Ottawa moving to fast-track applications for refugees and immigrants

Interesting article in the Star about the possibility of Canada making it easier for Haitians who are seeking family class or refugee access to immigrate. While there is no official word yet, speculation revolves around easing documentation requirements, and fast-tracking applications already in process. A huge logistical issue for applicants who are not already well into the process is the utter devastation - imagine trying to locate all the documents that the CIC wants to review. And how do you get police clearance documents when the police department is destroyed?

Read the article here

Immigrants are the new kids on the ice

Wonderful and heartwarming article in the Star to start the new year. I think this year I am going to try and broaden the focus of the site from immigration news, politics and personal news to also include more human interest coverage about the immigrant experience in Canada. I hope you enjoy this first reference of the year.

"Some of the players on George Webster Elementary School's hockey team are new to the country, and most are even newer to skating. Only two have ever played organized sports before."

Read Kristin Rushowy's entire article here.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

It's been a quiet December and now comes the holiday. My love and I will be together again, though not home together in Toronto (yet). That being the case, I'll be far too busy and happy to be blogging for the rest of the year.

So let this entry be an end to the notes for 2009. It's been quite a year - my busiest ever in relation to this blog. I hope the pace I set will continue into the new year. I enjoy sharing immigration news with you all and I hope that its a blessing to you.

God willing, the new year will see me writing all my entries from Toronto - but this is something we just can't know right now.

God bless you in your personal immigration story in the new year. As Red Green always said: "We're all in this together - I'm rootin' for you!"

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND A BLESSED NEW YEAR TOO!

'Tis the season

Yes, it's the Christmas season. That means I'm busy with holiday plans and plans to see my love. We have made some forward progress, with an interview to be scheduled for the two of us in Buffalo. While it would've been nice to simply be approved, sometimes with complicated situations like ours, they want to talk to you. That's OK: we'll talk.

So it'll probably be quiet here most of the rest of this month, but I'll get back onto the blogging in the New Year. I hope yours, dear readers, is a beautiful one and that all of OUR immigration dreams come true in it.

Fake marriages or something else?

New Democrat MP Olivia Chow (Trinity-Spadina) inquired in a House of Commons committee meeting today about the nearly 50 per cent refusal rate for spousal applications from places such as China, western Africa and Hong Kong.

She was told that the government's immigration ministry believes that these marriages are fake - and potentially an effort back by organized crime. The question is: is this solely a concern in immigration from countries with visible minorities?

"Globally we do have a problem of marriages of convenience, commercialized, fake marriages to get into Canada," (immigration minister) Kenney said.

But where is the substantiation? Is there the same focus and refusal rate for, say, eastern European spousal applications? Applications from Italy? From the US? Or is this just an easy excuse for a ministry under pressure to keep immigration numbers down in 2010?

Read the article in the Star here

Happy Holidays - The Sweater By Sheldon Cohen

Some people have their holiday favorites - "It's a Wonderful Life", "A Christmas Carol"...you know them by heart. I have my own favorite: It's "The Sweater", an animated film by Sheldon Cohen, from the original short story and narrated by Roch Carrier. This is my holiday gift to all of you. I hope you enjoy it as much as I always do!

Court opens door to immigrant debt relief

Things change. Relationships end. But when it comes to immigration sponsorship, since 2004, a sponsor's responsibility can go on and on. The deal is: when you sponsor someone to immigrate to Canada, you sign a document that says if they have to go on public assistance for any reason, then YOU have to pay the government back for it. No matter what the situation may be. Since 2004, no one has been eased of this responsibility - not for any reason. Today, Ontario's Court of Appeals said, wait a minute - there needs to be some discretion here. The government owes it to it's citizen's to look at situations on a case by case basis. "The federal and provincial governments had argued that sponsorship was a contract the sponsor should be fully aware of and there was no discretion to forgive the debt, regardless of marriage breakdown, unemployment or illness." Of course they did. The court didn't buy it. Three cheers for a court that realizes life throws curves at people. That things are rarely black and white, and that real justice is a very individual matter.

Kenny's immigration plan - there is a method

A thought just came to me...isn't it interesting that Quebec is getting the largest share of the skilled worker program? I can think of a couple reasons here.

1. To solidify Bloc support of the Tories at least for now

2. Immigration to Quebec takes longer as they have their own approval process beyond the federal process; in essence, delaying the immigration of these skilled workers and appeasing those who will say Canada is letting too many in.

By the end of the plan year, the Tories will be able to point to lower overall immigration numbers, appeasing the conservatives who don't support immigration at all.

In Ottawa, the maneuvering never ends.

Is it just about the money?

I was reading an article today about a Mexican woman who was trying to visit family in Canada, but was denied entry because the visa official thought there was a good chance she wouldn't leave once her 16-day visit was over (see the article here).

Liberal MP Frank Valeriote's office looked into the matter after a complaint from the family of the rejected applicant. It seems the visa official got the facts wrong, and made the ruling based off of the wrong facts. This much, they seem to be clear on. Yet when asked by MP's office to re-open the case, the visa office in Mexico said, "no."

What option does the woman have? She can REAPPLY. She can pay the $150 fee again. Am I the only one who thinks this is wrong? She has no guarantee that the same thing wont happen again. If they make the right decision and let her in this time, she doesn't get the first $150 she spent on the process back.

So let me get this straight. The visa office can take your money, screw up the service they provide for that money and the only recourse you have is to pay them to do it over again?

I wonder if the situation would have been different if it had been a Tory MP asking for the case to be re-opened?

Either way - this is why people are very leery about the professionalism of the CIC officers. And rightly so.

Minister Kenny's 2010 immigration plan

Immigration Minister Kenney announced his 2010 immigration plan to Parliament on Friday and the plan is for a less compassionate, less family oriented and Quebec-centric focus in the coming year.

Of the 240-260,000 new immigrants expected in the coming year, the largest single number, over 100K, is for the skilled worker class, and of those, the largest percentage is being targeted for Quebec.

It's interesting that while at one time, one of the prime focuses of Canada's immigration policy was the reunification of families, nowadays you can't event find a single statement to that effect on the CIC site - and the Minister's announcement to the press ignored the issue entirely. His focus, like the rest of the Tories, is on the economy.

The cold fact is that last year, while 43,360 skilled workers came to Canada accompanied by 60,376 spouses and children, in the family class, only 47,451 spouses and children got in. And the plan for next year is only 42,000 (the lowest number since before 2003.

2010 is not the year to be in love with a Canadian.