Citizenship and Immigration Canada

In 2009 Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney promised significant reforms to Canadian immigration policy before the end of the year. In the last months of 2009, several small changes were introduced, including improvements to the Live-in Caregivers program and better recognition of foreign credentials. We are still awaiting the major changes.

But before the changes are announced, Minister Kenney and the government should consider what Canadians really think about immigration. Read more »

As I approach the half-way point in my internship with CPJ I would like to reflect on the last five months. The activities in which I have been involved have been very helpful in terms of my own personal and professional development, and many have been helpful in promoting CPJ’s work in a variety of areas. Most of my work can be divided into the following categories: office collaboration, research, website content and connections. Read more »

On Monday, January 25 I attended an all day seminar hosted by Metropolis called “Welcoming Communities: How could Canadian communities be more welcoming?” The focus of this seminar was on efforts from a variety of sectors to welcome newcomers into Canadian communities.

An important element in making newcomers feel welcome is engaging the general population. Public education and awareness campaigns or proactive efforts to connect newcomers with Canadian residents are important. Education can help people understand one another while addressing concerns surrounding growing diversity and multiculturalism in Canada. Both government and non-government sectors need to be involved. Read more »

Last week Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced that, in light of the recent devastating earthquake in Haiti, the government will explore options for fast tracking Haitian applicants. Since then, Kenney has been refining these options.

In general, both the Haitian community in Canada and refugee advocacy organizations such as the Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR) are grateful for the immediate response of the government to the crisis, and the emphasis on humanitarian and family immigration. But these same communities and groups feel that these actions are not enough, particularly considering the definition of immediate family. Read more »

In the past month, Citizenship and Immigration Minister, Jason Kenney has been announcing a series of small changes to Canada’s immigration policies. The most recent changes concern the Live-in Caregivers program. This program is just one of many within Canada’s Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW) Program, allowing qualified individuals to provide care to children, elderly people or people with disabilities within a private home.

On Saturday Kenney announced what he called “significant improvements” for Live-in Caregivers (LiCs) in Canada. Read more »

On Monday Human Resources minister Diane Findley in partnership with Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced a new initiative to speed up the recognition process of the foreign credentials for incoming immigrants in several specific occupations. This proposal is in response to the vast number of educated professionals entering Canada whose credentials are not approved and who therefore cannot attain jobs in their fields of expertise. Read more »

Yesterday Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney released a new study guide for prospective Canadian citizens. Entitled Discover Canada: The rights and responsibilities of Canadian citizenship, the guide is much more extensive regarding Canadian history, and the forming of our country than the old guide.

Much of the historical emphasis, especially pre-Confederation history, is on the role of Aboriginal peoples, as well as the various English and French groups. But the expanding diversity and ethnic and cultural backgrounds among many of the more recent immigrants is also mentioned as well as the role of such immigrants in shaping Canada. Read more »

Last week Auditor-General Sheila Fraser tabled her fall report in Parliament, part of which critically evaluated Canada’s Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW) Program. Fraser criticized the management of the program, and specifically the federal government’s failure to ensure the safety of workers or to monitor the status and location of workers. These criticisms generated responses from very different points of view.

One point of view included concerns for improving the well-being of people entering Canada through the TFW program, while another called for the overhaul of the system with a refocus on highly skilled workers within immigration policy. Read more »