Canada Pushes India, China & the Philippines for Action on Immigration Fraud

Canada’s immigration minister Jason Kenney is travelling to China, India and the Philippines this week to discuss, among other issued, the problem of so-called ‘fraudulent marriages’.

The visit comes on the heels of a series of public consultations the minister has started on the issue. Fraudulent marriages are those where a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident sponsors someone abroad as a spouse, but the spouse enters into marriage just to get to Canada and leaves the person who sponsored once he or she lands in the country.

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Ontario To Crackdown on Bogus Colleges & Approves Fast Tracking for PhD Grads

The provincial government in Ontario has introduced new legislation it says will help it protect foreign students from falling for bogus universities or colleges.

What the Ontario government wants is more powers to tackle businesses that might establish colleges or universities without permission to grant degrees or diplomas.

The new rules will help the government shut down such businesses much easily, than having to go through extended legal processes.

PhD Grads To Be Fast-Tracked To Canadian Citizenship

This move comes as Ontario announced yet another step to make the province even more attractive for foreign students.

The provincial government, just like its federal counterpart in Ottawa as well as governments in Australia and New Zealand, sees the foreign student sector as an excellent source for foreign exchange earnings.

Accordingly, Ontario wants to increase the intake of foreign students by fifty percent over the next five years.

Under new rules, those who have completed PhD from an Ontario university can apply to be fast tracked for the permanent residence, which allows them to work without a work permit. Generally, the permanent residence is the first step towards Canadian citizenship.

Canada’s French speaking province of Quebec has also brought in changes to fast track foreign students towards Canadian citizenship. (Article here.)

YouTube Videos On Immigration Canada’s Programmes

Are you a skilled professional considering moving to Canada? Well, Canada’s federal ministry of Citizenship and Immigration (Citizenship & Immigration Canada) has some new, multimedia tools available.

And they are available in English and French on YouTube.

The first video explains about the so-called Provincial Nominee Programme. Under the PNP, Canada’s provinces and territories can nominate foreigners, including international students. Usually, those willing to move to Canada permanently under this programme have to apply to the respective province/territory. If they are approved, they have to make a separate application to the Citizenship & Immigration Canada.

The second video explains about the Canadian Experience Class for foreign temporary workers.

The last video is about the Permanent Resident Card, its features and how to renew it.

Canada to Hold Public Consultation on Types of Immigration

The Canadian government is asking its citizens to have a say in its immigration policies. The Ministry of Citizenship & Immigration wants Canadians to give their views on changing labour market trends and how the immigration system should respond to them.

This is part of the immigration system reform initiated in 2008 to cut down the massive immigration applications backlog and also to bring in professional people who are needed in Canada.

There had been a longstanding debate about the fairness and justification of bringing, for example, doctors and engineers who find it difficult to practise while the country is beginning the feel the shortage in fields such as construction workers, plumbers etc.

But what is interesting is that, according to the press release of the ministry, Canadians could also voice their opinion about ‘factors that affect an immigrant’s ability to succeed in Canada’s work force’.

In other words, Canadians could express their sentiments about language and other issues that they think, not necessarily objectively, would affect an immigrant’s successful integration in the workforce.

The ministry has not said how it will evaluate the suggestions.

But what is known is that the ministry says that the consultations will help the government develop instructions to immigration offices to decide which economic immigration applications are eligible for processing.

This consultation is applicable only to those wishing to migrate under the economy class, and not family or other special classes of immigration.

Public can participate in the consultation process by accessing the Citizenship and Immigration Canada special website.

Ontario’s Handling of Foreign Trained Professionals Rapped

It is official, once again. Professionals who migrate to Canada have a tough time getting jobs appropriate to their qualifications and experience

Ontario Fairness Commissioner’s Report On Foreign Trained Professionals

This is the conclusion of a new report issued by Ontario’s Fairness Commissioner. The Commissioner’s office is an independent agency, and studied extensively the challenges faced by immigrants from 37 professions, ranging from doctors, engineers, accountants and lawyers to chiropractors and even foresters.

The study was conducted between April and August of last year, and close to 2,800 professionals in Canada since 2000 participated.

The report says that there is a fundamental contradiction between the positions taken by the various levels of Canadian government (federal and provincial) and the licensing bodies that regulate the professions. For example, a medical professional can get extra points based on the profession, and can be approved to migrate to Canada based on the need for such professionals in Canada, but once he or she is here, the challenges in settling down in the profession are huge.

The report also points to a host of issues – from the cost and time needed to get licensed to appeal processes – that pose serious challenges to immigrants.

The time taken for foreign-trained professionals to get licensed, if they do get licensed at all, is evident – for example, the time taken to complete the licensing process is 2.5 years for a locally trained professional while it is four months longer for an internationally trained professional (ITP). But the difference is glaring when all the requirements have been met and only the licensing process needs to be completed – one year for a locally trained professional and 2.5 years for a foreign trained professional.

The different layers of governments as well as companies have been blamed for the sorry plight of the ITPs. But of late, many settlement agencies, and even government officials, have pointed the finger at professional bodies that regulate the respective professions as being too cumbersome. Often, there have also been complaints of these bodies acting intentionally to create hurdles for foreign trained professionals to practise.

But to be fair, these bodies have been cooperating ever more closely with government and other agencies to help immigrants.

In 2009, Canada received just under 247,000 immigrants, as compared to 190,000 ten years ago, and of them almost two-thirds came through business class, self-sponsorship, caregiver and other professional categories.

Drivers Licensing in Canada Part 1 Alberta

One issue many immigrants face when moving to Canada is whether or not their current drivers licence will be accepted in Canada.

Generally, issuing drivers licence is a provincial/territorial issue in Canada, and the system varies from province to province.

Drivers Licensing in Alberta

• If you visit Alberta as a visitor, you can use your International Driving Permit (IDP) for up to 12 months, in conjunction with the licence from your country of residence.

• If you have moved to Alberta as a permanent resident (immigrant), then you must obtain an Alberta driver’s licence within 90 days of moving to the province, regardless of whether you travel outside Alberta during those 90 days (see below for more information on the difference between reciprocal and non-reciprocal licences)

• If you are working in Alberta but have your residence outside the province, you may continue to use the valid licence from your home jurisdiction.

• If you are only visiting the province, then you may use your valid licence from your home jurisdiction as long as you have a legitimate residence there and do not take up residency in Alberta.

• If you are staying in Alberta as a full time student or you are working here as part of a co-op program of study, you may use your valid driver’s licence from your home jurisdiction.

Reciprocal/non-reciprocal Licensing Agreements

• If you have moved to Alberta from the countries with which Canada has a reciprocal agreement – Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Switzerland, UK (excluding Northern Ireland) and the USA – then you can exchange your home jurisdiction licence to an Albertan one, provided you meet certain conditions.

• If you come from one of the non-reciprocal countries, but have had the licence from your current jurisdiction for at least two years, then you can apply for the Alberta licence Class 5 (cars, light trucks, motorcycles and mopeds) or Class 7 (learner’s licence for cars, motorcycles and mopeds), after you pass the knowledge, vision and advanced road testing.

• But if you do not possess the minimum two years of experience, then you will be placed under the Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) which will require few years of progressively increased privileges as a driver.

More information can be obtained from Transportation Alberta

Three Weeks Before EI Exemption For Self-Employed Expires

There is a little over three more weeks to take advantage of an exemption to the newly introduced Special Employment Insurance (EI) Benefits programs for self-employed people in Canada.

The programme offers certain types of EI benefits – maternity, parental, sickness and compassionate care – to self employed people.

It does not include payments that regular employees receive when they are laid off, and that could be one of its weaknesses. To be fair, though, self-employed lack the employer-contribute component of premiums.

The new rule came into effect on Jan 31, 2010, and is part of a government program to extend certain EI benefits to the self employed through the Fairness for the Self‑Employed Act.

One has to wait a minimum of 12 months after starting to pay premiums to be able to receive benefits, but if those joining the programme before April 1, 2010, can receive benefits as early as January 2011.

Anyone who is a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident and is self-employed can join this ‘voluntary’ programme.

Those who are self employed while working part-time can also join the programme.

Formally, to join the programme a self-employed person enters into a contract with the Canada Employment Insurance Commission.

And this can be done online from home or through a Service Canada kiosk.

Some critical information on the new EI Special Benefits for the Self Employed programme:

The Premiums

Calculated at the rate of $1.73/100.00 of earnings, up to a maximum earning of $43,200.00 for 2010. It would mean the maximum amount one could pay as premium per year would be $ 747.36. Because of its own, separate benefits programmes, those in Quebec will pay only $1.36/100.00

This programme does not apply to hairdressers, taxi drivers, and drivers of other passenger-carrying vehicles who are not employees per-se but whose employment is insurable under the EI Regulations.

The Benefits

Maternity: available to birth mothers, and covers a period of up to 15 weeks surrounding a child’s birth.

Parental: available to biological and adoptive parents, and can be taken by either parent or shared between them up to a period of 35 weeks.

Sickness: available if the insured person is unable to work because of illness, injury or even quarantine, up to a maximum of 15 weeks.

Compassionate Care: paid if the insured person has to take off from work to care for a family member who is gravely ill with a ‘significant risk of death’, for a maximum of six weeks.

Termination:

One can terminate the programme within sixty days of signing up, or if no benefits had been received. If benefits had been received, then payment into the system is mandatory during the person’s self-employment career.

More information can be obtained here.

Canada Introduces New Web Tool To Help Immigrants

The Canadian federal government has launched a new website to help newcomers get all the information they need to successfully settle down in the country.

The new tool, at servicefornewcomers.cic.gc.ca, is a sort of a one-stop gateway for new immigrants and even new citizens in Canada.

It is divided into community and government services, and provides information on a vast range of issues – from getting driving licenses, to opening a bank account and finding language courses. It also has information on the various federal, provincial/territorial and other state services given.

Immigrants will also be able to e-mail the results of their searches to themselves, family members or others.

The government says it will continuously update and expand the website.

The new online resource is part of a multi-step government plan to help newcomers settle down in the country.

Canada Boosts Funding To Help Skilled Immigrants From India, China & Philippines

Canada is pumping millions of more dollars to make it easier and faster for Indians immigrating to Canada to settle down professionally and personally in their new country.

Under a new plan unveiled, 15 million dollars will be spent to expand the current foreign credentials recognition and labour market programmes offered by the Canadian government in New Delhi, Manila and Guangzhou in China.

Canada’s federal minister for Citizenship and Immigration, Jason Kenney, says the new funding will help more would-be immigrants from these three countries to jump-start their professional lives in their new country by starting the process to have their qualifications recognised even before they leave their home countries.

The money will go to the Canadian Immigration Integration Project (CIIP), which is run by the Association of Canadian Community Colleagues (ACCC). The Integration Project began its services on a pilot basis in 2007, and so far more than 7,000 have gone through  its pilot programmes.

According to Canadian officials, the three offices, along with a soon-to-be opened office in London to offer services to Nordic and Arab countries, will offer services to more than 70% of the immigrants selected under Canada’s federally run skilled workers immigration programme. Furthermore, it will also offer services to more than 40 percent of immigrants selected under the country’s provincial nominees programme.

The free sessions offered by the Project include labour market information, individual advice and planning and the referral to the various services available at the federal and provincial levels. There will also be on-line tools for a number of issues, including help immigrants begin their licensure process even before they arrive.

Furthermore, as not everyone would be able to access the services in person, the ministry has developed an online version, and this can be accessed at www.credentials.gc.ca.

The new funding is an acknowledgement that the Canadian government has taken seriously the concerns raised by skilled immigrants and settlement groups who say one of their biggest challenges is to have foreign credentials recognised.

More Money, New Deals To Help Immigrants

Canadian government has already allocated 50 million dollars over a two-year programme to develop a common national approach towards recognition of foreign credentials.

There has also been a Pan-Canadian Framework for the Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Qualifications deal between the federal provincial and territorial governments to facilitate faster recognition of foreign credentials.

Under the programme, a skilled immigrant will know within a year of applying whether or not his or her credentials be recognised here, and to what level.

Basics of Housing Mortgages

The Canadian government has announced tightening of mortgage and financing rules beginning April 19^th. The government has though declined to consider reducing the current maximum amortization period of 35 years and the minimum down payment of five percent of the value of the house.

Here are some basic pointers to the different types of mortgages available in Canada.

Mortgages can be in general classified into two types;

• Fixed Rate Mortgage (FRM):

These are closed mortgages. Interest rate is fixed for specific term (for example, five years) and you cannot end it beforehand without paying a penalty.

Advantage: you will know the amount of interest and principal you would be paying for the term.  Even if the interest rate rises you mortgage interest rate will remain same until end of the term.

Disadvantage: If the interest rate goes down, as it has been over the past few quarters, you will not benefit as your interest rate is locked for a fixed term.

• Variable Rate Mortgage (VRM):

Here, the interest rate is pegged to prime rate. If prime rate changes your mortgage interest rate will change accordingly. Your payment amount remains same but interest component of the payment will change.

VRM can be further divided into two sub-categories.

Closed VRM:

Interest rate is variable for the term. But you cannot collapse before the end of term unless you pay penalty.

Advantage: If interest rate drops your mortgage amount will drop too. The interest portion of your payment will be less and you will pay more towards principal.

Disadvantage: If the interest rate goes up your mortgage amount will also go up and you cannot collapse the mortgage. If this happens interest rate of your payment will be more and you will be paying less towards principal.

Open VRM:

Interest rate is variable and it is not locked for the term. You can pay off the mortgage any time.

Advantage: If interest rate drops your mortgage rate will also drop. The interest portion of your payment will be less and you will pay more towards principal. If you feel the interest rate is going to rise, or if the interest rate has gone up, then you can convert it to a fixed closed mortgage without any penalty.

Disadvantage: Interest rate for these types of mortgages is usually higher than other two.

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