Canada works to welcome more Indian students to Canadian colleges

Toronto, January 28, 2010 — The acceptance rate for Indian students coming to study at a group of Canadian colleges has doubled thanks to a new program between Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) and the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC). The announcement was made today by Member of Parliament Tim Uppal, on behalf of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney, and by James Knight, President and CEO of the ACCC.

A joint pilot project called the Student Partners Program was launched in April 2009 between Canada’s visa offices in India and twenty member colleges of the ACCC. The goal of the program is to increase the approval rate for study permit applications at participating Canadian colleges.

“The Student Partners Program has resulted in an increase in the number of Indian students on our college campuses,” said Minister Kenney. “International students bring with them new ideas and experiences and contribute both financially and culturally to the communities and institutions where they study.”

In 2008, India ranked seventh with 3,244 people in terms of source countries for students.

The total number of international students in Canada has more than doubled since 1998 to 178,000 and their presence provided employment for over 83,000 Canadians last year. A 2009 study commissioned by Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada found international students contributed more than $6.5 billion to the Canadian economy in 2008.

“International students contribute to the cultural life and economic success of colleges and institutes and of the communities they serve. In partnership with CIC, we have doubled the approval rate of visas for students from India coming to Canadian colleges. We will work with CIC to expand the initiative to other ACCC members,” said Mr. Knight.

During the first nine months of the launch of the program, CIC’s visa offices in India received over 4,000 applications in the program. The program has successfully met its objective: the approval rate for the first group of students under the program coming to study this past September was more than double the approval rate for the same colleges the preceding year. Furthermore, 95 percent of the students remain in good standing at an ACCC college. Processing times within the program are faster than the global norm, with an average of about two and a half weeks.

The program has several checks and balances, from requiring applicants to provide verifiable documentation, to a feedback mechanism where colleges report back on whether students show up. The safety, security and health of Canadians are of the utmost importance. All students who come to Canada through the Student Partnership Program must adhere to the same screening requirements as any visitor or student.

“This type of program benefits both our country and those who participate in it,” said Minister Kenney. “When all is said and done, these graduates may remain in Canada and apply to immigrate under the Canada Experience Class. They would make Canada their home and continue to contribute to our country’s social and economic fabric.”

Canada’s network of community colleges offers many outstanding programs to train young Canadians and their counterparts from around the world for the opportunities of today's economy.

The Government of Canada will continue to look at ways to encourage international students to study in Canada.

Focus on foreign students Canada will `substantially' boost number it allows, immigration minister says, noting Australia's lead February 21, 2009 LESLEY CIARULA TAYLOR IMMIGRATION REPORTER With an eye on foreign students as a "source of revenue," Canada will "substantially increase" the number it brings in this year, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced yesterday. Australia allows 10 times the students from India that Canada does, he said at a conference in downtown Toronto for more than 1,600 unemployed or underemployed internationally educated professionals keen to figure out the secrets to finding work here. He wouldn't elaborate on how many more students would be lured here but said they have a chance to understand the labour market and the language and put themselves on a "much faster pathway" to immigration. Foreign students are eligible when their visas expire to apply to become permanent residents through the new Canadian Experience Class, launched last year. There were 176,116 in Canada at the end of 2007, more than 65,000 of those in Ontario. Australia brought in 278,184 foreign students in 2007-08. Of those, 47,639 were from India. "We are not receiving enough foreign students," Kenney said. Universities are pressing for the increase, he said." _____________________________________________________________________ News Release Minister Kenney announces immigration levels for 2009; Issues instructions on processing federal skilled workers Ottawa, November 28, 2008 — Canada will stay the course on immigration in 2009, welcoming between 240,000 and 265,000 new permanent residents, Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, announced today. “While countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia are talking about taking fewer immigrants, our planned numbers for 2009 are on par with last year and are among the highest for this country over the past 15 years,” Minister Kenney said. “The numbers reflect a continued commitment to an immigration program that balances Canada’s economic, humanitarian and family reunification goals.” The 2009 plan includes up to 156,600 immigrants in the economic category; 71,000 in the family category; and 37,400 in the humanitarian category. Minister Kenney also announced another step in measures to improve the immigration program’s responsiveness to Canada’s labour market. Retroactive to February 27, 2008, the date specified by the Federal Budget, the Action Plan for Faster Immigration includes issuing instructions to visa officers reviewing new federal skilled worker applications to process those from candidates who: are in 38 high-demand occupations such as health, skilled trades, finance and resource extraction; or have an offer of arranged employment or have already been living legally in Canada for one year as a temporary foreign worker or international student. The list of 38 occupations was developed after consultations with the provinces and territories, business, labour and other stakeholders. New federal skilled worker applications that do not meet the eligibility criteria outlined above will not be processed, and the application fee will be fully refunded. This, along with funds set aside in the 2008 Budget to improve the immigration system, will stop the backlog from growing and will start to draw it down. “The eligibility criteria apply only to new federal skilled worker applicants and will not affect Canada’s family reunification or refugee protection goals,” said Minister Kenney. “Applicants who aren’t eligible for the federal skilled worker category may qualify under another category, such as the Provincial Nominee Program, or as temporary foreign workers, which could then put them on a path to permanent residency through the new Canadian Experience Class. There are many ways to immigrate to Canada.” The Department has expanded its website in an effort to make it easier for people to navigate the range of immigration options open to them. The site now includes a specific section for employers (www.cic.gc.ca/employers) and a new interactive tool (www.cic.gc.ca/cometocanada) that matches information provided by potential applicants with immigration programs that best suit their circumstances. “We expect new federal skilled worker applicants, including those with arranged employment, to receive a decision within six to 12 months compared with up to six years under the old system,” said Minister Kenney. “All other economic class applications—including applicants chosen by Quebec, provincial nominees, the Canadian Experience Class, and live-in caregivers—will continue to be given priority.” These improvements, coupled with a number of recent initiatives that include the introduction of the Canadian Experience Class, bring Canada in line with two of its main competitors for highly skilled labour: Australia and New Zealand. Both of these countries have eliminated their backlogs and have systems that deliver final decisions for economic applicants within a year. “The recent steps this Government has taken to improve our immigration system will help ensure that Canada remains competitive internationally and responsive to labour market needs domestically,” said Minister Kenney. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________   New Program for Foreign Workers and Students with "Canadian Experience" The Canadian government has announced that it will introduce a new immigration program, called the "Canadian Experience Class" (CEC) later this year. In the beginning it is anticipated that Canada will accept between 10,000 and 12,000 new immigrants annually through the new program.   Candidates will have experience at Canadian work places and/or at Canadian educational institutions. They will already have jobs or have been at least partially educated in Canada. They will understand Canadian culture including what Canadian workplaces are like and what Canadian employers expect. Such candidates will not be required to apply at a visa office in their home country, but will be allowed to remain here in Canada until the processing is finished and they obtain their permanent resident visa.   A study written by two University of Montreal professors for the Institute for Research on Public Policy says foreigners who have studied in Canada are desirable immigrants because they are young, educated and attuned to Canadian life: 'Since they have lived in Canada for a certain amount of time, foreign students already have the knowledge they need to adjust to Canadian life.'    Particular types of candidates look more likely to benefit from this new program. For example, skilled trades-people (carpenters, bricklayers, electricians etc), who are in demand in Canada.  Many skilled trades-people can qualify for temporary work permits. In the past, it has not always been possible to turn those temporary work permits into permanent resident status. The Canadian Experience Class should make that easier.   The final details of this program have not yet been announced. What is clear is that not every non-Canadian who is in Canada will be able to apply. The Canadian government will focus on those who have followed the traditional ways of obtaining study permits and work permits through visa offices. It is quite certain that tourists, for example, will be not be eligible to apply for this program. Tourists will not have the required Canadian study or work experience and will not be on the right kind of visa.   The work experience will have to have been at a sufficient level of skill. For example, a carpenter may be able to qualify for permanent residence, but not a construction labourer; a chef may be able to qualify but not a dishwasher. No program is perfect. When we see the new regulations, we will surely have some criticisms. But this new Canadian Experience Class looks like a very good move in the right direction. It will benefit Canada and many people who are able to study and work in Canada. __________________________________________________________  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.

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Toronto -  third most polite city in the world: survey

CTV.ca News Staff

Toronto has always had a reputation of being nice, and now a global survey proves it.  A Reader's Digest evaluation testing politeness and courteousness conducted in 35 countries worldwide ranked Toronto as the third most polite.

Hogtown finished behind Zurich, Switzerland, while New York City topped the list of friendliest cities in the world. Montreal, meanwhile, finished 18 spots behind Toronto at number 21.

Click here for the complete list

The monthly publication tested residents by sending undercover reporters around the world to test three specific types of politeness. They included:

• whether people would hold open a door for them; 
• whether store clerks thanked them after a sale; and
• whether anyone would help if they dropped a folder of papers on a busy street.

New York passed the tests 80 per cent of the time; Zurich scored a 77; and Toronto finished with 70.

Mumbai, India, finished last with a score of 32 upon completion of the 2,160 "real-life" situations.

The region where the least amount of courtesy shown, according to the survey, was Asia, where eight of nine cities finished in the bottom 11.

Test subjects were asked why they acted the way they did after the experiment. Most said they were polite because that was the way they were raised.  Those in New York said their city has become friendlier since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

In Toronto, women were slightly more courteous than men, and both groups were significantly more polite towards their own sex. Some men said they worried about patronizing modern, independent women.  "I'm originally from Romania," said Valentin Punga, a 30-something Montrealer. "Over there I wouldn't hesitate to help pick up the papers. Here it is different. Once, I tried to help a woman who had dropped something, and she told me she was perfectly capable of doing it herself."

Conversely, men in New York were more willing to help women in the document drops, and all men held open the door for female reporters.

The Toronto reporters -- one of whom was born here -- weren't surprised their city ranked so high.

"I've always found people here to be very polite and courteous," said reporter Ian Harvey, who emigrated from England in 1972. "This is a fast-paced city, we're all busy, but it's the norm for people to take the time to help out."

London and France placed in the middle of the pack with scores of 57, while Milan and Australia finished 24th with scores of 47.  In Europe, Moscow ranked the least polite city.

20 June 2006

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Canada's new government welcomes Burmese refugees

OTTAWA, June 20 /CNW Telbec/ - On the occasion of World Refugee Day, the Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and Jahanshah Assadi, Representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), are pleased to announce Canada's pivotal role in an international effort to provide solutions for Burmese (Myanmar) refugees stranded in camps in Thailand for more than a decade.

"Welcoming these refugees, who have endured a prolonged state of limbo in terrible conditions, is in the best humanitarian tradition of Canada," said Minister Solberg. "As Canadians, we look forward to helping them rebuild secure lives and join our society."

A group of 810 refugees, predominantly of the Karen ethnic group, are expected to resettle in Canada later this year. The 810 are from an estimated 140,000 Burmese refugees-the largest refugee population in Southeast Asia-which the UN Refugee Agency has identified as being in a particularly precarious situation.

The UNHCR has been collaborating closely with Canada and other countries to resettle groups of refugees found to be disproportionately more at risk than the general refugee population. The groups identified are those who have suffered severe persecution, including torture, imprisonment, forced labour, the burning of villages and forced relocation in their homeland.

"We were delighted at Canada's swift response to our group submission of 810 Karen refugees, and impressed at the smooth and efficient manner in which the Canadian selection team conducted the interviews in a remote refugee camp environment," said Jahanshah Assadi, the UNHCR's representative in Canada.

CIC will be working closely with Canada's volunteer groups to assist in the settlement and integration of these refugees.

Other countries that have responded to the UNHCR's call by offering to resettle Burmese refugees include the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. World Refugee Day is internationally recognized and celebrated each year on June 20.

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Canada’s new government helps to match foreign skilled workers with companies in need

Calgary, July 31, 2006 — The Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, today announced the creation of temporary foreign worker units in Calgary and Vancouver on a pilot basis, effective September 1, 2006.

“We will help facilitate the entry of temporary foreign workers into Canada where they are needed by working with the companies and sectors most affected,” Minister Solberg said. “Not a day has gone by since I was appointed Minister that I have not heard about labour market shortages threatening to hold up Canada’s economic growth. We’re taking the first steps to addressing those needs.”

The temporary foreign worker units will provide advice to employers who plan to hire temporary foreign workers who are exempted from the labour market confirmation process. The units will also prescreen supporting documents from employers to streamline the application process of such workers.

“Temporary foreign workers help support economic growth and prosperity, and I’m pleased that CIC is working with provinces and communities to address labour shortages in Alberta and British Columbia,” said Minister Solberg.

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New agreement on immigration attracts entrepreneurs to B.C.

Burnaby, August 22, 2006 — The Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, and the Honourable Colin Hansen, Economic Development Minister, British Columbia, announced today the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that will help speed up the process for immigrant entrepreneurs to get 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.