The Star - Immigration to Canada drops by 25 per cent

What's going on now that Harper has his majority? Was last year's record immigration level simply a campaign ploy? Is the $50-million that was cut from resettlement services just the tip of the iceberg? Or should we benchmark anything by the 2010 numbers? How can the CIC make up for the lost ground in the first quarter of 2011? More importantly, what role does immigration play in an aging Canadian workforce and what are the Tories planning to do to see that immigration policy fulfills its promise?

Read the Star article for some answers.

Countdown

It's t-minus one month and counting. I'll be immigrating in August. I'm getting nervous. So many things to get done. Though I'm well ahead of the tasks at hand, I wake each morning feeling far behind. I have a to-do list I am checking off as I go. I know I'll be okay. I also know there are some sleepless nights ahead of me.

I still pinch myself when I think of finally going home to Toronto again. I'm excited to discover the city once more. I know there will be some sadness for things that have changed, but that's the nature of life. There is far more to be happy about and anticipate.

For now however, there's a list to get through. So little time, so much to do.

The Globe and Mail - As nation of immigrants, Canada must now confront its emigrants

"Canada has always thought of itself as a nation of immigrants. But new research suggests that among wealthy immigrant-receiving nations, Canada is one of the likeliest to see its own citizens move abroad."

Read this very interesting report on Canadian emigrants: who they are, where they go, why they go, and how the government views them. Are Canadians living abroad an asset or a liability, and is that far too narrow a lens to view them through?

Decide for yourself by reading the article here. 

The National Post - Immigrants survive wet and wild Canadian wilderness

Parks Canada has a program that aims to teach recent immigrants the wonders of Canadian camping. Depending on which part of the country you're camping in, "wonders" can mean all sorts of things. In the case of some new campers, it meant, "I wonders when its going to stop raining!"

Read the story here

Summer doldrums

It's Summertime. Finally. And as usual for this Expatriate Mind, it means it's time for me to take a little time away from the blog and actually, well, relax. So don't despair over the lack of posts in the coming weeks.I'll be travelling on vacation and preparing for my move to Toronto too. I'll be sure and keep you up if there's something I simply can't ignore sharing, but other than that, the next couple weeks might be a little quiet.

I have an idea - why not take a little break from all this immigration stuff yourself?!

I'll be back, recharged and with the first exciting news of the landing in Toronto to share sooner than you know. 

Canadians win The Stanley Cup!

Are you a hockey fan? If you aren't and are planning to immigrate to Canada, I suggest you check the sport out. Only because it's Canada's national sport, AND simply the best sport of all.

So tonight is the last night of the 2010-2011 NHL hockey season. It's also the last season that I will enjoy in the U.S. as when the next starts up, I'll be in Canada. I've enjoyed many seasons since I fell in love almost a decade ago with my Love and she reintroduced me to the sport I had loved as a child. From that point, hockey became a family affair - my brother and I spending many nights watching games together. I'm certainly going to miss those nights (like tonight) when I am far away.

Tonight, after 80 regular season games that start in October and then a three-month playoff run beginning in April, it came down to game 7 in Vancouver, B.C. between the Vancouver Canucks and the Boston Bruins. And when all was said and done, a group of Canadians won the Stanley Cup - the greatest prize in sport.

But wait a minute (I hear you say) - BOSTON won the Cup! You know, Boston, MA, in the U.S.A. Well, that's right too, Boston did win the Cup. But they won it with a team where 16 of the 22 players were Canadian!

Now, I was pulling for Vancouver (being the closest Seattle has to an NHL team), but when it was clear that despite a magical year for the team, the Cup would elude them, I tried to gain some perspective. And that's when I realized that there were more Canadians playing for Boston than for Vancouver. And I realized that the best professional hockey team in the world was one that was dominated by Canadian players.

The Cup will come home to Canada - as each player gets their own day with it to do whatever they'd like. It will spend more time in Canada than anywhere else on that particular tour. That makes sense: Canadians did win the cup after all!

Toronto Life - 50 Reasons to Love Toronto Now

Great article in the online edition of Toronto Life Magazine. Please check it out and enjoy! I happen to always love Toronto, yesterday, today, NOW and tomorrow too!

A different sort of limbo

Here it is, the beginning of June. The plan as it stands is that I'll land in Toronto in the first days of August. Between now and then, despite all the little things that need to get done, I have this feeling of being in a sort of limbo. I've started looking for work in Toronto, but I really can't go too deep until after I land. On the other hand, I can't take on anything long term here in the States right now either as far as work goes. There are just some things that I wont be able to get going on until I've made the first landing. I have to admit, it's a little unsettling. I know its just a temporary feeling, however: events that have to happen in the next couple months will begin to have their own momentum and then all this will be forgotten. But just thought I'd let you know how I was feeling tonight!

The packing list - update

A few entries ago, I was writing about what I might bring to Canada when I immigrate at midsummer. I was going through my spreadsheet again, and I think I've reached a conclusion: I'm not going to take much. I think it comes down to just a couple basic categories of things that are going to make the cut: clothes, tools of my trades, and memories (photos, archives). I don't even think a lot of my Canadian library is going to make the cut. Media (CD's, DVD's)? Not sure. But I am sure that lots of household things are going on the block. It's sort of a freeing feeling. Whatever my love and I might need that we don't have and I don't bring, because let's face it, shipping is expensive - we can use the cash from the sale to purchase in Toronto. So now I have a plan - and a much shorter list.  

The National Post - Kenney outlines changes to Canada's citizenship guide

Newcomers referring to Canada’s citizenship study guide will find new changes including sections that include an emphasis on Canada’s democratic principles, recognition that gay and lesbian couples have access to marriage and that forced marriage is not tolerated in the country, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced Monday.

Read the entire article