Current Canadian Immigration News Stories

Earlier this year, Citizenship, Immigration, and Multiculturalism Canada Minister Jason Kenney announced that Canada was considering revising immigration targets, given economic uncertainty and rising unemployment in certain parts of the country.

As of April 17, 2009, Canada's new citizenship law has done two things.  Firstly, it has retroactively restored Canadian citizenship to many who had lost it due to obscure and outdated provisions in past legislation.  Secondly, it has henceforth limited citizenship by descent to first generation Canadians. 

Alberta's Immigrant Access Fund (IAF) was created in Calgary in 2005 to provide small loans to internationally-trained and educated newcomers to help them gain the accreditation they need to work in their fields of expertise.  Certain trades and professions are regulated in Canada.  To work in a regulated trade, newcomers may need to get licensed and registered in the province where they will be working.

A new guide for immigrant women has recently been released by the province of Manitoba.  The guide was developed by a committee of community and government representatives.  It offers advice on resources and services and provides information on issues such as legal rights, child care, and housing.

The Canadian province of British Columbia (BC) is reaching out to northern Indian business owners and skilled workers interested in immigration to Canada by establishing a BC in-market business investment and skilled liaison representative in the Chandigarh region of the Punjab.

New legislation is in effect in the province of Manitoba that seeks to regulate temporary foreign worker recruitment and protect these workers' rights.

Quebec Immigration Minister Yolande James recently announced that the first $900,000 of Quebec's $6 million settlement funding will go to nine groups located in Villeray, St. Michel, Ahuntsic-Cartierville and the east of Montreal Island, where there are significant immigrant populations.  The goal is to help 600 newcomers secure employment through these community organizations.

Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney has announced that as of March 31, Lebanese citizens applying to immigrate to Canada may choose the visa office in Beirut, Lebanon as their main point of service. 

Statistics Canada recently released population growth numbers for the last quarter of 2008.  The 0.19 per cent increase is the fastest fourth-quarter growth rate since 1992 and can be largely attributed to net international migration, says the agency.

Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) Minister Diane Finley has signed three new agreements with her counterparts in the European Union to improve labour mobility between Canada and the EU.   The goals of these agreements are to improve foreign credential recognition, facilitate international labour mobility, and strengthen the Canada-EU partnership.