Foreign Service - Strike?

[gongdi]

After e-mailing his office over 1 month ago, I finally got an automated response from Tony Clement saying that he understands the hardships and frustration we are feeling, and that he is doing everything in his power to tend to our concerns. Yeah, everything BUT negotiating with VO staff! 2015 Heave Steve.

 

[user828]

You obviously have no idea what you are saying. Any impetus the government has to process student, visitor and work visas is because there are less requirements to fulfill in the processing. Yes they generate revenue but so do PR visas at 10x's the cost. Spring/summer are when the influx of those applications increase so human resources are generally reallocated to work on those which has a slowing affect on PR visas anyway. Student visa =$125; PR visa+$1040 + all the documentation costs + the trips overseas to help prove a legitimate relationship.

Here is how healthcare works in Canada........Out of the billions of dollars levied through the income taxes of citizens and PR's a percentage is reserved to pay for healthcare. So its not free. People who pay tax pay for it. There is no option to opt out. Foreign students can apply for provincial healthcare in the province in which they study. They may pay a low monthly or yearly premium but the cost of services is covered by the provincial healthcare plan which is subsidized by the citizens and PR's who reside and pay taxes in that province. These are the same tax payers that paid to build the infrastructure and the university and pay the wages of staff so foreign students have access to a better education.

This current government does not care for either temporary or permanent resident applications. They care about defeating a union over $40 million.

Get it now soft guy?

http://www.cnmag.ca/issue-30/538-e08-medical-what-international-students-need-to-know-about-health-insurance

 

[costaudjoe]

Latest article:
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/09/12/ken-taylor-iran-envoy-diplomat-strike_n_3916389.html

 

[Abe1004]

You obviously have no idea what you are saying. Any impetus the government has to process student, visitor and work visas is because there are less requirements to fulfill in the processing. Yes they generate revenue but so do PR visas at 10x's the cost. Spring/summer are when the influx of those applications increase so human resources are generally reallocated to work on those which has a slowing affect on PR visas anyway. Student visa =$125; PR visa+$1040 + all the documentation costs + the trips overseas to help prove a legitimate relationship.

Here is how healthcare works in Canada........Out of the billions of dollars levied through the income taxes of citizens and PR's a percentage is reserved to pay for healthcare. So its not free. People who pay tax pay for it. There is no option to opt out. Foreign students can apply for provincial healthcare in the province in which they study. They may pay a low monthly or yearly premium but the cost of services is covered by the provincial healthcare plan which is subsidized by the citizens and PR's who reside and pay taxes in that province. These are the same tax payers that paid to build the infrastructure and the university and pay the wages of staff so foreign students have access to a better education.

This current government does not care for either temporary or permanent resident applications. They care about defeating a union over $40 million.

Get it now soft guy?

This is the most ridiculously built theory I have read on this forum so far. Thank you sir, you just made my day.

Its pointless to try and prove anything to you, because you certainly think you know what you are talking about, while you clearly don't realize even the numbers you are trying to bring up as a proof don't make much sense.

Just please refer yourself to the simple arithmetical equation that PR process takes on averag 6 to 16 months per officer (lets say), while the student visa takes 30 days turnover.

And of course I wont even get down to telling you that student also equals: student visa fees+tickets to come to canada (Air Canada or WestJet)+student fees (usually varies between 10 and 30k a year)+student living expenses (varies between 5 and 20k a year)+student HEALTH INSURANCE (yes read this part,guess what it costs money to insure yourself and PREMIUM IS WHOOPING 800 bucks a month) (yes you can opt out of it, refer yourself to University Centre booth since you so conveniently attend U of M)

So now tell me, what you think is a safer bet for government? To believe that someone's wife might learn english and go to work to generate income tax/buy a car to generate profit for government or student who becomes a moneybag throwing that money at government? And just at University, I studied in, theres 1900 of those "moneybags".

You really need to get out of box sometimes, just to realise, hey there are people smarter than you out there.

 

[CanadianJeepGuy]

This is the most ridiculously built theory I have read on this forum so far. Thank you sir, you just made my day.

Its pointless to try and prove anything to you, because you certainly think you know what you are talking about, while you clearly don't realize even the numbers you are trying to bring up as a proof don't make much sense.

Just please refer yourself to the simple arithmetical equation that PR process takes on averag 6 to 16 months per officer (lets say), while the student visa takes 30 days turnover.

And of course I wont even get down to telling you that student also equals: student visa fees+tickets to come to canada (Air Canada or WestJet)+student fees (usually varies between 10 and 30k a year)+student living expenses (varies between 5 and 20k a year)+student HEALTH INSURANCE (yes read this part,guess what it costs money to insure yourself and PREMIUM IS WHOOPING 800 bucks a month) (yes you can opt out of it, refer yourself to University Centre booth since you so conveniently attend U of M)

So now tell me, what you think is a safer bet for government? To believe that someone's wife might learn english and go to work to generate income tax/buy a car to generate profit for government or student who becomes a moneybag throwing that money at government? And just at University, I studied in, theres 1900 of those "moneybags".

You really need to get out of box sometimes, just to realise, hey there are people smarter than you out there.

Oh Oh.......somebody better check their facts.

http://oncampus.macleans.ca/education/2011/10/27/manitoba-to-offer-free-health-care-to-foreign-students/

 

[Nell1236]

Honestly, I feel that part of the reason nobody cares is that many Canadians are somewhat against immigration (though they would never say it). They look at their "annoying immigrant" neighbours or cite examples of 10 families living in the same house who don't take care of their lawn, and then use that to justify to themselves that perhaps Canada doesn't need more immigrants.

That logic of course is flawed on a number of levels, and certainly extremely prejudiced, but due to the lack of attention/caring there is on this topic, I can only feel this might be part of it..

When I was growing up, our near neighbours were: Ukrainians, Indians (from Goa), Greeks, Germans, Latvians, Jamaicans, Jewish Canadians, Italians. How can Canadians be "somewhat against" immigration? We all got along fine, they were all friendly, all looked after their lawns and had gardens, and they cared about fitting in and they did fit in. Not by losing themselves but by adopting the ways of their new country and being interesting to people like myself for their differences. That was Toronto. Maybe the Yukon is different?

If there are individuals speaking up against immigration then it's likely because they are ignorant of other cultures and languages and prefer to remain that way or the newcomers are not fulfilling their responsibilities by learning Canadian values while maintaining their own identities. Keeping an identity does not mean disrespecting or rejecting the values of the adopted country.

And see what we're getting into with this strike? Idle hands and all that.....

 

[Nell1236]

Re The Star article about the strike: http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/09/10/foreign_service_job_action_threatens_canadas_annual_immigration_target.html

"CIC is providing training on an urgent basis....." Who are they training? The people who clean the offices?

"CIC is shifting more work to Canada and to overseas offices that have additional capacity." Does that mean that the better-paid Canadian workers are now doing the jobs of the lesser paid overseas workers?

They also mention the humanitarian cases: the other day there was an article about an Egyptian student who got her visa ahead of the line because her father knew someone who knew someone in the visa office. Is that what they call humanitarian?

We called the Mexico City office and were told they were "only" doing humanitarian cases. Yet not so long ago, Harper made it clear that as a Nafta member and friendly country, Mexico can't have refugees, so how is it now doing just humanitarian cases?

Does anyone know whether there is a deadline for a decision from the Labour board? I heard the 20th of September but don't know where that date came from.

 

[Melisaa]

 

[Nell1236]

Here's the link to the article I mentioned above: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/many-international-students-still-waiting-for-visas-to-study-in-canada/article13947335/'/

My issue is with the nepotism, I don't know what else to call it:

"....worried she might not make it to McGill in time, and considered the American University in Cairo as a backup plan. Luckily, her father had a contact in Cairo’s Canadian embassy whom he pressed for help, securing her a visa just last week."

Hello, we'd like to jump the queue too! Where do we apply for this special treatment?

 

[Abe1004]

Oh Oh.......somebody better check their facts.

http://oncampus.macleans.ca/education/2011/10/27/manitoba-to-offer-free-health-care-to-foreign-students/

So MB started offering it last year. I graduated in 2010 so I wouldnt know that MB started offering this program. At my time it didnt. Nevertheless rest of provinces still charge for it especially Ontario and Alberta with probably highest ratio of international students in the country.

You conveniently skipped the rest of my post regarding the comparison of how much international student WILL spend in canada compared to PR who MAY (or may not) spend that I made up following your logic.

Anyway, I hope you have a good day and quit jumping to conclussions.

 

[DaveSav]

You conveniently skipped the rest of my post regarding the comparison of how much international student WILL spend in canada compared to PR who MAY (or may not) spend that I made up following your logic.

The PR that is part of a family who has been paying Canadian taxes for a long time. When you are talking about spousal PR's you can't really ignore the fact that half of that equation is a Canadian Citizen, it's disingenuous.

The wife may or may not work and pay taxes, but I have been working and paying them for almost half a century. I've put a lot more into the system than a student ever will and part of my expectation is that as a Canadian citizen the needs of myself and my wife should come before someone that hasn't done or put anything into this country.

If I leave the country to go be with my wife because of the ridiculous PR system, the government will lose a lot more than what they gain from a few students.

Just please refer yourself to the simple arithmetical equation that PR process takes on averag 6 to 16 months per officer (lets say), while the student visa takes 30 days turnover.

The PR app sits in a queue and nobody looks at it for most of that time while the student visa has priority so it doesn't sit there doing nothing, I'm not sure what you are trying to prove but it's not a simple arithmetical equation, it's priority given to non Canadians that causes the 'mathematical' difference.

Well tourist and student visas are the ones raking in the cash for gov and businesses. What are the family class PR apps raking besides free healthcare?

I've paid more in taxes than me and my wife will ever take out of the system, it's hardly free health care.

 

[DaveSav]

Yes you might be right. Do you happen to have a link to the study?

Here's an article on the study, I think it has a direct link to the source in it somewhere
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/05/15/a-fascinating-map-of-the-worlds-most-and-least-racially-tolerant-countries/

 

[Nell1236]

Could we please stick with the topic of this thread? Start a new thread about health care if you want.

Why is no one interested in the fact that nepotism is alive and well in the Canadian foreign services? That notwithstanding a strike someone can jump the queue leaving all the rest of us in the dust??!!

 

[DaveSav]

Could we please stick with the topic of this thread? Start a new thread about health care if you want.

Why is no one interested in the fact that nepotism is alive and well in the Canadian foreign services? That notwithstanding a strike someone can jump the queue leaving all the rest of us in the dust??!!

It's directly related to the topic and how PR apps are pushed back because of student apps just as much as nepotism is......it's not difficult to skip over those posts.

 

[Nell1236]

Two people are having a p...g contest, it doesn't belong here.

Nepotism is a lot more serious than just working on student visa apps before PR apps, even more so in the middle of a strike!