What's New
May 22, 2007: Canada’s new government to facilitate the immigration of stateless Vietnamese living in the Philippines
*Ottawa, May 22, 2007 — The Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, today announced that Canada will facilitate the immigration of Vietnamese living in the Philippines without status since the late 1970s through humanitarian and compassionate provisions.
“Canada’s new government will make every effort to examine the special circumstances of this community, and to facilitate their immigration to Canada,” said Minister Finley. “We will work with the Vietnamese Canadian Federation to identify those still living in the Philippines without status.”
Following the fall of Saigon in 1975, more than half a million Vietnamese fled Vietnam, with many arriving in the Philippines. Several hundred Vietnamese eventually remained in the Philippines because they were not recognized as refugees by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. A number have since immigrated to other countries, including Canada, as part of an international effort to help them. But approximately 150 Vietnamese remain without status in the Philippines.
While this group is not considered to be in need of protection, they can apply for humanitarian and compassionate consideration. This is a discretionary provision under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act which allows for permanent residence to be granted on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. Applications received by December 31, 2007, will be considered on a priority basis. This does not guarantee acceptance. While the goal is to facilitate the immigration of these individuals to Canada, immigration officers must examine applications on a case-by-case basis and use their discretion to decide whether the case warrants exemption from the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and Regulations.
* Citizenship and Immigration Canada website
April 23, 2007: Canada’s new government urges permanent residents to renew vital document for travel
*Ottawa, April 23, 2007 — In July 2007, five-year Canadian permanent resident (PR) cards will begin expiring. The cards are a vital document for Canadian permanent residents who travel internationally because they are necessary to re-enter Canada. Canada’s new government is advising Canadian permanent residents to check the expiry date on their card if they plan to travel outside Canada after July 1, and to apply for a new card before it is too late.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada is launching a comprehensive web, media and poster campaign to remind Canadian permanent residents that they must have a valid PR card to return to the country if travelling internationally.
“We want to help Canadian permanent residents who are planning to travel outside the country,” said the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. “That’s why we are taking the initiative through this campaign to help inform Canadian permanent residents of the need to renew their cards before travelling outside Canada.”
The PR card confirms the holder’s permanent resident status in Canada. Permanent residents who travel outside Canada must show the card before boarding commercial transportation (plane, train, boat or bus) when returning to Canada. Without a valid PR card, permanent residents will not be allowed to board, and will need to make alternative travel arrangements at their own expense and inconvenience. Permanent residents who have obtained Canadian citizenship no longer need a PR card.
“We’re encouraging people to plan ahead,” said Minister Finley. “Permanent residents should check the expiry date on their cards and apply for a new one well before they travel.”
The PR card was introduced on June 28, 2002, for new immigrants to Canada with the implementation of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. The cards are valid for a five-year period. In exceptional circumstances, some cards expire after one year.
The PR card increases Canada’s border security by improving the integrity of the immigration process. It also provides cardholders with secure, convenient proof of their permanent resident status when re-entering Canada.
* Citizenship and Immigration Canada website
February 23, 2007: Canada’s new government makes improvements to the temporary foreign worker program*Vancouver, February 23, 2007 — The Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development (HRSDC), and the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration (CIC) today announced additional improvements to the Temporary Foreign Worker program. These improvements address challenges that Canadian employers face in filling labour shortages and so help Canada stay competitive and contribute to a strong economy.
“As part of the Advantage Canada strategy, Canada’s New Government is making changes to our Temporary Foreign Worker program to make it faster and easier for Canadian employers to meet their labour force needs,” said Minister Solberg. “Employers who have exhausted their search for Canadian workers often need to hire temporary foreign workers to work for a period longer than a year, and today’s announcement will allow this to happen.”
“The changes will reduce the time that employers have to wait to get the workers they need,” said Minister Finley. “As well, extending the time that workers can stay in Canada provides more security and stability to the workers and to the employers”.
The Honourable Colin Hansen, B.C. Minister of Economic Development, welcomed the improvements saying, “These additional changes to the Foreign Worker Program will help our employers by making sure they have the labour force to sustain our booming economy.”
“The Foreign Worker Program requires that we demonstrate efforts to recruit in Canada, but sometimes Canadians are not available,” said Wendy Swedlove, President of the Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council (CTHRC). “In these situations, the improvements would help us to hire workers for these vacant jobs. The changes will make it easier for us to bring in temporary foreign workers so that we can continue to contribute to Canada’s economy.”
These measures are a good first step in dealing with some of the issues faced by small businesses, according to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB). “With the shortage of labour at an all-time high, foreign workers are a more and more important resource for small businesses trying to deal with the issue,” said Catherine Swift, President and CEO of CFIB. “However, CFIB research found that the immigration and temporary foreign worker process is cumbersome and complicated to navigate. Today’s announcement shows the government is listening to small business’ concerns and is beginning to address the issues,” she added.
The Program allows employers to hire temporary foreign workers when there are no Canadian citizens or permanent residents available for the positions. Previously, temporary foreign workers with less formal training would have to leave Canada after twelve months, for four months, and then re-apply to come back. With these changes, they can stay for up to twenty-four months without having to request an extension.
Two other measures are also being introduced which will save employers time. Employers will be able to apply online to HRSDC for a labour market opinion (LMO) (see attached backgrounder), and, upon request, CIC and HRSDC will process work permits and LMO’s concurrently.
* Citizenship and Immigration Canada website
*TORONTO, December 15, 2006 — The Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, and the Honourable Mike Colle, Ontario Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, visited Brampton Multicultural Community Centre today to highlight new services for immigrants provided under the Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement.
“When Canada’s new government released our national economic plan, Advantage Canada, last month, we committed to investing in partnerships with the provinces that contribute to economic growth,” said Minister Solberg. “This investment will help newcomers become full members of Canadian society, by giving them improved access to language training, orientation, referral to community resources, employment services, interpretation and translation.”
Over 50% of immigrants to Canada make Ontario their home every year. More than 100,000 newcomers a year will benefit from federally funded assistance, through over 200 immigrant-serving organizations across Ontario.
“Our government fought long and hard for the landmark Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement, which provides an additional $920 million for Ontario newcomers,” said Minister Colle. “I am pleased that the promised funds, which are urgently needed, have started to flow.”
During their visit, Ministers Solberg and Colle also released a strategic plan that outlines how the increased federal funding for settlement and language training will be used. The plan is based on consultations this past summer with almost 700 people from across the province.
“Our ultimate goal is to welcome and successfully integrate immigrants so they can participate in all sectors of Ontario and Canadian society — economic, social, political and cultural,” said Minister Solberg.
“This action plan will lead to essential improvements in language training and settlement services for newcomers so they can succeed in Ontario,” said Colle. “When newcomers succeed, Ontario succeeds.”
Specific actions to expand programming and offer new services include:
- higher levels of language training equivalent to high school graduate levels as well as occupation-specific language training to improve newcomers’ access to the job market;
- improving access to settlement services by locating these services in areas already frequented by newcomers, such as libraries, faith institutions, employment centres and community colleges;
- more staff to provide orientation, counselling, translation and community referral services as well as job search workshops and other employment services;
- replacing obsolete computers to better equip organizations with computer-assisted language centres to help newcomers; and
- separate literacy classes to provide newcomers who have lower literacy levels with more personalized instruction and improved learning.
“The demand for services continues to grow,” said Ahmed Iqbal, Executive Director of Brampton Multicultural Community Centre. “This new funding allows us to expand our services and give newcomers the help they need to succeed.”
In the 2006 budget, Canada’s new government announced $307 million over two years in additional settlement funding to provinces outside Quebec (which operates under a separate agreement).
* Citizenship and Immigration Canada website
December 14, 2006: Canada’s new government to extend Off-Campus Work Program to more international students
As a result of the pilot, foreign students studying at approximately 75 additional institutions could be eligible to apply for off-campus work permits. The program, which allows international students at post-secondary institutions to work off-campus, is currently available only to students at publicly funded universities and colleges.
“International students contribute to Canada’s intellectual and academic environment, and make our university and college campuses centres of rich and diverse cultural exchange,” said Minister Solberg. “The proposed expansion gives the Canadian educational system a competitive advantage for attracting the best and brightest from around the world.”
To ensure appropriate controls, the pilot project will apply only to programs and institutions recognized or authorized by the provinces and territories to confer degrees. Provinces and territories interested in participating in the pilot project will need to negotiate memoranda of understanding with the private schools in their jurisdiction and monitor the implementation of the program.
After a series of successful provincial pilot projects at public institutions, Minister Solberg launched the Off-Campus Work Permit program nationally on April 27, 2006. Over 8,300 international students have already benefited from the initiative. Prior to the introduction of this program, these students were restricted to holding jobs on the campus of the educational institution at which they were studying.
“We want to help more international students get the Canadian work experience they need to adjust to life in Canada, particularly if they wish to stay. These students will be part of a significant labour pool from which regions facing labour shortages could draw. This is a win-win measure — helping students and helping the community,” concluded the Minister.
* Citizenship and Immigration Canada website
November 15, 2006: Canada’s new government to help employers address labour shortages in Western Canada
“Canada’s new government has been listening to employers in Alberta and British Columbia, and they are truly having a hard time finding enough workers,” said Minister Solberg. “The improvements we are announcing today are making it easier, faster, and less costly for employers to hire temporary foreign workers.”
“These new initiatives will assist employers by reducing overall costs and make it two to four weeks faster for employers to hire temporary foreign workers,” said Minister Finley. “They will effectively help employers having difficulty finding Canadian workers to fill their human resource needs, while continuing to protect the access of Canadian workers to the labour market.”
The improvements include:
- Regional lists of occupations under pressure. These lists will cut the recruitment wait time for employers. Employers in certain regions who face critical labour shortages may now be eligible to follow shorter, simpler and less costly advertising requirements to recruit the workers they need.
- Providing better information for employers. A step-by-step guide has been developed specifically for employers who need to hire temporary foreign workers. The guide will be useful in all regions of the country.
- Creating federal provincial working groups. Working groups in Alberta and British Columbia will speed the identification of existing and emerging skill shortages and determine the best ways the foreign worker program can help address these shortages.
In addition to these initiatives, Temporary Foreign Worker Units announced in Vancouver and Calgary last August are now fully operational and providing advice to employers seeking to employ temporary foreign workers.
“We welcome these initial measures to help streamline the process of hiring temporary foreign workers and we will continue to work with the federal government on further initiatives to help British Columbia deal with its labour shortage,” said Dave Hayer, British Columbia's Parliamentary Secretary for Multiculturalism and Immigration.
Alberta’s Minister of Human Resources and Employment, Mike Cardinal, said he was pleased that this federal initiative is beginning in Alberta. “It complements the province’s 10-year labour supply strategy. Alberta employers have been asking for clearer information and quicker processes for recruiting temporary foreign workers — these actions by the federal government are a good step in the right direction. While Albertans and Canadians will always be given priority, Alberta recognizes the importance of temporary foreign workers to help fill critical short term labour needs.”
* Citizenship and Immigration Canada website
August 22, 2006: New agreement on immigration attracts entrepreneurs to British Columbia
“It is a pleasure to announce this new memorandum of understanding between Canada’s government and the Province of British Columbia,” said Minister Solberg. “This pilot project will help British Columbia get the entrepreneurs it needs faster, and is another important step toward our goal of making immigration work for Canadians.”
The pilot project outlined in the MOU will allow B.C. and Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) to identify people who have applied to come to Canada as entrepreneurs. CIC will then contact applicants who have indicated an intention to settle in B.C. and steer them toward the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). This step will speed up the application process significantly since PNP processing can fast track applicants with specific skills that could benefit the province’s economic development.
“As B.C.'s economy keeps gaining strength, we need to attract more skilled workers and business people,” said Minister Hansen. “Since creating the business skills category in 2002, business immigrants have invested over $351 million in our province, creating more than 1,300 new jobs. Today’s agreement will help us to attract more applicants who are looking to invest in our province, create new jobs and contribute to economic growth.”
B.C. business owners are equally supportive of the new MOU. Allen Born, Chairman of Tekion, a North American fuel cell company, stated: “ British Columbia is considered to be the fuel cell capital of the world. The B.C. PNP played an instrumental role in our decision to start a company here. As a result, we have created Tekion, a micro fuel cell company now employing 75 people.”
Since 2001, more than 2,000 skilled and business immigrants and their dependants have made British Columbia their home through the B.C. PNP. Last year, through the PNP, over 800 skilled workers and entrepreneurs moved to B.C. from around the world.
* Citizenship and Immigration Canada website
April 27, 2006: Off-Campus Work Permit Program Launched
*OTTAWA, April 27, 2006 — Foreign students studying in Canada can apply for off-campus work permits effective immediately, the Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, announced today.
"Foreign students make a significant contribution to Canada,” said the Minister. “They enrich campus and community life with new ideas and new cultures, and they are an important pool of potential future skilled workers that Canadian businesses need to remain competitive".
Foreign students contribute approximately $4 billion a year to Canada’s economy. There are about 100,000 foreign students in Canada who could be eligible for work permits under the Off-Campus Work Permit Program.
The program is not intended to take jobs away from Canadian students. Each applicant will be required to compete for employment on an equal basis with Canadians.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has signed agreements with most provinces to implement the program, and agreements with New Brunswick and the Yukon are currently being finalized. The agreements allow eligible foreign students at public post-secondary institutions to work off-campus for up to 20 hours a week during the school year and full-time during study breaks.
Eligible foreign students can apply for an off-campus work permit immediately, and may be able to work off-campus as early as this summer. The work permit is valid for the duration of their study permit.
" CIC is working in cooperation with the provinces and territories to make Canada a destination of choice by making it easier for foreign students to work in Canada during and after their studies,” said Minister Solberg. “Off-campus work agreements will make it easier for students to gain work experience in the Canadian labour market and earn extra income while studying,” he said.
The Canadian Federation of Students, the Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec, the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada and the Association of Canadian Community Colleges, who have all been consulted on the initiative, support efforts to make it easier for foreign students to work in Canada.
"With Canadian work experience, foreign students will be able to integrate into the Canadian labour force more quickly. This will help address skilled labour shortages in Canada,” said Minister Solberg.
* Citizenship and Immigration Canada website
November 24, 2005: Immigration Minister Announces Significant Investment in Fixing Canada's Immigration System
*OTTAWA, November 24, 2005 — The Honourable Joe Volpe, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, today announced the Government of Canada will invest an additional $700 million over five years to make important improvements to the federal immigration system. These improvements include funding to start reducing the current inventory of applications at Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and a new process to allow immigrants with Canadian experience or Canadian education to apply for permanent resident status under the new In-Canada Economic Stream in 2007.
“Today’s announcement is an important step toward fixing and improving the immigration system,” said Minister Volpe. “By beginning to reduce the number of outstanding applications and moving to actively recruit those who best meet Canada’s labour market needs—such as temporary foreign workers and international students already in Canada—we will build on the improvements already under way to Canada’s immigration system.”
The new in-Canada stream is intended for applicants with experience in Canada’s labour market or educational institutions. These immigrants are well positioned to integrate quickly and successfully into Canadian society and the economy, and this new stream will eventually be an important tool in promoting Canada as a destination of choice for immigrants. In ensuring that people with significant labour market or educational experience can make a smooth transition to permanent resident status, we will help build a more responsive and proactive immigration system.
“Today’s announcement builds on the major investments already made to help newcomers integrate more quickly into their local labour market and new communities,” said Minister Volpe. “These investments include $398 million announced in the 2005 budget to improve settlement services and to launch the Going to Canada portal; funding for the Internationally Trained Workers Initiative; and a $1.3 billion investment in settlement programs announced in the fiscal economic update of November 14, 2005.”
The $920 million Canada-Ontario agreement announced earlier this week is funded through the fiscal framework and forms part of the $1.3 billion announced by Minister Goodale.
This announcement reflects the key priorities identified by federal, provincial and territorial ministers on November 4, 2005.
* Citizenship and Immigration Canada website
November 16, 2005: New Funding for Citizenship and Immigration Programs
*OTTAWA, November 16, 2005 — Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s Supplementary Estimates were approved today, providing an additional $168.5 million in support of Canada’s immigration, citizenship and refugee programs.
The additional funding will be directed toward continued improvements to the Department’s programs and services, including reducing inventories and processing times for new citizens, refugees and immigrants. It will also support new initiatives to prevent racism, and make it easier for students to come and stay in Canada. Finally, it will strengthen partnerships with the provinces and territories, and improve integration for newcomers to help ensure that Canadian businesses have the skills and workers they need to thrive.
“The Government of Canada has made great strides toward improving client services and immigrant outcomes,” said the Honourable Joe Volpe, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. “With the approval of this funding, we can build on these successes and move ahead on the agenda put forward earlier this year to create the immigration and citizenship programs Canadians want and need.”
The unanimous vote of the Standing Committee will be reported to the House, and the final vote on supplementary estimates is scheduled for December 8th.
* Citizenship and Immigration Canada website
April 18, 2005: Citizenship and Immigration Minister Joe Volpe Announces Tripling of the Number of Parents and Grandparents Immigrating to Canada in 2005
*OTTAWA, April 18, 2005 — The Honourable Joe Volpe, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, today announced measures to speed up the processing of sponsorship applications for parents and grandparents coming to Canada as family class immigrants. With these new measures in place, it is expected that in both 2005 and 2006, the number of parents and grandparents immigrating to Canada will increase by an additional 12,000 each year. This triples the original 6,000 forecasted for 2005.
Minister Volpe is also announcing that Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) will be more flexible in issuing multiple-entry visitor visas to parents and grandparents. This will allow them to visit their families in Canada while their sponsorship applications are in process, as long as they are able to prove that they are visiting temporarily. Regular security and health screening will still apply and some parents and grandparents may require health coverage to be admissible to Canada.
“Today’s announcement will help CIC ease inventory pressures in the short term while working with the provinces, territories and communities on finding longer term solutions,” said Minister Volpe. “I would like to thank stakeholders and the members of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration for their support of our efforts to improve processing times for the reunification of family members.”
CIC has welcomed over one million permanent residents since 2000 and has consistently met its annual immigration targets since that time. However, the number of sponsorship applications for parents and grandparents is growing and more applications are received each day than CIC can process. To address this concern, the Government of Canada is investing $36 million a year over two years to increase processing of parent and grandparent applications and to cover integration costs once they arrive in Canada.
“We are taking action now to address one of the most pressing issues for CIC and to make our processing system as efficient as possible. Reuniting families is a commitment of the Government of Canada as well as a key priority of Canada’s immigration program,” added the Minister.
Additional processing will begin immediately. In the coming weeks, CIC will add temporary duty officers and support staff at visa offices with the largest number of applications.
* Citizenship and Immigration Canada website
April 18, 2005: Citizenship and Immigration Minister Joe Volpe Announces New Measures to Improve the Citizenship Application Process
*OTTAWA, April 18, 2005 — The Honourable Joe Volpe, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, today announced an investment of $69 million over two years to process citizenship applications faster. He also announced that citizenship applicants will now be exempted from undergoing language ability and knowledge-of-Canada tests at 55 rather than 60 years of age.
“Language and knowledge requirements are common in countries with naturalization programs, like the United States and Australia. Both of these countries also automatically waive certain requirements depending on the age of the applicant and the length of time spent in the country. By lowering the age for automatic waivers to 55, Canada’s policy will now be comparable to that of the United States and Australia,” said Minister Volpe.
This policy change means that more citizenship applicants will be able to obtain automatic waivers to become citizens of Canada. Today’s changes in no way reduce the rigorous security screening requirements that all applicants for Canadian citizenship must go through before becoming citizens of Canada.
“The $69 million will allow us to restore, by 2007–2008, the processing times to an average of 12 months for a grant of citizenship and four months for a proof of citizenship,” said the Minister. “This will be accomplished by directing additional resources to reducing the current high inventory of files and in enhancing technology to modernize processing and increase productivity.”
Many clients currently download their applications from the Internet and check on the progress of their file on-line. CIC will be making further use of technology to add more on-line services and to modernize other internal processes within the Department.
* Citizenship and Immigration Canada website
February 18, 2005: Good New for Spouses and Common-Law Partners
*OTTAWA, February 18, 2005 — The Honourable Joe Volpe, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), ended this Valentine’s Day week by announcing today that most spouses and common-law partners of Canadian citizens and permanent residents, regardless of their status, will be allowed to remain in Canada while their immigration application is being considered. The change, which applies to couples who are in a genuine relationship, comes into effect immediately.
“This change addresses real concerns about the hardships that some couples would experience if they had to be separated during the application process,” said Minister Volpe. “Reuniting families is a key objective of Canada’s immigration law. My department has worked very closely with the Canada Border Services Agency, to ensure that unsuccessful applicants will be required to leave Canada so that our generous immigration program is protected from abuse.”
Spouses and common-law partners who apply outside Canada will continue to be processed on a priority basis so that families can be quickly reunited.
“I’m happy to report continued progress in processing times. For example, most of our missions abroad are processing sponsorship applications of spouses and common-law partners within a six-month period,” added Minister Volpe.
* Citizenship and Immigration Canada website
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