Saturday, November 28, 2009

VISALAW INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE IN AMSTERDAM A SUCCESS


The Visalaw International conference in Amsterdam was a great success, with many immigration lawyers and clients in attendance. In the photo, VLI lawyers and clients enjoy a cruise through the Amsterdam canals. More events are planned for the future.

Friday, November 27, 2009

TAMIL TIGER SUPPORTER EXPELLED AFTER CONTROVERSIAL SPEECH

I find it interesting that the federal government has declared the Tamil Tigers to be a terrorist organization years ago, yet their supporters are allowed to openly support that organization, fly its flag, and generally glorify it in the media. it seems contradictory. Obviously, politics do play a role in this, as no party wants to be seen as offending Tamil sensitivities, particularly in Toronto riding's where they have a sizable constituency. Only in Canada....

Champion of Tamil Tigers booted out of Canada - The Globe and Mail

Thursday, November 26, 2009

RCMP bust alleged counterfeiting ring - The Globe and Mail

This is shocking. Daycare facilities used as forgery dens? Let's move to Mars.Noting seems sacred here...what is next?


RCMP bust alleged counterfeiting ring - The Globe and Mail

Nanny wins landmark suit after Star investigation - thestar.com

This is story quite interesting. Perhaps the time has come for the government to ban the activities of intermediary agents and recruiters in the caregiver system. In fact, the entire set up of the program is questionable, as it is a constant focus of abuse by both employers and caregivers who misrepresent their true relationship. I have seen many cases in my office of caregivers who found themselves in similar circumstances, and others who willingly participated in misrepresenting their true intentions in coming to Canada, while yet another group never had any intention to comply with the terms of the program and knew in advance that they would not be living in the employer's premises. the program needs a complete makeover with a strong enforcement element, but the politicians prefer to duck the issue because it risks offending Filipino constituents.


Nanny wins landmark suit after Star investigation - thestar.com

Monday, November 23, 2009

Immigrants overqualified, earn less - The Globe and Mail

This is quite interesting but not unexpected. People who migrate should not expect to "start at the top" but rather adapt and make slow and steady gains as they integrate. What the study does not show is what specific groups are not doing well. Hopefully, this will not be an excuse for another nonsensical "affirmative action" program that will disadvantage qualified candidates.


Immigrants overqualified, earn less - The Globe and Mail

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Lesbian US War Deserter Wins Stay of Deportation - NYTimes.com

I am reading the article below and wondering.... how many more grounds of "creative" refugee claims Can the Canadian legal system continue to create? I think that soon there will be consideration of discrimination by blondes against redheads, people who wear blue against those who like the color green, and those who drive American brands against those who own Japanese cars....Do you think we need some reform and common sense or not? The Canadian refugee determination system continues to be the weak link in our immigration policy.


Lesbian US War Deserter Wins Stay of Deportation - NYTimes.com

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Rwandan man living in Windsor charged with war crimes

Another case of alleged Rwandan war criminals living in Canada. How many are there? Does the government know?

Rwandan man living in Windsor charged with war crimes

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

SUMMARY OF AUDITOR GENERAL REPORT

Here are the main points outlined in the Auditor General's report in the area of immigration:



Main Points

What we examined

In Canada, the federal government and the provinces and territories share jurisdiction over immigration. Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is generally responsible for the selection of immigrants and other foreign nationals and for ensuring that they are admissible—that is, that they do not present any risk to the health and safety of Canadians. The Department has also signed agreements with most provinces and territories allowing them to play an active role in selecting immigrants to meet the specific needs of their labour markets.

In 2008, Canada admitted about 250,000 people as permanent residents, including about 150,000 individuals and their immediate family members selected on the basis of attributes that would enable them to succeed in a dynamic labour market, such as education, professional experience, and official language ability. In addition, Canada allowed almost 370,000 temporary foreign workers in 2008 to fill a short-term need for labour.

We examined how CIC plans for and manages programs designed to facilitate the entry of permanent and temporary workers into Canada and the recognition of foreign credentials in Canada. In addition, we looked at the role of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) in supporting the planning and delivery of these programs, including the issuance of labour market opinions by its Service Canada offices. The audit covered the period from June 2002, when the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act came into effect, to 30 June 2009.

Our audit did not cover how CIC assesses whether applicants are admissible to Canada or how the provinces and territories nominate candidates for selection. Nor did we examine the Canada Border Services Agency’s processing of work permit applications at points of entry into Canada.

Why it’s important

Immigration has played an important role in the economic, social, and cultural development of Canada throughout our history. Its role is just as important today, given our aging population and labour force. Canada has an ongoing need for permanent workers with various skills and must compete with other countries to attract them. In addition, Canada has a need for various types of temporary workers to address short-term needs of the labour market, which vary from year to year and from region to region of the country.

It is critical that the government’s programs to facilitate the entry of permanent and temporary workers be designed and delivered in a way to ensure that the right people are available at the right time to meet the needs of the Canadian labour market. The choices that are made now will affect the kind of society Canada has in the future.

What we found

Although CIC followed a sound decision-making process in 2008 to design the Canadian Experience Class (a category of skilled foreign workers and students with Canadian work experience), the Department has made other key decisions without properly assessing their costs and benefits, risks, and potential impacts on other programs and delivery mechanisms. Program changes in recent years have resulted in a significant shift in the types of workers being admitted permanently to Canada under the immigration program’s economic component. We saw little evidence that this shift is part of any well-defined strategy to best meet the needs of the Canadian labour market.

The inventory of applications in the Federal Skilled Worker category has almost doubled since our 2000 audit and, in December 2008, represented more than 620,000 people waiting an average of 63 months for a decision on whether they would be admitted. Measures taken by CIC in 2008 to limit the number of new applications—for example, processing only those that meet new, more narrowly defined criteria—were not based on sufficient analysis of their potential effects. While it is too early to assess their full impact, trends in the number of applications received since the beginning of 2009 indicate that they might not have the desired effect, and CIC could be unable to process new applications within the 6 to 12 months it has forecast. Furthermore, CIC does not know and has not defined how much time it should take to clear the inventory of applications on hand when the measures were introduced.
CIC and HRSDC have not clearly defined their respective roles and responsibilities in assessing the genuineness of job offers and how that assessment is to be carried out. As a result, work permits could be issued to temporary foreign workers for employers or jobs that do not exist. In addition, there is no systematic follow-up by either department to verify that in their previous and current employment of temporary foreign workers, employers have complied with the terms and conditions (such as wages and accommodations) under which the work permits were issued. This creates risks to program integrity and could leave many foreign workers in a vulnerable position, particularly those who are physically or linguistically isolated from the general community or are unaware of their rights. Furthermore, weaknesses in the practices for issuing labour market opinions raise questions about the quality and consistency of decisions being made by HRSDC officers.

CIC has successfully introduced a number of initiatives and tools to address some of the inefficiencies we reported in 2000 in its processing of applications in missions overseas. However, efficiency gains will be seriously limited until an information technology system that has been under development for almost 10 years is implemented in missions abroad and CIC makes effective use of available technologies. In the meantime, employees in missions abroad are still buried in paperwork and spending a great deal of their time on clerical tasks. In addition, while the Department has developed a quality assurance framework that is available to all missions, immigration program managers are not required to use it or to report on quality assurance. Therefore, CIC still has little assurance that overall, decisions by visa officers are fair and consistent.

The entities have responded. The entities agree with all of the recommendations. Their responses follow each recommendation throughout the chapter.

AUDITOR GENERAL WARNS OF IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT LOSING CONTROL

This is one of many stories circulating in the press today about the dire warnings issued by Canada's Auditor General. This is not the first time that Ms. Fraser issues a scathing report against Citizenship and Immigration, and she is repeating her warnings this time around. What I find interesting in the reaction by Olivia Chow, the NDP immigration critic, is how little she knows about immigration and its dynamics, aside from the standard bleeding heart cry for even higher numbers of unskilled workers to flood the system, or even abolishing git. Does she not realize that people who come without jobs, or worse, with fraudulent job offers, become an economic burden to everyone and make the processing of legitimate applicants even slower? . The Auditor General warns that the program is being used by fraudsters and that there should be MORE ,not less, controls and enforcement, and a better and more thoughtful approach, she does not advocate for making it even easier to game the system. I think Ms. Chow needs a crash course on immigration and economics 101.

Tory immigration changes have little effect: Auditor General

To view the Auditor General's report on Foreign Worker Selection, go to:

http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/internet/English/parl_oag_200911_02_e_33203.html
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