Nationals of Saudi would now be granted multiple-entry Temporary Resident Visa that would hold its validity for five years for Canada. Final decision is yet to be implemented on the same, but speculations are that the relief in the Canadian Visa Rules is surely on the cards. The amendment would be viable for applicants planning to study and work in Canada too.
Canadian ambassador David Chatterson has elaborated that if implemented, the new amendments would surely aid out and pace the process between both the nations. In addition, it will assist in the creation of better understanding and bilateral affair between Saudis and Canadians.
Also, courtesy the eased out regulations, it will become quicker for the Saudis who are enrolled in study institutions in Canada to travel back and forth with ease. The business people would also face the same benefits, once the amendment would be implemented.
Under the present visa regulations, the visas to Canada were authorized for a maximum time limit of 18 months. The recent amendments have surely created a huge sign of relief for Saudi students and workers who have already migrated to the Canadian land plus those who are expected to move to the country after these new regulations.
Stats say that more than 8,200 Saudi students are enrolled in various Canadian universities and institutions at present. This year, Canada is expecting the arrival of 2,000 more students. All in all, a good news for all of them!
The Government of Canada accepts many visa applications from Indians who intend to live and work in Canada. But its recent refusal of personnel who were former defense and intelligence officers has created quite a stir amongst the Indian scenario. With Nirupama Rao, the Indian Foreign Secretary reacting tough to the allegations made by the Canadian High Commission, the issue has come quite far.
There are more than 1 million immigrants living in Canada who are of Indian origin. Agreed that the decision on giving a visa permit totally rests with the visa officer and is highly discretionary in nature! At the same time, it is not apt on a nation’s part or a visa officer of a particular nation to act rather irresponsible and terming the armed forces of a nation as being violent. The defense personnel of a nation serve the country and in the process do not hesitate to lay down their lives. This can be considered as sheer insult to the uniform and the nation as a whole.
Even though the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi has practiced visa refusal over the recent years, but this concern has become an issue, when the Border Security Force of India demanded a public apology from Canada, following the most recent case of visa application rejection of Fateh Singh Pandher.
As per the latest news, the Canadian Citizenship and Immigration Minister, Jason Kenney has expressed remorse over the row of visa rejection cases that has been recorded in the recent times. He was caught saying that both the countries- Canada and India have always maintained a cordial relation and the undesired incidents have made him uneasy. This is very unfortunate that the Canadian commission in the capital of India has created such an unfavorable situation among the Indian public service officials, as well as the political arena. The minister has further confirmed that he has the utmost respect for the sub-continent and its public institutions and their operations.
The question may look as if it holds an association merely with BSF or IB staff members, but in its broader perspective, it can be applauded as a big political issue involving the image of both the countries at stake. Can we depict the refusal of visas as a strong political statement from Canada’s side? Why is this prejudice coming against the Indian applicants from defense services and intelligence background?
Coming back to embarrassment which India as a country and the applicants had to face during this overall episode, does offering an apology serve the purpose and allow the Indian defense and intelligence officials who suffered against such failures to forget about their humiliation?
Crux says that the apology can be seen as damage control, but real purpose will be solved if all the files so closed and refused are reopened and visa granted to all concerned! Needless to say, corrective changes in the legislation should be carried out at the earliest so that such unfortunate events do not reoccur again.
Canada is expected to fall short of skilled workforce with major part of its population aging. As per the Conference Board of Canada, there would be a shortage of the human resources in the coming years starting 2015 to 2030 when the number of retirements would increase. According to the Board, an increase in the rate of immigration could be a possible answer to this problem. As per the data in 2008, the current rate of immigration involves permitting around 250,000 people per year. This number is being planned to be extended by another 100,000 to make it 350,000 intakes annually.
Despite increasing the number of immigrants walking into the country, the aging trend cannot be reversed. However, a balance would be maintained catering to the skill and labor shortages. This would ensure a stable growth of population during the above mentioned period of forecast.
It is being presumed by the Conference Board that the rate of 350,000 immigrants each year till 2030 are being considered as positive and would be the answer to all their problems. Although, the resources are not enough to build a growth pattern for the economy that is required to support the relevant social programs.
Despite inviting more immigrants to live and work in Canada, there would be challenges from other nations as well which would further increase the competition to target foreign migrants.
According to a spokesperson from the Citizenship and Immigration Canada, the government of Canada is planning on a number between 240,000 and 265,000 immigrants annually. This range can easily be considered as one amongst the highest for the industrialized nations. More so, there is no target available catering to long-term immigration. However, the immigration program has been evolving regularly over a period of time with the changing trends in economic goals.
Ottawa has been declared the best city to live in Canada by a magazine. MoneySense magazine released its annual ranking of Canadian cities recently, which considered various factors like housing prices, weather and crime rates as the basis for the findings. They considered a total of 179 cities and towns in Canada that have more than 50,000 inhabitants.
Earlier, Ottawa was placed at the top slot in 2007 and 2008, however, in 2009 Victoria displace the city. As Victoria’s cost of living is growing for the average Canadian, Ottawa has restored the top rank once again, thanks its economy, job opportunities, low crime rate and stable population growth.
According to Duncan Hood, the magazine’s editor, Ottawa has many reasons to be in the first spot on the list of cities and towns. Foremost, the city happened to be the most recession-proof city among all Canadian cities, followed by adequate job opportunities. Ottawa has the most public service workers and these workers did not lose their employment, neither they had cuts in their salary. Thus, while most Canadian cities had to experience the reverse results of the aforementioned, Ottawa remained firm during the recession.
Below are the top ten cities to live in Canada according to MoneySense’s study:
Ottawa-Gatineau
Kingston, Ontario
Burlington, Ontario
Fredericton, New Brunswick
Moncton, New Brunswick
Repentigny, Quebec.
Brandon, Manitoba
Victoria, British Columbia
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Levis, Quebec
The full list of best places to live in Canada will be released on May 3, 2010.
The Government of Canada conducts an internship program known as the Young Newcomers Internship Program. This program is being extended to permit more immigrants to come and learn in Canada.
According to Jason Kenney, the Immigration Minister for Canada, this program is the perfect instance of how refugees and new immigrants could be helped by the Government of Canada to integrate with the local Canadian crowds. This would help them leap over certain obstacles which they might face post landing. Work experience in Canada would definitely help them in the right way.
When the scheme was first introduced, the immigration department of Canada enrolled twelve immigrants from various countries such Ethiopia and Afghanistan. All the immigrants were granted an internship for the duration of four months which was then followed by another four months in some cases. The very next year, twenty immigrants were selected from the same program.
This particular program is being expanded to many other departments in the government. This would aid in providing more opportunities for many young immigrants as well as refugees to live and work in Canada. More so, gain experience and expertise and thus, contribute to the economy of Canada.
This amend has been supported by the Minister of Human Resources and Skill Development, Diane Finley. This program is definitely a good way to bring in more immigrants who could be trained according to Canadian standards and bank on the necessary skills that are required by the Canadian economy.
A Chinese who was accused of smuggling and is also known as the most wanted in China has been permitted in Canada on a temporary work permit. Lai Changxing alias Lai Cheong Sing is accused in a smuggling racket involving multibillion dollars. His other offences include cases of bribery as well as avoidance to paying taxes. He escaped to Canada in 1999. However, officials in Canada have made many attempts to get him deported.
The news has been confirmed by Jason Kenney who is the Citizenship and Immigration Minister for Canada. He also said that the decision on the legal battle is still awaited for the Canadian government to announce. Kenney made the announcement in the foyer of the House of Commons.
Post one year after landing in Canada, Lai had applied for the status of a refugee which was denied to him several times. In his defense, he said that he was innocent and if deported, he would be subject to harsh punishment or even be given death penalty by the Chinese government.
As the last alternative prior to being deported to China, Lai had undergone a “Pre – Removal Assessment” conducted by the Immigration Department. This was to find out if the level of risks involved pertaining to torture and death penalty in China. The outcome saw no such threats. More so, the government of China assured that he would not be subject to any ill treatment.
However, a Federal Court judge ordained for another assessment after Lai has appealed for the same to the Federal Court of Canada. The new assessment was ordered for after determining that the original one did not precisely look into the risks pertaining to torture.
As per the work permit granted to Lai, he would be allowed to live and work in Canada. In the meantime, he would have to wait for the judgment involving the risk assessment. However, it has to be noted that the work permit does not provide for any form of status in Canada.
It is also being speculated that Lai’s stay in Canada can turn out to be sour for the relations between Canada and China with the latter asking for the immigrant’s deportation to be brought to justice.
The Canadian Supreme Court has finally consented on a case involving eight immigrants on the verge of paying back for all the social assistance and other benefits. They collected these from their relatives who sponsored them to come and live in Canada.
The court has allowed for leave to appeal without stating any reasons to the Government of Ontario. However, the Ontario government argues that debts pertaining to sponsorships should be paid back. For this, there is no allowance that could forgive these immigrants despite the situation or circumstance that they are in.
In such a case, a lot of money is at stake and could impact on the thousands of other immigrants who are dependent on the state immediately post landing. The immigrants are the responsibility of the sponsors who are their relatives. This responsibility is bestowed upon them for the first three years post landing in Canada. Initially, the sponsor had to hold on to the responsibility for ten years which has now been changed to three years after eight years.
The immigrants won the case in the Ontario Court of Appeal on the basis that certain amount of discretion has to be maintained. This should be done especially in cases where a marriage ends and immigrant is not in touch with his/her relatives. Also, if the sponsor falls sick or have lost his job and when they are unable to pay for the immigrant.
According to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, the debts could be recovered by the governments be it either federal or state whichever is applicable.
If you are a permanent resident of Canada and are planning to apply for a Canadian citizenship, the following article would be of great help to you. To become a citizen of Canada, there are certain pre – requisites to be catered to. The applicant should not have undergone any form of immigration enquiry or investigation and so on.
The following are the key points to be noted before applying for citizenship:
You must have lived in Canada for a minimum of three years or 1095 days in the last fours year. This period of residence should be prior to applying for citizenship. However, children are exempt from this requirement. Accurate time period of residence should be provided with, prior to becoming a permanent resident as well, if it is within the above mentioned four year period. This is because there are instances where in an applicant would be considered as residing in Canada when he was physically not present in the country.
In order to apply, you should be atleast 18 years of age.
You should not have been convicted of any crime or offence that is prohibited under the Citizenship Act or imprisoned. The time spent in prison does not count for the residency period.
Proficiency in English or French is a must to communicate with the local citizens.
As a future citizen of Canada, you must be aware of the rights and responsibilities of a Canadian citizen. This includes the right to vote as well. Others include the history, geography and the political aspects of the country.
After the ensuring that you clear the above pre-requites, the following steps should be followed to apply for citizenship:
Check your eligibility criteria, as mentioned above.
Submit the application for citizenship.
Incase, you are between the age group of 18 and 54 years, you have to appear for the Citizenship test.
Incase you are 14 years of age or older, you must be present for the citizenship ceremony.
It has to be remembered that it is not mandatory for all the permanent residents in Canada to apply for citizenship. They are free to apply for an extension or renewal of their PR card if it expires. This PR card is permitted for five years at a stretch. However, on the PR card, certain rights are not available which are only applicable for the citizens of Canada.
Canadian Employment Insurance is a federal program designed to help its citizens financially who have lost their jobs. Or in other words, this program provides temporary financial assistance to those who are struggling with their jobs for various reasons, including sickness, parenting, or childbirth etc. Like any other insurance program, an employee is required to pay premiums during his/her work, so that when situation like job lost arises, he/she gets the benefits. The basic idea is more premiums you pay, the more benefits you get!
The Employment Insurance Act R.S. 1996 c. 23 governs the program and is run by Human Resources and skills Development Canada (HRSDC). The Employment Insurance program has its own rules and limitations. If an employee who paid employment insurance premiums loses his job for some reason, he/she can apply for benefits. Basically, there are four types of Employment Insurance Benefits available in Canada. They are:
Regular Benefits: This type of Employment Insurance Benefit is for those people who are out of work, without having their mistake, but they can still, however cannot find a job. In order to be eligible for this benefit, the Canadian workers must have worked for definite insurable hours, over a qualifying period of fifty-two weeks. However, the number of insurable hours may differ from person to person, depending upon their location where they live in Canada, as well as the unemployment rate of that area.
Compassionate Care Benefit: Canadian workers who take time off work in order to care a sick family member or relative can reap the advantage of Compassionate Care Benefit.
Maternity, Parental and sickness Benefit: This type of benefit is for those Canadian workers who are pregnant, or have valid reasons like childbirth or childcare.
Fishing Benefits: People who occupy themselves in fishing are entitled to Fishing Benefits in Canada.
In an effort to help the earthquake stuck Haiti, the Canadian government has decided to come up with a plan that would ensure priority processing for the immigrants from Haiti. For this purpose, the rules for the refugees are thought of being revised so that the Haitian refugees could be permitted to live in Canada.
To begin with the relief operation, three military air planes carrying those evacuated from Haiti have already been brought to Montreal. These consisted of two hundred and seventy two people. The evacuees have been selected by the Canadian Embassy staff in Haiti for transport.
On the other hand, according to reports, four Canadians have also died in the massive earthquake with thirteen others injured and others consisting of almost five hundred and fifty people have been found. However, around one thousand four hundred and fifteen Canadians are still missing. A total of around six thousand Canadians were living in Haiti but only seven hundred people were registered with the Port-au-Prince embassy.
The Canadian government is also expected to consider policies that would allow Haitians who have Canadian relatives to come and live in Canada. However, deciding on whom to permit would be a major task.
Additionally, immediate amends include free passage of Haitians including those who are not traveling via commercial flights. With this, the government has permitted transports for aid purposes to stop in Canada for refueling purposes without the passengers to have a temporary visa for residency. The first two planes to have stopped by include that of a Russian and Chinese transport that were permitted to land based on the above grounds.
