A Christmas prayer for you and me

Christmas is here already. it's hard to believe. When I look to the right and see another 52 weeks have passed by, and that I'm still hoping and waiting to become a permanent resident of Canada and join my love there, I simply can't fathom how quickly time seems to go by.

For each and every reader who is on the same unpredictable journey to a new life in Canada, God bless you and grant you patience and favor in your application. I hope you will include my situation in your prayers as well. This is a season of miracles after all - but it's important to ask God for the things we most desire and include him, recognizing He is in charge.

In this season of miracles, I'm believing in one for me and one for you too.

Merry Christmas to all!

The List

On November 29th, the Harper government unveiled it's first attempt to solve the immigration backlog in it's focus on the skilled worker class. The solution? A list of preferred professions. If you are applying to Canada in the SW class and don't have one of these jobs in your professional background, the Harper government wont even look at your application.

Did you make the cut?

• Financial Managers
• Computer and Information Systems Managers
• Managers in Health Care
• Restaurant and Food Service Managers
• Accommodation Service Managers
• Construction Managers
• Financial Auditors and Accountants
• Geologists, Geochemists and Geophysicists
• Mining Engineers
• Geological Engineers
• Petroleum Engineers
• Specialist Physicians
• General Practitioners and Family Physicians
• Audiologists and Speech Language Pathologists
• Occupational Therapists
• Physiotherapists
• Head Nurses and Supervisors
• Registered Nurses
• Medical Radiation Technologists
• Licensed Practical Nurses
• University Professors
• College and Other Vocational Instructors
• Chefs
• Cooks
• Contractors and Supervisors, Pipefitting Trades
• Contractors and Supervisors, Carpentry Trades
• Contractors and Supervisors, Heavy Construction Equipment Crews
• Electricians (Except Industrial and Power System)
• Industrial Electricians
• Plumbers
• Steamfitters, Pipefitters and Sprinkler System Installers
• Welders and Related Machine Operators
• Heavy-Duty Equipment Mechanics
• Crane Operators
• Drillers and Blasters — Surface Mining, Quarrying and Construction
• Supervisors, Mining and Quarrying
• Supervisors, Oil and Gas Drilling and Service
• Supervisors, Petroleum, Gas and Chemical Processing and Utilities

All I want for Christmas

Santa, in case you're reading this...

All I want for Christmas is to become a permanent resident of Canada.

Milk and cookies will be in their usual spot.

- J

Ignatieff's expected stand on immigration issues

Newly crowned Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff has said publicly that he believes Canada needs to expand the family-class portion of its immigration system, allowing Canadians to sponsor family members to become permanent residents of Canada. He has also said that the Canadian immigration system needs to be "streamlined," including a processing system based in Canada. While Statistics Canada reports that the country is taking in an average of 260,000 newcomers a year, Mr. Ignatieff says the number should be increased to "at least" 350,000 newcomers per year. He has stated that he feels the current immigration processing system is simply too cumbersome (amen, ed.) and does a poor job in matching up applicant qualifications with professional skill shortages. In addition, the current system isn't doing enough to help foreign professionals qualify for practice in their field of expertise in Canada.

Positive immigration reform? It may be closer than you think.

Parliament suspended - good for immigration?

With the proroguing of Parliament this week, the question arises - what impact will this have on immigration issues?

On the positive side, Harper's minority government wont have the opportunity to do more damage to the current immigration policies than he has done already. You could imagine that with the economy in trouble as it is across Canada that immigrants would be an easy target, and the reduction of numbers allowed in, barriers to entry, pace of the application process could all be easy targets.

Also on the positive side: the attempt to form a coalition government (even though it was done as the result of a hissy-fit by Dion and Layton) is a clear indicator that Harper's days in power are numbered (around 42, I believe). One way or another, he's going to lose most, if not all the power he currently wields. Chances are that his poor record on immigration management and poor policy choices in this area will get the attention of some opposition Ministers - and perhaps enough to reverse the course that has led to policies ripe with opportunity for abuse without checks and balances.

Thankful

As American Thanksgiving approaches, I'm thankful for a number of things:

- for my love who still gives me the promise and fulfillment of a beautiful life
- for my God who I can trust to see us through our immigration struggle
- to our families who support us in our love for each other
- for our friends who remind us that its all worth the struggle
- for Canada raising up such a wonderful woman
- my readers for giving me a reason to share this journey

I hope this list will help to remind you we all, even in the challenges we face in building our new lives, have so much - and that even having a chance is something.

Soon this list will include the following entry:

- for being married to a beautiful Canadian and moving home to Toronto.

CBC Digital Archives - meet Gordon Lightfoot

If you don't know who Gordon Lightfoot is, do yourself a favor and check out this introduction via the CBC Archives. Lightfoot is a wonderful Singer/Songwriter who found his voice in the 60's and was highly popular throughout the early 70's. He wrote songs that dealt with Canadian life, history and myth. You can learn a lot about your future home through his voice.

A positive change in Canadian Immigration

Goodbye Diane. Hello Jason.

In his recent cabinet shake up, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has named Jason Kenney as his new Minister of Citizenship, Immigration & Multiculturalism (note the new position title). Mr. Kenney has had previous experience in working with immigrant and minority groups in Canada, and it looks like he may be a refreshing change from Finley - being someone who actually brings direct experience and time in the trenches with immigrant issues.

While his job will be to implement the horrible policies of preference put in place by the Tories, I believe Harper has chosen a man with the potential to apply his discretion and power in a thoughtful way.

Make us proud, Jason. Don't sit on your backside like Finley did - fix this broken, biased and incompassionate system.

Read all about your new Minister in this article from the Star.

CBC Digital Archives - immigration and multiculturalism

In an effort to fight some of the ignorance surrounding the role of immigration in building Canada, I would like to introduce my readers to the CBC Digital Archives. The Archives are a searchable collection of audio and video clips from CBC news and other programming that returns streaming audio and video to your computer. The good folks at the Archive not only present individual clips, but they also create collections organized around particular subjects over time.

I would like to call your attention to "Making the Mosaic: Multiculturalism in Canada", a 15-clip collection that will enlighten you with broadcasts from 1962 to 2004.

Here's the overview:

"In 1971, Canada became the first country in the world to declare multiculturalism as official state policy. The bold step charted the path to a vibrant and evolving cultural mosaic premised on mutual respect for Canadians of all backgrounds and ancestry. Yet the roots of multiculturalism in Canada can be seen in the country's earliest beginnings, as three founding cultures — aboriginal, British and French — were soon joined by many more from around the globe. Today, multiculturalism is a touchstone of Canadian national identity and a point of pride for Canadians from coast to coast to coast. In celebration of Canadian Multiculturalism Day on June 27, the CBC Digital Archives recalls some of the struggles and triumphs along the way."

A letter to America

Dear America,
I just wanted to say congratulations. You did the right thing. You overcame fear anyd division to come together and make a stand for something positive. While Barak Obama may or may not have the right stuff to run the country, he does have the right stuff to unite one - and right now, that's a pretty important quality.

You have stood up for tolerance, for hope, for healing and for the future. You have put aside the ghosts of 9/11 and have made the choice to live for tomorrow. You have put Selma behind you, put the useless greed of the baby boomers aside and said, "we are in this together."

A generation will come to awareness with a black American leading the country. Anything IS possible in the US - even that we will stop being selfish and help one another for a change.

You done good.

Hope is alive again.