Canadian Immigration News

Immigration ministers from the provinces and territories held a meeting in Ottawa yesterday with federal Immigration Minister Jason Kenney to discuss ways to improve Canada’s immigration system given the importance of immigration to Canada’s future competitiveness and prosperity. The Ministers discussed the status of several key issues including the common goal of ensuring foreign credentials and qualifications are recognized consistently and fairly, the ability of the provincial nominee programs to respond to local labour market needs, and the support newcomers need to join and help build vibrant communities.

Today, people from around the world will be watching in anticipation as the 2010 FIFA World Cup begins in South Africa. Over the following month, an estimated one billion viewers will watch teams from 32 countries come together in sport, culminating into a final game which receives more viewers and international attention than the Olympics.

Although Canada does not yet have a soccer team strong enough to compete in the top 32, Canada is making a beautiful and enduring offering to this year’s World Cup.

A hot topic at a conference today in Montreal was the projected shortage of skilled workers in the information technology sector. Representatives from some of Canada’s largest technology firms said they are concerned a labour shortage will impact their ability to sustain growth. “Integrating immigrants into our workforce is very important to maintain the quality and the quantity of our workforce,” said Renaud Caron, vice president of Montreal-based IT company CGI, at the conference this morning.

Canada is being recognized in China this week for being a world-class destination for potential investors. Canadian Minister of International Trade, Peter Van Loan, said Canada is one of the best locations in the world to invest in sophisticated, cost-effective science and technology partnerships.

Last week, the governments of Canada and Saskatchewan announced they have signed an agreement to help protect temporary foreign workers from exploitation and abuse.

On Friday, British Columbia (BC) announced that it is making changes to its Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) that will allow the province to welcome greater numbers of qualified immigrants.

Mexico's President Felipe Calderon has been on an official visit to Canada this week, discussing various ways to improve and promote cooperation between the two countries with Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Among the items discussed is a plan for a youth work exchange program that will likely be similar to Youth Mobility Agreements that Canada already has in place with 19 countries.

Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney is set to announce reforms to the way Canadian immigration representatives are regulated in order to better protect prospective immigrants from unscrupulous ‘ghost’ consultants.

The federal government and the Manitoba provincial government have announced funding for an employment project that will provide youth and immigrants in Manitoba with job-preparation training and work experience.

Earlier this month, the head of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of New Brunswick praised the province’s licensing procedures for foreign-trained engineers four being efficient and accessible.