Canadian Immigration News

Citing economic uncertainty, the Canadian government recently announced the possibility of a reduction in the number of immigrants to be admitted to Canada in 2009.

In order to hire a foreign worker, Canadian employers may need to satisfy Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) that they cannot find any Canadian citizens or Permanent Residents to fill the available position. ESDC's role is to ensure that Canadian residents have first access to Canadian jobs. To better reflect Canada's evolving labour needs, ESDC has recently altered employer requirements for hiring from abroad.

With the goal of processing new Federal Skilled Worker applications within six to 12 months, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Canada (CIMC) has implemented new submission procedures to make the process more efficient.

International graduates and temporary foreign workers have established themselves in Canadian society and are well-poised to become Permanent Residents and eventually Canadian citizens. The Canadian Experience Class (CEC), a new immigration category, has been created specifically to facilitate this transition. Recognizing their Canadian education and/or work experience, the Canadian Experience Class will fast-track their Canadian immigration applications, to ensure that Canada retains these valuable contributors to the Canadian economy and work force. Under the CEC, these applicants can remain in Canada throughout the processing of their applications.

Canada's International Youth Program encourages young Canadians to travel and work abroad; to acquire the skills, training, and cultural experiences that are so valuable in Canada and in the global marketplace. Canada has coordinated reciprocal work permit arrangements with close to 40 countries in which qualifying Canadians and international youth can visit each others' countries to experience a new culture and different work environment.

Through recent changes to the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program, Canada has made it easier for graduating international students to obtain work permits and acquire Canadian work experience. Not only will the changes help Canada’s international student retention rate and ease current skills shortages, but they will also help these students on their way to becoming successful Permanent Residents - new immigrants who have already integrated into Canadian society thanks to the education and work experience they have obtained in Canada.

With a pressing need for skilled workers, Canada's Western provinces continue to implement new initiatives to help foreign workers get to Canada and start contributing to the labour force quickly. Human Resources and Social Development Canada (ESDC) is rolling out the welcome mat to temporary foreign workers, making the transition into the workforce easier, faster and with more protection.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada recently tabled a new bill to modernize the country's citizenship laws. New legislation will retroactively restore citizenship to the tens of thousands who lost, or never had Canadian citizenship because of several obscure clauses in existing legislation.

Recent modifications to the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP) make it easier for immigrants to establish new businesses in the province.

The Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) program is the Canadian government's primary means of helping employers address immediate skill and labour shortages. As labour tensions continue to mount across industries, Canadian employers have been making use of this program to fill a growing number of vacant positions.