Canadian Immigration News

The Government of Canada is proving its commitment to help immigrants succeed by announcing it is investing $686,000 in a Newcomers’ Centre that provides settlement services to immigrants in Scarborough, one of the most diverse and multicultural areas of the Greater Toronto Area.

Employment in Canada increased by 36,000 jobs in August. There were increases in the educational services, professional, scientific and technical services, and natural resources sectors in August. Quebec, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland were areas in Canada that showed particularly strong increases in employment.

Canada and India are connected both economically and culturally and there is great potential for even stronger ties between the two countries. Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney is in Delhi, India this week to discuss how to expand and deepen the ties between Canada and India by helping a growing number of Indians to visit, work, study in and immigrate to Canada.

Canadian employers expect a steady hiring climate for the fourth quarter of 2010, according to the latest results of the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, the most extensive, forward-looking employment survey in the world. The survey shows that 21% of employers in Canada intend to increase staff levels before the end of 2010. The average outlook for all employers across all regions in Canada is approximately +15%, a 10 point increase from last year at the same time. Canada-wide, the Mining and Manufacturing (Durable Goods) sectors indicate the highest positive hiring outlook at 25% and 21%, respectively.

The Canadian government is urging officials in India, China and the Philippines to help Canada’s efforts to put an end to immigration fraud. Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Jason Kenney, is travelling to these countries to meet with ministers and officials responsible for immigration to discuss issues of common concern. These issues include immigration fraud, illegal immigration, human trafficking, the resettlement of refugees, and also Canada’s announcement to increase the number of Federal Skilled Worker immigrants.

Canada has a long-standing tradition of helping those most in need. Presently, community groups in Canada are being encouraged to consider sponsoring refugees to come to Canada according to Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney.

Good news for workers in Saskatchewan as Statistics Canada releases data that shows Saskatchewan's average weekly earnings for June 2010 increased 4.6 per cent compared to June of last year. Inflation, however, only increased 0.3 per cent over the same period. This means workers in Saskatchewan have much greater spending power than they did just one year ago, and also indicates a strong economy in Saskatchewan.

Canada is poised to become an even more popular destination for Chinese. Last week, delegates from the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) paid an official visit to Niagara Falls, Ontario, to meet with the Honourable Rob Moore, Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism). This meeting follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding by Prime Minister Harper to implement Approved Destination Status (ADS) for Canada. This new status will allow Canada to promote tourism and market directly to Chinese consumers and also permits group travel from China to Canada.

Given current job market conditions, Alberta has decided to no longer accept applications for two of its streams under its provincial nomination program. Effective immediately, the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) will not accept new applications in the Family Stream and the U.S. Visa Holder Category. According to the Government of Alberta, this change is temporary until further notice.

The government of Canada announced yesterday it is implementing stricter regulations with the aim of further improving the working conditions for temporary workers and live-in caregivers in Canada. According to the federal government, consultations held over the past two years revealed that employers were exploiting some live-in caregivers because the system made them vulnerable. To address this, the federal government is tightening the regulations affecting live-in caregivers and temporary foreign workers, as well as the people who hire them. "The government is taking action to protect temporary foreign workers, including live-in caregivers, from potential abuse and exploitation," explained Immigration Minister Jason Kenney.