G&M - Ottawa looks to ease international students’ path to permanent residency

Michelle Zilio and Simona Chiose report:

The Liberal government is moving to make it easier for international students to become permanent residents once they have graduated from Canadian postsecondary institutions.

Immigration Minister John McCallum said he intends to launch federal-provincial talks to reform the current Express Entry program, a computerized system that serves as a matchmaking service between employers and foreign skilled workers. Thousands of international students have been rejected for permanent residency because the program favours prospective skilled workers from abroad.

“We must do more to attract students to this country as permanent residents,” Mr. McCallum told reporters after meeting with his provincial and territorial counterparts Monday. “International students have been shortchanged by the Express Entry system. They are the cream of the crop in terms of potential future Canadians and so I certainly would like to work with my provincial and territorial colleagues to improve that.”

Mr. McCallum said international students are ideal immigrants and should be recruited by Canada.

G&M - Canada on track to welcome more than 300,000 newcomers this year

The good news just doesn't stop on the immigration front. Sunny days, indeed. If you've been thinking about immigrating to Canada, this may be your time to get in line. Skilled workers, Family class immigrants, Student visas - it's all looking up compared to the dark Harper years. Here's the latest from Minister John McCallum:

For the first time in decades, Canada is on track to welcome more than 300,000 new permanent residents to Canada in one year, according to the Liberal government’s 2016 immigration targets tabled Tuesday.

Immigration Minister John McCallum says Canada plans to accept between 280,000 and 305,000 new permanent residents this year, an increase from the updated target of 279,200 for 2015. If the government reaches its target, it will mark the first time Canada has resettled more than 300,000 new permanent residents in one year since 1913.

As promised during last year’s election campaign, the Liberals will increase the number of spaces available for refugees and family reunification arrivals this year.

Canada will see a dramatic boost in the number of refugees it plans to resettle this year to 55,800, up from a target of 24,800 in 2015. The majority of new refugees will be Syrian, in accordance with the government’s commitment to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of February and thousands more throughout the year. It also plans to triple the number of privately sponsored refugees to 18,000 in 2016.

Read the rest at The Globe and Mail