An immigrant's prayer

I'm a Christian. You probably knew that if you've been reading here for a bit. I thought tonight I would offer up a prayer for all of you who are in the same process I and my love are in - attempting to immigrate to a new land. Maybe you can use it for your own. I hope this prayer is a blessing to you:

Dear Lord, thank you for hearing my prayer. Thank you for every blessing you bring to my days; the ones I can see and the ones I can't. Thank you Lord for placing on my heart the desire to continue my life in a new country. Lord, I know that you order my every step, and I believe you have ordered this one too - that I leave my home and make a new one in a new country. You led the Israelites out of Egypt to a new land, and you have convicted my spirit to do the same. Father, please bless and protect my efforts in this immigration process; please make the way clear for me; please walk with me, because I can't do this alone. Father I ask that you will bless me with a positive outcome to my immigration journey; but I trust in you for whatever result you have planned for me, and that your will always be done in my life. Lord, please bless those that seek the same goal as I do, and bless all those who you have put in power to review and process my application and submissions. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Globe and Mail - "Stop immigration crime at its source"

"Canadians should be well aware of the lengths some people are willing to go to forge a better life: the harrowing trans-Pacific journey by Tamil refugee claimants made that clear. So Immigration Minister Jason Kenney is right to go directly to source countries in the fight against scam marriages, unscrupulous immigration consultants and human smugglers. Indeed, it will take a government-wide strategy, domestically and internationally, to combat the crime and fraud associated with the journey immigrants make to Canada, and Canada can’t do it alone."

Read about Jason Kenney's globetrotting on behalf of immigration fraud here.

Humidity

It's been humid in Seattle, which is unusual for September. If you're from this part of the country you understand that while it is rainy here (not as much as you might think), it's rarely humid. So these last few days have been odd that way and with the humidity I am once again missing my home in Toronto with my love. Toronto is humid. I can see in my mind's eye and feel with my memory the warm damp mornings walking across College St. to get a coffee. I can see the fog of humidity blur the horizon as I drive the Gardiner out of town, around the Golden Horseshoe to Niagara. Humidity and the mist of memory - they sort of go hand in hand. Do you think maybe God is conditioning me for my return to Toronto? I think tonight I'll believe that's exactly what's going on. It's 10pm here; it's raining; it's near 21C outside. I want to go home.

Expat Arrivals - A great resource for potential immigrants

If you're just getting started in your journey from your home country to Canada as an immigrant, I suggest that you check out Expat Arrivals. This site provides a solid overview of what to expect when moving to Canada. The site does a good job in helping expats get a grip on the core issues of living and working in Canada, with content provided my experts with detailed knowledge of issues like health care, finding a job, tax planning, housing and more. Check out their info on Canada, and their detailed guides to Toronto And Vancouver.

Is Canada obligated to welcome immigrants?

Dow Marmur, in a September 6 editorial in the Toronto Star, wrote:

"Canada has often been welcoming to newcomers, including refugees. The positive reception of the Vietnamese boat people in the 1970s comes to mind. But it hasn’t always been consistent. Writing about the ship of Tamil refugees that reached our shores recently, Professor Michael Byers of the University of British Columbia refers to two tragic instances when Canada turned away people in similar circumstances."

Read the entire editorial, "Our duty to welcome strangers" here