another debate going to start on family-immigration..

[canada_dream100]

I just read following on yahoo news...


Canada's immigration policy also had an evaluation this week. The Fraser Institute reported that recent immigrants cost taxpayers between $16 and $23 billion annually. The think tank's study says newcomers are a burden and suggests ending family class immigration in favour of applicants holding pre-arranged employment offers. The hot story is generating a heated discussion online.
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/dailybrew/week-review-london-ont-riots-england-canadian-immigrants-221741469.html

 

[dair2dv8103100]

I completely understand Canadians frustration. I live in a very diverse neighbourhood. There are 3 immigrated families living there with 21 children between them and NONE of the parents work. They brag about how much welfare gives them each month. The kids are a poorly behaved and rarely attend school. They have brand new furniture and appliances and a new cars. How else can a hard working, tax paying Canadian feel but frustrated and angry??

On the other hand there is another immigrated family beside me that has 11 children. They have worked very hard to become integrated with Canadian society. The oldest children all work or go to school with the exception of one daughter. They are friendly and curteous and quite modest in their living.

So how are we to judge completely who is going to be a burden or not? The problem is once they are in... it is very hard to do anything about it.

 

[Isometry]

Isn't part of family-class immigration showing how you're going to support yourself when you get to Canada? Sounds like being a little stricter on something that's already a requirement would fix most of this, without taking the drastic step of ending family class immigration altogether.

 

[Itsy]

Or may be they should introduce a language requirement,skilled workers have to pass IELTS, why not family members. If a person can't speak the language, how are they supposed to integrate? And government spending millions on free English classes does bother some of the people that I've met/talked to.

 

[mroliveland]

The article does not mention anything about ending the family class sponsorship. Ending the family class will result in disastrous consequences. For example, Canada will lose high skilled workers who cannot be united with their spouses in Canada. You can terminate sponsorship of parents (already done) and other relatives but not spouses or children!!!!!!!

In some provinces like Saskatchewan, they have sponsorship program for all kinds of relatives (such as cousin, brothers..etc) indicating they just want to fill their province with whoever........At the federal level, this will be burden on some congested provinces such as ON.

 

[computergeek]

The original article DOES say to end family immigration:

Grubel and Grady suggest the solution to our immigration 'troubles' is to rely exclusively on applicants holding pre-arranged employment offers. In other words, no family class immigration.

Sorry, but based upon the author's word "exclusively" I cannot read this as saying anything other than "end ALL family based immigration".

Original article: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/canada-politics/recent-immigrants-cost-taxpayers-over-16-billion-canada-225603638.html

 

[canadiangirl78]

The original article DOES say to end family immigration:

Sorry, but based upon the author's word "exclusively" I cannot read this as saying anything other than "end ALL family based immigration".

Original article: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/canada-politics/recent-immigrants-cost-taxpayers-over-16-billion-canada-225603638.html

There is no way they are going to stop allowing Canadian citizens to sponsor their spouses and children. No way. I can see them modifying skilled worker etc but they cannot stop Canadian citizens from being with their families.

 

[computergeek]

I suspect they won't end spousal sponsorship, but they are already working hard to curtail it, as with the new 5 year bar (which I think is reasonable) and the newly proposed two year cohabitation requirement (without a limit on when that could be questioned and enforced - making it an open ended mechanism for going back into a relationship and kicking someone out.)

So, they could use this as a means of getting rid of people if the relationship fails - after the divorce or separation CIC comes knocking and asks for your evidence of cohabitation of the statutory period and if you cannot provide it strips you of your citizenship (or permanent residency) and deports you.

 

[CharlieD10]

The one thing I have learned from reading articles about immigration and the associated comments in the Canadian press, especially spousal immigration, is how little the vast majority of Canadians know their own immigration systems. By and large, those who have never been through the process are all of the opinion that a marriage certificate is some kind of golden ticket into Canada, and that foreign national spouses simply waltz in on the next flight as soon as the ink is dry on said certificate. They have NO clue about the hoops we jump through, the expenses we endure and the separations we must deal with in order to apply for PR.

While I fully agree that the system has been subject to abuse, and that the new sponsorship bar and the conditional PR status will go some ways toward addressing these issues, I do believe there needs to be more fairness in reporting on immigration matters by the Canadian press. This morning CBC published an article online that trumpeted "Mail Order Brides Face Tighter Rules In Canada" and it was not until people began commenting that if the headline was to be believed this legislation change was targeted at women and how could this be fair, that CBC amended the title to read "Foreign Spouses Face Tighter Rules in Canada. The article is lacking in details on the PR process, and lacking in clear details on the proposed changes to the legislation (such as the exemptions for couples with children, and that it does not apply to those who have been together for more than two years before applying), concerning itself only with the possible impact on spouses who may stay in abusive relationships under the threat of deportation. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/story/2012/03/16/ottawa-mail-order-bride-rules.html

There is too much button-pushing and not enough education on immigration. These articles need to be read with a large dose of salt, because most times the "journalists" are trying to push an agenda, not impartially covering the news for the sake of public information.

 

[annabruce]

The stupid thing about an analysis like this is how one dimensional the thinking actually is. Even if we accept this 16 billion dollar number, it is absolutely tiny when you consider the number of second generation Canadians this immigration creates. So the immigrant couple costs us a bit of money, but they have children, and all of these children grow up as Canadians, who have children, who have children etc ....

 

[computergeek]

The one thing I have learned from reading articles about immigration and the associated comments in the Canadian press, especially spousal immigration, is how little the vast majority of Canadians know their own immigration systems. By and large, those who have never been through the process are all of the opinion that a marriage certificate is some kind of golden ticket into Canada, and that foreign national spouses simply waltz in on the next flight as soon as the ink is dry on said certificate. They have NO clue about the hoops we jump through, the expenses we endure and the separations we must deal with in order to apply for PR.

I think this is true in other countries as well as Canada - those who are already in the country lawfully do not understand the hoops through which one must jump. I remember when I first showed my rejection letter to my doctor - she was aghast at the closing line ("Thank you for your interest in Canada.") Of course, people here are amazed at how painful the process can actually be for those living through it. Personally, I find it to be one of the most stressful things I've ever done.