Whats New in Canada-Update on CA

[fariza]

Thanks for initiating to share pulling info on positive sites on Canada.....Good work Mayankpandya. Sometimes its not very important to know the source but in this busy world people must appreciate and trust on ready source information on net...May be sometime we can't find our own time to browse but someone like Qorax, Saki, Mayankpandya, Shibuya and also some other forum friends just exactly has been doing that for us by the expense of their time patience and passion for us so lets unanimously appreciate their time and efforts without putting any bar.... Pl keep going...

 

[mayankpandya]

Thanks Fariza for having positive view on it.

Regards,
Mayank

Thanks for initiating to share pulling info on positive sites on Canada.....Good work Mayankpandya. Sometimes its not very important to know the source but in this busy world people must appreciate and trust on ready source information on net...May be sometime we can't find our own time to browse but someone like Qorax, Saki, Mayankpandya, Shibuya and also some other forum friends just exactly has been doing that for us by the expense of their time patience and passion for us so lets unanimously appreciate their time and efforts without putting any bar.... Pl keep going...

 

[mayankpandya]

Sorry onestar i do not have any information on it. But will post here whenever i get it . Thats for sure. Keep your eye on it.

Regards,
Mayank

Nice
do you have any information
what Canadian immigration is doing for old applicants
like 2004 2005 and 2006

 

[Can10]

Canadian jobs soar above expectations

Friday, 04 February 2011

Economists had predicted that 15,000 people would join the Canadian workforce in January 2011. According to a recent announced by Statistics Canada, almost 70,000 people were added to the workforce in Canada last month, almost 5 times the amount originally predicted.

Most of the new jobs added were in public administration, agriculture, and specialized-service occupations. Health care and social assistance sectors experienced an increase of 15,200 new jobs. There was also an increase of 55,000 females, ages 25 to 54 added to the workforce. Average hourly wages also increased by nearly 3% in January compared to last year.

The provinces of Alberta and Ontario experienced the highest job growth rates, with Alberta adding 22,000 jobs last month. According to the report, Canada has regained all of its jobs lost from the recession.

Despite the encouraging reports, Statistics Canada also found that the unemployment rate rose to 7.8% from 7.6%. Although more jobs are being added, even more people are returning to the workforce and competing for jobs. Economists are optimistic that the strengthening Canadian dollar and the expected jobs to be added this year will result in a decrease in the unemployment rate for 2011.

(Source: http://www.canadavisa.com/news/entry/canadian-jobs-soar-above-expectations-110204.html)

 

[fariza]

Lets hope the optimist economist prediction goes positively..... More work opportunity for more people to be added in workforce for the 2011

 

[mayankpandya]

Canada House Loan Market going to get tough

Is buying your priority nowadays? Does property an investment to you? Recent statistics show that inflation has caused Canadian properties to increase in their prices including house loans. An 815-square-foot, one-bedroom apartment is on sale for C$879,000, which works out to C$1,078 per square foot, or $12 higher than the average price in Manhattan, according to The Corcoran Report. Prices have been rising since 1980’s but the steepest rise is from year 2000 to year 2010.

Talking about a bubble economy, a Canadian citizen will always say that it’s different in Canada. Presumably because, Canada has the lowest in mortgage default rate which is a half percent compared to the United States which is 3.73 percent.

Canadian banking system was voted the soundest by the World Economic Forum's most recent Global Competitiveness Report, and even President Obama has praised the country for being "a pretty good manager of the financial system and the economy in ways that they haven't always been."

Canadian government has the ability to manage their financial assets very well. And so, it is not surprising to hear that citizens can always say that the country is different. Hence hearing from somebody in Canada that there is a bubble thingy going on, alarms you. You can now question, what is happening? Is this really true? If it is, then how true?

On one incident, conversations with young adult children took place. They’re thinking, naturally, of their future opportunities, but everywhere they look, they see full employment or disappearing jobs. They see average housing prices across the country of over $300,000, with many large urban areas being significantly more expensive, and they know that not only will they need to work, but so too will their partner when they begin their own family life. Although, it has been reported that recession did not just appear much in Canada as it was assumed to have experienced it for only a duration of 8 months but as what we can reflect from the conversation, shows a lot than just believing on what was generally described .

Solely, we cannot really tell the degree of toughness. We can only feel the pressure from the outside. And somehow, tells us that in managing financial assets, takes a lot of endurance, perseverance and stability.

Time can tell until when this recession will affect housing loans but rest assured the government is doing everything to preserve the system that has stood up through the storms. Future remains to be seen in the coming months.

 

[mayankpandya]

New project to help immigrants in B.C.

Canada, 3rd February: A new immigrant project is being initiated by Canada to help newcomers in B.C. get jobs in their chosen field of expertise and to make economy of B.C. more competitive.

The project titled ‘Embracing Cultural Diversity in the B.C. Workplace’ aims to bring positive developments both for the new immigrants as well as for the employers in B.C.

The new employment project was launched by DIVERSEcity Community Resources, an immigration services organization based in Surrey.

Many of the employers accept the fact that a large number of skilled immigrants are needed in B.C. to solve the problem of labor shortage.

According to Ian Cook of the B.C Human Resources Management Association, a local group that took part in this project, many of the businesses, especially the small and the medium-sized businesses don’t have policies required in the today’s economy.

And, the newcomers too face significant obstacles after entering the workforce of Canada. Here, in Canada, success of their career is not just based on their ability to undertake any particular job; rather, it’s based on the ability of the new immigrant to successfully integrate in the culture of his new workplace.

New immigrants in Canada are simply unaware of the significance of the connections established during informal meetings like having coffee with co-workers etc, states Jody Johnson, a project consultant with Peers Employment and Education Resources, Burnaby.

Hence, one of the foremost aims of this new immigrant project is to break down such barriers in the way of successful integration in the new workplace by newcomers in Canada, Johnson added. This is done through education and information, quips Johnson.

From 20th January, all latest tips and tools can be browsed by potential employees as well as employers, stated Cook. Strategies highlighted through this new project do not just related to issues of recruitment, in fact, integration and retention are its key-notes, Johnson clarified.

The project encourages the employers to have a bias-free interview for the potential job seekers and to make use of simple language in order to ease communication issues with new immigrants. Funding for this new immigrant initiative was provided through the Welcome B.C initiative by the provincial government.

 

[mayankpandya]

Canadian government investing in immigrant programs

Canada, 6th December: The government of Canada is investing funds to the tune of $2 million in providing better access to services to new immigrants in the country.

This was announced by Jason Kenney, Canada’s minister for Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism.

The program aimed for successful integration of new immigrants in Canada is being initiated by the Canadian government in collaboration with the City of Toronto and the Ontario Province, representatives of education institutes, social and settlement services and employers. The joint efforts will focus on finding different requirements of new immigrants in Canada for formulating a program to improvise integration of these newcomers in the nation.

Settlement services for new immigrants in Canada include language training for enabling their successful integration in the new nation. The new program titled ‘Local Immigration Partnership’ (LIP) and Newcomer initiative programs will facilitate new immigrants integrate in Toronto, asserted immigration minister Kenney.

Mr. Kenney added that access to services can be improved by understanding the needs of the new immigrants in Canada.

Rob Ford, Mayor of city of Toronto expressed his pleasure to be with the provincial and federal colleagues for extending best customer services to new immigrants in the city.

Speaking about the new initiatives for immigrants in Canada, Ontario’s Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Dr. Eric Hoskins said that inviting and retaining new immigrants is an integral part of the Open Ontario plan for development of this province.

The new LIP will make sure that all new immigrants are provided with the services needed by them in successful settlement and in finding a good employment in Toronto, added Dr. Hoskins.

The annual expenditure for the settlement services to new immigrants in Ontario by the Canadian government has almost tripled since the year 2005.

A total amount of $428 million is being allocated by the Canadian government for the year 2010-11 towards settlement services for new immigrants. Among the settlement services meant for newcomers in Canada include language training, workshops for finding jobs in Canada and placement of settlement workers in schools.

Such initiatives will place settlement workers in city childcare centers, public health office and community recreation centers for using city services in order to increase the social and economic welfare of new immigrants in Toronto.

 

[CarribRN]

Fri Feb. 04 2011 7:28:23 PM | The Canadian Press
Harper, Obama announce plan to co-operate on trade, border security



WASHINGTON — U.S. President Barack Obama says he has no doubt Stephen Harper will safeguard Canadian sovereignty in a new Canada-U.S. border security agreement that has raised the hackles of opposition politicians and privacy watchdogs back home.

"It would be unrealistic to expect Canada and the U.S. to march in lockstep on every element of border security", Obama added, "But we match up more than probably any country on Earth."

The newly formed Canada Regulatory Co-operation Council will also look for ways to ease red tape and harmonize regulations between both countries, although proposals on how to do so are months away.

"This declaration is not about sovereignty," Harper said as Obama looked on solemnly. "We share an integrated economic space where it doesn't make sense to constantly, you know, check the same cargo over and over again. If we can do that at a perimeter, if we can de-congest the border, that's what we should be doing. If we can harmonize regulations in ways that avoid unnecessary duplication and red tape for business, these are things that we need to do."

Harper also talked tough when asked by an American reporter about the TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline, which -- if approved by the U.S. State Department -- will transport oil from Alberta's controversial oilsands into the United States. "The need of the United States for fossil fuels -- far in excess of its ability to produce such energy -- will be the reality for some time to come," he said.

Indeed, a new study commissioned by the U.S. government has argued that the pipeline could substantially reduce American dependency on Middle East oil. It also suggested the proposed 3,060-kms pipeline, coupled with a reduction in overall U.S. oil demand, "could essentially eliminate Middle East crude imports longer term."

"The U.S. and Canada are not simply allies, not simply neighbours," Obama said. "We are woven together like perhaps no two other countries in the world."

Harper said some eight million U.S. jobs are dependent on trade across the northern border, and described Canada as the single largest, most secure and most stable source of American energy. "It is in both our interests to ensure our common border remains open and efficient," he said.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Ref:
http://www.cp24.com/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110204/110204_harper_obama/20110204/?hub=CP24Home

I wonder if this deal will have a positive effect on Canadian Permanent Residents wanting to travel to US without a US Visa. Will it allow anybody legally residing in both countries to easily cross the border without a visa requirement?

 

[mayankpandya]

Neglect in Canada’s Immigration Systems

Over the years, Canada has attracted millions of business class immigrants into its borders to help boost the country’s economy. However, Canada’s immigration system is failing.

The agencies that have promised to monitor the progress of the immigrants that they sent in have not been doing a comprehensive evaluation of the immigration system as they have promised.

What they were supposed to do
The immigration system is a well lubricated machine, at least it is supposed to be. Immigration agencies advertise special programs to attract different types of working class immigrants into working in the country. Various provinces also look into the immigration system and use these agencies so that their immigrants get transferred quickly into the country. The whole process of accepting immigrants and transferring them to the various provinces are supposed to be monitored by these agencies so that a proper and comprehensive evaluation of the immigration system can give a transparent visual on the primary effects and profits of the immigration system.

Where they went astray
These agencies like Citizenship and Immigration Canda (CIC) promised to evaluate the progress of their programs to ensure that the taxpayers are getting their money’s worth. However, in 2009, Auditor General Sheila Fraser shed the light on the growing neglect by these companies on providing comprehensive reports on the evaluation of their immigration programs. She explained that these immigration agencies have incomplete data on the progress of the working immigrants that they hire into the country. These allegations have prompted the immigration agencies to make a promise for a more comprehensive report the following year. However, the year has ended and according to Volpe, the Liberal MP for Eglinton-Lawrence in Toronto, he is still waiting for those comprehensive reports.

One of the programs that both working immigrants and provinces use is the Provincial nominee program. Basically, provinces in the country offer jobs to immigrants which of course require these immigrants to settle in their province. However, three provincial auditor generals have already confirmed that their province have no idea where their immigrants are.

How they are going to fix it
These immigration agencies have been advised by Fraser that the best way to solve the problem is for them to have a clear and detailed long-term plan for their programs. These programs which as of now do not have a clear definition on how many immigrants they let in to the program should define these issues right away.

 

[mayankpandya]

Canada's New Visa Policy Irks Russia

Because of the increase in numbers of applicants who wish to migrate and visit Canada the Canadian Immigration department has developed a new set of criteria that will meet and screen the qualifications of the applicants.

Russians opposes the new visa policy
Majority of the Russians felt offended by the new visa policy because according to them the new form is already invading their privacy. Sergev Petrov, minister councillor at the Russian Embassy said that compared to other countries the questions in Canada’s new visa policy are intrusive as personal details and questions were included aside from their basic details.

Other requirements for the new visa policy
The new form specifically requires Russians to include information regarding their military service that includes the name of their commanding officers, where they served and their unit numbers. Russians have been warned that filling it in could possibly put them behind bars. Those details are supposed to be military secret and divulging them is a crime against Russian law.

How Russia Plans to combat situation?
Russian officials suggested that if Canada will not change their new visa form and make it less intrusive they might also do the same to those Canadians who wish to enter Russia.

Aside from Russia, Mexico, and Czech Republic were among those other countries that had protested against Canada’s new visa form.

Why did Canada tighten its Policy?
The reason why Canada tightened is because Canada wants only to protect their integrity of immigration and law. It is not undeniable that the number if illegal immigrants in Canada had been increasing in numbers over the years.

Andrey Varlamov, secretary and consul at the Russian Embassy in Ottawa express his sentiment over the new visa policy. He verified that he understands Canada’s concern about illegal immigration but he also said that “Not all people who would like to visit Canada are illegal immigrants”.

The new visa policy form is uniform to residents of any country and does not restrict nor limit to Russians only.

 

[donutbox]

here is a nice source:
muchmormagazine.com

AC

Great source, thanks.

 

[Baloo]

Some is from http://canadaupdates.com/

 

[mayankpandya]

Canada encourages Immigration through the Immigrant Investor Program

In order to promote economic growth and employment, develop new commercial opportunities, and to improve access to growing foreign markets, Canada is attracting people around the world who are familiar with markets, people with capital, business acumen as well as people who have entrepreneurial skills into the country together with their special requirements and customs.

Canada is offering foreigners with business skills and who has had obtained a big net worth and is willing to live in the territorial provinces of Canada, to help support provincial as well as the territorial economic objectives in the country.

Canada’s banking system was again voted as the “soundest” in the world as it promoted the Immigrant Investor Program which would attract wealthy immigrants to invest in the Canadian economy in return of granting them Canadian visas.

Two ways in which investors can get Canadian visas

There are 2 routes in which wealthy business people who are planning to get a quick way to move into Canada. One is through applying through the Federal Investor Program, and the other would be to apply to the Quebec Investor Program if they are going to invest in Quebec which offers a different program from other Canadian territories.

Applicants in the program must have a minimum net worth of about $1,600,000 CAD that is legally obtained and liability-free, and is willing to invest the amount of $800,000 CAD into the Canadian economy, and with meeting other requirements such as having an experience in owning and managing a business, has an experience of managing employees not to be less than 5, and must confirm into writing, the intention to invest at least $800,000 CAD by transferring funds to the Receiver General or show documents proving that such investments have already been made.

Other incentives offered by the program

Investors are also entitled to opt for the Permanent Resident Card in which permanent resident card will be issued to the investors, the spouse as well as the dependents after their entry to Canada as a resident. The card together with the holder’s passport can also be used to travel freely within and outside Canada.

And if the investor, spouse or dependent has been present in Canada for 3 years out of the 4 years before the application for citizenship, the permanent resident, could apply for Canadian citizenship. And he/she can also be allowed to apply for a dual citizenship if he/she is qualified.

Visa application period

In applying for the visa however, the investment must be made prior to receiving the immigration visa, and in situations where the application for permanent residence is declined, the investor has 90 days to be able to claim the invested sum, and to receive a full refund guaranteed by the government of Canada.

The funds invested in a period of 5 years and are returned to the investor after that period, in which the government has full discretion in managing the funds.

 

[mayankpandya]

Saskatchewan jobs are on the rise with Saskatoon on the lead

According to the latest stats released by the province of Saskatchewan, 539, 700 individuals were employed in the province. It shows an increase of 4, 100 jobs within the same time frame since 2009. And there are reports that employment in the province of Saskatchewan is continuing to grow, with Saskatoon at the head of the pack.

Unemployment rate in the province of Saskatchewan was only 5.4% which ranked second in the whole country trailing only about 1.4% as compared to the 4.0% unemployment rate in Regina, being the lowest. Employment, population numbers as well as average wages are increasing in the province of Saskatchewan, and there is a significant increase in the private sector employment as well as increases with full time employment.

The situation faced by the rest of the province of Saskatchewan

However, as Saskatoon jobs are continuing to go higher, the rest of the province faces job losses. There is also a concern with the statistics on the unemployment rate in the aboriginal people of the province is recorded to about 17.3%.

The situation of jobs in Alberta

The number of jobs created in Saskatchewan of about 14,000 is still not good enough compared to the 70,000 new jobs created in Alberta. Alberta even recorded a 14-year high unemployment rate of having about 9,700 Albertans seeking for work, with its labor force growing in about 13,200 people in one year. Also, there are a lot of people moving into Alberta because of it being known as an economic hot spot that contributed to its unemployment rate. In this situation, the Albertan Employment and Immigration Officer has directed his department in helping Albertans connect with large number of employers looking for workers in the province. Alberta has increased in jobs however in the sectors such as forestry, fishing, mining, oil and gas, manufacturing and construction.

Overall scenario on the countries status with comparison to jobs

On the other hand, as the statistics of unemployment to the rest of the province as well as the whole country is recorded, the job in Canada is said to be snowing as stated in a written analysis issued by the BMO Financial Group. The group also said Canada has recouped the jobs lost during the recession with job bonanzas reinforcing the point that the economy has regained momentum around the turn of the year.

Particular jobs created in Saskatchewan

The new jobs created in the Saskatchewan province particularly in Saskatoon, were full-time jobs reaching up to 35,500, and there are about 27,500 part time jobs created as well. In this situation, the leading province in job creation is Ontario with 32,000 jobs created.

Jobs are “snowing” in Canada. And in this case, the unemployment rates in its provinces are getting lower by the moment. With the lowest unemployment rate only obtained by the province of Manitoba with an unemployment rate of about 5.0% and the only province that got a rate lower than that of Saskatchewan’s