Whats New in Canada-Update on CA

[mayankpandya]

Upcoming Changes in FSW Category.


Nicholas Keung: Immigration Reporter


Canada admitted a record-high number of immigrants last year, with more than 280,600 new permanent residents welcomed into the country, a report released Sunday shows.

That's the highest number admitted into the country in 57 years and 6 per cent above Ottawa's maximum 265,000 target, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney told a news conference in Toronto.

In 2008, Kenney introduced new selection criteria to limit the eligibility to 38 qualifying professions only and found that skilled workers who already had a job offer when they applied for permanent residence fared best of all, making on average $79,200 annually three years after arriving in Canada.

In order to enable a more successful integration for skilled immigrants, Kenney said Ottawa is set to change the “points grid” of the immigrant selection system to bring in newcomers who don't have university degrees or language proficiency, but whose job skills are in demand in Canada.
The federal government also plans to further raise the language requirements for those who apply to immigrate here with professional designations such as doctors, engineers, accountants and scientists to ensure their success in the country.
Kenney said he hoped to make those changes later this year.

“We need to be more flexible . . . skilled trades people who don't have university degrees or who have very limited English or French language proficiency typically cannot make it through the points grid, but we have a huge and growing need for skilled trade people,” said Kenney.

“Rather than locking them out of the skilled worker program, I'm looking at ways we can accommodate people who don't have university degrees, who don't have full language proficiency to come through that program.”
Currently, a skilled immigrant applicant is assessed based on education levels, language skills and work experience among other factors, and must earn 67 points to qualify for the federal skilled worker program.

“Foreign trained professionals find the biggest barrier to employment is limited language proficiency, so we may look at additional ways to encourage foreign trained professionals with high levels of English or French proficiency,” said Kenney.

He said the aim is to “select the people who are most likely to succeed and give them the tools to succeed once they get here.”

Skilled immigrant applicants currently must pass a mandatory language test in writing, listening, speaking and reading in English or French.

About two-thirds of the newcomers admitted to Canada last year were economic immigrants and their dependants; an additional 21 per cent came under the family class, who were predominantly spouses and children of a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. Only 15,322 parents and grandparents were let in to reunite with their families.

More than 182,000 temporary foreign workers and 96,147 foreign students were also admitted in 2010, along with 12,100 United Nations sanctioned refugees from overseas.

 

[mayankpandya]

Some good information for all regarding JOB

Canada Offers guidance for finding right jobs

When you visit the website canlearn[dot]ca for links and information, you get vital guidance from the federal government of Canada.

The advice is on such matters as learning about you, finding careers, finding the right school for your child and even about student loan resources.

How to find the right career
Working in Canada Tool explains details of each job, even what a forestry worker does. Thus you have an insight on jobs making it easier to choose your career path.

When looking for jobs type in one key word relevant to your search and see the results. If a word does not work, you can always type in another key word, but one word at a time and go ahead.

Specific pages for job search
Many government agencies and employers use NOC or National Occupational Classification system to announce classification of jobs in Canada. The Occupation Search Tool page has a menu on the right side which guides you to search for jobs by category or by alphabetical order.

Know the training required for the job
Once you have found the right job and career for yourself, read about its educational requirements. Search for the schools and programmes that facilitate such training, if you need to acquire it.

The study workload for post-secondary students is huge, so many schools offer study skills counselling to these students. The counselling helps the students to cope up and be successful.

Find the right school offering the required programme through distance learning
So now that you have identified the career you wish to pursue and know its educational requirements, look for the right programme and school that offers the training and the one that suits you.

Canada is a vast country and sometimes it is difficult for students to leave home for studies. Distance learning helps such students to pursue further studies through the internet, cable TV and correspondence courses.

 

[mayankpandya]

Canada Cutting Off Federal Visas

Canada is cutting off its working visa on skilled workers and as expected employment and industry groups are not taking this well, in fact they are reacting negatively to this.

The Canadian government is planning to substantially cut the number of visas issued for federal skilled workers. Figures shows that the government is planning to cut federal skilled visas up to 20% and the economic class visas for up to 7%!

A Wrong Move

Many view this plan as something short of a wrong move by the government. The notion of reducing the number of skilled workers in Canada this year is simply a wrong direction. There is a great demand for workers in Canada today and many feels that this should be the time where the government should ensure that they are meeting the worker need. And since last year’s number of immigrants coming in Canada is its highest and successful, many thinks that the government should continue this since there is a great demand to be met.

2010 Immigration

Figures show that this is indeed a fact, last 2010 Canada welcomed 280,000 permanent residents. The focus of Canada’s immigration System is to welcome more people to pay tax and to the health care system of the country. Though there are some good reasons why the government is doing this cut but if the motivation of the government of doing this is the fact that the economy is rising thus Canada doesn’t need any more workers, then this move is a great mistake. And Canada’s aging workforce, aging population, low fertility rate shows that this problem will only get worse in the future.

The Motive Behind The Move

There are many speculations as to why the government is making this move and mostly it is assumed that political one rather than a policy decision. It could be political pressure that comes from other parts of Canada where there is a high unemployment rate. But others would argue that this employment recession is not the sole reason for this cut since things are improving rapidly. The government is already starting reemploying Canadians and Albertans who lost their jobs during the recession. Whatever the real reason behind this government move and whether it may be a good move or one that will be a disaster, only time will tell, let us all hope that all will be for the best.

 

[fariza]

It seems lot of "Cuts" planned and going on for 2011.....Lets hope for the best

 

[mayankpandya]

News Release

Government of Canada consults on immigrant skilled worker program

Ottawa, February 17, 2011 — Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is proposing changes to the Federal Skilled Worker Program to help Canada select immigrants who have the best chance of integrating and making a better contribution to the Canadian economy. CIC will be consulting with stakeholders and the public on the proposed changes beginning today.

The consultations follow the release of an evaluation of the program, which found that skilled workers are faring far better in Canada than their predecessors, thanks to their stronger language skills and arranged employment. The evaluation does show, however, that there is room for improvement.

“To stay competitive globally, we have to make sure the skilled immigrants we choose are the ones that we need, and the most likely to succeed when they get here,” said Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism. “Research points to some key changes that will help us meet those goals.”

The input received through the consultations process will be taken into account in the development of new regulations. The proposed changes could place more emphasis on youth and language ability, and are expected to increase the number of skilled tradespeople.

CIC will consult on:

requiring federal skilled workers to have a minimum level of language proficiency;
making the program more accessible to skilled tradespeople, technicians and apprentices;
placing greater emphasis on younger immigrants who will adapt more easily and be active members of the work force for a longer time frame;
redirecting points from work experience to other factors that better contribute to success in the Canadian work force; and
reducing the potential for fraudulent job offers.
The current Federal Skilled Worker Program was introduced in June 2002 with the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. The program is based on an objective and transparent points system, which considers factors such as language skills, age and education in the selection of immigrants. The system aims to be more effective at selecting those who will succeed economically.

In-person consultation sessions will take place with key stakeholders in five cities across the country beginning February 17. These sessions are not open to the general public or the media. Other organizations or interested individuals who wish to provide input can submit their feedback online until March 17.

Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CitImmCanada

A summary of the results of this process will be published on our website in spring/summer 2011.

For further information (media only), please contact:

Alykhan Velshi
Minister’s Office
Citizenship and Immigration Canada

Media Relations
Communications Branch
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-952-1650
CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca

Backgrounder

A Tale of Two Skilled Workers: Impact of Proposed Immigration Changes
Proposed Changes to the Federal Skilled Worker Program

 

[mayankpandya]

Backgrounder

Proposed Changes to the Federal Skilled Worker Programs

The federal skilled worker selection system established in 2002 looks at the worker’s overall capacity to adapt to Canada’s labour market. It measures each candidate’s score on a grid worth up to 100 points. The grid takes into consideration the candidates’ official language ability, their education, their work experience, their age, whether they have a job already arranged in Canada (arranged employment) and their overall adaptability (which awards points for things like previous work or study in Canada, the spouse’s education and relatives in Canada).

A recent evaluation of the Federal Skilled Worker Program showed that, overall, skilled workers selected according to these criteria are faring well in Canada, but it also shows there is room for improvement. Based on recommendations from the evaluation, academic research and best practices in other immigrant-receiving countries, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is proposing changes to the selection system. These changes don’t alter the selection criteria established in 2002. Instead, the proposals below would affect the number of points assigned to the criteria and the way they are assessed.

Requiring a minimum level of language proficiency

A 2005 Statistics Canada study found that employment rates for immigrants increased with their ability to speak an official language. It also found that language proficiency had the biggest impact on their ability to find work in either a high-skilled profession or their intended field.

However, the current selection system only awards a maximum of 16 points (out of a total of 100) for high proficiency in the first official language. It is also possible for an applicant to be selected with little to no language proficiency if he or she scores well on other criteria.

CIC will consult on increasing the maximum points awarded for proficiency in the first official language from 16 to 20, and on establishing minimum language requirements, depending on the immigrant’s occupational skill level. For example, managers or professionals would have a different requirement from tradespeople.

Placing greater emphasis on younger workers

Immigrants who arrive between the ages of 20 and 30 have been found to have the greatest economic impact on the receiving country. Younger immigrants have higher rates of employment and earnings than older immigrants. By contrast, immigrants aged 45 or older experience unemployment rates almost double those aged 25–34 years.

The selection system currently awards the maximum of 10 points to applicants up to age 49. Approximately 27% of federal skilled workers who arrived between 2000 and 2006 were over the age of 40. CIC will consult on the proposed changes to award a maximum of 12 points until age 35, with diminishing points awarded until age 49. No age points would be awarded after age 50.

Making the program more accessible to skilled tradespeople

Canada is facing current and predicted shortages of workers in certain skilled trades. Immigrants can help meet this need. However, skilled tradespeople currently make up less than 3% of all federal skilled worker applicants.

Education points are awarded based on the credential (such as a post-secondary diploma) and the number of associated years of education. The latter is intended to help ensure the quality of the credential. However, it does not take into account country-to-country variations in school systems. Skilled tradespeople who have a credential in their trade, but not the required years of education, are therefore disadvantaged and lose points.

The proposal is to reduce the number of years of education required to claim points for a trade or other non-university credential. This change would help improve access for skilled tradespeople, technicians and apprentices who have valid post-secondary qualifications but not the required number of years of study.

Redirecting points from work experience to other factors

The overall value of work experience points in the grid represents too large a share when compared to the overall value afforded to work experience by our competitor countries. Currently, with as little as four years of foreign work experience, an applicant has already earned 21 of the points required to meet the pass mark of 67.

CIC is proposing to reduce the total number of points that could be awarded for work experience from 21 to 15. The proposed change would also increase the years of experience required to achieve full points under this criterion. This change would better reflect the relative value Canadian employers place on foreign work experience, and ensure that applicants have more experience to earn full points. It would also allow points to be redirected to the criteria that better contribute to an immigrant’s successful establishment, such as language proficiency.

Reducing the potential for fraudulent job offers

Arranged employment has several advantages for immigration purposes. It offers applicants an immediate 15 points on the grid, and waives the requirement to have a certain amount of money set aside to prove that the immigrant is able to be self-sufficient in Canada. All of these advantages have made this part of the Federal Skilled Worker Program susceptible to exploitation by people attempting to immigrate with a fraudulent job offer.

The evaluation of the Federal Skilled Worker Program showed that people who immigrate with a valid job offer are doing very well in Canada, earning 79% more three years after arriving than people without arranged employment. Therefore, the program is important and should be used to help employers offering legitimate work. But a more rigorous up-front assessment of the employer and job offer is needed to curb the potential for fraud.

The proposed changes would establish clearer criteria for assessing the genuineness of a job offer, and could require employers to sign a document attesting to their intention to hire the immigrant. They could also include restrictions for employers who don’t comply with this intention.

 

[mayankpandya]

New recruitment tool launched to link employers with foreign trained professionals in Canada

Canada, 18th February: A new recruitment tool has been launched for connecting employers with foreign trained professionals seeking jobs in Chatham-Kent

Out of the total 200,000 immigrants coming to Canada in the year 2010, around 51 percent possessed post-secondary qualifications, states job search facilitator with Adult Language and Learning Center, Connie Piggott.

The qualifications of newcomers coming to Chatham-Kent range from PhD degrees to technical qualifications, adds Piggott.

And the launch of new online tool, the official website of Skills International, is proving to be of tremendous advantage for new immigrants by helping them find the jobs in their respective fields, Piggott asserts.

The website is committed to providing relevant jobs to immigrants in Canada by helping them get connected to various employers in the nation. It is an easy to use, cost effective and an exclusive online recruitment tool in Canada.

New Canadians encounter several difficulties in finding employment in their chosen fields in Canada, Piggott stated.

Canadian employers are in need of high-skills, commitment, dedication and motivation in their potential workforce and that’s exactly found to be present in the foreign trained professionals, states employer liaison with Skills International, Marlene Meechan.

The online tool becomes a handy means to bridging the gap between foreign professionals and employers in Canada as it contains web-enabled database of profiles of various potential job seeking foreign trained professionals in Ontario.

The best thing about hiring an immigrant through Skills International program is that one knows they have been through a program, adds Meechan.

The website is a great resource and the human resources department must be made aware of this, stated Mayor Randy Hope, while speaking on its launch. This online resource can help Chatham-Kent attract higher number of immigrants and add to the growth of its population, he said.

Foreign trained professionals are a resource of immense talent and they must be tapped into by the nation, stated executive director of The Adult Language and Learning Centre, Tracy Callaghan.

Out of the total 400 immigrants working in the center in 2010, 88 were foreign trained professionals.

A free resource for professionals as well as employers in Canada, it saves highly-educated foreign professionals from working at low-paid jobs and provides an opportunity to sharp their soft-skills, thus enabling them make valuable contributions to the economic development of the nation.

 

[mayankpandya]

Canada government helps international-trained professionals in Yukon

Canada, 18th February: New Canadians wanting to get jobs in their respective field of expertise are getting help from the Economic Action Plan of the Canadian government.

According to Senator Daniel Lang, long-term economic development of Canada depends on the ability of the nation to allure and retain the best foreign talent for addressing the current as well as the future challenges of the workforce market.

He added that the Canadian government is collaborating with the Government of Yukon through the Economic Action Plan for enabling recognition of foreign credentials of newcomers in Canada and helping them get appropriate jobs in Canada in accordance with their levels of skills and experience.

The Government of Yukon is being provided with funds of around $360,000 by the Canadian government for the next phase of the Foreign Credential Recognition Project.

Aim of the project— The project aims to fast-track the recognition of foreign credentials of newcomers in Canada. It will help in introducing a fair, effective and an efficient system for bridging the existing gaps between the unfilled jobs and the skilled immigrants in Canada.

It will also work towards creation of online programs for equipping newcomers in Canada get jobs in Canada.

‘Working in Canada’’ by Government of Yukon—

‘Working in Canada’ is an online tool to be launched by the Yukon government to enable newcomers in Canada get detailed and updated information about the labor market in Canada not only after their arrival in Canada but even before they have immigrated to Canada.

The successful integration of new immigrants in Yukon will be made possible at the earliest possible time through faster recognition of their credentials, stated Minister of Education for Yukon, Honorable Patrick Rouble.

This will help employers in Yukon get required workforce in accordance with the skills in high demand and help the businesses in Yukon to thrive, added Rouble.

The Foreign Credential Recognition Project is a step by the Canada government for having the best and the brightest workforce globally. It provides funds to various Canadian territories, provinces and stakeholders like employers, post-secondary institutes for facilitating timely recognition of foreign qualifications of newcomers in Canada.

 

[mayankpandya]

Foreign trained professionals in Canada determined to succeed

Canada, 18th February: Immigrants coming to Canada armed with foreign medical degrees and training are determined to make it big in Canada.

According to Marty Schreiter from the Kitchener Waterloo Multicultural Center, newcomers coming to Canada are hopeful despite facing huge disappointments.

Nearly 150 medical professionals from abroad have been studying for Canada qualifying examination in one of the rooms provided by this centre.

Out of these foreign medical professionals, some also hail from nations like Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan and Egypt.

All these immigrant medical professionals in Canada say they had knowledge about the problems lying ahead before immigrating to Canada, but still took the resolve to move on.

According to one immigrant in Canada from Iraq, Mustafa Abdul Selam, his overseas friends informed him about the obstacles lying ahead in a foreign land for a newcomer, but, nothing could deter him from moving to Canada.

A common predicament of foreign educated and trained medical professionals in Canada is the lack of recognition of their foreign credentials.

No one is ready to accept these foreign trained and experienced medical professionals even as volunteers, quips a foreign trained medical professional Masood Sedghi adding that his eight years of medical education followed by 13 years of experience is of no use in Canada.

That’s not all. The hospital environment in Canada does not recognize their education and expertise, states Faaeza Jawaid, a medical student in Canada, making her ineligible for getting work in Canada hospitals.

And this is proved by a report released by Statistics Canada in September 2010 which states the rate of foreign credential recognition to be around 32 percent in Ontario. And B.C.(British Columbia) and Atlantic Canada have the ratings of 23 percent and 59 percent in terms of recognition of foreign credentials.

Red tape is also responsible for a long wait in the recognition of credentials of foreign professionals in Canada.

The CIC (Citizenship and Immigration Canada) has formulated nearly 400 regulatory bodies throughout Canada but these bodies seem to be making the process of recognition of foreign credentials even longer and tedious for newcomers in Canada. Despite such hardships, hope keeps the newcomers medical professionals alive and kicking.

 

[mayankpandya]

Home Sales in Canada Jump before New Rules

There has been a brisk selling of homes in Canada in January 2011, up by 4.5 percent in the monthly national sales count.

The rush in sales comes just a few weeks before new mortgage rules become effective from March 18, 2011 as reported by the Times Colonist.

Vancouver, Toronto and Victoria have had the highest number of home sales followed by other parts of the country. Vancouver had a 14.2 percent increase, while Toronto had an increase of 4.9 percent and Victoria home sales jumped by 4.7 percent.

The frantic activity in the expensive housing market was expected in the early parts of this year by the Canadian Real Estate Association. Gregory Klump, chief economist of CREA is reported to have said this was predictable pursuant to the announcement of upcoming stricter mortgage rules.

The new rules are to shorten the government backed mortgage period from the existing thirty five years to thirty years. The Globe and Mail reported on Tuesday, that the Finance Minister, Jim Flaherty is worried about Canadians taking on too much long term loans.

The G&M also reports home owners will be allowed to borrow not more than eighty five percent of their property’s value for refinancing, according to the new rules. The present limit is up to ninety percent of the value of the house; and further, the federal government will no longer provide insurance on personal credit lines secured by homes.

These new measures are believed to have been taken to keep out the fringe property buyers who inevitably raise the market prices. Nevertheless, the new rule will lower the resale value and home owners will need to reduce their prices by seven percent in the coming year, reports the Globe and Mail. .

The G&M also reports that the Canadian household debt is at record levels, with real estate playing a major part in it. A resale home which was sold for $ 344,551 in December with an interest rate of four percent and a minimum down payment of five percent and a thirty five year mortgage had a monthly instalment of $1,441. As per the new rule of reduced amortization the monthly payment will go up to $1,555, nearly an eight-percent increase.

The banks in Canada realise the new rules will slow down the loan market, but it will also help in discouraging the risky borrowers. The G&M reports that Robert Sedran, who is a bank analyst with CIBC World Markets Inc., had earlier expressed concerns about the high growth of debt levels resulting in slow loan growth

 

[mayankpandya]

Dear all forum members,

It my kind request to take part in CIC`s feedback survey on FSW program. Please give your honest reply to CIC for better FSW program in near future .

here is link

http://cic.sondages-surveys.ca/s/fswp-ptqf/?l=en

Regards,
Mayank

 

[mayankpandya]

Manitoba to attract higher number of new immigrants

Canada, 19th February: Canadian province Manitoba is going to attract increased number of immigrants despite Canada government’s pressure to restrict immigration levels, Jennifer Howard, the Immigration Minister has stated

Although, the Federal government is likely to limit the number of immigrants this year too to 5,000, the goal of Manitoba is to allow 5,500 new immigrants under the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program this year, Howard added.

The matter is being discussed with Canada government to see possibility of any increase in the annual immigration limits for Manitoba, Howard asserted.

In the year 2010, the Federal government issued 4,600 certificates to Manitoba for bringing immigrants to this province under the PNP (Provincial Nominee Program) and the numbers were increased to 5000 only after the matter was raised by the province for increasing these limits.

The numbers were increased after constructive discussions with Canada immigration minister Jason Kenney, stated Howard.

It may be noted that while several Canadian provinces including Manitoba, Alberta, B.C. and Quebec had been successful in roping in increased number of new immigrants possessing high qualifications and skills in the last couple of years, Ontario seems to have been losing its position of being a mecca for newcomers.

This is despite the fact that Ottawa had been responsible behind setting up of PNPs for enabling other Canadian provinces to attract the best immigrant workforce in accordance with the skills in great demand in their respective provinces.

Meanwhile, it’s yet to be ascertained whether the target of attracting 5,500 immigrants under the PNP is reached by Manitoba or not. It will take a couple of months to get a clear picture since this is dependent on the performance of provincial nominee programs in other Canadian provinces, Howard maintained.

Ottawa knows about the need for increasing the immigration levels in Manitoba under the PNP in order to keep the population of the province growing. Moreover, the nominee program has been quite successful in Manitoba, she clarified.

The population of Manitoba registered an increase of 16,227 in the last one year, figures for the month of October 2010 maintain and the immigration constitutes a substantial share of this rise in the province’s population.

 

[fariza]

Thanks... all your post been really euphoric.... cheers

 

[mayankpandya]

Average Canadian family debt touches $100,000

Canada, 21st February: Canadian family debt, on an average, has reached $100,000, findings of a latest report by the Vanier Institute of the Family reveal.

http://www.canadaupdates.com/sites/default/files/household%20debt.jpg

Average Canadian family seems to be owing much more than its earnings, the report states. This becomes clear from the fact that the debt-to-income ratio of the average Canadian family has reached 150 percent.

On an average, a Canadian family owes nearly $1500 for every $1000 earnings after deductions of tax.

While the debt ratio has gone up, this has resulted in a decline in the rate of savings for Canadians.

This becomes evident from a comparison of the present savings rate with that of the year 1990.

The year 2010 saw savings rates fall down to 4.2 percent enabling average Canadian families to save around $2,500 for each household while the average savings in the year 1990 was $8000 per household with the savings rate of 13.0 percent.

And this makes it clear that for many Canadian families, recession is still there even though it may be stated to have ended considering the standard indicators of the economy into consideration, states director of programs for the institute, Katherine Scott.

Hence, the governments must become responsible while reducing programs in a bid to cut down their deficits since this has a direct effect on the already fragile financial condition of Canadian families, asserts Scott.

In the year 2010, nearly 17,400 Canadian households were lagging behind in paying their mortgages at least three or four months, the findings show.

Moreover, the rates of bankruptcy and credit card delinquencies have also gone up than the rates before the global economic slowdown.

Nonetheless, several policymakers of the nation have been stressing Canadians to work towards bringing down their household debt since failure to do so might end in jeopardizing their financial setup as the interest rates get back to normalcy.

Canadians have been warned by the Central bank to control their household debts since these are a big risk for the nation’s economy.

The job gains during the recent months have been of low quality than the quality of jobs lost during economic slowdown thus increasing the risk of young and middle class Canadian households, Scott suggests.

 

[fariza]

WOOOOW..... scary info