Canadian Immigration News

A hot topic at a conference today in Montreal was the projected shortage of skilled workers in the information technology sector. Representatives from some of Canada’s largest technology firms said they are concerned a labour shortage will impact their ability to sustain growth. “Integrating immigrants into our workforce is very important to maintain the quality and the quantity of our workforce,” said Renaud Caron, vice president of Montreal-based IT company CGI, at the conference this morning.

Canada is being recognized in China this week for being a world-class destination for potential investors. Canadian Minister of International Trade, Peter Van Loan, said Canada is one of the best locations in the world to invest in sophisticated, cost-effective science and technology partnerships.

Last week, the governments of Canada and Saskatchewan announced they have signed an agreement to help protect temporary foreign workers from exploitation and abuse.

On Friday, British Columbia (BC) announced that it is making changes to its Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) that will allow the province to welcome greater numbers of qualified immigrants.

Mexico's President Felipe Calderon has been on an official visit to Canada this week, discussing various ways to improve and promote cooperation between the two countries with Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Among the items discussed is a plan for a youth work exchange program that will likely be similar to Youth Mobility Agreements that Canada already has in place with 19 countries.

Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney is set to announce reforms to the way Canadian immigration representatives are regulated in order to better protect prospective immigrants from unscrupulous ‘ghost’ consultants.

The federal government and the Manitoba provincial government have announced funding for an employment project that will provide youth and immigrants in Manitoba with job-preparation training and work experience.

Earlier this month, the head of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of New Brunswick praised the province’s licensing procedures for foreign-trained engineers four being efficient and accessible.

Earlier today, the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) released statistics showing that it continues to maintain a high rate of immigration. Canada welcomed more than half a million permanent and temporary residents last year, a figure CIC says is helping to support the economic recovery in Canada.

Last week, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) announced that the Canadian government had extended its immigration agreement with the province of Ontario for an additional year.