tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27891235Fri, 04 Jul 2008 14:22:35 +0000http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-blog/index.htmnoreply@blogger.com (David Cohen)Blogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27891235.post-47921197327947406Mon, 30 Jun 2008 19:40:00 +00002008-06-30T15:43:02.249-04:00It's easy, in this day and age, to be cynical. Examples of greed and selfishness abound in most parts of the world, including Canada. I certainly have no trouble pointing out inequities in the Canadian immigration selection system, as readers of my previous blogs can attest. That said, it's important to keep in mind that if you look hard enough you will find people who set an example for the resthttp://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-blog/2008/06/canadian-town-shows-way.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (David Cohen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27891235.post-169452215120867212Wed, 28 May 2008 20:59:00 +00002008-05-28T17:01:21.199-04:00The Canadian government announced last week that it will create a 29 million dollar grant program as redress for various shameful incidents in Canada's history, relating to the way Canada treated prospective and landed immigrants. For example, from 1885-1923 there was a Chinese head tax which was a fee charged for each person wishing to immigrate to Canada from China. There was also the Komagata http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-blog/2008/05/learning-from-our-mistakes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (David Cohen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27891235.post-7496078673443174513Tue, 01 Apr 2008 15:34:00 +00002008-04-01T16:43:00.154-04:00The Conservative led minority government has recently introduced a bill in Parliament that contains significant changes to Canada's immigration law. If passed, the proposed amendments will empower the immigration minister to instruct visa officers to take certain candidates quickly, hold some applications for consideration at a later date, and return others without any consideration at all. No http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-blog/2008/04/discretion-can-lead-to-discrimination.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (David Cohen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27891235.post-7126505501158068287Tue, 18 Mar 2008 22:49:00 +00002008-03-18T19:49:23.865-04:00Since it's inception in 2002, Canada's Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) has stood for the principle that anyone is entitled to apply for permission to live in Canada and to have his or her admissibility considered fairly, according to purely objective criteria. This core value is now threatened. In an effort to modernize and streamline the visa application process, the http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-blog/2008/03/government-gets-it-wrong.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (David Cohen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27891235.post-632317510407917686Tue, 26 Feb 2008 22:59:00 +00002008-02-27T15:00:29.916-05:00If you are a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident, and want to sponsor your dependent child who resides, say, in China or Turkey, you will likely wait about four months to be reunited. On the other hand, if your child happens to reside in Egypt, the same process will take 34 months. Why should that be? Similarly, a Brazilian applicant for Canadian Permanent Residency under the Skilled Workerhttp://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-blog/2008/02/uneven-delays-discrimination.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (David Cohen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27891235.post-7863822864259585603Wed, 23 Jan 2008 22:45:00 +00002008-01-24T11:35:32.009-05:00In immigration law, we come across many situations where the decision taken greatly impacts the welfare of children. In 1999, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled on a case (Baker v. Canada) which brought the interests of children to the forefront in immigration matters. In that case, a woman with 4 Canadian-born children was ordered deported from Canada despite the concerns for her own medical http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-blog/2008/01/child-rights.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (David Cohen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27891235.post-6710609507159992869Mon, 31 Dec 2007 14:43:00 +00002007-12-31T09:44:22.169-05:00Over the past year we've seen quite a few changes in Canadian immigration. The trend continues towards the decentralization of immigration selection, with more and more power being put in the hands of provinces through Federal-Provincial agreements. More people are coming to Canada through Provincial Nomination Programs (PNP). The PNP's also show another ongoing trend in Canadian immigration: a http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-blog/2007/12/missing-link.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (David Cohen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27891235.post-7376128659410390625Mon, 17 Dec 2007 20:48:00 +00002007-12-17T17:32:21.251-05:00In Canada, we enjoy first-class social services such as healthcare and education. To pay for these services, the government has a number of sources of revenue... from income taxes to goods and services taxes (VAT). While most government services are free to the user, some - including visa services - charge fees to cover administrative costs. When one applies for a Canadian visa, whether it is http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-blog/2007/12/canada-should-reduce-visa-application.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (David Cohen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27891235.post-3256004090422148811Mon, 26 Nov 2007 19:58:00 +00002007-11-26T15:01:30.633-05:00From the day Permanent Residents land in Canada, they have nearly all the rights and obligations of Canadian citizens. Aside from the right to vote, a Permanent Resident who landed in Canada yesterday and a native-born Canadian pay the same taxes and in return have the same expectation to services from the government. That is, unless they get sick. In four Canadian provinces (Ontario, Quebec, http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-blog/2007/11/come-on-in-just-dont-get-sick.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (David Cohen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27891235.post-249284247499108297Wed, 24 Oct 2007 17:57:00 +00002007-10-24T13:58:52.674-04:00Niagara Falls is one of the wonders of the world, and a point of Canadian national pride. The Falls lie on the border with the United States, however the more impressive Horseshoe Falls are within Canada's jurisdiction. While Canadians take pride in ownership of the better share of the famous waterfall, recent incidents at the nearby border crossing with the U.S. call into question how much http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-blog/2007/10/who-is-making-our-border-decisions.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (David Cohen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27891235.post-6249021696586988278Wed, 26 Sep 2007 15:30:00 +00002007-09-26T17:05:17.229-04:00Canadians went to the polls earlier this month in a series of Federal by-elections marked by controversy. Chief Electoral Officer Marc Mayrand announced that in light of the Canada Elections Act he would not require women wearing burka or veils to show their faces in order verify their identity. Until recently this was not an issue as there was no requirement to present photo identification http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-blog/2007/09/standing-up-for-veiled-voters.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (David Cohen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27891235.post-6957390262074225110Wed, 29 Aug 2007 20:31:00 +00002007-11-18T15:25:41.449-05:00Ontario is Canada's most populous province and a beacon for newly arriving immigrants. In fact, well over half of new immigrants arriving in Canada settle in Ontario. On October 10, residents of the province will head to the polls to elect a new government. As the campaign picks up momentum, it is becoming clear that this fall's vote will have major implications for multiculturalism in Canada. http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-blog/2007/08/preventing-discrimination-versus.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (David Cohen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27891235.post-524372561263471422Mon, 30 Jul 2007 15:40:00 +00002007-07-30T11:45:19.761-04:00U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis famously said, "Sunlight is the best disinfectant." He meant that openness and transparency are fundamental elements of a true democracy. As Canadians, we pride ourselves on the strength of our democracy and the rights which are enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Recent events have brought rights and democracy in Canada into http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-blog/2007/07/why-all-secrecy.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (David Cohen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27891235.post-3100123230329771521Wed, 27 Jun 2007 20:22:00 +00002007-06-27T16:27:05.092-04:00Buyer Beware A series of articles in the Toronto Star recently shone a powerful spotlight on the immigration consulting industry. What they found does not speak well for the industry. First a bit of background on the subject. For many years only lawyers in good standing with their provincial bar association were allowed to represent clients before immigration tribunals. In reality however, http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-blog/2007/06/buyer-beware.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (David Cohen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27891235.post-4855586364880088172Tue, 19 Jun 2007 10:55:00 +00002007-06-19T16:51:24.486-04:00Equality is a fundamental Canadian value. Whether you are a fifth-generation Canadian or you have just received your Canadian citizenship this morning, you are entitled to exactly the same set of rights and responsibilities. Or at least that's the way it's meant to be. Family reunification is a stated goal of Canadian immigration policy. Canadian citizens and Permanent Residents may sponsor http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-blog/2007/06/right-to-sponsor.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (David Cohen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27891235.post-8277719768807627581Tue, 22 May 2007 16:09:00 +00002007-05-22T12:11:00.809-04:00Canada needs more doctors. This message has been trumpeted for years by politicians, hospitals, and by many ordinary Canadians, who are unable to find a family doctor and are frustrated by the long delays to see a medical specialist. For a country that prides itself on having a first-class public health care system, things could be a lot better. A number of doctors from around the world have http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-blog/2007/05/game-is-rigged.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (David Cohen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27891235.post-1390550399846014226Mon, 30 Apr 2007 18:24:00 +00002007-04-30T14:32:54.069-04:00Should people in Canada have to ask politely to wear what they want? Canadians define our nation with pride as a cultural mosaic, a vibrant and colourful collection made up of people who immigrated to Canada from every corner of the world. Multiculturalism is the rule in Canada, and it carries the force of the constitution. This month we celebrated the 25th anniversary of Canada's Charter of http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-blog/2007/04/what-not-to-wear.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (David Cohen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27891235.post-8675268016791880840Wed, 21 Mar 2007 20:19:00 +00002007-03-21T16:28:21.061-04:00News out today that the Conservative led minority government in Ottawa won't be establishing a federal agency to review and recognize the work and educational credentials of newly-arriving immigrants, after all. Notwithstanding their pre-election promise to help newcomers become accredited in Canada, the party now in power has instead decided to refer immigrants to provincial bodies for the http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-blog/2007/03/on-recognizing-foreign-credentials.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (David Cohen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27891235.post-4042227756171601844Thu, 08 Mar 2007 22:33:00 +00002007-03-08T17:39:55.217-05:00Consider these facts: - For the fourth consecutive year, the Canadian economy is strong and vibrant. - In many regions of Canada there are more jobs that pay well than there are people to work at them. They say that "a rising tide carries all the ships" but that doesn't seem to be the case here. The reality is that Canada has well-paying jobs that go begging and eager economic immigrants, http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-blog/2007/03/whats-wrong-with-this-picture.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (David Cohen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27891235.post-3963352214347602253Tue, 13 Feb 2007 23:33:00 +00002007-02-13T18:46:05.772-05:00Well, today's the big day. After a lot of effort over extended time we are now launching the revamped Canadavisa.com. Our law firm first went online with Canadavisa.com in 1996. Both the Internet and Canadian Immigration have changed dramatically in the intervening ten years. Back then, as they say, things were simpler. People expected basic information from a website and Canada offered onlyhttp://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-blog/2007/02/times-they-are-changin-bob-dylan-1964.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (David Cohen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27891235.post-116838296101350963Tue, 09 Jan 2007 22:31:00 +00002007-01-09T18:22:37.723-05:00Some 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 "http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-blog/2007/01/charles-darwin-on-canadian-immigration.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (David Cohen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27891235.post-116674129484370482Thu, 21 Dec 2006 22:41:00 +00002007-01-09T17:31:26.113-05:00The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. - Eleanor Roosevelt As the curtain comes down on another calendar year it's a time to reflect and look ahead. Thinking back on this past year, there are many things I'm thankful for. In particular: - The chance to have celebrated the birth of my child and the 93rd birthday of my father. Mostly, I'm grateful that our http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-blog/2006/12/new-beginnings.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (David Cohen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27891235.post-116561037863549582Fri, 08 Dec 2006 20:38:00 +00002006-12-20T17:10:38.253-05:00Hassan Samimifar is bitter, and it is hard to blame him for feeling that way. Mr. Samimifar, an Iranian national, arrived in Canada 21 years ago and immediately applied for refugee status. Until 2003 he was waiting for an answer. When his file was finally addressed, his application was refused. After an immigration hearing scheduled for early December, Samimifar could be deported to Iran by http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-blog/2006/12/justice-delayed-is-justice-denied.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (David Cohen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27891235.post-116475038930654987Tue, 28 Nov 2006 21:45:00 +00002006-11-28T17:22:33.626-05:00There are more than 200,000 undocumented individuals, more commonly known as illegal immigrants, currently residing in Canada. Most have integrated in Canadian society and contribute to our economy by working at jobs that would otherwise go unfilled. The problem is that they did not play by the rules in getting to Canada or if they did enter legally, they have since overstayed the date by which http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-blog/2006/11/is-it-time-for-amnesty.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (David Cohen)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27891235.post-116293366687124943Tue, 07 Nov 2006 21:06:00 +00002006-11-07T16:09:58.990-05:00Next week Ontario will go to the polls to vote in municipal elections. Toronto incumbent Mayor David Miller has argued in the recent campaign that permanent residents living in his city should have the same right to vote in this election as Canadian citizens. While Mayor Miller is clearly seeking votes in the city with the second highest proportion of foreign residents in the world, the value http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-blog/2006/11/tossing-tea-into-lake-ontario.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (David Cohen)