Your thoughts?
The following article is Chris's respond to some news article criticising the EE program
Your recent article on immigration pathways for those studying in Canada (“New Immigration changes risk leaving foreign students behind,” February 10, 2015) was badly misinformed. It neglected basic facts about international students and immigration to Canada that deserve to be corrected.First, the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) that explicitly targets foreign students for immigration to Canada remains our fastest-growing immigration programme. CEC was only established in 2008: in 2014 we sought 18,000 young immigrants to Canada under CEC, most of them graduates of Canadian post-secondary institutions. In 2015, our immigration levels plan calls for 23,000 talented newcomers to be welcomed under CEC.
Second, the number of international students choosing Canada continues to grow. Your article mentioned nearly 300,000 foreign students in Canada last year. In fact, the number is now significantly higher. When our statistics for 2014 are finalized they will show that Citizenship and Immigration Canada issued upwards of 120,000 study permits in 2014 — by far the highest number on record. This reflects the quality of Canadian schools, colleges and universities, as well as Canadian research and innovation. It also represents a huge contribution to the bottom line of the Canadian economy: foreign students now represent close to $10 billion in GDP annually.
Third, under Express Entry, our new online system for delivering the economic immigration, we are processing the applications of economic immigrants faster. Express Entry launched on January 1, 2015; the first round of candidates was invited to apply on January 30. The first applications will be finalized by the end of August.
We are welcoming more immigrants who studied in Canada than ever before. We are welcoming more international students than ever before. And we are processing the applications faster than ever before.
This means newcomers are more likely than ever to have the skills Canadian employers need. It also means they are more likely to have credentials recognized in Canada and Canadian work experience than ever before, which translates into better results both for newcomers, for employers and for the Canadian economy as a whole.
We will not apologize for prioritizing in our selection process those with skills that allow them to integrate more quickly and more fully into Canada's economy and Canadian society. Express Entry is a competitive system, reflecting the huge demand around the world for immigration to Canada. The Express Entry ranking system is rooted in labour market realities: candidates earn points based on what they bring to the table. Young people, in fact, get more points based on age than than those with most of their careers already behind them.
That is not all our Conservative government has done to give students a leg up. We have granted full-time international students open work permits so they can gain experience in the Canadian labour market that many use to transition to permanent residency. Under both the Canadian Experience Class and the Provincial Nominee Program — two economic streams by which students may wish to apply for permanent immigration once they graduate — we are giving priority to candidates with post-secondary education, Canadian work experience and working proficiency in one of our national languages. International students already in Canada stand to benefit on all these scores.
We are committed to recruiting immigrants with the education, innovative skills, entrepreneurship and raw talent to succeed in the Canada today. The growth of the Canadian Experience Class in recent years and the successful launch of Express Entry on January 1 show that international students in Canada have a more prominent place and more pathways to succeed in our immigration system than ever before.
By neglecting these facts, as well as by failing to quote either me or my Department, your article missed the mark, doing a disservice to all those contemplating a future as immigrants to Canada.
Yours sincerely,
Chris Alexander
Canada's Citizenship and Immigration Minister
The following article is Chris's respond to some news article criticising the EE program
Your recent article on immigration pathways for those studying in Canada (“New Immigration changes risk leaving foreign students behind,” February 10, 2015) was badly misinformed. It neglected basic facts about international students and immigration to Canada that deserve to be corrected.First, the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) that explicitly targets foreign students for immigration to Canada remains our fastest-growing immigration programme. CEC was only established in 2008: in 2014 we sought 18,000 young immigrants to Canada under CEC, most of them graduates of Canadian post-secondary institutions. In 2015, our immigration levels plan calls for 23,000 talented newcomers to be welcomed under CEC.
Second, the number of international students choosing Canada continues to grow. Your article mentioned nearly 300,000 foreign students in Canada last year. In fact, the number is now significantly higher. When our statistics for 2014 are finalized they will show that Citizenship and Immigration Canada issued upwards of 120,000 study permits in 2014 — by far the highest number on record. This reflects the quality of Canadian schools, colleges and universities, as well as Canadian research and innovation. It also represents a huge contribution to the bottom line of the Canadian economy: foreign students now represent close to $10 billion in GDP annually.
Third, under Express Entry, our new online system for delivering the economic immigration, we are processing the applications of economic immigrants faster. Express Entry launched on January 1, 2015; the first round of candidates was invited to apply on January 30. The first applications will be finalized by the end of August.
We are welcoming more immigrants who studied in Canada than ever before. We are welcoming more international students than ever before. And we are processing the applications faster than ever before.
This means newcomers are more likely than ever to have the skills Canadian employers need. It also means they are more likely to have credentials recognized in Canada and Canadian work experience than ever before, which translates into better results both for newcomers, for employers and for the Canadian economy as a whole.
We will not apologize for prioritizing in our selection process those with skills that allow them to integrate more quickly and more fully into Canada's economy and Canadian society. Express Entry is a competitive system, reflecting the huge demand around the world for immigration to Canada. The Express Entry ranking system is rooted in labour market realities: candidates earn points based on what they bring to the table. Young people, in fact, get more points based on age than than those with most of their careers already behind them.
That is not all our Conservative government has done to give students a leg up. We have granted full-time international students open work permits so they can gain experience in the Canadian labour market that many use to transition to permanent residency. Under both the Canadian Experience Class and the Provincial Nominee Program — two economic streams by which students may wish to apply for permanent immigration once they graduate — we are giving priority to candidates with post-secondary education, Canadian work experience and working proficiency in one of our national languages. International students already in Canada stand to benefit on all these scores.
We are committed to recruiting immigrants with the education, innovative skills, entrepreneurship and raw talent to succeed in the Canada today. The growth of the Canadian Experience Class in recent years and the successful launch of Express Entry on January 1 show that international students in Canada have a more prominent place and more pathways to succeed in our immigration system than ever before.
By neglecting these facts, as well as by failing to quote either me or my Department, your article missed the mark, doing a disservice to all those contemplating a future as immigrants to Canada.
Yours sincerely,
Chris Alexander
Canada's Citizenship and Immigration Minister
