Whats New in Canada-Update on CA

[swapno]

thanx

Over one fifth of Canadians are immigrants
20 May 2013

Over 20% of Canadians were born in other countries and have become Canadians by naturalisation, a national survey shows. This makes Canada the country with the highest proportion of immigrant citizens on earth. The National Household Survey was completed in 2011 by around 74% of the Canadian population. About 6.3m people out of Canada's population of about 33,000,000 were born citizens of other countries.

The survey also shows that mass immigration has changed the ethnic makeup of Canada hugely in the last two decades. Whereas, in the 1960s, most immigration to Canada came from Europe, now, 82.4% of immigrants are non-European. Immigrants are reported to have arrived in Canada from 200 countries. 6.3m Canadians, 19% of the population, now say that they come from 'a visible ethnic minority'. The three largest ethnic minority groups are south Asians, Chinese and black.

The survey found that 1.2m migrants settled in Canada between 2006 and 2011 and that over half of these, (56.9%) came from Asia, including the Middle East. During the 1970s, only 8.5% of Canadian immigrants came from Asia. Between 2006 and 2011, 13.1% of immigrants or 152,300 people came from the Philippines alone. 10.5% (122,100) came from China and 10.4% (121,400) came from India.

More migrants from Philippines than from Europe in 2006-2011

13.7% of the migrants arriving between 2006 and 2011 came from the entirety of Europe, only just more than the number coming from the Philippines. In the 1970s, 75% of immigrants were Europeans. 12.1% of immigrants over the five year period between 2006 and 2011 came from Africa.
Respondents were asked to record their ethnicity and these responses showed that Canada is extremely ethnically diverse. 200 different ethnicities were given by respondents. The survey suggests that there are over 1m Canadians belonging to 13 different ethnic groups. These are:

First nations (Aboriginal Canadians such as Inuit and native Americans)
Canadian
English
Scottish
Irish
French
German
Italian
Chinese
Ukrainian
East Indian
Dutch
Polish

Immigrants now settling all over Canada

The survey also showed that fewer new immigrants move to Toronto, the capital and to the province of Ontario than had been the case, although it is still home to 3.6m immigrants, over half of the total. Between 2006 and 2011, 43% of new citizens settled in Ontario and most of these settled in Toronto, Ontario's biggest city. Nearly 50% of Toronto's population was born abroad but the survey shows that new Canadians are also choosing to settle in Manitoba, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and elsewhere.

The National Household Survey was first held in 2011 as a controversial replacement for a census which had been held at regular intervals in Canada since 1825. The Conservative government scrapped the census, which every Canadian household was required to complete by law, with the voluntary Household Survey.

Unlike the census, the National Household Survey was sent to only 4.5m households across Canada. Of the 4.5m questionnaires distributed, 74% (about 3,330,000) were completed. Although this makes the figures less reliable than census data, the survey nonetheless provides a very detailed picture of the nation's makeup.

Source: http://www.workpermit.com/news/2013-05-20/over-one-fifth-of-canadians-are-immigrants

 

[phdmaker]

Great thread on forum indeed.

Very informative.......

Thanks & Cheers.

 

[Can10]

Latest Canadian immigration figures from the OECD
24 June 2013

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) recently released its International Migration Outlook Report for 2013. The report contains subsidiary reports on all the 34 countries that make up the OECD including Canada.

The report finds that Canada has continued to accept more migrants than most other OECD countries; it is sixth in the OECD. According to Statistics Canada, the country receives on average 7.5 immigrants per thousand people annually; one of the highest in the industrialised world and twice the rate of the US. Much of Canada's population growth in recent years has been down to immigration.

The latest figures presented in the report are for 2011. Overall immigration fell by 11% on the previous year. Canada admitted 249,000 new permanent residents in 2011. 62.8% of these were admitted under the economic migrant stream. This stream includes those who are admitted to Canada for work purposes and their families. Only 22.7% of new permanent residents were admitted under the family stream.

The OECD breaks down the figures differently in its report, including family members of workers as family migrants. Consequently, the OECD figure shows that, in 2011, 25.9% of new Canadian permanent residents are in the 'work' category. This compares very favourably to the US figure of 6.1%.
Many new Canadians from Asia
The three major countries of origin for new economic permanent residents were Asian. They were

The Philippines 14%
China 12%
India 10%

Canada also admitted around 191,000 temporary workers under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program in 2011, 6.4% more than in 2010 and also issued nearly 100,000 student visas, 3.3% more than the previous year. There were also around 36,000 humanitarian migrants in 2011.

The OECD notes that Canada reformed its economic immigration categories in 2012. Regular readers of workpermit.com will know that Canada reformed its main skilled worker immigration program, the Federal Skilled Worker Program, and also expanded the Canadian Experience Class and announced the creation of both the Start-up visa for entrepreneurs and the Federal Skilled Trade Program for tradespeople.

Canada intends to move towards an 'expression of interest' model for work-based immigration in coming years. Immigration minister Jason Kenney has already introduced major changes in 2012 and he has said he wants to introduce further changes to allow new residents in Canada to 'hit the ground running.

Permanent migration figures
2010 2011
Citizenship 76,600 64,400
Family 170,600 148,200
Humanitarian 3,400 36,100
Total 280,700 248,700

Temporary migration figures
2010 2011
Students 76,700 77,200
Working holiday 50,000 55,000
Seasonal workers 23,900 24,100
Intra company transfer 13,600 13,500
Other temporary 85,500 87,500
Total 249,700 257,300

Top ten countries of origin
Philippines
China
India
United States
Iran
United Kingdom
Haiti
Pakistan
France
United Arab Emirates

Source: http://www.workpermit.com/news/2013-06-24/latest-canadian-immigration-figures-from-the-oecd

 

[ASK]

99 reasons why it’s better to be Canadian

It can be hard living next to history’s greatest cultural, military and economic superpower. But that doesn’t mean the United States is best at everything. As Canada celebrates its 146th birthday we dig into the numbers to find some of the many ways Canada is better off–from sports and sex to politics and entertainment.

- Life & well-being

- Money & work

- Arts & entertainment

- Sports & leisure

- Environment & geography

- Politics

- Science & Technology

- Crime & calamity

- General Canadian awesomeness

Read on all the 99 reasons from the source (link) below... a feel good article reiterating that you have made the right choice by choosing Canada. Enjoy!!!

Source: http://www2.macleans.ca/2013/06/28/99-reasons-why-its-better-to-be-canadian

 

[ItsBeenLongNow]

99 reasons why it's better to be Canadian

It can be hard living next to history's greatest cultural, military and economic superpower. But that doesn't mean the United States is best at everything. As Canada celebrates its 146th birthday we dig into the numbers to find some of the many ways Canada is better off–from sports and sex to politics and entertainment.

- Life & well-being

- Money & work

- Arts & entertainment

- Sports & leisure

- Environment & geography

- Politics

- Science & Technology

- Crime & calamity

- General Canadian awesomeness

Read on all the 99 reasons from the source (link) below... a feel good article reiterating that you have made the right choice by choosing Canada. Enjoy!!!

Source: http://www2.macleans.ca/2013/06/28/99-reasons-why-its-better-to-be-canadian

True North Strong and Free! always!
Thx ASK, feel PROUD! ,

 

[Can10]

Citizenship and Immigration Canada asks Canadians for views on immigration
03 July 2013

The Canadian immigration minister, Jason Kenney, has asked the Canadian public and a number of 'stakeholders' to submit their opinions about immigration in an extensive online consultation. The consultation opened on 21st June 2013 and will continue until 31st August 2013.

At the launch of the consultation, Mr Kenney told journalists 'Since 2006, the government of Canada has welcomed the highest sustained levels of immigration in Canadian history. Given the importance of immigration to our economic growth and long-term prosperity, we are especially keen to hear the views of Canadians as we prepare for the years ahead'.

Canada has encouraged high levels of immigration in recent years because of fears that the ageing population will lead to a skills shortage when so-called 'baby-boomers' retire. Canadian business organisations say that Canada needs to bring in skilled workers to fill skills gaps.

Canada takes 250,000 new permanent residents per year

The Canadian government has maintained one of the largest immigration programmes in the world in proportion to its population. Every year some 250,000 people gain Canadian permanent resident status but there is some evidence that some Canadians may want immigration to be scaled back.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has invited various 'stakeholders' to respond to the consultation and has also invited contributions from the public. Among the stakeholders asked are

Employers
Unions
Academia
Educational institutions
Professional organisations
Business associations
Regulators
Municipalities
Aboriginal Groups
'Settlement provider organisations' and
'Ethnocultural organisations'

CIC issued a statement saying that the consultations 'present an opportunity to raise greater public awareness of the difficult decisions involved in managing a global immigration system'.

'There are competing visions for the future'

It continued 'There are competing visions and diverging goals for the future of the immigration program. Engaging stakeholders and the broader public is key to CIC's development of an overall strategy for Canada moving forward'.

There is some evidence that public enthusiasm for immigration in Canada may be waning. A poll conducted by EKOS Research in February found that 40% of respondents believed there were too many immigrants in Canada. 43% of native Canadians felt this way as did 27% of first-generation Canadians.

EKOS carried out similar polls in 1994 and in 2005. In 1994, 50% of respondents said that they believed that there were too many immigrants in Canada. By 2005, this figure had fallen to 30%. Now, however, it has risen again.

Hostility to immigration has not increased

Frank Graves, the president of EKOS said that he did not believe that hostility to immigration had increased. He said that the company had changed its method of collecting data and now used Interactive voice response automated software to gather data.

Mr Graves told The Huffington Post Canada that he believes that people are more likely to be honest about their dislike of immigration when questioned impersonally by a 'robot'. The robot was not used in the earlier polls and this, Mr Graves believes, led to underreporting of opposition to immigration.

The poll shows that younger Canadians are more likely to be unworried by immigration as are people with higher education qualifications and people living in metropolitan areas.

Source: http://www.workpermit.com/news/2013-07-03/citizenship-and-immigration-canada-asks-canadians-for-views-on-immigration

 

[Can10]

Tearing down the ‘Canadian experience’ roadblock
Relevant experience as relevant experience, regardless of the geography
By: Izumi Sakamoto Published on Tue Jul 16 2013

For decades, we have heard stories about immigrants with PhDs driving taxis, MDs doing clerical work, and chefs working as dishwashers. One of the most oft-cited justifications for this widespread and increasing difficulty immigrants have in finding employment in their intended occupations is employers’ reluctance to hire newcomers without “Canadian experience.”

By default, immigrants who are new to Canada do not have Canadian experience. It is then unfair to demand Canadian experience before they are able to secure employment while also refusing them employment because they do not have this experience. We can finally put this paradox to bed, once and for all.
Yesterday, Ontario became the first province to denounce the requirement of “Canadian experience” for hiring immigrants and accrediting immigrant professionals. In this bold move, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) launched a new policy naming the requirement of Canadian experience as a violation of human rights. In reaching this conclusion, the OHRC is joining a chorus whose voices include the Human Resources Professionals Association and an increasing number of corporate employers such as RBC and KPMG, who have acknowledged that the demand for Canadian experience is nearly baseless. They have abandoned this criteria as a meaningful standard by which to judge the qualification of potential employees, and now accept relevant experience as relevant experience, regardless of the geography of its occurrence.

What is “Canadian experience”? Despite being taken for granted for decades, this concept, when used in immigrant employment, is elusive and lacks definition.
I have been researching the notion of “Canadian experience” for the past seven years and recently joined with other community-driven initiatives to form the “Beyond Canadian Experience Project.” Our main purpose is to deconstruct the idea of Canadian experience with the goal of reducing barriers to employment experienced by immigrants.

We have tried to uncover why employers have insisted that skilled immigrants demonstrate that they have worked in Canada, as well as their country of origin. Our research concludes that the Canadian experience implied by employers is often not about professional standards, but cultural ones: immigrant workers have no experience at “being Canadian,” and don’t “fit in” in the workplace. They may not know what constitutes an offside in hockey and can’t quote a Canadian Heritage commercial, and so are seen as less desirable employees.

Canadian experience provides an overt label for a covert discomfort: we are uneasy around people who are not like us. As the OHRC policy implies, this amounts to nothing less than discrimination and a violation of human rights. It must stop. Any employer or professional regulatory organization that wishes to use “Canadian experience” as a criteria needs to prove that this is a bona fide requirement; they need to spell out what it is that they are asking immigrants to provide, in skills, knowledge or experience that are required for the job or regulated profession.

OHRC’s policy is a huge step in addressing the employment gap immigrant professionals experience in Canada, but the issue of Canadian experience continues to persist in other realms. Some accreditation bodies continue to highlight it, and more recently, the Canadian government has institutionalized it as a criterion in the immigration selection process, awarding credit to potential immigrants who already have work experience in this country — an opportunity not available to all.

The acceptance of Canadian experience at the federal level has the effect of institutionalizing this form of discrimination, attacking immigrants before they even arrive in Canada. How can something that is a violation of human rights at the provincial level be enshrined through accreditation bodies or at the federal level through immigration policy?

It is in the interests of us all that the requirement of Canadian experience be rebuked. Our multicultural values aside, there are serious practical and pragmatic concerns at work: simply put, Canada relies on immigrants to sustain its economic and demographic growth. If the human rights issue is not enough to end this discriminatory practice, if the condemnation of the OHRC lacks sufficient force, then perhaps the simple fact that we will all benefit financially from the smooth and efficient matching of qualified labourers with skilled jobs will suffice. Either way, “Canadian experience” is a standard whose time has passed.

Izumi Sakamoto is an associate professor in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto and principal investigator for the Beyond Canadian Experience Project.
Source: http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2013/07/16/tearing_down_the_canadian_experience_roadblock.html

 

[ASK]

Tearing down the ‘Canadian experience' roadblock
Relevant experience as relevant experience, regardless of the geography
By: Izumi Sakamoto Published on Tue Jul 16 2013

For decades, we have heard stories about immigrants with PhDs driving taxis, MDs doing clerical work, and chefs working as dishwashers. One of the most oft-cited justifications for this widespread and increasing difficulty immigrants have in finding employment in their intended occupations is employers' reluctance to hire newcomers without “Canadian experience.”

By default, immigrants who are new to Canada do not have Canadian experience. It is then unfair to demand Canadian experience before they are able to secure employment while also refusing them employment because they do not have this experience. We can finally put this paradox to bed, once and for all.
Yesterday, Ontario became the first province to denounce the requirement of “Canadian experience” for hiring immigrants and accrediting immigrant professionals. In this bold move, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) launched a new policy naming the requirement of Canadian experience as a violation of human rights. In reaching this conclusion, the OHRC is joining a chorus whose voices include the Human Resources Professionals Association and an increasing number of corporate employers such as RBC and KPMG, who have acknowledged that the demand for Canadian experience is nearly baseless. They have abandoned this criteria as a meaningful standard by which to judge the qualification of potential employees, and now accept relevant experience as relevant experience, regardless of the geography of its occurrence.

What is “Canadian experience”? Despite being taken for granted for decades, this concept, when used in immigrant employment, is elusive and lacks definition.
I have been researching the notion of “Canadian experience” for the past seven years and recently joined with other community-driven initiatives to form the “Beyond Canadian Experience Project.” Our main purpose is to deconstruct the idea of Canadian experience with the goal of reducing barriers to employment experienced by immigrants.

We have tried to uncover why employers have insisted that skilled immigrants demonstrate that they have worked in Canada, as well as their country of origin. Our research concludes that the Canadian experience implied by employers is often not about professional standards, but cultural ones: immigrant workers have no experience at “being Canadian,” and don't “fit in” in the workplace. They may not know what constitutes an offside in hockey and can't quote a Canadian Heritage commercial, and so are seen as less desirable employees.

Canadian experience provides an overt label for a covert discomfort: we are uneasy around people who are not like us. As the OHRC policy implies, this amounts to nothing less than discrimination and a violation of human rights. It must stop. Any employer or professional regulatory organization that wishes to use “Canadian experience” as a criteria needs to prove that this is a bona fide requirement; they need to spell out what it is that they are asking immigrants to provide, in skills, knowledge or experience that are required for the job or regulated profession.

OHRC's policy is a huge step in addressing the employment gap immigrant professionals experience in Canada, but the issue of Canadian experience continues to persist in other realms. Some accreditation bodies continue to highlight it, and more recently, the Canadian government has institutionalized it as a criterion in the immigration selection process, awarding credit to potential immigrants who already have work experience in this country — an opportunity not available to all.

The acceptance of Canadian experience at the federal level has the effect of institutionalizing this form of discrimination, attacking immigrants before they even arrive in Canada. How can something that is a violation of human rights at the provincial level be enshrined through accreditation bodies or at the federal level through immigration policy?

It is in the interests of us all that the requirement of Canadian experience be rebuked. Our multicultural values aside, there are serious practical and pragmatic concerns at work: simply put, Canada relies on immigrants to sustain its economic and demographic growth. If the human rights issue is not enough to end this discriminatory practice, if the condemnation of the OHRC lacks sufficient force, then perhaps the simple fact that we will all benefit financially from the smooth and efficient matching of qualified labourers with skilled jobs will suffice. Either way, “Canadian experience” is a standard whose time has passed.

Izumi Sakamoto is an associate professor in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto and principal investigator for the Beyond Canadian Experience Project.
Source: http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2013/07/16/tearing_down_the_canadian_experience_roadblock.html

What a wonderful news...thanks for your time and sharing it with all of us who are about to land in Canada...Such a great relief...+1 for you

 

[phdmaker]

What a wonderful news...thanks for your time and sharing it with all of us who are about to land in Canada...Such a great relief...+1 for you

Yes, indeed its a great relief. And Ontario is the first!

Future is bright for all of us by God's Grace

Cheers.

 

[Can10]

Thank you ASK.

 

[emamabd]

Tearing down the ‘Canadian experience' roadblock
Relevant experience as relevant experience, regardless of the geography
By: Izumi Sakamoto Published on Tue Jul 16 2013

For decades, we have heard stories about immigrants with PhDs driving taxis, MDs doing clerical work, and chefs working as dishwashers. One of the most oft-cited justifications for this widespread and increasing difficulty immigrants have in finding employment in their intended occupations is employers' reluctance to hire newcomers without “Canadian experience.”

By default, immigrants who are new to Canada do not have Canadian experience. It is then unfair to demand Canadian experience before they are able to secure employment while also refusing them employment because they do not have this experience. We can finally put this paradox to bed, once and for all.
Yesterday, Ontario became the first province to denounce the requirement of “Canadian experience” for hiring immigrants and accrediting immigrant professionals. In this bold move, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) launched a new policy naming the requirement of Canadian experience as a violation of human rights. In reaching this conclusion, the OHRC is joining a chorus whose voices include the Human Resources Professionals Association and an increasing number of corporate employers such as RBC and KPMG, who have acknowledged that the demand for Canadian experience is nearly baseless. They have abandoned this criteria as a meaningful standard by which to judge the qualification of potential employees, and now accept relevant experience as relevant experience, regardless of the geography of its occurrence.

What is “Canadian experience”? Despite being taken for granted for decades, this concept, when used in immigrant employment, is elusive and lacks definition.
I have been researching the notion of “Canadian experience” for the past seven years and recently joined with other community-driven initiatives to form the “Beyond Canadian Experience Project.” Our main purpose is to deconstruct the idea of Canadian experience with the goal of reducing barriers to employment experienced by immigrants.

We have tried to uncover why employers have insisted that skilled immigrants demonstrate that they have worked in Canada, as well as their country of origin. Our research concludes that the Canadian experience implied by employers is often not about professional standards, but cultural ones: immigrant workers have no experience at “being Canadian,” and don't “fit in” in the workplace. They may not know what constitutes an offside in hockey and can't quote a Canadian Heritage commercial, and so are seen as less desirable employees.

Canadian experience provides an overt label for a covert discomfort: we are uneasy around people who are not like us. As the OHRC policy implies, this amounts to nothing less than discrimination and a violation of human rights. It must stop. Any employer or professional regulatory organization that wishes to use “Canadian experience” as a criteria needs to prove that this is a bona fide requirement; they need to spell out what it is that they are asking immigrants to provide, in skills, knowledge or experience that are required for the job or regulated profession.

OHRC's policy is a huge step in addressing the employment gap immigrant professionals experience in Canada, but the issue of Canadian experience continues to persist in other realms. Some accreditation bodies continue to highlight it, and more recently, the Canadian government has institutionalized it as a criterion in the immigration selection process, awarding credit to potential immigrants who already have work experience in this country — an opportunity not available to all.

The acceptance of Canadian experience at the federal level has the effect of institutionalizing this form of discrimination, attacking immigrants before they even arrive in Canada. How can something that is a violation of human rights at the provincial level be enshrined through accreditation bodies or at the federal level through immigration policy?

It is in the interests of us all that the requirement of Canadian experience be rebuked. Our multicultural values aside, there are serious practical and pragmatic concerns at work: simply put, Canada relies on immigrants to sustain its economic and demographic growth. If the human rights issue is not enough to end this discriminatory practice, if the condemnation of the OHRC lacks sufficient force, then perhaps the simple fact that we will all benefit financially from the smooth and efficient matching of qualified labourers with skilled jobs will suffice. Either way, “Canadian experience” is a standard whose time has passed.

Izumi Sakamoto is an associate professor in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto and principal investigator for the Beyond Canadian Experience Project.
Source: http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2013/07/16/tearing_down_the_canadian_experience_roadblock.html

Quite interesting, lets hope this actually happens!

 

[smileycoral]

It is really an encouraging news... It would be better if other provinces follow the same path.....Future seems to be bright for new immigrants...

 

[Canadishianer]

Hi Team,

Like all m also an aspirant to migrate Canada for good...
I also did the filing in the month of May-2013, already got PER couple of days ago !

Does anyone have an idea about Canadian Immigrant Integration Program (CIIP) ?

When exactly one can apply there to join the newcomers orientation program in India ?

I heard it helps a lot settling down as a new immigrant in Canada..!!!

Would highly appreciate if someone has some related re-search done on it and would not mind sharing it...

Cheers,

 

[Can10]

Canada's immigration minister moves to employment

Jason Kenney, for five years Canada's minister for immigration and multiculturalism, has moved on. He is now the minister for employment and social development after Prime Minister Stephen Harper reshuffled his cabinet on 15th July 2013. Mr Kenney will retain control of the multiculturalism brief.
Mr Kenney was a divisive figure. He became a popular figure with first generation Canadians and was dubbed 'the minister for curry in a hurry' by some commentators because he so frequently attended functions among minority ethnic communities. But he was extremely unpopular with some left-wing commentators who considered him to have changed Canada's immigration system for the worse.

Source: http://new-site.workpermit.com/news/canadas-immigration-minister-moves-employment-20130807

 

[AAJ]

Tearing down the ‘Canadian experience' roadblock
Relevant experience as relevant experience, regardless of the geography
By: Izumi Sakamoto Published on Tue Jul 16 2013

For decades, we have heard stories about immigrants with PhDs driving taxis, MDs doing clerical work, and chefs working as dishwashers. One of the most oft-cited justifications for this widespread and increasing difficulty immigrants have in finding employment in their intended occupations is employers' reluctance to hire newcomers without “Canadian experience.”

By default, immigrants who are new to Canada do not have Canadian experience. It is then unfair to demand Canadian experience before they are able to secure employment while also refusing them employment because they do not have this experience. We can finally put this paradox to bed, once and for all.
Yesterday, Ontario became the first province to denounce the requirement of “Canadian experience” for hiring immigrants and accrediting immigrant professionals. In this bold move, the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) launched a new policy naming the requirement of Canadian experience as a violation of human rights. In reaching this conclusion, the OHRC is joining a chorus whose voices include the Human Resources Professionals Association and an increasing number of corporate employers such as RBC and KPMG, who have acknowledged that the demand for Canadian experience is nearly baseless. They have abandoned this criteria as a meaningful standard by which to judge the qualification of potential employees, and now accept relevant experience as relevant experience, regardless of the geography of its occurrence.

What is “Canadian experience”? Despite being taken for granted for decades, this concept, when used in immigrant employment, is elusive and lacks definition.
I have been researching the notion of “Canadian experience” for the past seven years and recently joined with other community-driven initiatives to form the “Beyond Canadian Experience Project.” Our main purpose is to deconstruct the idea of Canadian experience with the goal of reducing barriers to employment experienced by immigrants.

We have tried to uncover why employers have insisted that skilled immigrants demonstrate that they have worked in Canada, as well as their country of origin. Our research concludes that the Canadian experience implied by employers is often not about professional standards, but cultural ones: immigrant workers have no experience at “being Canadian,” and don't “fit in” in the workplace. They may not know what constitutes an offside in hockey and can't quote a Canadian Heritage commercial, and so are seen as less desirable employees.

Canadian experience provides an overt label for a covert discomfort: we are uneasy around people who are not like us. As the OHRC policy implies, this amounts to nothing less than discrimination and a violation of human rights. It must stop. Any employer or professional regulatory organization that wishes to use “Canadian experience” as a criteria needs to prove that this is a bona fide requirement; they need to spell out what it is that they are asking immigrants to provide, in skills, knowledge or experience that are required for the job or regulated profession.

OHRC's policy is a huge step in addressing the employment gap immigrant professionals experience in Canada, but the issue of Canadian experience continues to persist in other realms. Some accreditation bodies continue to highlight it, and more recently, the Canadian government has institutionalized it as a criterion in the immigration selection process, awarding credit to potential immigrants who already have work experience in this country — an opportunity not available to all.

The acceptance of Canadian experience at the federal level has the effect of institutionalizing this form of discrimination, attacking immigrants before they even arrive in Canada. How can something that is a violation of human rights at the provincial level be enshrined through accreditation bodies or at the federal level through immigration policy?

It is in the interests of us all that the requirement of Canadian experience be rebuked. Our multicultural values aside, there are serious practical and pragmatic concerns at work: simply put, Canada relies on immigrants to sustain its economic and demographic growth. If the human rights issue is not enough to end this discriminatory practice, if the condemnation of the OHRC lacks sufficient force, then perhaps the simple fact that we will all benefit financially from the smooth and efficient matching of qualified labourers with skilled jobs will suffice. Either way, “Canadian experience” is a standard whose time has passed.

Izumi Sakamoto is an associate professor in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto and principal investigator for the Beyond Canadian Experience Project.
Source: http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2013/07/16/tearing_down_the_canadian_experience_roadblock.html

Good news... but it would take time to implement it with its root cause...