Canada unveils new immigration class for international graduates and temporary foreign workers

As announced in its strategy for 2008, the department of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has now introduced a new immigration category under Economic Class which will allow certain temporary foreign workers and international graduates with Canadian degrees and Canadian work experience to apply for permanent residence from within Canada, which was not possible at federal level previously.

The program, known as the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), will help address the immediate shortage of workers with specific trade skills by adding up to 12,000 workers from the talent pool of international graduates and certain temporary foreign workers in its first year of implementation.

Although, temporary foreign workers and international graduates will have to follow a different set of criteria to qualify for CEC, their selection will primarily be based on an assessment of their successful labor market integration and experience within Canadian society. Both types of applicants will also require a valid temporary resident status in Canada at the time of application and, depending on their occupational skill level, at least a basic or moderate language proficiency in one of Canada’s two official languages documented by IELTS and/or TEF.

For recent graduates at Canadian post-secondary institutions, it has made necessary that they have completed at least 2 academic years of post-secondary study program at the institution qualifying for post-graduate work permit and at least 12 months of work experience in Canada acquired after graduation (but within 2 years prior to CEC application) and exclusively in NOC Skill Levels 0, A or B.

For work permit holders, it has made necessary that they have at least secondary school diploma, trade certificate or apprenticeship plus 2 years of full time work experience in Canada in Skill Levels 0, A or B acquired within 3 years prior to CEC application.

Unlike other existing programs under the Economic Class, CEC follows a simple pass or fail model instead of a point system. If a prospective applicant fulfills minimum program requirements, he/she would be considered eligible.

Many of the proposed elements of the new CEC class are subject to change. However, it has been estimated that if the potential of CEC is properly addressed, it will also remove the ongoing requirement to apply for visa extensions for students or workers on temporary status or the need to comply with the labor market opinion renewal process, which is also experiencing impractical and increasing processing delays throughout Western Canada.

CEC is expected to expand the benefits of immigration to smaller communities across Canada wanting to attract immigrants and support their settlement and integration by their own.

This initiative, combined with recent changes to the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program (PGWP), the establishment of Foreign Credentials Referral Office (FCRO), increased investment in essential settlement services and recent amendments to Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), will not only enhance Canada’s ability to compete with other countries to attract and retain the best individuals with diverse skills from around the world, but also assist employers across the country to capitalize on the skills and experience of these individuals.

Primarily, this program will be limited to those who have legally entered Canada. Undocumented workers and those without continued legal status will not have access to the program.

Canadian Experience Class is part of national strategy on international graduates and temporary foreign works, and key element of government’s long-term immigration plan. Through the Canadian Experience Class, newcomers will be more likely to make the most of their abilities while undergoing a more seamless social and economic transition to Canada. And, in turn, their cultural and economic contributions will enrich Canada.

Critics call the program unfair because it excludes many temporary foreign workers such as unskilled laborers, factory workers and farmers.

Canada and Ontario cofund 12 new bridging programs to provide occupation-specific language training to newcomers

To improve the accessibility of internationally trained newcomers to occupational certification/registration and employment, the governments of Canada and Ontario have announced to jointly invest $11.2 million in Ontario’s bridge training programs.

Individually, the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is committing more than $7.8 million while Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration (MCI) is contributing more than $3.4 million for this purpose.

The funding, which is being provided under the $920 million Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement (COIA), will be used for 12 of the 15 language training and bridge-to-work programs being delivered at 11 different universities, colleges and agencies in Toronto, Ontario. This bridging will target nearly 1,800 internationally educated professionals in specific fields such as healthcare, engineering, social work, architecture and finance through providing specialized language training, communication assessment services, bridge-to-work opportunities, and mentoring and internship placements.

For example, the School of Continuing Studies at University of Toronto will receive a total of $720,000 to develop and deliver a program aimed at helping Ontario’s internationally trained newcomers find employment in project management. Similarly, the CARE Center for Internationally Educated Nurses will receive a total of $507,603 to develop and provide innovative courses that teach language skills specific to nursing profession.

Other agencies that will receive funding include Association of Ontario Land Surveyors ($667,699), Community Microskills Development Centre ($1,251,188), Canadian Mothercraft Society ($474,630), Centennial College of Applied Arts and Technology ($139,334), Accessible Community Counseling and Employment Services for New Canadians ($383,501*), George Brown College ($805,173), G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education, Ryerson University ($3,601,971), Jewish Vocational Service of Metropolitan Toronto ($1,428,658) and Toronto District School Board (1,273,532*).

Since 2003 the Ontario government has invested over $85 million in 145 bridge training programs, helping more than 20,000 newcomers improve their language skills, prepare for exams and work in their field sooner.

Canadian Temporary Foreign Worker program continues to spiral upward after 22 per cent increase in 2007

According to a new statistics by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), there were 201,057 temporary foreign workers in the country in 2007, a 22 per cent increase from the previous year.

In its stock count of Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW), CIC has measured the number of temporary residents present in Canada on December 1, 2007. While these official figures show a continued upward trend in the stock counts of Ontario and British Columbia with an increase of 14 and 23 per cent respectively, no other province has experienced a dramatic increase in its temporary foreign workers as Alberta.

As of December 1, 2007 figures, the number of temporary foreign workers in Alberta is more than double in two years. In 2007, there were 37,257 temporary foreign workers in Alberta, a 66 per cent increase from the previous year.

This inflow of temporary foreign workers also outnumbers the arrival of permanent residents in Alberta. In 2006, Alberta became the first province in Canada to bring more workers into the country under the Temporary Foreign Worker program than under its mainstream provincial nominee immigration program. In 2007, that troubling trend accelerated with the number of temporary foreign workers growing to nearly double the number of new immigrants coming to the province.

Alberta is now home to almost one of every five temporary workers in Canada, while it maintains only 8.8 per cent of permanent immigrants in Canada.

The increase in temporary foreign worker numbers is due in part to the chronic labor shortages that have plagued Alberta and other parts of Canada. The Government of Canada has attempted to make it easier to hire workers from abroad on a temporary basis to fill positions that Canadian employers are unable to fill with the local labor force.

After an increase in temporary foreign workers and reports on their abuse and exploitation by Alberta Federation of Labor (AFL) and other concerned groups, the government of Alberta has taken significant steps to adequately protect foreign workers from potential exploitation by establishing two modest advocacy offices for temporary foreign workers in Edmonton and Calgary. These offices will not only improve the enforcement of employment standards but also help resolve occupational health and safety issues. To enhance and compliment the work by these advocacy offices, Alberta Ministry of Employment and Immigration has also kicked off a pilot to provide additional settlement services to temporary foreign workers in six cities of Alberta. These services include orientation (banking, taking the bus, grocery shopping and how to dress in cold weather), referrals for housing, education, legal services, interpretation and job applications.

Study finds 41 per cent of immigrants remit money to friends or relatives abroad during their first four years in Canada

A latest survey report by Statistics Canada shows that roughly four in ten immigrants who arrived in Canada during 2000/2001 sent money to family or friends abroad at least once during their first four years in the country.

The Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada (LSIC) was conducted jointly by Statistics Canada and Citizenship and Immigration Canada. It was designed to study the incidence of remitting, amounts and the characteristics of remitters that followed a group of 12,000 newcomers, aged 15 or older, who arrived in Canada between October 1, 2000 and September 30, 2001, over a four-year period.

This first national study of immigrants' remittances found that over the entire period of four years, about 41 per cent of immigrants sent money home at least once: Within 6 to 24 months of landing, 23 per cent of immigrants had sent remittances to their home country; within 2 to 4 years after landing, about 29 per cent had done so.

Among those who sent money home, the average amount was $2,500 in the first period, and $2,900 in the second period. Those who came under the economic class as skilled workers, investors and entrepreneurs topped the list by sending an average $3,000 abroad, compared with $2,700 for family-class immigrants and $1,900 for refugees.

It could be translated anywhere between $1.5 billion and $2 billion that Canadians remitted in each of the last four years.

The incidence of sending money varied considerably from country to country or by place of birth. Some 60 per cent of immigrants from the Philippines and Haiti sent remittances two to four years after landing. About 40 to 50 per cent of immigrants from Jamaica, Nigeria, Romania, Guyana and Ukraine sent money. However, less than 10 per cent of immigrants from industrialized nations like France, the United Kingdom and South Korea did so.

The likelihood of immigrants remitting depended on three additional factors — their income, family obligations in Canada and abroad, and demographics. Remittances accounted for 7.5 per cent of the remitter's annual personal income and 3.4 per cent of family income during a newcomer's first two years in the country. Immigrants who had family incomes of $70,000 or more were more than three times as likely to send money home as those with family incomes of less than $10,000. In addition, the amount sent by immigrants in families with incomes of $70,000 or more was about 45 per cent higher than the amount for those with incomes of $25,000 to $44,999.

At the demographic front, immigrants with three or more children at home were far less likely to send money abroad than those with no children. Moreover, women sent about 12 per cent less than men. Also, immigrants aged from 25 to 44 were far more likely to send money abroad, and far higher amounts, than those in younger or older age groups.

According to World Bank figures for 2004, remittances represent an important source of revenue for people in developing countries. They accounted for about 20 to 30 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) in countries such as Haiti, Lesotho and Jordan, and for about 10 to 19 per cent in several others, such as Jamaica, the Philippines and the Dominican Republic. The worldwide money flows to developing countries increased to US$167 billion in 2005, an estimated 73 per cent jump from 2001. The top remittance-receiving countries in the world are India (US$21.7 billion), China (US$21.4 billion) and Mexico (US$18.1 billion).

Saskatchewan launches two new projects to help future immigrants in preparing better for job market

To prepare future immigrants to Saskatchewan for local labor market and improve their transition to the workforce before they enter into the Province, the Saskatchewan government has recently launched two innovative projects.

The project named "Foreign Credential Recognition Support for Labor Market Needs in Saskatchewan" will help potential immigrants to Saskatchewan get their international credentials recognized before they arrive in Canada, thus facilitating newcomers in their transition into the labor market more rapidly. This will also help in meeting high-demand labor needs of Saskatchewan employers.

The project is funded by $3 million on a pilot basis by Human Resources and Social Development Canada’s Foreign Credential Recognition Program (FCRO) in partnership with Citizenship and Immigration Canada. It will be delivered by the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST), which will establish a system for verifying that credentials and job experience obtained abroad are equal to Canadian standards.

For now, the pilot will target potential immigrants (to Saskatchewan) only from Ukraine, the Philippines and Vietnam having skills and experience in limited mechanical trades: welding, heavy-duty equipment and agricultural machinery.

A new section titled "Internationally Educated Health Professionals (IEHP)" has been added on Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program’s web portal as another project. This information-pack resource provides internationally educated health professionals with access to information and tools designed to help them integrate quickly, such as access to clear and accurate information about healthcare regulators, the licensing process, credential recognition, and latest job opportunities in healthcare. This resource will not only help Saskatchewan attract more healthcare workers but also help connect IEHPs to the people, resources and services they need to stay and succeed in Saskatchewan.

The IEHP portal responds to research conducted in 2006-07 that identified challenges IEHPs face in becoming licensed and practicing in their fields. Stakeholders, including IEHPs, employers, training institutions and regulatory bodies identified a critical need for accessible, clear and accurate information.

Developed in cooperation with a variety of stakeholders, the first phase of the IEHP portal (www.immigration.gov.sk.ca/iehp) serves as a gateway to other IEHP web resources. Over the next two years, the information will be expanded and enhanced. Funding for this phase and future development is provided through a partnership with Health Canada and Saskatchewan's Ministry of Health.

Newfoundland and Labrador introduces new immigration stream to attract and retain international graduates

After the introduction of Family Connections category just a few weeks earlier, the province of Newfoundland and Labrador has again expanded its Provincial Nominee Program (NLPNP) that targets international graduates who have established strong ties to Newfoundland and Labrador and intend to live, work and establish themselves in this Atlantic province.

The NLPNP International Graduate category allows international students, who have graduated from a recognized Newfoundland and Labrador post-secondary educational institutions, to be considered for nomination for permanent residence in Canada.

To be eligible, applicants must have completed their graduation (a) from a recognized Newfoundland and Labrador post-secondary institution; (b) within the last two years; (c) in a program of at least two academic years of fulltime study; and (d) have received their degree/diploma. Applicants will also require an offer of fulltime employment, in a relevant field of study, from Newfoundland and Labrador employer that meets provincial employment standards and prevailing wage rates. Applicants, who do not have any such offer, will require to demonstrate their attachment with local labor market over at least six-month period with a reasonable expectation for future employment (previous job experience, for example).

The NLPNP International Graduate category further demands that applicants must have obtained a work permit under Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) program. However, if this work permit holder has a job or an offer of job, it must correspond with permit holder’s qualifications, training and specific level of skills.

The applicants of NLPNP International Graduate category will be required to demonstrate sufficient English or French language capability that is usually necessary to perform job duties. They will also require necessary settlement funds to support themselves and any dependents.

To process applications under this category, the Immigration and Multiculturalism Office of Newfoundland and Labrador is not charging any fee at this time.

Graduates of private training institutions may qualify to apply under this category provided they have completed their graduation (a) from a recognized Newfoundland and Labrador "private" post-secondary institution; (b) within the last two years; (c) in a program of at least two academic years of fulltime study; and (d) have received their degree/diploma, and are in a possession of a valid work permit issued by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

If a graduate of a private training institution in Newfoundland and Labrador has an offer of employment from a Newfoundland and Labrador employer, he/she may also be eligible to apply under the NLPNP Skilled Worker category. Similarly, if someone graduated from an institution (private or public) outside the province and has an offer of employment from a Newfoundland and Labrador employer, he/she may also be eligible to apply under the NLPNP Skilled Worker category.

Students who have not yet completed their post-secondary studies or studied for only one year, foreign government-sponsored students, failed refugee claimant or a refugee claimant living in the Province, parents, spouses, common-law or conjugal partners of Canadian citizens or permanent residents will not be eligible to apply to the International Graduate category.

Canadian provinces and territories move ahead on trade and labor mobility across Canada

To fully harmonize different accreditation and licensing requirements between Canadian provinces and territories, premiers and territorial leaders have finally reached a deal on trade and labor mobility across Canada.

During their two-day annual "Council of the Federation" meeting in Quebec City, the premiers of the Canadian provinces and territories have intended to amend the existing Internal Trade Agreement (ITA) by January 1, 2009 in order to have full labor mobility by April 1, 2009. This agreement means Canadian citizens and permanent residents can find and take jobs in any province or territory of Canada but without going through a separate accreditation and/or licensing process.

Because of different accreditation and licensing requirements across provinces and territories, it has been estimated an about 25 per cent of jobs (in healthcare and engineering sectors, for example) have serious mobility constraints in Canada. These province- or territory-specific accreditation and licensing processes are not only making inter-provincial labor mobility challenging but also barricading a most stimulating labor market developing.

At their next meeting in August 2009, the premiers and territorial leaders will sit again and work out to harmonize the different provincial requirements for job credentials.

Because the evaluation and recognition of qualifications earned outside Canada is a provincial mandate, this is determined by the appropriate provincial or territorial regulatory body. Internationally-obtained qualifications evaluated and recognized by one province are usually need to be re-evaluated by another province where a worker wants to move and enter into the labor force. Although this requirement applies to individuals who plan to work in regulated occupations but most newcomers usually need to know the value of their education, training and work experience they have acquired outside Canada in order to improve their employability.

Bringing into line different provincial requirements for job credentials will certainly help alleviate worker shortages between the provinces and territories, certain occupations, however, will remain exempted. Provincial labor ministers are to meet at a later date to develop a list of the exempted occupations. It could for instance include pharmacists, who are allowed to write prescriptions in Alberta, but not in other provinces.

The premiers also pressed the federal government to commit more financial resources to reduce the visa backlog at the Immigration Department in Ottawa. There are currently more than 925,000 pending requests and provincial and territorial leaders want to bring the figure down to 200,000 by 2011.