Canadian Immigration Articles from Current Edition
LoonLounge.com - the new Canadian immigration and settlement online community - garnering praise across Canada
Earlier this month, Canada introduced LoonLounge.com, a social network where Canadian residents and future immigrants can connect and learn from each other, become engaged in Canadian communities, and ultimately help improve the Canadian immigration and settlement processes. The response from people in newsletter subscribers and the Canadian media has been overwhelmingly positive, with a flux of new members on LoonLounge and praise coming from such highly regarded Canadian news agents as the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star....
Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) changes process for H1B holders
Last year, the province of Alberta introduced the Strategic Recruitment Stream of the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP). This program recognizes the valuable contributions that workers from overseas have made in North America by fast-tracking the Canadian Permanent Residency of certain US H1B visa* holders. The application procedure has recently been modified....
Canadian citizenship rules change for those born outside of Canada
As of April 17, 2009, Canada's Citizenship Act will be amended. The new law now limits Canadian citizenship to the first generation born abroad to Canadian citizens....
CIMC Minister visits India and Pakistan to discuss Canadian immigration
Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister (CIMC) Jason Kenney spent some time this month in India and Pakistan to work on further strengthening Canada's relations with the two countries. He met with important political figures and religious leaders from various communities to discuss immigration to Canada, employment in Canada for Indian and Pakistani residents, and Canadian investment in the region. ...
New requirements for Canadian employers hiring foreign skilled workers
In order to hire a foreign worker, Canadian employers may need to satisfy Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) that they cannot find any Canadian citizens or Permanent Residents to fill the available position. HRSDC's role is to ensure that Canadian residents have first access to Canadian jobs. To better reflect Canada's evolving labour needs, HRSDC has recently altered employer requirements for hiring from abroad. ...
Canadian Experience Class up and running
As of September 17, 2008, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is accepting applications for the newest category of Canadian immigration, the Canadian Experience Class (CEC). This fast-track immigration category was designed specifically for Canada's temporary foreign workers and international graduates with work experience, as a means to more easily transition them into Permanent Residents, and eventually Canadian citizens....
OECD recommends that lower-skilled workers be included in immigration policy
Canada, like most OECD countries, has a selective immigration system that focuses on highly skilled candidates. This has created gaping holes in the lower-skilled Canadian workforce, where many employers are struggling to find workers. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD) International Migration Outlook 2008 report recommends that OECD countries adapt their immigration and labour migration policies to be more in line with likely future demand for workers in all economic sectors; both high-skilled and lower-skilled....
Atlantic Canada: An increasingly important immigration destination
With smaller cities and a lower profile, Atlantic Canada traditionally has not seen large influxes of newcomers to Canada. Recent initiatives have somewhat altered this trend, as immigrant communities are becoming established and are growing. However, the rate of immigration is not high enough to satisfy regional governments, who are facing the challenges of aging populations, low birth rates, and chronic labour shortages. To effectively manage these issues and plan for the future, Atlantic provincial governments have banded together to build a regional immigration policy to expand the Atlantic work force....