians, especially citizens. I may be wrong, but from reading many reports, that´s my impression. The government and Canadian society may need to address why this bias is so prevalent - not that it´s going to be easy to solve.
But the dilemma is how to address the fact that qualified professional immigrants are not being offered available equivalent positions. If it´s a society that resists accepting professional immigrants into their own ranks, then so be it. Accept it, face up to it, and limit immigration based on these facts.
But again, this issue may only be part of the problem.
[17-03-2008,21:01]
[**.53.224.249]
Richard |
(in reply to: Tories slash immigration)
CHANGE, WHO LIKES CHANGE?
The issue is not that change is not needed I think we can all agree there.
I´m tired of telling my clients be more patient! CIC takes a long time.
The issue to me is just what does the (proposed) legislation allow CIC to do with certain files.
Mike is right to be concerned!!!!
OMG I JUST WROTE MIKE IS RIGHT LOL
Not all applicants are FSW or PNP´s which we see on this forum. An H&C application paid for is still an application. Mike loves his parent and thinks he has a valid argument of common sense.
Can CIC destroy these applications and not tell anyone that no decision is forthcoming?
WELL CAN THEY?
Too much power corrupts and an interpretation is a something that is an individual thing. Who likes a thick juicy steak, Sushi, Curry Goat, Pigs Tail?
I think the current legislation could of been better written and there is no need for soooooooo much authority to be put in the hands behind the Minister of Immigration to alleviate processing times.
MY OPINION
Roy
www.cvimmigration.com
[17-03-2008,21:55]
[**.15.50.68]
Roy |
(in reply to: Tories slash immigration)
"for whatever reason, tend to prefer hiring already established native Canadians, especially citizens. I may be wrong, but from reading many reports, that?s my impression."
That´s the impression I get too. It seems to me that although Canada officially prides itself in being multicultural, when you get down to individual Canadians, they´re not at all used to non-European Canadians. Only in Canadian universities do I find that it doesn´t matter which university/country you got your degree from. I think that´s because universities are of course more familiar with foreign education and thus can more easily decide if the person is qualified or not.
The US, for all its reputation of being intolerant to diversity (relative to Canadians) seem to have had more experience in dealing with foreign skilled labor. This long experience is evident in electronic forms you fill up to apply for jobs - i.e., you can actually SELECT foreign universities from a drop down list when you´re asked to specify which university you graduated from. A Filipina friend told me this as she had experienced it when she was applying for a job as a middle school teacher in the States. Add to that, their system of evaluating foreign credentials seems to be more established than Canada´s.
That´s just my opinion. It seems to me that the average Canadian employer has limited world exposure and that hampers their ability to understand how similar or different learned skills are. Despite the "recession," the US seems to have more professional jobs being offered. Whenever I hear about Canadian jobs, it´s always about needed miners, gas (what do you call it?) workers. In Canada, there is a huge demand for manual laborers. Just this week, there was news about women heading to the fields too to do man´s work(driving trucks) because the pay is huge (60,000 to 100,000). Certainly a lot more than they would earn doing retail clerk work.
Obviously, Canada does not need a lot of professionals - biologists, microbiologists, chemists, .... It needs only a certain kind of professional to work in specific fields (engineers in gas and mining) and hundreds and hundreds of laborers.
[17-03-2008,22:10]
[**.67.253.209]
Anonymous |
(in reply to: Tories slash immigration)
here is the employer perspective.
one job opening. you never hire until you desperately need someone so the idea of a long adaptation curve could be frustrating.
100 applications for 1 job. 75 are new Canadians with experience you can´t relate to. Resume is full of gramatical errors, the person is hard to interview and their knowledge of the Canadian market/industry/situation is limited.
25 applications are Canadian educated and perhaps 10 have some interesting skills that might be relevant to your company.
in your mind - all 75 of the first group present a challenge of some kind. 25 do not.
Which one do you think they will try and hire first?
remember, the employer is thinking... how fast can I get this person integrated, not making any mistakes and making the company money. How sure am I that this new employee will fit in with the rest of the team. How sure am I that this new employee will jive with my customers.
While it is not very nice... the path of least resistance is the one most often taken.
[18-03-2008,00:38]
[**.155.160.37]
Sharon |
(in reply to: Tories slash immigration)
Sharon, what you say is certainly true.
I find that one of the major reasons why many companies in the US hire foreigners for supervisory positions is that US companies usually have subsidiary companies in other countries. Thus, the work experience of a foreigner who has worked in a subsidiary company (or not even a subsidiary company; even work in a similar company - e.g., pharmaceutical) is sufficient for a US employer. The foreigner didn´t even have to apply for the job, it was the US employer who recruited the foreigner.
I find the US employer´s assumption (that the work experiences are the same) to be true because multinational companies in other countries follow the same set of protocols that the mother US company follows.
In contrast, many Canadian companies are limited within Canada. How many companies are there in the Middle East, Asia, or Africa that have Canadian affiliations? It´s no wonder that Canada has no ready source of potential already-trained employees to pull from. It´s no wonder too that Canadian employers will not know how to look at the work experience that a foreigner has.
I also consider the fact that the US was a major force (true also for several European countries) in establishing the educational system in some countries makes them capable of assessing the quality of a foreign education.
[18-03-2008,00:59]
[**.67.253.209]
Anonymous |
(in reply to: Tories slash immigration)
Sharon, you missed another thing I would like to point out.
You are right about the situation .... 1 job 100 applicants, but I disagree with the thought that 75 new-Canadian resumes are really that bad. I am ready to bet you money that some of those will be better than most Canadian resumes.
What has really happened is that with historical experience, employers have decided to ignore the 75 to save time and money to find a good candidate among them, lets face it, it can´t be denied. The only way out here is if there are 40 job openings and 100 applicants, and thats not happening anytime soon, so its better to not let anyone else in with that skill to immigrate as "killed" professional category. And I again mention here that Canada has to do a faster job of educational evaluation and skill recognition.
[18-03-2008,02:10]
[**.112.73.220]
Raj |
(in reply to: Tories slash immigration)
Raj,
I agree with Sharon here fully. We all have to realize one thing, locals always get preference. That is even true for Canadians or Americans as well. Like, for a job opening in Toronto, employer will look first the Torontonians, not someone from BC.
Think about yourself as an employer in India. Will you employ an IIT Grad or someone from Madagaskar or Nigeria? It is not that the second class guys are all bad candidates. They may have very good skills but you will only hire the second class if you can´t fulfill your needs from your trusted locals. This is exactly the case in Canada. Yesterday I posted something about how many SURPLUS engineers are in Canada and because of them even Candian grads can´t find suitable jobs.
Though my entire frustration is, it is the same employer groups (in general) who always cry for " Serious skill shortage" and press the Govt. to bring immigrants. If immigrant´s skill are so bad, useless..resume full of errors you know then why do you cry for them? Does it make any sense at all? Reason is not hard to realize, ensure an endless supply of cheap labor. Stat Canada recently reported how the immigration is adversely affecting the salary level.
Skill shortage is there, like all western developed countries Canada needs some immigrants also to counter negative birth rate, but not definitely at the current rate.
I echo with the first anonymous:
"Obviously, Canada does not need a lot of professionals - biologists, microbiologists, chemists, .... It needs only a certain kind of professional to work in specific fields (engineers in gas and mining) and hundreds and hundreds of laborers".
[18-03-2008,11:26]
[***.219.255.152]
DC |
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