Canadian Immigration News

This week, Statistics Canada (StatsCan) reported that the Canadian economy added more than five times the expected number of jobs in November, a sign that the country's economic recovery is well underway.

Time magazine, a renowned American publication named the loonie (the Canadian dollar) the Canadian Newsmaker of 2007. The magazine defines the Newsmaker as the person, group, place, or thing that has had the most impact on the news in Canada over the year. Canada's booming economy and soaring commodity prices for its abundant resources are chiefly responsible for the loonie's solid performance this year.

With persistent labour shortages in certain industries across Canada, more and more Canadian employers are looking to recruit workers from overseas.

Canada is the only country in the world that allows its private citizens to play a role in the resettlement of refugees. Through the Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program, groups of Canadiancitizens and permanent residents can bring refugees and refugee families to Canada.

Canada's Banks are realizing that they need to "attract a diverse client and employee base to be successful in tomorrow's economy." Given that by 2030, statistics show that immigration will be the only source of population growth, leading banks are implementing initiatives tailored to this market in their efforts to grow market share.

Canada's National Committee on Accreditation (NCA), which evaluates the internationally-obtained credentials of lawyers who wish to practice in Canada, has announced that the law degrees of legal professionals from India will be considered equivalent to those from the United Kingdom and Australia.

Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney recently announced the expansion of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) temporary work permit program, making it easier for Canadian employers to hire and retain these foreign workers.

Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Canada Minister Jason Kenney released this year's annual report on immigration to parliament today. Canada will maintain its overall target for immigration in 2010, expecting to welcome between 240,000 and 265,000 new immigrants.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada Minister Diane Finley has announced the arrival to Canada of the first of many Vietnamese who have been living in the Philippines without status since the 1970’s. Many Vietnamese fled to the Philippines in 1975 following the fall of the Saigon. Several hundred remained there without status; considered stateless, they were denied the right to work, own property, go to public school, or receive government health care.

Some 100,000 Bhutanese refugees of ethnic Nepalese descent have been living in refugee camps run by the United Nations since the early 1990's, having been forced to leave Bhutan and live in exile.