"Lost in Migration" - The Star's good start

Taking a break from my Summer blogging vacation to alert you to a must-read series in the online version of the Toronto Star. "Lost in Migration" is a three-part series detailing the abuses rampant in the immigration "industry" in Canada, and in particular, by so-called Certified Immigration Consultants, who are overseen by the quasi-governmental Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants (CSIC).

Having suffered a loss of thousands of dollars myself at the hands of a boilerplate consultant, it was great to see these individuals exposed for what many of them are.

Now, if only the Star would expose the capriciousness of the entire immigration process, we might really get somewhere. Here's an example: say your application is rejected. If so, you have the right to appeal. The appeal is heard by ONE appeals Minister, who is not required to take notes and no record is kept of the proceedings. The minister then makes a ruling, based on their recollection of the hearing (not based on evidence or fact). If the ruling goes against you, then you can appeal to the Federal Court. If the Federal Court agrees with your appeal, you would think that would be it - that you would be done and in...but not in Canada. In Canada, if the highest court in the land agrees with your appeal, then they send you back to the SAME appeals court that heard your case before, with the same lack of rules or accountability.

Investigate that, Star!

Summer vacation

The Mind will be on hiatus (much like your favorite CBC programming) for a good chunk of the next few months. Should anything too juicy to pass up come to light, we'll be sure and take note, but for now the weather is just too darn nice and my personal immigration story is still going nowhere fast. You'll of course be the first to hear if the situation changes!

Have a lovely Summer!

- J

Top 5 Toronto - site seeing

Back to the Top 5! Now what I think you should see aren't necessarily what the tourist board would recommend. Still I think if you check these five destinations out, you'll be very pleased with your Toronto experience.

Younge Street (between Front and Bloor) - Take a stroll from south to north and you're eyes, ears...well, all your senses are in for a treat. There is everything from weird little bargain electronics shops to SAM SAM the Record Man, to great pizza and pan Asian food to souvenir and boutique shops. The street is usually bustling with activity and it is just this messy commerce that I love. You will too!

Queen Street West - Another great shopping street in Toronto, but this one, chock full of designer furnishings, clothing and second-hand stores, is a funkier section of town. Check out events at CHUM's CityTV building (at John Street), where Much Music is often putting on events, or have your say at Speakers Corner (a loonie is the price of admission for your own rant on, well, whatever you want!). Queen is also serviced by the Red Rocket street cars, so if you get tired you can hop on one. As you head west, the street calms down and there are some nice parks and restaurants to explore.

Nathan Phillips Square - The heart of Toronto, so to speak, Nathan Phillips Square is a model of a public space to be admired. It is the site of Toronto City Hall, but more than that, with its wide open spaces and skating rink/wading pool/reflecting pond, it is also a place where people gather to meet, socialize and celebrate community events (it's the site of the city's New Year celebration). Added bonus - the blue poutine truck that parks on Queen Street!

St. Lawrence Market - Yummy meats and veggies especially cheese, cheese, cheese! St. Lawrence Market on Front Street is the place for fresh food stuffs. Some vendors make sandwiches and prepared foods for you to eat on the spot or take home, so if you don't have a place to cook, you can still enjoy the food. Don't forget to check out the lower level too!

Eaton Centre - Now THIS is a shopping mall. Three levels of shops and restaurants, with a range of services inside as well, Eaton Centre (the Eaton's store has since been taken over by Sears) is where Toronto goes to shop. By Dundas Square to the east (off Younge Street) there 's always some sort of activity happening - it's also a good place to start because right inside the entrance is a bank with cash machines :). You always seem to run into someone you know at Eaton Centre, which is especially beautiful come Christmastime.

Happy 25th Anniversary to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms

Twenty-five years ago today, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms became law in Canada. This document has laid the foundation for the development of a modern, multi-cultural Canada that offers opportunity to many who cannot find it anywhere else in the world.

The Charter covers everything from human rights to democratic, equality, and mobility rights, as well as defining the two official langauges of the nation.

Learn more about this remarkable document here.

Top 5 Toronto - restaurants

I decided to have a little fun now that Spring is here and lighten the mood in celebration of the return of the Sun! SO here we go - a Top 5 series for you to help in your enjoyment of my favorite city, Toronto. This post covers my Top 5 restaurants.

Messis - 97 Harbord Street, Toronto Phone (416) 920-2186. Try the Oven-roasted marinated Atlantic salmon with a soy ginger sushi rice tower, sesame sautéed julienne fennel & bok choy, and a citrus carrot sauce ($17.95), or the Halibut when it's in season - yum! For dessert, don't you dare miss the Wild blueberry & white chocolate phyllo strudel with Tahitian vanilla ice cream.

Bar Italia - 582 College Street, Toronto, ON, Canada - (416) 535-3621. While the service has been known to be sketchy, with servers playing tag-team games (the person who seats you will not get you water, the person who gets you water will not take your order, the person who takes your order will not serve you, the person who serves you will not check in on you, the person who checks in on you will not bring you your bill, the person who brings you your bill will not bring you your change...), the food IS yummy and the atmosphere is stylin'. Try one of the many pastas or the gnocchi.

Spring Rolls - 691 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON, Canada - (416) 972-6623. Pan Asian at it's best, with oodles and oodles of noodles. Don't miss the Pineapple Fried Rice too! The Younge Street location insures lots of action on the street too. This list is making me hungry...

Fran's Diner - 20 College Street, Toronto, ON, Canada - (416) 923-9867. I'm not the only one who loves this diner (try the Waffles and Ice Cream!) - here's a quote from another best-of list: "If you want to begin your day with a standard, no-frills breakfast, head to Fran's, a Toronto institution. Fran's offers the usual breakfast choices, including eggs, bacon, toast, and coffee.Choose from traditional breakfast dishes or made-to-order omelets and waffles. People of all ages enjoy Fran's!" Good enough for Glen Gould? Good enough for me.

Sugar Cafe - 942 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON, Canada - (416) 532-5088. Another great brunch spot. Try the french toast and a couple cups of coffee before you begin a day of shopping on Queen Street West. It's small and lovely and personal and if you don't mind the eclectic furnishings (chairs of different heights and tables that may need a matchbook or two to make the legs even), could even be considered stylish!

Let me know if you hit up any of these spots and agree with me that these are five of the tops!

Reader's Choice - what would you like to see covered?

For two years now I've been covering the immigration scene in Canada, my personal ups and downs with it, and the pros and cons of the system Canada has set up to accommodate those seeking a new home.

As I enter my third year of exploring the expatriate mind, I'm wondering if there are any areas that you, the reader, would like me to explore or pay more attention to?

Maybe you enjoy the cultural commentary - my music video selections or comments on places to see and things to do in my beloved Toronto? Maybe the political commentary is what you're interested in? Tracking down resources for immigrants? Whatever it is that you want to see covered here at The Mind, just drop me a comment and let me know.

And thank you again for taking the time to read. It's nice to see the hit counter go up each day, and I hope the last two years have meant something to you.

Ontario unites immigration resources

Ontario Immigration is a great website put together by the Province to help immigrants at all stages. They have done an excellent job in organizing and linking information from many different sources and acting as a portal for a range of core questions that immigrants have to address.

At the site, presented in (of course) both French and English) you will find information aimed to deal with issues both before (like how to apply to immigrate, which links you to the pertinent sections of the CIC web site) and after you arrive in Canada (like how to get your Social Insurance card), guides to Ontario, information on immigrant assistance programs, finding housing, health insurance, banking, jobs and more.

This is a fantastic site and a must-have bookmark for those at any point in their immigrant journey.

Ontario gets it right - "Fair Access to Regulated Professions Act" passed

You wont see any news about it, other than the mention with this article - TheStar.com - News - Another first for Augustine, but the "Fair Access to Regulated Professions Act" was recently passed in Ontario, as championed by Minister Mike Colle.

Under the new legislation, measures will be implemented for ensuring the regulatory bodies that oversee various professions are "fair and open" to qualified newcomers.

To that end, audits of the registration practices of regulated professions will be conducted to make sure they are transparent, objective, impartial and fair.

While the successful passing of this legislation didn't make the press, here's part of a backgrounder from 2006 outling the key elements of it:

Ensuring Fair Practices
The proposed Act would require regulatory bodies to adopt fair and transparent registration processes by:

- Reviewing their requirements for registration including academic courses and work experience.
- Providing information about documents and credentials required to support an application or alternative options if an applicant cannot obtain documentation for reasons beyond their control.
- Providing complete information about how the registration process works, the approximate amount of time it would take to get a decision, fees required, and the criteria for acceptance into the profession.
- Deciding whether an individual is successful or not in obtaining a license within a reasonable amount of time.
- Providing applicants with written reasons for the decision.
- Ensuring applicants have the right to an internal review or appeal if they don’t agree with the decision, and receive a written response to a request for a review or appeal.
- Ensuring officials making decisions on registration, internal reviews or appeals are trained so that they have knowledge of the processes.

Way to go, Ontario!

Immigration fuels Canada‘s growth - we have a problem

Immigration fuels Canada‘s growth

"Two-thirds of Canada‘s rapid population increase over the past five years came from immigration — a force that in coming decades will account for almost all of the country‘s growth, according to census figures released Tuesday."

The article noted chronicles a unique situation. Canada's birthrate is slowing. Soon, the only net gain in population will be through immigration.

So what's the problem? Barriers to immigrating is one - the backlog of applicants continues to grow, without a plan in place to manage it.

The second problem is the one of employment access, as noted before. While some Provinces, like Ontario (who bear the brunt of immigration by a huge margin) are proactively putting programs in place to take advantage of the economic capital flowing into the country associated with highly educated new immigrants, there is still no cohesive Federal plan in place.

It seems Canada can do one of three things - stay the course, create more restrictive policies to stem the flow of immigrants (ala the US) or embrace the future and take advantage of those who truly want to build a new future in a wonderful country.

Application wait times examined - permanent residence

You have to dig a bit on the CIC website to find out what wait times are for different types of immigration applications. But I don't mind tracking these things down now and again. This time around I'll look at all applications for permanent residence. In general, things still aren't very good for this class - some can still wait over four years to process. But the good news is at the other end of the scale, where it appears the "easier" applications are moving through at a reasonable pace.

Processing Times at Visa Offices in All Regions

30% of cases finalized in 7 months
50% of cases finalized in 17 months
70% of cases finalized in 32 months
80% of cases finalized in 54 months

The best places to come from if you want to get into Canada in a reasonable amount of time? Vienna (80% of applications handled with in 12 months) and surprisingly, San Paulo (80% of applications handled with in 13 months) .

The worst? Moscow and New Deli at up to 66 months.

For more information, see the CIC site