As one of many initiatives announced on April 18, 2005, the Honourable Joe Volpe, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, declared a two-pronged initiative to improve the situation for international students in Canada. The first initiative will permit international students at public post-secondary schools to work off-campus during their studies. Previously, Citizenship and Immigration policy has been to restrict the employment of international students to on-campus jobs. The motivation for the change is to allow international students to explore the Canadian labour market and Canadian society more widely.
The second initiative is to extend the maximum duration of post-graduation work permits from one year to two. In all areas of the country except Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver, international students will now be able to work for an extra year after completing their program of study.
These initiatives are based on the success of past pilot projects and agreements by some of the provinces with CIC. The Government of Canada is now investing $10 million a year for the next five to expand these programs nationally. It is the hope of Minister Volpe and CIC that these steps will make studying in Canada a more attractive option.
Also announced this month, Citizenship and Immigration Canada is introducing measures to speed up the processing of family sponsorship applications for parents and grandparents. The measures are intended to break through the backlog of applications in this class of immigrants. It is now estimated that 18 000 parents and grandparents will immigrate in 2005, up from an original projection of only 6 000. The same increase in the number of applications processed is expected for 2006. Increased processing is expected to begin immediately.
Minister Volpe has also indicated that CIC will be more open to issuing visitor visas for grandparents and parents while their sponsorship applications are in process. Visiting parents and grandparents will still be required to demonstrate that their stay will be temporary. Additionally, regular health screening will be enforced, requiring some parents to have private health coverage prior to visiting.
While the Government of Canada will be investing $36 million a year during 2005 and 2006 to cover the costs of increased processing, Minister Volpe will be seeking long-term solutions with the cooperation of the provinces, territories, and local communities. According to Minister Volpe "Reuniting families is a commitment of the Government of Canada as well as a key priority of Canada's immigration program." The Minister expects that increasing the efficiency of immigration processing will address this important issue.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada announced further spending on April 18, 2005, this time directed toward improving the processing of applications for citizenship. The new expenditures will be an additional $69 million over two years to speed up processing. Additionally, the language and knowledge of Canada requirements will now be waived for applicants aged 55 years and older. This lowers the waiver age from 60 years and brings the program in-line with the naturalization policies of the United States and Australia.
The result of this investment will be a return to average processing times of 12 months for a grant of citizen ship and four months for proof of citizenship by 2007-2008. CIC expects that these goals will be accomplished by directing resources to modernize internal procedures and to increase the on-line services available.
4. Recognition for internationally trained professionals
Fulfilling its earlier promise, the Government of Canada launched The Internationally Trained Workers Initiative on April 25, 2005. The Initiative is a combined program between Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, CIC, the Prime Ministers Office, and the provinces and territories.
The Government of Canada had previously committed to improving integration of immigrants and meeting key labour market demands. The Initiative seeks to do just that by combining a number of efforts into an overall strategy that involves the participation of a number of partners. As the Honourable Lucienne Robillard, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development said, "We look forward to working with partners to ensure that everyone can use their skills and abilities, no matter where they received their training, so that they-and Canada-can benefit to the fullest." The Government will be working with the provinces, the territories, professional associations, educators and employers to ensure the skills of internationally trained workers are brought into the Canadian labour market where they will be of benefit to all.
The Initiative is intended to address a number of issues, especially the hurdles faced by workers when beginning their careers in Canada. The announcements include commitments to the following:
* The integration of internationally trained doctors, nurses and other health-care professionals into the Canadian system;
* The new Foreign Credential Recognition program, which will facilitate the assessment and recognition of foreign qualifications for both regulated and non-regulated occupations;
* The Going to Canada Immigration Internet Portal, which is intended to help prospective immigrants make informed decisions about coming to live and work in Canada, as well as preparing them before they arrive;
* The Enhanced Language Training initiative, which helps immigrants acquire the language skills necessary to obtain and retain jobs appropriate to their level of skill and experience; and
* The Action Plan Against Racism, a series of measures to combat the discrimination Canadians can face and to help realize Canada's vision of an inclusive and equitable society.
With the collaboration of so many stakeholders in these Government initiatives, Canada's diversity will continue to be a source of strength and innovation.
