Charles Darwin on Canadian Immigration
January 09, 2007Some 150 years ago Charles Darwin coined the term "natural selection" in his book entitled "The Origin of Species".
Simply put, the theory of natural selection can be described as a biological process, by which individual organisms with favorable traits (characteristics) are more likely to survive and reproduce (succeed) than those with unfavorable traits.
While some creationists argue that "intelligent cause" offers a better explanation for who we have become, there can be little doubt that Darwin's theory holds true for the Canadian immigration process.
Here are some facts to consider:
- For whatever reasons, there are today many more people in the world wanting to immigrate to Canada than there are permanent resident visas that Canada is prepared to issue.
- The excessive demand for Canadian permanent resident visas is unevenly spread throughout the general population. So, for example, many more individuals who reside in India, China and the Philippines apply for Canadian permanent residency than do individuals who reside in Germany, Norway and Austria. It is important to note that applicants must submit their applications to the Canadian Visa Office responsible for their country of citizenship or for their country of residence, if they were lawfully admitted to that country for at least one year.
- The Canadian immigration application process is not fair or impartial from a procedural standpoint. If it were, applications in a particular category of immigration (skilled worker, for example) from all over the world would be put into a single queue and treated on a "first in - first out" basis. That way, application processing times would be the same for the applicant residing in Berlin and the applicant residing in Bangalore. Why Canada does not implement a more equitable application processing procedure will be the subject of a later blog.
- At many Canadian Visa Offices the demand for residency permits continues to surpass the supply of available visas and the already lengthy application process (4 plus years) keeps growing.
Here is where natural selection comes into play:
It's not as if Canadian immigration policy makers are unaware of the lengthy processing delays faced by many applicants. Rather than reducing the processing times, by adding more visa officers and issuing more visas or reducing the demand for visas by raising the passmark, they have instead issued a challenge to would-be immigrants. The challenge is straight-forward - you must find the ways to significantly reduce the time to obtain a Canadian permanent resident visa. And they do exist. Often, this involves finding work in Canada, but there are other ways as well. The more determined and motivated of you will figure it out and succeed in getting to Canada within months. You are the people Canada wants.
Is this a fair challenge? Yes and no. Yes, in the sense that it is made to everyone who has to wait in a long line. No, in that not everyone is equipped to succeed - as in the Darwin's theory.
Apropos this very subject, there is a story in the news these days about some labourers from China who managed to secure temporary work permits and are now employed in Canada by a meat processing company. These foreign workers apparently paid a broker $10,000 each, for their Canadian jobs. The headlines imply that somehow this is morally, if not legally, wrong. But isn't this exactly how the system is supposed to work?
Without a genuine job offer these particular foreign workers probably could not qualify for a Canadian permanent resident visa. Even if they could qualify, the application process without a job offer would take 5 years to complete from China. These determined individuals instead figured out a way to get to Canada in about a month's time and once here to immediately begin relatively well-paid work. Oh yes, and after 6 months on the job they will be able to apply for permanent resident visas under Manitoba's Provincial Nominee Program. And they did this all legally. So it cost them each $10,000. I don't see any losers in this picture.
3 Comments:
Thankyou for posting this fair and UNBIASED opinion. I found it very informative and interesting. Keep up the work!!!!
David,
I cannot agree more with your comments. I personally used an immigration consultant to assist me with the process.
There was a lot of work involved to obtain a Permanent Resident visa. Documents that had to be collected from the previous companies I worked for; translations to English and certifications by Notary Public for all birth certificates, marriage certificate, school diplomas, etc.; the IELTS test I had to travel to San Diego, CA to take (scored an 8.5 out of 9.0); the FBI Clearance I had to go to the El Paso, TX Police Station to get fingerprinted for; the Local Police Clearance that I had to travel to Mexico City to get (and not mentioning that I had to paid the Secretary to pick them up and mail them back to me so we did not had to return to pick them up ourselves); the medical tests, which we had to travel for 8 hours to get to the closest city where a certified Dr. was located; the French classes I was attending at the Community College so I could made my case stronger; and not to mention all the fees and expenses paid, either to the immigration consultants, the CIC fees, or the expenses incurred on all these trips...
Honestly, I felt like quitting some times. But I did not. I persevered and succeeded.
The process took 3 years for us, and at the end, we were exempted of the final interview. I like to think that it was because our file was built on such solid grounds; that the quality of the information submitted was good enough to give the Immigration Officers some peace of mind regarding our chances of succeeding in Canada, that they did not have to interview us to confirm it.
I hold a BBA, an MBA, 10+ years of Supply Chain/Operations experience, a couple of high-coveted industry certifications, and my husband is Registered Nurse (which I believe helped too, although I was the principal applicant).
Visas were granted 2 years ago.
I am currently in Montreal, and have a very good paying job with one of the largest multinationals in the world; oddly enough, it is the same multinational I was working for in my Country. When I was ready (June '06), I talked to my boss about my Canadian Permanent Residency Status; I asked for his support to let me look for opportunities here in Canada; I found the right opportunity, nailed the interview and here I am, ready to start a new life in Canada.
I do not want to tell you this was an easy journey; there were a lot of sacrifices and hard work involved; but David, I see your point... most people will just talk about how great would be to immigrate to Canada; when it comes to the execution of it, they may not be ready to give what it takes to become part of this Country... so yes, for some success stories, I am sure there are more failures... natural selection it is.
I wish you all the best in your search for a better life, for you and your families.
So they paid someone, legally, to help them get in. Fine.
Fittest doesn't mean superior or best. It just means most suited to existing conditions. Some of the conditions are that if you and your partner for spousal sponsorship have an age disparity or, say, have the misfortune of being fat, you will be judged basically for not being average enough. It will be held against you. It weighs in their balance of probabilities, very stupidly. So, if the system is stupid, stupid factors will allow you to be the fittest for that system. Simple. I am not impressed with CIC so far, to put it kindly.
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